Alvin Tan
Singapore
“And if our companies can use Johor as a complementary base to scale, serve larger markets and strengthen their regional competitiveness while retaining their core capabilities here, that is also additive integration.”
“Sir, I have answered the Member's questions specific to HDB car parks. Specifically, I think, with the provision of hose reels, fire engine access, natural and mechanical ventilations that will help in the event of a fire, and that the HDB carparks must comply with these technical specifications and safety requirements under Technical Ref…”
“Sir, all Housing and Development Board (HDB) car parks are designed and constructed in compliance with the prevailing Fire Code stipulated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). This includes provisions such as hose reels, fire engine access and natural or mechanical ventilation to disperse smoke and heat.”
“What was left unsaid was that in the emails and in the MP Appeal System (MPAS), the Member was informed that: one, he was aware of the fact that AVS had investigated the incident; he was aware of the processes; he was aware that AVS found no professional negligence or misconduct by the vet; he was aware and noted that AVS had found no rel…”
“As we have observed a growth in the range of animal-related services offered by non-vets that may pose a risk to animal health and welfare, Part 4 of the Bill will introduce various offences and penalties to safeguard against unlawful practice and misrepresentation by or about unauthorised persons.”
“Owners are responsible for providing for their pets' needs, including medical care. So, we strongly encourage prospective pet owners to thoroughly consider the full cost of raising a pet before committing to becoming a pet owner. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, vet professionals form an important pillar of our animal health and welfare system.”
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Every one of 767 lines we hold for Alvin Tan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 16.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the productivity of various sectors of the economy has been uneven, reflecting in large part the differentiated impact of the pandemic. In 2020, labour productivity, as measured by real value-added per actual hour worked, or AHW, rose for outward-oriented sectors such as manufacturing, wholesale trade, and finance and insurance. For example, the productivity of the manufacturing and wholesale trade sectors increased by 18.6% and 3.1%, respectively. By contrast, sectors which were severely disrupted by travel and domestic restrictions, such as construction, transportation and storage, accommodation and F&B services, experienced declines in productivity. In particular, the productivity of the transportation and storage and F&B services sectors fell by 22.1% and 17.7%, respectively. For 2021, productivity growth is expected to remain positive for the most outward-oriented sectors, given the pick-up in global economic activity. Sectors that continue to be disrupted by weak travel demand and domestic restrictions such as transportation and storage and F&B services, are not likely to return to pre-COVID-19 productivity levels, as activities in these sectors are not expected to recover fully this year. Since 2015, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has compiled statistics on real value-added per actual hour worked, to complement statistics on real value-added per worker. Real value-added per actual hour worked is recognised internationally, including by the International Labour Organization (ILO), to be the most appropriate measure of labour productivity as actual hours worked capture the intensity of labour input more accurately.”
“But I also wanted to share a little bit about Enterprise Singapore's Retail Industry Transformation Map (ITM), as a forward-looking roadmap for our retail industry. The Retail ITM has done a study and they have looked across the key trends in the retail industry. The key trends are digitalisation, on-demand retail, hyper-personalisation of goods, in effect, and conscious consumerism, which is very much related to the sustainability trend that we are seeing. So, we are supporting our retail sector to take on and to ride these trends, moving forward.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Let me go to our tourism sector first. Between January 2020 and 20 October 2021, 4,373 workers were retrenched across the core tourism industries, 58% of whom were locals. However, with early intervention and support under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Initiative, 67% of the locals, who were retrenched between January and September 2020, found new employment within six months. With regard to the tourist guides, while we do not track the redeployment of tourist guides, close to 250 tourist guides have served as Safe Distancing Ambassadors with STB. As I mentioned earlier on in my reply, the SRV scheme has also helped local tourist guides with monthly tour participants growing fivefold between the launch of the SRV scheme and the start of the Heightened Alert in May 2021. I also mentioned earlier on STB waiving the tourist guide licence fees as well as test fees. So, all of these in concert, and all of these in totality, are helping preserve our capability in our tourism sector, which is an important sector, while we await the recovery in global travel as well as the tourism industry. But we must preserve this. The SRV, for example, helps us to create new product offerings locally, with tourist guides forming new products. I think it will put them in good stead for when travel resumes in earnest, and when tourists come to Singapore and are able to enjoy the sights and sounds here in Singapore. Just back to the retail question. In 2020, 1,180 retail employees had been retrenched. This translates to 16.9 retrenched employees per 1,000 employees. Of these retrenched employees, 56% were able to enter a different industry within six months after retrenchment.”
“To further help our tourist guides cope with business costs, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) also waived the tourist guide licence fees in 2020 and 2021, as well as test fees for those who wish to be licensed in another language. STB expects tourism to reach pre-pandemic levels in the next few years. In the meantime, we are helping companies in the retail and tourism sectors transform and upgrade themselves so that they can better capture opportunities when travel resumes. With regard to retailers, for retailers looking to develop their online sales channels, they can receive support from Enterprise Singapore’s (ESG) E-Commerce Booster Package, which defrays the costs of joining e-commerce platforms, or use ESG’s Productivity Solutions Grant to build capabilities in areas such as digital marketing as well as e-commerce. The tourism sector is also receiving support from STB to pursue transformation efforts to ready itself for the recovery. Examples include the Business Improvement Fund for technology innovation and the adoption of business models and processes to improve productivity and competitiveness; and the Training Industry Professionals in Tourism scheme which supports employee upgrading and talent and leadership development.”
“From January 2020 to September 2021, 8,600 retail businesses ceased operations. This was 330 more than the same period between 2018 and 2019. However, there were 15,570 new retail businesses set up, resulting in a net increase of 6,970 retail firms over the same period from January 2020 to September 2021. For the tourism industry, despite some exits since January 2020, new entrants have kept the number of tourism businesses in operation fairly stable. For example, the number of licensed hotels today remains at around 420 despite 13 hotels having ceased operations. The total number of licensed tourist guides is still around 2,900, even with 175 tourist guides choosing not to renew their licences during this period. Travel agents, unfortunately, have been impacted more – 157 travel agents ceased their operations. This represent 8% of all licensed travel agents, although around 30 new travel agents entered the market. The Government has supported the sector with the highest tier of support under the Jobs Support Scheme. Together with other broad-based Government support measures, this has helped cushion the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. Initiatives such as the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers (SRV) scheme have also helped stimulate demand by encouraging Singaporeans to rediscover our city, our tourism product offerings and support local tourism businesses, including those for travel agents. The launch of the SRV scheme has also helped tourist guides. Between the launch of the SRV scheme and the start of the Heightened Alert in May 2021, monthly tour participants grew fivefold from just over 10,000 to more than 50,000.”
