Desmond Choo
Singapore
“Through these expanded volunteer networks, we are building something more than a collection of programmes. We are strengthening a culture, a culture where service is valued, where sacrifice is understood and where defence is embraced as a shared mission. We are strengthening the very foundation of our national defence.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to thank Prime Minister for his Ministerial Statement. The Labour Movement has surveyed our unionists. They are rightly worried about growth issues, loss of jobs and cost of living, but they have also expressed confidence that the People's Action Party Government will stay us through these difficult times.”
“Chairman, I would like to thank Minister Tan See Leng, Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State Zaqy and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang for their comprehensive responses and driving policy changes; and also Permanent Secretaries Ng Chee Khern, Jeffrey Siow, and their team of MOM officers, for their dedication in b…”
“Mr Chairman, just two clarifications. One, why is the Ministry raising the S Pass qualifying salary despite the labour market being already quite tight and the potential economic headwinds? What is the expected impact on the local workforce's wages?”
“Chairman, we have seen a surge in overseas travel as Singaporeans continue to embrace travelling in the new post-pandemic norm. Singaporeans are no longer sticking to the usual destinations but, increasingly, also to less-travelled destinations.”
“Since our Independence, Singapore has maintained the importance of capacity-building as a pillar of regional cooperation. In 1992, the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) was established in our effort to pay forward the help we received in our formative years. It serves as a platform to provide technical assistance to the world.”
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“Mdm Speaker, since WDA was established in 2003, it has been instrumental in training, re-skilling and up-skilling our workers. The establishment of WSG is timely, as the Minister has correctly put it, as the Government tries to steer our economy through Page: 33 choppy waters today, and into unchartered territory tomorrow. We have put in place many schemes to help our workers to get jobs. Yet, there is friction in matching our unemployed to the job vacancies. Like Mr Patrick Tay has mentioned, the number of PMETs getting retrenched has increased. It is also getting harder to place them into the next jobs. Schemes like CSP are helpful. However, we need to expand options for our workers. Indeed, we need to up our game in employment facilitation. Therefore, I support the Minister's plan to work with best-in-class private placement companies to enhance our national employment facilitation capabilities. In Australia, for example, the JobActive Programme has achieved more than 200,000 job placements since it was started in July 2015. They link jobseekers with job network providers that are based in 1,700 locations across the country. These providers are given cash incentives for successful matching. I need to find out how the Ministry will work with the private placement companies to better facilitate employment facilitation in Singapore. The larger and more enduring challenge, as highlighted by the Manpower Minister before, is in building a strong Singapore Core which can contribute to the overall Singapore workforce. Enforcement and guidance for Triple Weak companies are, indeed, necessary. And we need to also provide updates to the public on the outcomes of these enforcement actions so that not only is work done but also seen to be done.”
“I thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. Indeed, I have served and have had the distinction and honour to serve with many VSCs who served honourably through their many years in the Police Force. I would like to ask the Minister how these findings from AGO would not cause a knee-jerk reaction within the Civil Service, so that contributing volunteers, such as VSCs, do not continue to suffer from lower allowances and that they continue to be supported in the best fashion possible.”
“Madam, I would like to thank the Minister for his comprehensive reply. Just one supplementary question. With the Government going towards industry transformation projects, how would the current suite of CET Centres meet the aggregated and differentiated demand and needs of workers, especially existing workers in the workforce?”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for his comprehensive answer. One supplementary question. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State what is the percentage of retired officers who have been re-employed within the Home Team? Among those who are not offered re-employment, what are the key reasons and how would the new CTO assist them?”
“For example, telecommuting will work quite well for office-based workers but less so for production-based ones. Mothers who work shifts will find it quite challenging to get on board the FWA journey. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) find it very difficult to adopt FWAs because of their small workforce. Taking a sectoral approach, the Government can develop targeted measures for companies, unions or trade associations. This will be akin to ICT being used as a means to catalyse and spread innovation under the industry transformation programme. With similar companies grouped together, the tripartite partners can implement a flexible career system for mothers in the first year of their maternity in this system, for example, a mother on workshifts can find alternative office hour careers with the companies, unions or trade associations supported by the Government, of course. Even industries with civic childcare centres catering to the working hours of the specific industry could be possible. Can the Government consider developing sectoral solutions with our tripartite partners? Family-centric workplaces are possible but it requires both legislation and the inventiveness and boldness of our tripartite partners. In fact, the sectoral manpower plans (SMPs) being developed by the sectoral tripartite committees (STCs) should value family-centric work practices as a core element in developing human capital. Can the Government work with STCs to incorporate family-centric strategies within the SMPs?”
