NTUC deputy secretary-general and Economic Strategy Review (ESR) committee co-chair Desmond Choo emphasized that more can be done to help retrenched workers get support faster. Speaking on Feb 9 during a visit to the Employment and Employability Institute’s (e2i) career centre, he said the committee is exploring ways to improve the retrenchment process.
“How do we allow workers to be better helped earlier and with more dignity? We think that there is scope for us to work with our tripartite partners to bring retrenchment notice earlier,” Mr Choo said. He added that timely, targeted placement can shorten the period workers are out of employment.
Building Career Bridges
Mr Choo highlighted that workers often face resistance when moving to new industries. To help them, the committee recommends building “career bridges,” intensifying career conversion programs, and strengthening overall career health.
“Career bridges are the fundamental assumption that not all your skills are irrelevant. You may start off being 50, 60, or 70 per cent ready, and you build a bridge from impacted industries… to move to more resilient sectors,” he explained.
He also called for collaboration across sectors, saying, “We need to learn to hunt as a pack – no longer individual organisations doing placement or offering jobs. We must be prepared to work across not only our non-profit organisations and the Government, but also with private placement operators to build up a strong placement ecosystem.”
Helping Companies Navigate Change
Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming, who co-chairs the committee with Mr Choo, noted that more help will also be given to companies growing, consolidating, or expanding overseas. Examples include VDL Enabling Technologies Group Singapore and OTS Holdings, which are providing opportunities for workers to upskill or take on supervisory roles.
Ms Kohe Hasan from the Singapore National Employers Federation added that advance retrenchment notices may not always be possible. “It is important for us to bear in mind that usually when companies retrench, it is always the last tool in the box… It requires the collaborative efforts of all the tripartite partners to manage the retrenchment process,” she said.