“It also manages a hedge against other price increases, inbound. How do we do so? The Member knows that we have undertaken a whole slew and suite of major trade facilitation and multilateral frameworks, such as RCEP, CPTPP. These build upon our existing FTAs with major trade partners, representing 85% of global GDP. At the same time, the other way to manage this is to ensure that our supply chains remain connected and that means diversifying our import and export markets. We have and are negotiating, and have successfully concluded negotiations on the Pacific Alliance Singapore Free Trade Agreement. It is another arrow in our quiver such that we can open up new markets for our imports to alleviate, again, inflationary pressures. We will also continue to support local enterprises so they can deepen their export capabilities in the global economy and ensure our exports remain relevant and competitive in the international market in the long term. The other aspects to reduce inflationary pressures include also the supply of industrial and commercial spaces to help moderate business costs and reduce the knock-on impact on consumer prices. These also include measures such as disbursing rental relief to help businesses cope with their rental costs and, hopefully, have knock-on effects to consumers as well.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. As we all know, inflation is a clear and present issue confronting and vexing economists this week, as well as central bankers and policy-makers. If you look at it, US consumer price inflation is at 5.4%, the highest in 13 years. South Korea just announced that inflation hit a 10-year high in October. As I earlier updated, MAS had already made a decisive move on 14 October by raising the slope of the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate. It had also said that it would continue to track the growth and inflation trajectories over the next few quarters. This is one tool in the toolbox; there are many others. And maybe I will just share with the Member how we are dealing with inflationary issues. If you look at the thing as a whole, this issue has been more acute because of two major challenges. The first is that the supply-side constraints and the second is an economic rebound. The supply-side constraints have been in place, pre-COVID-19, but accentuated during COVID-19. The economic pick-up will lead to pent-up demand, economic rebounding, and so, you have huge demand but then, continued supply constraints. If you look at what is happening right now, despite all of these input prices, our exports have in fact seen a very strong recovery this year. Our non-oil domestic exports (NODX) increased 9.1% year-on-year in Q3 2021, following the 10.1% expansion in Q2 2021. This NODX growth in Q3 2021 was driven mainly by exports of non-electronic products such as specalised machinery, petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. When our export performance is strong, it means also that our exports remain competitive in international markets. And we must keep these markets open so that our goods can flow out.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The Government maintains a very strong vigilant stance on price increases and price fluctuations. The Retail Price Watch Group that the Member mentioned has stood down but we have other measures and ways of monitoring the price of goods. For daily necessities, consumers can make use of CASE's Price Kaki app to compare prices of groceries and hawker food to help them to make more informed purchasing decisions. To also help Singaporeans cope with higher prices for their daily necessities, the Government continues to work with cooperatives, such as NTUC FairPrice and community support programmes, such as the price freezes on essential items under house brands over the period of March 2019 to December 2020. But as I have mentioned earlier on, I wanted to just reinforce that it is a whole multi-prong approach, a broad and expansive approach that the Government is taking to tackle inflation. We have mentioned earlier on MAS' monetary policy adjustments, the Government managing supply-site constraints, which is not unique to Singapore but globally. Third, is diversifying food import sources and energy sources over the long term, as we have debated in the House for the last two days. And of course, our particular focus and assistance to lower-income households, including, for example, U-Save vouchers for households living in for 4-room or smaller HDB flats to help them with utility bills. So, our approach has been multi-pronged. Our approach has been wide and expansive and broad to help our people to cope with inflation.”
“Fourth, we will continue to pay particular attention to Singaporeans from lower-income households who need support for their basic living expenses. The Government will continue to provide assistance through ComCare and the permanent GST Voucher scheme. From time to time, the Government also introduces one-off support measures, such as the Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers Scheme. In addition, Singaporeans from lower- to middle-income households who have experienced involuntary job or income loss due to the economic impact of COVID-19 can apply for financial assistance provided through schemes, such as the COVID-19 Recovery Grant and the Courage Fund. The Government will continue to monitor inflation and cost of living pressures closely and adjust our policies where necessary.”
“5% to 2.5% in 2022. But despite this rise in inflation, Singapore’s economic recovery for the year remains on track. Barring a major setback in the global economy, GDP growth is expected to come in between 6% and 7% for the full year, mainly supported by outward-oriented sectors, such as the manufacturing, finance and insurance, and information and communications sectors. The Government recognises that higher inflation is a cause of concern for Singaporeans, particularly those in lower-income households. To manage the cost of living pressures faced by Singaporeans, the Government adopts a multi-pronged approach. First, in view of the external and domestic cost pressures, MAS recently announced a shift towards an appreciating path for the trade-weighted Singapore dollar – the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate. A strong Singapore dollar will help to mitigate imported inflation and temper domestic cost, to ensure price stability over the medium term. That is one. Second, the Government strives to maintain and manage domestic supply-side constraints, and these include the supply of industrial and commercial spaces to help moderate business cost increases, and reduce the knock-on impact on consumer prices. During the pandemic, the Government has also disbursed rental relief to help businesses cope with their rental costs. In addition, policy measures, such as the Wage Credit Scheme, Jobs Support Scheme and Jobs Growth Incentive Scheme, provide some support for businesses in terms of their manpower and labour costs. Third, to mitigate the impact of rising global food prices, the Government has diversified our food import sources to help ensure that the prices of our food supplies remain competitive.”
“CPI-All Items inflation picked up to 2.5% on a year-on-year basis in Q32021, from 2.3% in Q2. The rise in domestic inflation came largely on the back of higher external inflation due to increases in global energy and food commodity prices, and persistent supply bottlenecks in key global industries and transport hubs. On the energy front, crude oil prices have risen to above US$80 per barrel since early October on account of the decision by OPEC+ to keep supply increases modest, even as oil demand continues to pick up due to the global economic recovery and the rally in global natural gas prices. Higher oil and gas prices will translate to higher electricity prices domestically. And about 95% of our electricity is currently generated using natural gas. That is on the energy front. On the food front, global prices for food commodities such as cereals and vegetable oil have risen due to supply constraints arising from weather-related disruptions, manpower and labour shortages and export restrictions in key food-producing countries, amidst rising global demand. Higher global food prices will in turn, naturally, exert upward pressure on domestic food prices. Meanwhile, supply bottlenecks for goods such as semiconductors, and congestion at ports around the world, have contributed to a rise in the prices of imported consumer goods in Singapore. Domestically, we expect labour costs to rise as the labour market continues to recover and border restrictions limit non-resident worker inflow. We also expect to see inflation in accommodation to persist due to strong rental demand for housing amidst construction delays caused by labour shortages in the construction sector. Against this backdrop, CPI-All Items inflation is projected to come in at around 2% this year and average 1.”