“Mdm Chair, I am pleased to note that the Government will legislate the second week of paternity leave. This should be an important pillar in supporting family-centric workplaces. I would like to propose how the tripartite partners can further catalyse the fostering of family-centric workplaces. But first, let me address some concerns on paternity leave. Senor Minister of State Josephine Teo has said that the Government will give firms time to adjust and phase in the second week of paternity leave. But some companies are saying that the tight labour market and a weakening global economy might be obstacles during implementation. I would like to ask if the Government could consider extending further support to companies beyond giving a phasing-in period. It was reported that only 40% of fathers used their one week paid paternity leave in Singapore last year. This might be due to a combination of manpower constraints and the mindsets of workers and employers. How will the Government help our young fathers deal with such constraints to improve the consumption rate of paternity leave? How can we promote and share best practices? Broad legislation, such as extended paternity leave is an important signpost of the Government's intent. However, we should also consider alternative tripartite frameworks to catalyse the proliferation of family-centric workplaces. And especially as hon Member Mr Thomas Chua has pointed out, we also need to balance between what the company needs and how they can put in place family-centric workplaces in a tight labour market. We can consider a sectoral approach to tackling structural differences in implementing flexible work arrangements (FWAs).”
“I also urge the Government to allow unwed mothers tax reliefs under the Working Mothers Child Relief and Foreign Maid Levy Relief – so that the child can benefit from the money saved from paying taxes, and have the support of a domestic worker. As lawmakers, let us look into any child's eyes and be filled with love that we have done our best to ensure that he is, indeed, equal amongst peers. Child Abuse and Neglect”
“All Singaporean sons and daughters should have equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their origin or birth. It should be an inalienable right of every Singaporean baby. Yet, for the children of single unmarried mothers, they are not equals. Page: 87 First, their mothers are not covered under the Child Development Co-Savings Act which entitles lawfully-wedded mothers to 16 weeks of maternity leave. For the single unwed mothers, employers pay them for the first eight weeks, with the next four weeks subjected to employment terms. Thus, they may have four to eight weeks of paid maternity leave less than their lawfully-wedded peers. These four to eight weeks make a difference. Women are more likely to breastfeed with the full 16 weeks of maternity leave – bringing with it long-term health and development benefits for the child. Second, because these children do not have a CDA, they would not be able to enjoy benefits, such as the CDA First Step Grant of $3,000 which would have been very handy for the financially-strained single mothers. For the same stated benefits that the children of lawfully-wedded mothers enjoy from these grants, these children are denied. In 2014, there were 446 children born without the father's name. I understand the need for policies to be signposts of the inclinations and views of the larger society. Yet, would it not also be the societal view that we should support those who are in need? It will be difficult to find Singaporeans who do not believe in equal opportunities for our Singaporean sons and daughters, as what many of my fellow Members of Parliament have pointed out. Therefore, I urge the Government to review if it can extend full maternity benefits to all Singaporean children, regardless of the marital status of their mothers.”
“Could the Ministry do a nationwide study to find out what percentage of parents are taking up these enrichment courses for their children at such centres? If most of the children are already doing so, are these options truly "optional"? We have to be mindful not to introduce inequality into the education system to the very young children. We can only imagine the impact on the child who has to sit out enrichment classes because his parents are not able to afford them. While the childcare fees of the centres are stated on the ECDA website, could the Ministry consider mandating that childcare operators do state the full cost of their services, including enrichment or optional classes, online on their websites or in publicity materials, so parents will know what they are in for? Pro-family Workplace”
“Mdm Chair, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA)'s cap on the fees for 23 Partner Operators seeks to keep childcare affordable by stabilising market rates from the supply side. This will impact 169 childcare centres and help 16,500 children. But many families are still subjected to escalating fees. I would like to offer two suggestions to ensure fees are affordable. To defray child-raising costs, all Singapore citizen children enrolled in centre-based care are eligible for a basic subsidy of up to $300 for childcare per month. In April 2013, additional subsidies were introduced to help families with gross household income of $7,500 or per capita income of $1,875. This is approximately the 40th percentile group. From 2011 to 2015, the median full-day fees rose 25%, yet the subsidies for those families in the sandwiched group, which is those above the 40th percentile, remained unchanged at $300 since 2008. Will the Ministry increase the amount of basic subsidy given to these middle-income parents? To further enhance the supply side stabilisation of fees, could ECDA also ensure that we have enough anchor or partner operators to cater enough childcare places to at least half of each cohort? In fact, if we plan for a childcare place for every Singaporean child, we can reduce competition for places that drives up fees. 5.00 pm I would also like to ask if the Ministry can review its subsidies based on the "true cost" of childcare services. Besides childcare fees, most centres offer enrichment programmes as options. Many parents feel pressured to also enrol for these classes, lest their children are left to play on their own while their peers pick up additional skills.”
