NTUC and SNEF Call on Government to Strengthen Employment and Employability Support for PMEs

~ Joint union and employer taskforce engaged more than 10,000 PMEs, union leaders and business leaders to propose ways to help PMEs ~

1. Since the formation of the joint National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)-Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) PME Taskforce (PME TF) in October 2020, it had widely consulted more than 10,000 professionals, managers and executives (PMEs), union leaders and business leaders, to understand the key concerns and needs of PMEs at the workplace and seek out both pro-worker and pro-business proposals that would help PMEs and companies.

PMEs’ Top Concerns – Lack of Job Security and Require More Support for Employment and Training

2. Through a series of online surveys, focus group discussions and engagement sessions, the PME TF found that PMEs are most concerned with the lack of job security and require greater support in employment and training opportunities. These concerns and challenges are felt more acutely by mature PMEs in their 40s to 60s. Even as businesses transform to ensure business sustainability, the skillsets possessed by PMEs, including younger PMEs, may be at risk of becoming obsolete. These are especially so as the Singapore economy has been impacted by COVID-19.

Joint NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce’s Nine Recommendations to Help PMEs

3. Having deliberated the top concerns and challenges faced by PMEs, the PME TF arrived at nine recommendations under four key thrusts. These are to strengthen PMEs’ employment and employability, while ensuring that they can compete fairly and effectively to meet the manpower and skill demand of employers in a dynamic labour landscape. In summary, these recommendations are:

4. On helping PMEs, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng who is the Co-Advisor to the PME TF commented, “The most important task at hand is how we can help protect jobs for our Singaporean PMEs, especially in some sectors, and groom them for better jobs to help them achieve upward progression. PMEs feel the pressure from foreign competition and for mature PMEs, they find it challenging to bounce back when they lose their jobs. Thus, we must do more to level the playing field for our local PMEs, while enabling other forms of employment and employability-related support like unemployment transition support, job search or training support for them.”

5. Representing the employers, Co-Advisor to the PME TF, SNEF President Dr Robert Yap said, “Providing support to strengthen the employability of local PMEs is essential for employers to meet their manpower and skill demand. Through developing a strong Singaporean core complemented by foreign manpower, this will help employers to grow their business in and from Singapore. The recommendations do not just seek to help local PMEs to compete effectively and fairly in the local labour market. The recommendations also seek to help them develop deeper skills and gain overseas exposure so that they can be developed to take on regional and global roles. I encourage local PMEs to take charge of their own career, and be resilient and adaptable to progress and thrive in the future economy.”

6. On the formulation of the recommendations, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay who is Co-Chair to the PME TF added, “These recommendations came about as a reflection of all the ground feedback that we have garnered from PMEs, union leaders and employers. With their insights, we distilled their key concerns into actionable recommendations, which we will continue to work with the relevant partners to bring them to fruition to help our PMEs. I encourage PMEs to join our unions as members so that we can effectively speak up for them and provide them the much-needed support as a collective voice. With PMEs onboard, NTUC will be able to work with our tripartite partners to formalise effective policies and programmes that would address our PMEs’ concerns and aspirations.”

7. PME TF Co-Chair SNEF Executive Director Sim Gim Guan echoed these sentiments. He said, “We have garnered insights from ground feedback and aimed to be more responsive and proactive in addressing both the concerns of PMEs and employers through the recommendations. SNEF will work together with our tripartite partners and employers to implement the recommendations so that PMEs can have good career opportunities and employers can have a globally-competitive workforce.”

The Next Steps in Helping PMEs

8. In the next decade, Singapore will experience significant demographic shifts – more PMEs in the workforce; people living longer; and a rapidly ageing workforce. COVID-19 has impacted the global economy. Mass adoption of digital technologies has hastened and the geopolitical environment is seeing a much more fragmented world. Singapore will need to transform urgently to stay competitive, while ensuring that Singaporeans’ aspirations are met now and for the new economy.

9. When the PME TF set off with its work in October 2020, its three key focus areas are to help PMEs:

1. Protect – Enhancing employability of PMEs and reducing risk of retrenchment, through greater support and representation of PMEs, especially those aged 40 to 60.
2. Preserve – Encouraging employers to retain and build capabilities for economic recovery.
3. Provide – Supporting PMEs to upskill and reskill to enhance their employability.

10. Looking ahead, the PME TF sees an even greater need to also focus on the following as well:

1. Prepare – Preparing the workforce for challenges ahead.
2. Pivot – Helping the workforce pivot into new growth areas as necessary.
3. Participate – Ensuring that PMEs and employers work hand in hand to navigate the road ahead.

11. The PME TF recognises that while the set of recommendations is targeted at PMEs (with particular focus on mature PMEs), they can and should also be applied to the rest of the workforce.

12. The PME TF has submitted its full report on the nine recommendations to the Ministry of Manpower for the Government’s consideration and support in turning these into real solutions that would help our PMEs, companies and economy.

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