“Speaker, Sir, with your permission, can I take Question Nos 5 and 6 together, please?”
“I thank the hon Member for her supplementary questions. She is absolutely right. COVID-19 has exacerbated feelings of distrust and also feelings of insecurity amongst people all over the world. As I have mentioned earlier, we are not immune to these feelings, where people are worried about their jobs, their health, where lockdowns and concerns about job opportunities have taken form. But we must not allow that to take root in Singapore. The recent incidents – I mentioned one earlier in Choa Chu Kang; and the Member mentioned the one in Pasir Ris – are symptoms that we have to address very robustly. As I have mentioned earlier in my reply to the Parliamentary Question, there are two ways to do it: one is the legal and law enforcement route, where the Penal Code is there to protect and to bring people to justice; the second one is even more important, which is the community and social aspect, which we must work at. And it is a work-in-progress since the founding of our nation to continue to bring different races and people together. So, while COVID-19 has taught us to social-distance, we must make sure that we do not socially distance from our different races and our different religions, but we bring people closer together against the forces that threaten to pull us apart. 12.00 pm”
“And these items will contribute towards content for the Memorial's galleries and gardens, and be used to build up NHB's post-independence history collection. Mr Chairman, in the spirit of our Founders' Memorial and as I wrap up my speech about the three traits that weave our Singapore tapestry – our youths, our culture of care and our identity, I thought it apt to quote one of our founders, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, whose clarion call 25 years ago resonates even more so today. He said, and I quote, "To the young and to the not so old, I say, look at that horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it." In this storm of our generation, all of us, the young and the not so old, are coming together to forge forward and to build a better Singapore. So that when this storm finally passes and a rainbow emerges, we will be ready to follow that rainbow and ride it towards the next chapter of our Singapore story. [Applause.]”
“We will forge forward together, and the Ministry will continue to support more citizen-led efforts and partner all Singaporeans to build a better Singapore. (In English): Mr Chairman, even as we shape the Singapore we want to see, it is also reflecting on our identity as Singaporeans. Like an anchor in a stormy sea, our identity, heritage and history keep us grounded. It is also the compass to help us chart our course ahead and key thread in our Singapore tapestry. Last year, a Citizens' Workgroup comprising a diverse group of Singaporeans, explored what it means to be a Singaporean and deliberated on how to refresh content for the Singapore Citizenship Journey, a mandatory induction programme for naturalised citizens. MCCY will incorporate the Workgroup's recommendations and our formal response is on our website. In May 2020, the National Museum of Singapore launched its Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, which will build a collection of objects and stories to remind us of Singapore's history. The inaugural theme focuses on COVID-19 and many Singaporeans have responded to the public call for contributions, which is extended now until June 2021. To-date, the National Museum has received about 200 online submissions and it will focus on different themes over the next few years, to encourage Singaporeans to contribute objects that best represent life in Singapore in recent times. And as part of the development of the Founders' Memorial, our National Heritage Board (NHB) will also launch a public call in the third quarter of this year, for artefacts and stories related to key milestones in Singapore's Independence, history and founding values.”
“For example, Gift for Good, which is a ground-up initiative, created a matching platform to match community resources and community needs. Second, we will launch the SG Together AfA on Corporate Purpose, to work with private sector companies and partners on a National Blueprint and Framework on Corporate Purpose. This will give businesses a roadmap to measure their progress and impact as purpose-driven businesses. I would like to invite corporates to join us and join this SG Together AfA to help build a corporate sector in Singapore where purpose is the engine of long-term profitability. But we are only just getting started and there is more to do. Mr Chairman, I will speak in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MCCY is committed to working with Singaporeans to build a caring and cohesive society. This year, we will announce two new Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfA), where we will continue to spur on the spirit of care and giving in society, by partnering our citizens, communities and businesses. The first is on emerging needs and volunteerism, to enhance support for mental wellness, provide space and opportunities for seniors to learn innovatively, and facilitate the matching and giving of donations-in-kind more effectively. The second is on corporate purpose. We will work with businesses to co-design and co-develop a national blueprint that places purpose, and giving back to society, as the driving forces of a firm besides profit-maximisation. I would like to encourage the community and businesses to participate actively in these two initiatives to contribute back to society. Of course, this is just a start.”
“At our Somerset Belt, groups have put up interactive exhibits and organised physical and digital programmes, such as skate clinics and livestreamed music shows. We will also continue engaging youths to share their ideas for the upcoming youth hub at Kallang where they will get to design a vibrant space to bond and explore interests beyond sports. So, I am really encouraged that our youths are leading the way and showing us how we can collaborate and make a difference. We can draw from their energy and embody the Singapore Together spirit to shape this place that we call home. And there is no better place to start than to care for one another. Our culture of care is the heart of what makes Singapore home. Due to COVID-19, we launched the Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESC) to better understand how our citizens want to deepen this culture of care in the new normal. Mr Mohammad Fahmi asked about opportunities for Singaporeans to continue contributing ideas and taking action. As Minister Edwin mentioned, we have set up the Singapore Together Alliances for Action (SG Together AfA) for our people to be involved. First, as part of the SG Together AfA on Emerging Needs and Volunteerism, citizens prioritised helping seniors gain new skills to help them better navigate a post-COVID 19 landscape. For example, RSVP Singapore partnered CapitaLand Hope Foundation and Singapore Pools to establish a "Smart Seniors Applied Learning Centre" to help seniors pick up digital skills. So, we would like to encourage our community partners to join us to design programmes and technology platforms for our seniors. Citizens also recognised how donations-in-kind, such as masks and sanitisers, met community needs in a timely manner at the height of the pandemic.”
“They also raised concerns and aspirations about women-related issues in schools, at homes and the workplaces. We value their views and will ensure they are considered in the White Paper that will be submitted later this year. Beyond sharing their views, youths also want to start ground-up initiatives and make a difference in society. We are helping them do so with funding, mentorship and connections with industry experts through our Youth Action Challenge, or YAC. Our youths have started 16 YAC projects focused on helping our vulnerable, including families or individuals heavily affected by COVID-19, seniors as well as persons with disabilities (PwDs). So, we are working with our youths to turn their ideas and voices, into action. Our youths also care about environmental sustainability and they want to address issues like food security and moving towards a zero-waste society. They also want to partner us in policy making. We thus started Youth Circles for youth leaders to engage with Government agencies on specific policy issues and to come up with recommendations. For example, eight members of a Youth Circle with MSE engaged stakeholders on measures to reduce food waste. This is aligned, of course, with our SG Green Plan 2030 to reduce waste and pursue sustainable living. This month, this Youth Circle will submit a report on a possible Good Samaritan Law that promotes food redistribution, for MSE to consider in future legislative changes. And this is really a good example of how our youths are playing an important and impactful part in influencing policy-making. We are also partnering our youths to shape physical spaces in Singapore.”