“Vesting employees such flexibility allows them to be at their best, fosters happy families so that employees can focus on their work and, therefore, positively impacts productivity. Work-life Integration”
“Can the Government and the Government-linked companies take the lead? Currently, we have the Tripartite Advisory on FWAs. Would the Ministry consider escalating the signature level and its support by turning it into tripartite guidelines of FWAs instead, to reflect its strong position in supporting young families? Flexible Work Arrangements Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, according to the Minister, the proportion of employers with at least 25 employees providing one form of FWA stands at 47% in 2014. However, the actual number of employees who utilise FWAs appears to be very low. According to the Minister, the FWA incentive under the Work-Life Grant has covered only about 900 Singaporean employees in two and half years. Incentives are low and insufficient to encourage the utilisation of FWAs. The current FWA set-up is entirely dependent on employers' voluntary initiative. Giving employees the right to apply for the Work-Life Grant to fashion and take up FWAs in their companies, with their employers Page: 102 incentivised by the Government grant to accept, can overcome employees' inertia to FWA adoption. After employees initiate such applications, employers can refuse a request on reasonable business grounds but must discuss options available with the employees, with the Ministry acting as facilitator. Another thing that the Ministry could consider under the Work-Life Grant is to promote all roles flex for larger Singapore companies. Last year, PriceWaterhouse Coopers Australia extended flexible working to all 6,000 employees. In all roles flex, employees' performance rather than actual face time and hours spent working becomes the most important criterion for work evaluation.”
“Chairman, progressive workplace practices are essential to supporting our young families in pursuing the aspirations of raising a family and building a career. A young Singaporean, especially a new mother, requires a transition period after her maternity leave to adapt to a new work and childcare routine. Especially for mothers who are breastfeeding, this transition period becomes even more critical. A period of flexible work arrangements can help. During the Budget debate, my esteemed colleague, Mr Christopher de Souza supported my earlier call during the Debate on the President's Address to put in place eight weeks of FWAs on top of the 16 weeks of maternity leave. I support his bolder move of eight weeks of legislated right to unpaid maternity leave in view of FWA. These FWA options are important symbols of where we stand as a society in valuing people as our most important asset. It also accurately reflects the challenges faced by our mothers. It also encourages our companies to seriously work towards providing FWAs. Could the Ministry consider legislating the right to request for FWAs? Employees have the legal right to make a request in a reasonable manner for an FWA which can range from changes to hours, work patterns or locations of work. In the UK, an employer can be taken to a tribunal if they do not handle the request in a reasonable manner and there is a good business reason to do so. In the meantime, can the Minister also share on the reasons for the relatively tepid adoption of FWA incentives under the Work-Life Grant? How can we enhance the Grant to improve the take-up rate of FWAs? What other measures has the Ministry implemented or is planning to implement to extend the adoption of FWAs?”
“Mdm Chair, I would like to ask Acting Minister Ong Ye Kung if we can have coaches and ambassadors to guide people on SkillsFuture-related initiatives, for example, in the use of the Credit.”
