Half a million workers with less than secondary education?

oxford mushroom SG

"Right now, Singapore has 500,000 workers who have less than secondary education - making up 60 per cent of the total workforce - and may be vulnerable to structural unemployment. The NTUC has set itself the goal of recreating jobs for 10,000 of them in the next year or so."
(Straits Times 14 Oct)

What happened to our education system? I thought the streaming and so forth was supposed to prevent this?

Love Story SG

The streaming is the biggest failure. History had shown that such measure have a politicial motive, to seregate society.

NuLife SG

robertteh SG

The education system is not broad-based to equip people with skills or knowledge application but to show how many highly educated people we will produce. To our leaders the greater the number of graduates the higher is our success. Whether these graduates will start up new factories or create jobs is none of their concern. For at least three years I have been posting suggestions to government and Feedback Unit to go for broad-based practical education but by the time the new minister Tharman realised the original streaming system was defective or over-academic the harm was already done. It looks like the whole past 40 years of education was academic and far from making our society competitive. We have lost out to many Asian Tigers on this score and is now paying a heavy price.

It is very clear that one-man at the helm is a very uncompetitive system. Academic education producing many academically qualified people is not changed for too many years. Industrialisation and economic planning is going the same way, highly academic but no ministers are doing the real value-adding to the economy.

It looks like in desperation, many things are being done now to continue to show past leadership and past policies have been successful.

If any upgrading or restructuring is to be done, there must be political return. If HDB upgrading is to be done, the voting pattern in the precinct must show increased votes in the last elecion.

If ComFund or WDA or anything to improve the people welbeing will to be done, it will be tied to CDC and administered by MPs with the help of the CCC/RC to increase votes.

If jobs are to be found they will be for residents who are recommended by the CCC/RC throught network of meet-the-people sessions.

CDC/Town council is now becoming a political organization and it is doubtful if problems like improving the estates, liveing environment or upgrading will be done without any motive.

mach10 SG

Cool i agree.

But then, at the same time, it contributes much to the economy, coz if everyone is well educated, there will be higher % of people migrating... so garment jia lat lor... kekeke

earthlings73 SG

I'm very sure the 500,000 is inclusive of foreign workers (as pointed out by Matthew).. in segments such as maid, construction, etc..

The article said "Singapore has 500,000 workers who have less than secondary education" and not "Singapore has 500,000 local workers who have less than secondary education"

Some kind of data misrepresentation in my opinion.. Just hope that the 10,000 new jobs they wish to create will go to the locals..

dragg SG

i think the percentage of uneducated workers is very low among the new generation right?

ShutterBug SG

What I don't understand is; ordinary folks pay through their nasal cavity to put their kids through University here, but when their kids graduates and enter the job market, they get told their local degrees aren't prefered.

WTF?!?!

Personally, when I have a kid, I'd teach him or her how to be business savy, take up all relevant private courses after basic educations, and hit out own their own.

The way I see it, employment is out if you want security. High education don't cut it ANYMORE.