“And we will continue to work with youths and the wider community, so that youths, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have opportunities to thrive during and beyond the pandemic. Our youths also tell us they want to have a voice and play an active role in shaping their Singapore. As we work with them to do so, our Government cannot just be here to listen; we must also listen to hear. Their diversity of ideas is a strength we must respect, cherish and steward. Mr Darryl David and Ms Hany Soh will be pleased to know that we have been stepping up engagements with youths and empowering them to take action on issues that they care about. Let me share how. We are actively engaging youths online where there are so that they can participate, contribute their ideas and share their views. 2.45 pm For example, in a pre-Budget 2021 conversation that Minister Indranee Rajah and I hosted in January, our youths shared that supporting vulnerable groups is one of the top priorities that our Government should address. And last year, we engaged youths as part of MHA and MinLaw's review of the sentencing framework for hurt and sexual offences. The youths that we spoke to generally agreed that while rehabilitation was an important principle in sentencing, it should not be the dominant consideration in cases involving adult offenders who commit hurt or sexual offences. MHA and MinLaw took their feedback into consideration and delivered a Ministerial Statement on the outcome of the review here in this House last Friday. And in our conversations with youths on Singapore Women's Development, they shared that they wanted more support for vulnerable women groups like single mothers or low-income families.”
“For care-giver support, youth caregivers may approach the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). For financial support, they can contact Social Service Officers. For emotional support, they can tap resources such as Fei Yue’s online counselling services. And we are working with these partners to raise awareness of support schemes among our youths. Youths also care deeply about mental well-being and they want an inclusive and caring society where no one struggles with mental health alone. This requires a whole-of-society effort, and Parliament Secretary Eric Chua and Minister of State Sun Xueling talked about our Youth Mental Well-being Network, which is key to this effort. Tech companies are important partners. We are working with Facebook and TikTok to enhance community support resources on their platforms for users facing distress and using these platforms’ wide reach to foster open conversations and to raise awareness about mental health and cyber wellness. But youths themselves are equally important partners, as they often turn to their friends for peer support. And we are exploring more ways to equip more youths with these peer support capabilities, so they can look out for their friends who may be facing mental well-being issues and provide a first line of support. So, to help youths identify and navigate the myriad of opportunities available to them, NYC launched Youthopia. It is an online site to provide youths with resources, content and opportunities around jobs and skills, mental well-being and financial literacy. Youthopia connects youths with coaches for career guidance, or trained professionals and helplines for mental health support. Youthopia has garnered over 480,000 visitors and 810,000 page views since we launched it in October.”
“So, I urge our youths to take up these opportunities, prepare themselves for the future of work that has arrived sooner than expected due to COVID-19. Dr Shahira Abdullah asked about job-support measures for youths from low-income backgrounds, some of whom may have lost their jobs or may be facing other family issues. She also raised concerns over schooling youths who need to work, and youths who have care-giving responsibilities. I shared how we are helping our youths to prepare themselves for employment. The initiatives I mentioned earlier are available to all youths, including those from low income backgrounds. Nonetheless, we recognise that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted youths from low-income backgrounds, and we are working with our partners to provide more support. For example, we are strengthening access to mentoring opportunities. We believe that guidance and mentorship can help our youths better navigate challenges and opportunities. And so MCCY and NYC partners with youth sector organisations like Access to empower them to make informed career and life decisions. Employment Support Service Providers such as Bettr Barista and YMCA are also providing job matching and placement services, training and support. And for schooling youths who need to work, schools proactively identify and engage students who are disengaged or at-risk to help keep them in school. There are academic, socio-emotional, after-school and community support, as well as financial support through MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme and school-based financial assistance. We also understand that youths with care-giving responsibilities face additional stressors, and are providing them with care-giver, financial and emotional support.”
“Last year, our Government launched the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to provide traineeship opportunities. We are enhancing this package, including raising stipends for Diploma and ITE SGUnited Traineeship positions. MCCY and NYC are also complementing these national level efforts to help our youths be future ready. As the hon Darryl David mentioned, youths are digital natives, learning on the fly and keeping a furious pace with and even setting tech trends. As they do this, NYC is creating opportunities for them, such as through our YouthTech Programme, where up to 1,000 youths will develop digital skills, including content creation, digital marketing, and data analytics. They will apply these skills in the real world, by working on digitalisation projects in organisations. And our students from Institutes of Higher Learning can join our Youth Corps Internship Scheme (YCIS), to gain work experience in the social and community sectors, develop leadership and project management skills, while giving back to the community. For example, Muhammad Danish, who interned with the Brahm Centre as a volunteer coordinator working on volunteer management and training. Danish liaised with community partners to match volunteers to their needs, forged friendships with members of the community and gained a deeper understanding of the social service sector. He has extended his internship with the Brahm Centre while waiting to be enlisted to NS, and he plans to continue volunteering with them. Our youths can also prepare themselves for the future by broadening their horizons, such as through our Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP), which provides them with short-term overseas exposure opportunities to gain cross-cultural skills. But due to COVID-19, AEP has shifted online.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister Edwin Tong shared how we are forming a cohesive Singapore Tapestry. I will focus on three threads of this tapestry: our youths, our culture of care and our identity. This Thursday, 11 March, will mark one year from the day the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. While no one has been spared from the effects of the pandemic, our youths have felt its impact particularly keenly. They are coming of age into a world which changed, just as they are beginning to make sense of it. As one of our youths shared passionately, "COVID-19, you have taken away many conveniences and deprived us of physical contact with our loved ones, but through this adversity you have steeled our resilience, resolve and determination to see to it that we rise above it all." Steeled our resolve. Our youths are not strawberries in the pandemic. They are emerging from the pandemic more resilient and aided in part by the unprecedented support measures by our Government, they have thrived. But the storm is not yet over. The future is uncertain and our youths are asking the question, "What next?" Mr Chairman, I spend plenty of time with our youths this past year and we have wrestled with this question together. Let me share how we have been journeying with them to confront the question of "What next?" When I chat with our youths about their hopes and worries amidst COVID-19, they tell me that they care deeply about four issues. First, jobs. Second, mental well-being. Third, support for the vulnerable. Fourth, environmental sustainability. Let me first share about the jobs and mental well-being aspects. Our youths want good jobs and they want to learn new skills.”