“I would like to ask the Minister how many skills ladders have been developed to date and how many more industries with defined skills ladders can we expect this year? These skills and competencies should also be mapped to economic and manpower needs to optimise manpower usage. The Sectoral Tripartite Committees have been developing their sectoral manpower plans (SMPs) to do so. How many SMPs have been developed? Do they seek to feature the courses in the said directory? SkillsFuture should also be about providing workers with options to secure their future and livelihood. For example, many residents questioned why Class 3 Driving Licence is not included even though it can lead to many driving-based jobs or enhance their employability? To many lower-income workers, it secures livelihoods in the event of retrenchment. In comparison, for example, floral arrangement, which is in the course directory, is interesting and can be a useful skill. But it might not lead to the immediate broader array of opportunities from a Class 3 driving licence. What is the current set of criteria in making a course SkillsFuture credit-eligible? Can we include more employability-related courses to be eligible for SkillsFuture credit? Page: 47 Include Life Coaching Under SkillsFuture”
“Mdm Chair, many Singaporeans are excited by SkillsFuture, but some have concerns about how they can use their SkillsFuture credits meaningfully. The ones who know what they want to do already have a particular field and specific courses in mind. However, they might not be sure what progression the course will lead to. Then there are those who are overwhelmed by the sheer number of courses, of which some can be rather similar-sounding. This group may end up spending their SkillsFuture credits randomly. The third group might not have the information technology (IT) literacy skills to trawl through the directory of courses. Can the Ministry share on the SkillsFuture credit utilisation rate by demographics to date? Are progressive utilisation targets useful to gauge the success of SkillsFuture credit? If not, what would be better progress tracking metrics? 2.00 pm Our Singaporeans might need guidance to spend the credit wisely. I would like to suggest that the Government provide "course curation" for more informed selection, for example, in an Amazon recommended reading list manner. In an Amazon-style course curation system, users will be able to get course suggestions based on their training preferences and peer reviews. It also ensures that course providers constantly upgrade and innovate to cater to industry's and users' demand. Can the Ministry create platforms for peer reviews to be shared publicly to differentiate the quality of courses and guide Singaporeans better? How can the Ministry help Singaporeans to navigate the training terrain better? For workers to deep-skill and traverse industries, they can be provided with sectoral-based pathways and skills ladders linked to training courses in the SkillsFuture directory.”
“Mr Chair, Sir, in land-scarce Singapore, land acquisition is necessary for national development. The Government compensates landowners for the land based on valuations. Fairness is a key principle. Since 1998, the ex-gratia scheme recognises the financial and social consequences faced by landowners. When businesses are forced to close or relocate, workers lose their jobs. They are third parties but their livelihoods are most affected. This is especially so when they are older. Retraining and job placements become significantly more difficult. I note the need to avoid situations where employers pass on responsibilities to the State. Yet, there are many genuine hardship cases where employers would not and could not undertake. Could the Minister consider extending the ex-gratia payment scheme to include affected workers? The payment, especially training support and absentee payroll, could be made via the Labour Movement. It will go a long way in helping the workers cope or to seek a new job.”
“Last year, online credit-for-sex scam cases increased 1,723%, resulting in a loss of $2.9 million. Internet love scams increased by 93.4%, resulting in a loss of $12 million. Page: 61 This is a worrying trend that requires immediate attention. Both enhanced awareness and enforcement are needed. The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and the Police have launched a nationwide anti-scam public education campaign, with roadshows, exhibitions and commercials. These efforts are commendable. What is the profile of the victims? How would the Ministry assess the impact of this campaign and what enhancements are needed to stem the tide? Would the Ministry also consider working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and People's Association to extend its outreach? I would also like to ask the Minister, how would the Ministry enhance the capabilities of the Police to effectively enforce against the perpetrators? Little India Riot and Worker Congregation”
“Thanks to CNB, the drug situation in Singapore is under control. However, amongst new drug abusers, nearly 70% are below the age of 30. This is worrying. According to CNB, cannabis has become the second most abused drug amongst first-time drug abusers. Counsellors noted a trend of growing acceptance amongst youths towards cannabis. Currently, if a youth is arrested for drug abuse, he will be placed in drug rehabilitation programmes that last up to 36 months. I would like to ask the Minister what is the rate of recidivism amongst these youths. Apart from preparing an online anti-drug toolkit for educators and parents, how would CNB take the anti-drug battle online and in a more targeted fashion? Could the authorities work with youth groups, grassroots leaders and entertainment outlet operators to extend our outreach to spread awareness of the danger of cannabis abuse? Would CNB also need to enhance its capabilities to reverse this trend?”
