JOBS CREATED AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES (Figures)

Mr S. Vasoo asked the Acting Minister for Labour (a) how many new job openings have been created since the beginning of 1985 up to the latest convenient date; and (b) whether there are sufficient job opportunities for new job seekers as well as retrenched workers.

The Acting Minister for Labour (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry does not compile statistics on new job openings created by establishments. Employers are not obliged to report such data. In any case such information can be misleading because new job openings in some establishments may be offset by job losses in other establishments. Job vacancies also arise from resignation, retirement, deaths and other causes not related to new job creation.

What my Ministry does is to keep track of the overall employment situation. In the first half of 1985, there was a net job loss of 36,200 jobs mostly from the construction and manufacturing sectors. About 7,000 Singaporean workers were retrenched during this period whilst larger numbers of foreign workers returned home.

The unemployment rate as at June 1985 has been estimated at about 4.1%. This is slightly higher than the average unemployment rate of about 2.9% over the last four years when the labour market was very tight and large numbers of foreign workers had to be imported.

In September 1985, the Employment Service Department of my Ministry received approximately one notified job vacancy to each new job registrant. This compares with 2.2 notified job vacancies to each new job registrant in September last year.

With the recession, it has become more difficult for new job seekers and retrenched workers to find work. Nevertheless, employment opportunities, for example in the hotel industry, are still there if our workers are prepared to make the adjustment and accept lower paid jobs.

Mr S. Vasoo: Sir, could the Minister tell us the steps that have been taken to assist older workers who are retrenched?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Sir, what my Ministry does is to offer assistance to retrenched workers. But I can give some information to show that the situation, in fact, is not so bad. For example, in the third quarter of this year, my Ministry offered employment assistance to about 2,000 retrenched workers, including older ones. 533 of them came to my Department. This means that about 70% did not even bother to respond. And of the number who were referred to jobs, 34% did not attend job interviews. This seems to suggest that people are still able to find their own jobs and do not need assistance from my Department. But if they need assistance or if they have trouble in finding jobs, they can come to my Department and we will try our best to help them find jobs. What my Ministry can do is to refer them to employers who have vacancies. But it is up to the job seeker to make the adjustments and show to the employer that it is worth his while to employ him. We, of course, try to counsel the older workers about their job expectations.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Sir, would the Minister say, where jobs were offered to these retrenched workers, whether the wages were of the same level or were much reduced?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the situation varies from case to case. The vacancies that we have in the Employment Service Department cover a wide range of jobs. For example, they vary from professional and technical workers, all the way down to clerical, sales, service, and production workers. But it is true that in this period many retrenched workers, have to make an adjustment to their pay expectations.

Mr Chiam See Tong: A supplementary question, Sir. 12 noon

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. Copies of the answers (See section 'Oral Answers to Questions Not Reached' (Cols. 643 - 648)) to Questions not reached shall be sent by the Hon. Ministers, to whom they are addressed, to hon. Members who asked the Questions and to the Clerk.