“I thank Ms Foo Mee Har for question with regard to the Tech.Pass. Let me just take a step back and just share a little bit about the Tech.Pass programme and where we are currently. The Tech.Pass effectively targets a set of very high skilled tech professionals, includes tech founders, leaders and experts. And these professionals would have a track record either in founding or leading sizable tech companies as well as in the development of tech products that has mass adoption. These tech talents are, as I mentioned earlier on, in short supply globally. Since we launched it in mid-January this year, we have approved about 22 applications for the Tech.Pass, thus far. Let me just share a little bit about what these tech professionals will do. It is not just in creating jobs for Singaporeans, because when they come here, they bring with them networks as well as their eco-systems and as well as their know-how and technical knowledge. But, they would have to take up lecturing roles in Institutes of Higher Learning. For example, serve on the board of directors of a Singapore-based company; be a shareholder or investor in Singapore companies; and also conduct corporate training or workshops. So, they are going to be deep seated into the tech sector and help us to grow. But the tech sector is very fast and is very dynamic and so, we will have to monitor how the Tech.Pass is working. Thus far, we currently have 22, but we will have to adjust and see what kind of tech professionals we want to attract in, assess the viability and also assess how they are doing within the parameters that we have set up. So, we will get back to this House when we have more approvals and look at the efficacy as well as the effectiveness of the scheme.”
“In this transformation, our Government will stand shoulder to shoulder with our businesses and our people. We will and must ensure that Singapore continues to be a global centre for business, innovation and talent, where local and global talent can live, work and play. In my maiden Parliament speech, I likened Singapore to the Starship Enterprise – diverse in talent, always exploring new frontiers, boldly going where no one has gone before and breaking through the crisis before us. But we cannot be a global node without also transforming our local businesses. In that vein, Minister of State Low Yen Ling will next elaborate on the support for our local enterprises as they undergo their own transformation journey. [Applause.]”
“Pass which allows high-achieving, top-tier global talent to contribute to our economy in multiple ways as a founder, employee, consultant and academic. This puts Singapore in a competitive position in the global race to attract highly skilled tech professionals in critical fields. To Ms Foo Mee Har's question, we have seen keen interest in Tech.Pass since applications opened in mid-July and we will continue to evaluate the scheme. Beyond tech roles, demand for other key skills has also expanded. Businesses that have experienced a surge in demand for products and services have expanded their engineering, production and business development capabilities. Sectors, such as Advanced Manufacturing, continue to see strong demand for automation engineers and design engineers and skillsets such as programming and 3D modelling and we have initiatives to help jobseekers gain these required skills. Singaporeans can also gain hands on experience through industry-relevant training. For example, under the Attach-and-Train programme for robotic engineers, Singaporeans can learn robotics and automation technologies through on the job training attachments at host companies. Mr Abdul Samad will be pleased to know that our Government works with tripartite partners, including the Labour Movement, training providers and the industry, to develop such schemes and upskill Singaporeans in progress with Singapore’s growth. Mr Chairman, we are in the middle of the most challenging pandemic recession that our world has faced. We cannot let up. We must seize the opportunities that are feasible to us. We must remain open and not closed to the world and as the world transform so must we ahead of the world, relevant to the world.”
“The TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) programme equips individuals with in-demand skills in emerging tech and helps our companies upskill existing workers and hire professionals. MCI will share more about TeSA at their COS. Our IHLs are also training aspiring talents to take up ICT roles. Over the next three years, our IHLs will generate around 20,000 local tech talent, supplemented by at least 6,250 from WSG’s and IMDA’s place-and-train programmes in functions such as Software Engineering and Cybersecurity. These are jobs that the LinkedIn and Microsoft reports show to be in hot demand. The private sector is also playing its part with Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) such as SGTech having set up the STAR fund to help members deepen their capabilities in the workforce. Mr Chairman, globally competitive teams have diverse and cosmopolitan workforces, with a mix of talents from different shores. Minister Chan spoke about how Singapore must remain open to talent if we are to compete and secure our position globally. This is even more critical in the tech sector. So, we must attract global talent to complement our local workforce and fill our skill shortages. This is part of our strategies to develop a base of tech companies and talent to ensure Singapore is able to compete globally. This will also create more opportunities for locals to work in globally competitive teams and dynamic teams, along top tech talent from all over the world. As I did; and as some Members in this House, including Ms Janet Ang in IBM and Ms Jessica Tan in Microsoft did. So, one way to ensure top talent joins Team Singapore is through Tech.Pass and Tech.”
“The two transformations I talked about are only possible because Singapore remains a trusted and well-connected hub where talent can grow and thrive. Talent that can help us to nurture a vibrant and competitive tech eco-system that can hold our own against the world and help Singapore remain relevant. Mr Abdul Samad asked about the job opportunities and required skills arising from investments and business trends. Increased production and consumption of digital services have fueled the demand for tech talent in Singapore. Based on LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise Report, the demand for data science, cybersecurity and specialised engineering talent in Singapore has surged. Microsoft’s estimate that there will be 149 million new tech roles globally by 2025. So talent is scarce and global competition is fierce. Korn Ferry estimates that the world will be short of 4.3 million tech workers by 2030. Other countries are already in the hunt for this talent. Countries such as France, China and Malaysia have also enhanced or launched visa programmes to attract tech professionals to their shores. So, what must we do? We cannot afford to close ourselves off from the world. We need to continue ensuring Singapore’s global attractiveness and work with companies to attract and develop the talent they need, both locally and globally. We must and will also grow our own local timbre. Second Minister Tan See Leng spoke about building talent and leaders in SMEs locally. In the rapidly evolving tech sector, we are also doing the same. Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Foo Mee Har asked about our plans to grow our local tech talent pipeline. Our Government, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) all play important roles in this regard.”
“Beyond current challenges and looking ahead, how can we help our tourism sector transform and build resilience against future disruptions? Here is what we are doing. Last February, we set up the Tourism Recovery Action Task Force, comprising tourism leaders from Government and industry, to identify opportunities and to co-create solutions to ensure that our tourism sector is well-placed when borders reopen. To support our MICE industry and MICE sector, we set up the Alliance for Action on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences which worked closely with Government and industry to develop a prototype for safe tradeshows and exhibitions. The Singapore FinTech Festival x SWITCH event is an example of how the sector has adjusted to seize opportunities amidst COVID-19. When I visited, I saw first-hand how its organisers, SingEx and Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Suppliers (SACEOS) pivoted into a unique hybrid event. Instead of setting up chairs and screens at Singapore Expo like they used to, they had to set up digital networks, large scale ZOOM conferences and real-time dashboarding. I met with Si Choon Hoe, a 65-year-old senior executive at SingEx who picked up these skills and is sharing his wealth of experience with younger colleagues. The event was a success, attracting participants from over 160 countries. Through STB’s "SingapoReimagine" initiative, we are working with tourism sector to spark ideas and shape the future of tourism – positioning Singapore as an attractive and safe destination. We will also open Tcube this year which is a platform for tourism stakeholders to meet and test new solutions. Tech is key in the transformation process. But at its core requires talent. People.”