“In addition, our officers are marrying later and their children would only be in their late teens by their retirement age. This is a significant financial stress. Would Home Team face a leakage of talent as officers seek a longer career in other professions? 3.00 pm Regardless of job scope, physical conditioning and competency should decide their suitability to continue rather than a hard age-cap of 55 years old. I would also like to ask the Minister what is the percentage of officers offered re-employment and what are the reasons some are not offered. I would also like to know how many retired officers have the Home Team helped to find new employment. In addition, how can we tap on our retired officers to continue the mission of defending our homeland? Manpower for the Home Team”
“Mdm Chair, the growing threat of terror poses significant challenges to our Home Team forces, already facing significant manpower constraints. The pervasive use of technology has enabled workers of many industries to be productive over a longer period of time. For example, CCTVs have extended our Police officers' abilities to conduct surveillance over a broader area, which was not previously possible. The new security fields, such as cybersecurity and digital forensics, require technical expertise rather than physical conditioning. Home Team officers are also like craftsmen. They polish their craft over time and they get better with age. For example, intelligence and immigration officers, critical in our fight against Page: 50 terrorism, develop ground networks and intuition in picking up would-be threats. These skills cannot be adequately institutionalised and are not easily transferable. Similarly, leadership gets better with experience. As an ex-Police officer of 14 years, we solved many cases because of the wisdom of my ground officers. Singapore has extended our retirement and re-employment age because Singaporeans are healthy and productive even when they are older. I would like to ask if the Minister would consider, further to the changes in 2013, extending the retirement age of uniformed officers to 62 and allowing for optional early retirement at age 55. Re-employment can also be extended to age 62. This would ameliorate the Home Team's manpower constraints while retaining core expertise. I personally know many proud Home Team men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving Singapore. Yet, when the time comes for them to retire, 55 or 60 years old is often too late to start a new career.”
“I just want to ask if the Ministry has any plans to bring back engineers who have left the profession. And what are the incentives and programmes that will attract these engineers back into the profession again?”
“While a Singaporean Core is one that taps on the diversity of skills of that industry's workforce, how can the Government Page: 69 work towards ensuring that young Singaporeans are not crowded out of good jobs? Perhaps what is most critical, beyond good school-to-work preparation and apprenticeship systems, we need our millennials and Generation Z to have that sense of adventure and gumption to take on the world. We need to have the mindset that even in a period of slow growth, there can be many bright sparks, if we choose to look for them. There are rich findings for those who decide which rainbow to pursue and work at it with gumption to make it truly theirs. With this, I support the Motion.”
“How will the Government help working Singaporeans to maintain their income while working towards these new competencies? How can we help the displaced professionals to quickly get into these new jobs? How can we scale up the professional conversion programmes? To our workers, a good career is not only a challenging one that brings back the bacon, but also where there is relative security. For the ICT sector to attract local talent, our workers in the industry can be afforded better employment security. The Singapore branch of Double Negative was responsible for some of the visual effects in several Hollywood blockbusters, such as "Man of Steel" and "The Hunger Games". It was, indeed, an important symbol of a thriving media ICT industry. Yet, its departure was sudden. It was not a unionised company and workers were offered retrenchment terms less than market practices. The young employees' faith in the sector might be shaken. It is certainly much easier for technology and media companies like Double Negative to uproot itself, compared to a manufacturing plant. It is also true, lest we forget, that the only job security is not unemployment or redundancy insurance, but value-add and mobility. Therefore, how can we put in place strong employment facilitation and reassure our workers that this is a good industry despite its volatility? I encourage the Government to work with the Labour Movement to better provide workplace support and care for workers. While the proportion of resident-to-work-pass-holders in the ICT sector is reflective of other sectors in Singapore, we note that one-third of them are foreign work pass holders. Out of this group, most of these are Employment Pass holders holding on to good jobs.”
“This is a point well picked up by hon Member, Mr Thomas Chua, that there must not be sunset thinking and that change is needed in every firm, every segment, and he used the food industry as an example. Indeed, he is right on the mark. We need pervasive innovation to help our workers to get good jobs continually. The ICT sector will be an apt sector to test bed new ideas and catalyse innovation. Furthermore, Minister Heng's proposal for the ICT sector addresses many of millennials' desire for continual innovation, definable skills level and broad-based level application of their skills. For example, the TechSkills Accelerator programme would identify the skills needed in the industry, match them with specialised training providers and chart a clearer path for careers in the sector. The success of the ICT sector is, indeed, critical because ICT skills and innovation are strategic competencies for Singapore. They are the engine of value creation and growth. In ensuring the success of this ICT transformation, I would like to encourage the Government to consider enhancing two key areas: one, stronger employment facilitation; and, two, care for workers. It was announced that the ICT sector will offer 15,000 jobs over the next three years, thereby providing many opportunities for Singaporeans. To ramp up our national capabilities quickly, we should fill these jobs not only with new entrants from the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), but also from millennials seeking career changes and displaced mid-career information technology (IT) professionals. Yet, we all know that competencies, such as data anaIytics, cybersecurity and applications development, require extensive and lengthy training.”
