SINGAPORE: To help retrenched workers get back on their feet confidently, the government will provide them with temporary financial support so that they can focus on upgrading their skills for a better long-term job.
The new scheme will enable those who are laid off to attend skills courses rather than seizing whatever jobs are offered out of desperation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday at the National Day Rally.
“It will be a temporary safety net to help you meet immediate needs to free you to upskill and train, as you prepare yourself for a good long-term job,” Lee said.
“So long as you are willing to make the effort, the government will go the extra mile to help you.”
He said details of the scheme are being fine-tuned and the country’s leaders will share more after the Forward Singapore public consultation wraps up, with a final report set to be released later this year.
Elaborating on the support for retrenched workers in his Malay speech at the rally, Lee said the move comes as new economic sectors sprout up with a wide range of job opportunities, such as in the digital domain.
However, these emergent opportunities also engender anxiety about keeping up with the latest trends, and worries that one’s job may be taken over by robots or artificial intelligence applications, he noted.
“We can certainly expect more job disruptions. More of our workers will be affected by such disruptions and may lose their jobs several times throughout their careers,” Lee said in Malay.
Beyond being a source of livelihood, a job is also a marker of personal identity, providing a sense of pride to oneself and inspiration to one’s children, he said.
This is why workers might feel disappointed and lose confidence if they are laid off.
The way out for those who have lost their jobs is to retrain themselves to find better jobs for the longer term, Lee said.
He said the government has already taken steps to help workers pick up new skills and move to new sectors, such as providing career conversion programmes through Workforce Singapore, as well as helping workers in their job search.
“But financial pressure and the need to support our families will affect our minds and choices, so it is very difficult to go for skills courses.
“Thus, often out of desperation, we seize whatever jobs are offered,” he said.
Lee said the government developed the upcoming scheme after job seekers came forward to share their difficulties during the Forward SG exercise.
A previous call for a similar interim support scheme had been made in October 2021 by a task force formed by the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation. Back then, they had recommended financial help for retrenched professionals, managers and executives searching for a job or attempting upskilling.
Subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong signalled that a scheme was in the works during The Straits Times-The Business Times Budget 2023 Roundtable held in March.
Wong, who is also Minister for Finance, said then that any implemented re-employment support scheme would be part of a broader suite of measures to help Singapore workers move to suitable higher-value jobs with better prospects and pay. — The Straits Times/ANN