“And as we grow this industry, new exciting jobs will be created for Singaporeans. When I visited the Marine Aquaculture Centre in St John’s Island, I met with Ong Jingyi from Republic Polytechnic. She is an Aquaculture Specialist at Allegro Aqua. Young and passionate Singaporeans like Jingyi can look forward to exciting careers in our fast-growing agri-food tech industry. So, tech is a useful tool to help businesses grow, secure new opportunities and survive during COVID-19. This is especially so for our tourism sector which is struggling. With on-going travel restrictions, our tourism sector continues to face difficulties. Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Derrick Goh asked about how we are helping our tourism sector recover. In 2020, we supported over 7,000 tourism businesses to retain locals through our Jobs Support Scheme (JSS). We will extend the JSS by six months to support our tourism sector, as Deputy Prime Minister Heng has suggested. Tourism firms will receive 30% support for wages paid from April to June 2021, and 10% support for wages paid from July to September 2021. We will also extend the waiver of licence fees for hotels, travel agents and tourist guides to December 2021. As international visitor arrivals will likely remain weak this year, domestic demand is critical to support our tourism businesses which is a point that Prof Hoon Hian Teck made earlier. So, one such measure to catalyse domestic demand is our SingapoRediscovers (SRV) campaign and vouchers scheme which will continue to encourage Singaporeans to explore our diverse offerings and support our local tourism businesses. We are closely monitoring feedback about the SRV scheme and are exploring ways to further improve it. COVID-19 has changed the tourism landscape and travel norms.”
“Tech can transform firms, but it can also catalyse sector transformation. It can help struggling industries, like our tourism sector, pivot and prepare for recovery, but also uplift high growth industries, like agri-food tech. This is because sectors such as agriculture and retail have successfully used tech to grow and create new opportunities. With agri-food tech, we can now produce food more efficiently and strengthen our food supply resilience. This helps us overcome our challenges as a resource-constrained country where land and environmental factors make it challenging for an agriculture sector to thrive. 2.15 pm Sophie's Bionutrients which is a Singapore-based company is the first agri-food tech start-up to grow alternative protein from microalgae in a matter of days, using just a fraction of space. It won the 2019 Liveability Challenge and will launch its first urban protein production facility here and scale up in Asia. Companies such as Sophie’s Bionutrients highlight the vast opportunities that businesses can seize using tech. Mr Don Wee asked about our plans to help SMEs venture into the agri-food business. Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) have schemes to support agri-food tech businesses and catalyse private sector financing from set-up to scale up. These include ESG’s Enterprise Financing Scheme and SFA's Agri-Food Cluster Transformation Fund. To encourage early-stage equity investments into Singapore-based agri-food tech start-ups, ESG collaborated with SEEDS Capital to appoint seven co-investment partners. We expect this to translate into more than $90 million of investments. Shiok Meats, a local alternative protein start-up, which raised $17.3 million in Series A funding, is an example of companies that could benefit.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister Chan Chun Sing spoke about digital acceleration and how it is affecting businesses, workers and consumers. With COVID-19, tech adoption is no longer an option, but an imperative. Indeed, we have observed two major transformation trends. First, the global tech landscape has transformed. It has become quicker, more dynamic, more competitive. Before COVID-19 hit, 80 of the world’s top 100 tech companies were already operating in Singapore. Despite the pandemic, we have attracted even more tech-driven companies to Singapore due to our sustained leadership in the digital field, strong intellectual property regime, digital connectivity and support for innovation. For example, we announced in October that the Hyundai Motor company is constructing an innovation centre here to pilot new advanced manufacturing models using artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies. Such investments will boost Singapore’s mobility eco-system and grow adjacent industries. But such investments are by no means guaranteed, and we must secure our position in this highly competitive environment. We simply must, as Mr Lee Kuan Yew reminded us, stay relevant to the world. The second transformation is that more local companies have used tech to transform. Businesses that are thriving in this new world, have transformed by using digital solutions to access new markets even without a physical presence. In the spirit of SG Together, our Government is supporting businesses digitally transform. Initiatives such as Grow Digital, as part of ESG’s and IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme, help businesses reach global audiences through e-commerce platforms. I hope to see even more businesses tap on such initiatives to transform themselves.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. The key point is that we must remain open to the world and to all the different opportunities that come before us, and these include very important events such as the WEF's Special Annual Meetings. We are currently building our muscle to manage as well as to host these events. As I mentioned in my Parliamentary Question response about two weeks ago, the WEF Special Annual Meeting is subject to the Singapore Tourism Board's (STB's) Safe Business Events Framework and that includes testing, safe management measures and so on and so forth. This will apply to the WEF's Special Annual Meeting, but we are building our muscle to test, to trace, to vaccinate. We thus far had about 29 of these business events. It is not just business events. If you look at other kinds of events like the ONE Championship as well as the ATP Tour coming up this weekend. We are calibrating to the prevailing measures, we are calibrating to the prevailing COVID-19 situation and we will be open to seizing these opportunities but making sure that we conduct the events safely for our global community, for the attendees but also for our local community.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Member for his question and the Members of the House for their continued interest in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Annual Meeting. I think it acknowledges the significance of Singapore's hosting of this important global event and the signal of confidence that it sends about Singapore's management, thus far, of the pandemic. The WEF rescheduled the Special Annual Meeting in Singapore from 25 to 28 May 2021, to 17 to 20 August 2021. The WEF explained that the current restrictions on global travel and the challenges that many countries are facing in combating the COVID-19 virus, have made it challenging to plan for an in-person meeting in this half of the year. When the WEF announced this change, it made the point to reaffirm its confidence in Singapore's management of the COVID-19 situation and the measures that had been proposed to ensure the safe conduct of the event. I would like to assure the Member that we will proceed with the necessary preparations with these new dates in mind, but we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation here in Singapore as well as globally, and make the necessary preparations as required.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I will just give some context also. First of all, the Forum had ultimately made the decision that Singapore is best placed to host the meeting. On 7 December, MTI and WEF concurrently issued press releases respectively to announce Singapore would host the event in May. On 3 February, WEF proposed to postpone it to 17 to 20 August. There are a few things. The first is that we are slowly opening up our events in hybrid manner. So, if you look at what we have done over the course of the year – about 29 different events including the Singapore International Energy Week, TravelRevive, SFF and SWITCH – we have now started to build muscles to ensure that we can safely and innovatively conduct events that are in hybrid format, and to ensure safe in-person meeting with all the relevant prevailing safe management measures in place. We will continue to monitor the situation globally and ensure that, over the course of the next couple of months as we continue to have other events, we will look at different measures to further enhance and protect event attendees as well as our local community in the conduct of these events.”