“We must also bridge the gap between training and industry needs. Jobs are being transformed so quickly that employers are finding it difficult to find workers with the right skills while, at the same time, students find their school knowledge quickly redundant once they step into the working world. I now come to the second facet of transforming employment facilitation. We need to broaden the adoption of the apprenticeship system so that, for certain industries, our youths are much better prepared for work. In the German and Swiss style of apprenticeship, students not only learn realtime industry-relevant skills, but also work habits from mentors. They also pride themselves equipping apprentices with problem-solving skills on the shop floor and not only in the classrooms. However, such schemes can be costly. Can the Government consider further incentivising companies, especially promising SMEs, to start apprenticeship schemes, as opposed to just internship programmes commonly implemented today? Employees and unionists can be trained to become certified mentors and appraisers. And because students and workers know that what they learn is practical, there is good career path, they will more likely stay on the job. We can create an ecosystem of continual training and upgrading that is truly win-win-win. In preparing workers for Page: 68 the future, a tripartite partnership is and will be an important catalyst. The proposed Industry Transformation Programme, especially in the ICT sector, embodies many important elements in helping workers to transform. Minister for Finance Mr Heng Swee Keat proposes for transformation through innovation and for innovation to be pervasive across all segments of society.”
“He tapped into his informal networks to understand more about the industry. He left the familiarity of his old job and got a new one with a 3D printing company developing prototypes. The company is doing brisk business and he is now doing well. He has found his rainbow and is riding a new wave of growth. Even in an industry beset with growth issues, there are many opportunities for those who can seek them. The question is: can we help young workers and millennials discover their own rainbow, especially when our younger Singaporeans will have more than one career throughout their lifetime and many students struggle with the paradox of choice? In essence, the future of employment facilitation must change. An industry-led integrated career counselling system can help. It starts from preparing students in schools, then to their workplaces so that they can constantly stay relevant to the global marketplace of jobs. The Ministry of Education's (MOE's) strong career counselling initiatives are a good step in the right direction. But there are two issues here. One, it is not possible for counsellors to have up-to-date knowledge on all industries. Two, the need to help these youths with career navigation post-graduation. MOE can partner the Labour Movement in the latter's broad economic representation to guide our youths in choosing the right paths. The Government can have the Labour Movement to run their career counselling services. This then allows students the opportunities to tap on the unions' extensive network to understand jobs and entrepreneurships through industry networking, workshops and workplace visits. Post-graduation, this relationship continues seamlessly into the Labour Movement's network of career development opportunities.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. This year's Budget continues to strengthen the foundation for Singapore's future growth. It gives Singapore's longer-term economic transformation added impetus. Both businesses and workers need to transform for a new economic model. We need to help them to be ready for tomorrow. Much has been said about helping companies to transform. I will address how we must transform the way we help our workers, especially younger Singaporeans, to prepare for this new future. The Budget offers hope to industries and some individuals. Yet, against this backdrop, we also have recent news of much-touted companies in high-growth sectors, such as Rakuten and Double Negative, exiting Singapore. These are dark clouds for our workers, including our youths and millennials. A report by Randstad showed that our millennials are less confident about the job market and fear they may lose their jobs. Indeed, some already have a difficult time looking for one. Page: 67 Some of these youths have asked me, "With all this gloom, is there still a rainbow for me to chase after?" This reminds me of a recent encounter during a house visit with a young resident who is not more than 35 years old. He works in the manufacturing sector. Naturally, I asked him how was his job and if times were tough. Surprisingly, he said, "Yes, it is tough in the manufacturing sector but I'm okay." This is quite different from the many conversations I have had. Two years ago, because he was worried about job security in the traditional manufacturing sector, he started looking for alternatives. He chanced upon a write-up on 3D printing, researched into it and was convinced about the prospects of this industry.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. TAFEP has been doing important work in ensuring that we address the problem of workplace discrimination, especially when it comes to hiring of foreign workers. Will the Ministry consider enhancing the capabilities of TAFEP to go beyond promotional work?”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. I am also very encouraged that the Ministry for Manpower (MOM) has consistently gone after the "double weak" companies. So, I would like to ask the Minister if he has observed any "double weak" companies in the ICT sector and what are the actions against these "double weak" companies?”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister for Home Affairs. Was the Police of the view that the offence, as founded upon the facts that the Minister has set out, was sufficiently grave and urgent that it could not and did not schedule for a later interview with the boy and his parents?”
