The Government is taking the job hunt further online,
as it holds its first virtual career fair that targets mostly
white-collar job-seekers.
The Adapt and Grow Virtual Career Fair, which started
last week, hit the middle of its stride as sobering figures on the
labour market were released by the Manpower Ministry (MOM) on
Thursday (Sept 15).
The figures show rising unemployment and layoffs in the
first half of the year reaching a seven-year-high.
Jobseekers also now outnumber job vacancies for the
first time since 2012.
The two-week virtual fair by the Singapore Workforce
Development Agency (WDA) is meant to help jobseekers expand their
network and connect with potential employers online.
Fifty-one employers from sectors such as
info-communications and technology, aerospace, and biomedical
sciences are offering up to 500 vacancies through the fair.
The median salary for these job offers is $4,500 a
month.
Close to 400 web chats have been lined up for
job-seekers with either potential employers or career coaches.
While the virtual fair runs from Sept 7 to 21, a
physical fair was held on Friday (Sept 16) afternoon at the Devan
Nair Institute for those who wanted to meet employers in
person.
Besides speaking with more than 25 employers, those
attending could also attend motivational workshops on how to
prepare for interviews and present speeches.
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say, the event's guest of
honour, said the virtual fair was a cheaper and faster way to match
jobseekers, especially professionals, managers, executives and
technicians (PMETs), with vacancies.
Since the virtual fair started, he said, about 2,000
people have signed up and 300 of them have submitted 1,000
applications through the platform.
The fair is the latest in a series of measures that the
MOM has been rolling out to combat unemployment, Mr Lim said.
It is a "cheaper, faster, and better" version of the
physical career fairs that are traditionally held for rank-and-file
workers, and is intended to reduce job mismatch, he added.
In the past 10 days, the ministry has also launched two
Industry Transformation Plans for the food and beverage and retail
industries - part of the services sector which formed the bulk of
layoffs in the last quarter.
Mr Lim acknowledged Singaporeans were concerned about
the gloomy picture painted by Thursday's figures, and said his
ministry is preparing for the worst. "As the industry transforms
faster, the pace of retrenchment may actually pick up," he
said.
But he stressed that Singapore must not stop its
restructuring efforts, or it will continue to be heavily reliant on
foreign manpower and unable to create the kinds of quality careers
Singaporeans want.
As for those whose jobs are cut along the way, he
urged: "Be prepared to adapt."
Workers need to do their part too, he said. "We are
supporting them with everything possible, not just with jobs and
careers but even with wage subsidies and training support.
"Instead of worrying that retrenchments and
unemployment get worse, let's be proactive and take action. The
more proactive we are, the less likely unemployment will go
up."
Web applications consultant Yeo Ying Yong, 33, who was
at the physical fair to meet employers, said the virtual portal was
useful to find out more about the jobs he was interested in. He has
applied to six organisations through the fair.
He hoped, however, that more resources would be made
available, such as mock technical tests that web developers like
himself must take to get hired.
ST