“We are confident that this meeting will have: one, a positive impact on Singapore's economy and international standing; two, it will have a direct benefit on the companies supporting the event, including local companies; three, it will send a strong signal of confidence in Singapore's ability to host major international events in a safe and innovative way. Hosting this Special Annual Meeting will also give Singapore an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to its programme and discussions. We welcome this opportunity and will work with the Forum to strengthen the Meeting's focus on Asia, because of Asia's growing economic weight and strategic importance to the global economy. I would like to assure the House that we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Singapore and around the world, and put in place the necessary contingency measures to ensure the safe conduct of the event. Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I have just one follow-up question. I am wondering what considerations were taken to have the event as an in-person event, rather than a purely digital one, given that many businesses and organisations, including a number of inter-parliamentary assemblies, have actually gone digital as a result of the pandemic.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Tourism Board launched the Safe Business Events framework in last year in July, which allows the resumption of in-person business events. Under the framework, event organisers must comply with strict public health requirements, including pre-departure and on-arrival testing, a rigorous testing regime, the mandatory wearing of masks, as well as all relevant safe management measures at the event. The Safe Business Events framework has been applied to over 29 business events since its launch, including the Singapore International Energy Week in October last year and TravelRevive in November last year. Sir, the World Economic Forum's Special Annual Meeting in Singapore must also similarly comply with the requirements of the Safe Business Events framework. The Government is also studying what additional measures should be put in place to enhance the safety of the event, including measures to ensure safe interactions between the local community and event attendees. As we are still working out the details and the logistical arrangements of the event, we are unable to share the costs and revenues at this point. So, why are we doing this? After careful considerations, and in light of the current COVID-19 situation, the Forum had approached Singapore to discuss the possibility of holding its special annual meeting in Singapore and the Forum ultimately made the decision that Singapore was the best place to host the meeting.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. We all know that the availability and the roll-out of vaccines globally and, in fact, in Singapore are still being worked out, as the Co-Chairs of MTF had described yesterday. So, we will continue to evaluate the situation with these roll-out programmes locally as well as globally and apply the prevailing conditions to all incoming travellers to Singapore. And I have said earlier that we will make special plans also to ensure that event attendees as well as the local population are also being segregated as well for the safe conduct of the event.”
“In order for us to host the WEF's Special Annual Meeting successfully in Singapore, we will not let our guard down but instead continue to do our best to minimise the number of COVID-19 infections in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, the health and safety of the attendees of the World Economic Forum’s Special Annual Meeting in Singapore this coming May, as well as the local community, are of utmost importance. Attendees will adhere to prevailing public health requirements and safe management measures. These include a rigorous testing regime, including pre-departure and on-arrival testing, as well as strict safe management measures during the Meeting itself. To minimise the risk of seeding local transmissions, we will also put in place measures to manage the interactions between the local community and the event attendees. The specific public health requirements and contingency plans are currently being worked out and will take into consideration the latest COVID-19 situations here in Singapore and also globally. The health requirements developed for this event could also serve as an important reference for subsequent events that are going to be held in Singapore. The WEF’s intent is for the Special Annual Meeting to have a greater focus on Asia, given Asia’s growing importance and economic weight in the global economy. So, we are looking forward to the opportunity for Singapore to contribute to the programme and discussions at the Meeting. In addition, we have also been introducing interested local companies and local service providers to the WEF and their contracted event organiser, PublicisLive, to explore potential partnerships between our local companies and service providers as well as PublicistLive and the event organiser. It will be also be a good chance for us to showcase how Singapore has made it possible through our efforts to maintain robust health protocols while sustaining important economic and business activity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“I thank the hon Member Mr Ang Wei Neng for his questions. I will just take them in two parts. The second one first, with regard to the capacity at our tourist attractions, we have increased it to 50% for now. As the hon Member has mentioned, the health and safety of our people are paramount. So, we will look into how the COVID-19 situation is being managed. Also, with regard to the spread of the vouchers, it is meant to be from December all the way up to June. So, we will also encourage Singapore Citizens to utilise the vouchers across the period of time – it covers the December holidays, it covers the March holidays and it also covers the June holidays. But also, in between, where there are off-peak periods, that is where potentially the seniors and potentially those who are not working, can utilise the vouchers. With regard to the physical touchpoints, currently, STB is working with PA for about 40 community centres or CCs with SingPass counters, and up to 66 physical touchpoints, set up by the appointed booking platforms that I mentioned, or near the CCs to assist the Singapore Citizens to redeem their vouchers. They will also have SRV ambassadors appointed by STB. But we will look into the hon Member's suggestion to potentially expand it to more physical touchpoints so that Singapore Citizen can reset their SingPass and have more assistance in redeeming those vouchers.”
“I thank the hon Member Mr Melvin Yong for his questions. In fact, we hope that all Singaporeans will get to enjoy the SRVs and take some time off what is a very busy and difficult year for many of us. Specific to the Member's point, to help seniors who are staying alone or have little social support to use their vouchers, STB will explore working with social service organisations and the PA to facilitate of the usage of the vouchers such as by organising small group tours for seniors where permissible. In addition to that, the booking platforms, where commercially viable and where there is a demand, are also very much welcome to come up with packages, for example, family packages or packages that are targeted at seniors, and bundle these with F&B and retail as well. These are all possibilities; and we also facilitate, particularly with the social service organisations and PA.”
“The Government has also rolled out the Arts and Culture Resilience Package or ACRP to safeguard livelihoods, retain capabilities in our eco-system and position the arts and culture sector for the post-COVID recovery. Sir, I appreciate our Members' interest in the SRV scheme. I look forward to their support of our tourism establishments. If Members and members of the public want more information, the information of the redemption process and the list of authorised platforms will be mailed to Singapore Citizens prior to the planned roll-out later this month.”