“Regardless of the different facets, avenues or levers, the crux is perhaps to put young Singaporeans at the centre of this common future we want to build and empower them to succeed. On this note, Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion of Thanks to the President. 2.24 pm”
“Diversity of work arrangements can play to the strengths of our young workers. Page: 17 We have established earlier that our young Millennials want to succeed not only in their careers but also in raising families. The question is how we can better support them to do so. One immediate group of workers who can benefit further from a more progressive attitude towards work is new mothers. Often, new mothers who have to return to full-time work after 16 weeks of maternity leave, feel anxious and have difficulties adjusting back to work. Anxiety from being apart from her child and establishing a new work and family routine requires transition time. I would like to encourage the Government to consider affording our mothers legislated right to request for eight weeks of Flexible Work Arrangement. In this "16+8" model, a female employee who has just given birth, has 16 weeks of maternity leave and eight more weeks of Flexible-Work Arrangement which may include telecommuting, and staggered work. This will help a mother to ease her transition from caring for a newborn full-time and having to return to work. Equally, young fathers believe in shared parenting. The recent move to promote an additional week of paternity leave is positive but thus far, the take-up has been tepid. The Civil Service has taken the lead and the Labour Movement has gotten 63 companies on board but more needs to be done islandwide. I would like to encourage the Government to consider further moves to improve the take-up. There are indeed many different ways, avenues and facets to helping our Millennials and young workers to be future-ready – more than what my speech today can do to do justice to the topic.”
“Then, you will be plugged into the latest developments." Therefore, I encourage the Government to consider beyond Earn-and-Learn Programmes, to look into incentivising companies to provide more work experience, apprenticeship and internship opportunities, especially amongst the SMEs. Employers are key to helping our young workers to be future-ready. An employer that can best tap on the strengths of our Millennials would need to, one, constantly scan the business environment to calibrate and develop skill requirements and career ladders; and two, adopt progressive workplace practices. Our young workers aspire to chase growth and learning curves. Employers can help to keep Millennials relevant and help them to grow through market-calibrated and well-defined skills and career ladders. Many companies, especially the SMEs find it difficult to do so. I encourage Government to consider further measures to help these SMEs, especially in enhancing their HR capabilities. There are many established workplace practices but we shall examine two that best cater to the work inclinations and aspirations of our young people. First, employers can better help young workers achieve work-life balance and pursue success in different domains by, one, adopting outcome-based mindsets; and two, allowing for flexible work arrangements. Millennials are accustomed to working everywhere. Trusting them to manage their targets while mentoring them provides for a nurturing work environment. According to a survey by MOM in 2014, 50% of our firms provided at least one form of flexible work arrangement, the most common of which being part-time work. More can be done to allow employees to do telecommuting, have flexible work schedules or staggered working hours.”
“Importantly, mentors can share what the real world requirements and conditions are. We have new non-profits, such as The Apprenticeship Collective in Singapore and MENTOR in the United States, seeking to crowd source mentors for the diverse needs of our youths and young workers. There are many more Singaporeans who are willing to step forward to help. We can tap upon the inventiveness and dynamism of the corporate volunteers to better prepare our students for the fast evolving workplace. I would also encourage the Government agencies to work closely with the Labour Movement's Unions and U Associates for access to networks and mentorship. This can allow for faster scaling, leveraging on existing resources. For instance, NTUC has the Young Engineers Leadership Programme where young engineers can attend talks and network with senior professionals in their fields. Young NTUC holds its CrossRoads programmes to link students and young working adults to industry captains. To prepare our youths and young workers, we must also ensure a tight nexus between learning and job requirements. Many young Singaporeans aspire for a degree. We must ensure that this is not merely a paper chase but we add real value to their professional development. I came across young working adults who found that their private degrees did not significantly improve career and job prospects. Many employers have also found new entrants from schools under-prepared for the workplace. This nexus is also tightened when learning is current. This then requires the deeper involvement of the private sector in shaping curriculum. In a casual conversation that I had with Dr Robert Yap, President of SNEF, one comment struck me. He said, "The best and most current learning is on the shop floor.”
“This has become a "VUCA" world – volatile, uncertain, complex and unpredictable. The mindset that the parents of Millennials had in building a career, which is to find a good job, be good at it, stick to it and rise up the ranks, may not always be so suitable in the future economy. Mdm Speaker, the new economy will be full of both new opportunities and threats for our young workers. It is imperative to ensure that they are able to adapt and thrive, knowing that progression is no longer linear and adapting to connected skills ladders is the norm. And to do so, they must learn and apply continuously. They must learn to integrate information across domains into usable knowledge to be applied at the workplace. In a VUCA world, competencies such as lifelong learning and learning agility are key. The question is: knowing the aspirations and inclinations of our Millennials and young workers, how can we better prepare them to be future ready? Our youths and young workers should be empowered with information to make more informed learning and career choices, but we must pair it with mentors from the working world to cater to the learning preferences of the young people. MOE has provided career guidance resources such as Education and Career Guidance Counsellors, ecareer.sg portal and the soon-to-be-launched Individual Learning Portfolio (ILP). These are important initiatives that can help our youths to chart their learning and career journeys. We must ensure that they are well-synced to avoid duplication and enhance their awareness and usage. Page: 16 Importantly, to scale and enhance the efficacy of such schemes, mentors, both formal and informal, where students can reach out to easily, are critical. After all, people connect best to people and not just to technology.”
“" They want latitude in managing their time to explore personal growth. This is especially so when they are true digital natives who are comfortable producing work anywhere, not just in the office. Second, young workers believe in chasing growth and learning curves. It is not uncommon to hear employers lament that young workers just do not stay long enough in their job to learn sufficiently. My dialogues with many of the young workers reveal that some left their jobs because they felt that they are not learning much anymore, or when their career paths are not clear, or when they cannot identify with the work of their companies. Third, they learn best when there is a combination of good communications, hands-on work and mentorship. Technology has allowed them to learn more and better through connecting with people, rather than just mere consumption of information. The older Millennials have also proven to be resilient as they experienced tough times entering the workforce during the recession due to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. If we harness the strengths of our young workers and are willing to look for ways to support them, they can take us boldly and purposefully into SG100. Confronting our young workers is a rapidly-changing workplace and economy. So far, our youths have fared well in getting higher starting salaries and employment rates, according to the Graduate Employment Survey. The challenge is, how do we then continue to provide such opportunities for subsequent generations? We face a new work order. Disruptive innovation has fundamentally changed many industries and the way we work. In this Fourth Industrial Revolution, there will be new sectors and jobs that will require skills and knowledge that are new even to those who just graduated.”
“This is why I will be focusing on how we can best help our Millennials and young workers to succeed at work, at home and in society. Mdm Speaker, every generation will have its doubts about the younger generation. So, first, we have to seek to understand the Millennials and young workers and what are their aspirations. I am not young enough to be a Millennial, yet not too old to be too far from being one. Therefore, I spoke to quite a few Millennials and young workers to find out about their aspirations. Their answers surprised me because despite the generational differences, they want what many of us in other generations desire: financial and career growth, opportunities for growth and learning, and to be successful, not just at work, but also with their family and socially. Some of them have not thought about jobs or what career paths they would like to pursue. I do worry for this group of Millennials and young workers because while new opportunities abound, Singapore also faces uncertainty in the economic and geopolitical spaces. Preparing early and being ready to adapt quickly to new workplace requirements is more important than ever. At this point, I must also caution against generalisations about specific generations. Generational differences are often accentuated by experiences and priorities at different life stages. However, whether they are generational or life-stage traits at this point, I think, there are several observations that might prove to be useful insights for us. Page: 15 First, young workers aspire to be successful across different facets of their lives. We often hear that the younger workers are only concerned about work-life balance. But I believe what many meant is, "Not only is career success important, but so are social and family successes.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. Singapore is at a pivotal point in our history. Over the past year, we reflected on our journey as a nation and celebrated how far we have come along by overcoming the odds. We have also started an important conversation about the next 50 years – will Singapore be around in 50 years, and if so, what will SG100 look like? An important question was raised by our President, Dr Tony Tan in his Opening Address in Parliament – how do we ensure that our island nation remains a shining Red Dot so that our children and grandchildren will thrive? The last 50 years have seen Singapore going through a phenomenal transformation which was achieved through the collective efforts of our Pioneer Generation, the Baby Boomers and Generation X. The next 50 years will be shaped and led by our Gen Y, otherwise known as the "Millennials", who are born between the years 1981 and 2000; and the Gen Z – those born from the year 2000 onwards. In Singapore, there are about 1.2 million Millennials and they form about 22% of our resident population. The oldest of our Millennials are about 35 years old, and the youngest, 16 this year. Many of them are at the beginning of their careers, or may be in their second jobs. Amidst a restructuring and renewing economy, I believe that we are at the inflexion point in our nation's development where we must put in place structures that best allow our Millennials and young Singaporean workers to succeed and shape our nation. In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, talent, rather than capital, will be the critical factor of production. It is vital to Singapore that we prepare them for this future economy.”