“The use of SingPass will provide secure authentication for the distribution of the vouchers and help mitigate fraud. Citizens are reminded to keep their SingPass account details confidential, not to share their one-time password or OTP with anyone and to be careful of unsolicited text messages or web links that direct them to suspicious portals claiming to be SRV booking platforms, to avoid falling prey to scams. Members of the public are advised to make purchases from only authorised platforms. And the ambassadors at the physical touchpoints will also remind seniors of the above safeguards. STB will also conduct regular checks and audits and leverage data analytics to flag out suspicious transactions for further investigations. Cases of fraud will be reported to the Police. To the hon Member Mr Leon Perera's question about the arts-related activities, I just want to remind the Member that the point here is that the vouchers are primarily targeted at businesses that derive most of their income from tourists, which include hotels, tourist attractions and tours. And so, museums and galleries that cater to tourists are already eligible for the scheme as tourist attractions. Arts and cultural organisations which offer complementary products can work with eligible merchants, such as hotels, tourist attractions and tours, to develop bundles to qualify for the SRVs. They can also leverage marketing initiatives by STB to reach out to locals. For example, they could contribute deals and content for the SingapoRediscovers campaign. I agree with the Member and affirm that the Government recognises the importance of the arts and culture sector here in Singapore. In fact, entities under this sector qualifies for the Jobs Support Scheme, JSS, Tier 2 support till March 2021.”
“Thank you. I would like to thank the hon Members Mr Ang Wei Neng, Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Leon Perera for their interest and questions about the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers. The SingapoRediscovers Vouchers scheme aims to encourage Singaporeans to support our tourism businesses, which have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The vouchers will be available for redemption from 1 December 2020 and will be valid until end-June 2021. Singapore Citizens will be able to redeem the vouchers via SingPass. And the Government is cognisant that some seniors may need help with accessing the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers or SRVs via SingPass, which is the question that Mr Melvin Yong had raised. We just wanted to say that while we encourage all Singaporeans to register for a SingPass account, if they have not already done so, and redeem the vouchers digitally, we will provide some physical touchpoints for those who need them. Klook Travel Technology with UOB Travel Planners, Changi Travel Services and GlobalTix, which are booking platforms for the SRVs, will offer both digital and physical touchpoints. Singapore Citizens who require help making their bookings for tourism products can seek assistance at the physical touchpoints provided by these platforms. These physical touchpoints will span the island to make it easier for people to access them. Currently, STB is working with the People’s Association or PA to supplement these with touchpoints at some community centres and STB will also set up a hotline to handle public enquiries and feedback. STB is also working with the relevant Government agencies and appointed booking platforms on developing safeguards against fraud.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, may I take Question Nos 1 to 3 together, please.”
“Since 2016, SSIA has facilitated the placement of over 1,200 workers into the electronics industry through the programme. And we will continue to help our businesses and workers to adjust and transform. Our journey is fraught with challenges, as businesses and workers will need to make painful but necessary adjustments to adapt and to transform. But as I mentioned in my maiden speech, Singaporeans are no strangers to difficulties and challenges since our nation's founding. We have been through many ups and downs over the years, but we have always risen above the challenges and bounced back from adversity. We will continue to press on with resilience and will overcome this challenge together.”
“On their end, our workers must also keep an open mind and be nimble to capture opportunities, including entering sectors which are new to them. And as a Government, we will support our workers as they pick up new skills and prepare for new opportunities. We have been doing so through the SkillsFuture Credit programmes under SGUnited Jobs and Skills package and WSG's Professional Conversion Programmes or PCPs. But at the same time, our businesses must also do all they can to retrain workers, retain and treat them fairly. And we will support them as we do so. For instance, businesses can use the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to cover their expenses on workforce transformation initiatives, including job redesigning and training for workers. The Jobs Growth Incentive also provides salary support to encourage businesses especially those which are expanding, to hire more local employees, which the Minister for Manpower had mentioned earlier. We have been working industry partners, including Trade Associations and Chambers or TACs, and unions, to provide valuable support in this journey. So, you are not alone. I will give you an example. For instance, the extensive network and industry knowledge enable these TACs to reach out to companies and workers to facilitate job matching and training. An example is the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association or SSIA, who I spoke to a couple of weeks ago. SSIA has been working with WSG on a Professional Conversion Programme to attract jobseekers who are new to the electronics industry, and this is a growing industry. SSIA also partnered training institutes like Singapore Polytechnic and the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education to train and re-skill the workers as they make a career switch.”
“Last week, I had an overseas trip to St John's Island where I visited the Singapore Food Agency’s Marine Aquaculture Centre. The Marine Aquaculture Centre houses a cluster of companies set up to innovate sustainable aquaculture solutions. So, they are feeding shrimps, sea bass and others. It is a sustainable recirculating aquaculture system or RAS, as they call it. One of the companies was Adisseo, which announced the set-up of its first-in-the-world Global Aquaculture Research station in Singapore. This research station will focus on innovative nutrition, health and technologies to develop optimised aquaculture feed solutions for the region and beyond. Another example is homegrown start-up TurtleTree Labs, which uses biotech to recreate the full composition, functionality and taste of milk in a lab environment. This method of producing milk is 95% less resource consumptive, as compared to regular milk production practices. It is an example of a novel solution towards sustainable dairy production globally and could potentially strengthen Singapore's long-term food diversification efforts. So, we will continue to build on our public investment in research and innovation through the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan. We will take into account shifts in the COVID-19 situation, as we guide public sector R&D to identify critical technologies for Singapore and drive solutions that will meet the changing needs of Singapore and our global partners. That is on the business side. For workers, as we restructure our economy and seek new growth opportunities, some jobs and livelihoods will be affected but the Government will continue to work closely with our workers, businesses and industry partners to help them seize the new opportunities available.”
“This is very important as our interactions with the global marketplace of digital ideas are critical for new opportunities. I will share about how we will help businesses tap onto these new growth opportunities beyond our region. First, we have been working on the Digital Economy Agreement which complements our network of Free Trade Agreements by establishing international rules, setting benchmarks and aligning standards in areas of digital trade. Singapore signed its first two Digital Economy Agreements this year with Chile, New Zealand and also with Australia. As we will do so with more partners. This supports the interoperability of Singapore’s digital platforms and systems, such as e-payments or e-invoicing on digital identities, with those in other countries. It is very important that we smooth this out with different countries and we have mutual recognition and standards of interoperability. Why? This will allow our companies, especially SMEs, to internationalise and do business overseas. We will continue to encourage innovation and support companies in the journey to develop new products and solutions. This will enable us to capture new opportunities, especially those led by changing preferences and needs, for example, consumer needs. I think somebody mentioned earlier about purchasing online. For instance, the growing concerns about supply chain disruptions and climate change have led, for example, to the demand for sustainability-related products. The hon Member Ms Cheryl Chan spoke of the agri-food industry earlier on. I would like to assure her that MTI is focused on developing this sector and playing the role, as she mentioned, of the catalyst, and we are taking on an active role.”