CDCs see surge in job seekers

IN THE past three months, more people — especially those aged 40 and above — have come forward to ask for help.

The five Community Development Councils (CDC) have reported an increase of nearly 50 per cent in the number of residents seeking help to land a job and about 40 per centincrease in those needing social assistance, in January.

In October last year, there were 2,470 applications for social assistance and 1,985 applications for job assistance, compared to 3,483 and 2,954 for last month. Most of them have education levels of O-levels and below, and more than 60 per cent were above 40 years old, said North West CDC mayor Teo Ho Pin

To cope with the increase in cases, more staff and resources have been put in place. And beyond the local schemes already in place at each CDC, all five CDCs have put together a Recession and Resilience Roadmap, aimed at providing a help directory for residents.

“Sometimes people say they don’t know where to ask for help when they get retrenched,” said Dr Teo, who launched the guide on behalf of the CDCs yesterday.

“Of course if they work for a company where the workers are unionised, the unions would have moved in to help them. But for those who are not unionised, they may sometimes be lost as to where to go for help, so this will provide a help directory.”

The guide — illustrated with cartoons — consolidates information on where to seek job training, the sectors still hiring, job search and budgeting tips, and helplines for various organisations like Credit Counselling Singapore and the HDB.

By far, the most effective programme in helping residents get back on their feet has been the Work Support scheme, which provides interim financial assistance while residents actively searched for jobs, said Dr Teo.

The scheme has a successful job placement rate of 70 per cent. “All of us have increased resources for the Work Support programme,” he said. “We are prepared because in a way, the CDCs have been quite conservative in the utilisation of funds.

“At present the measures we have should be quite comprehensive ... it’s only the load, how many will come.”

The guide is free, and available in all four languages at all CDC service centres and Community Clubs.

Meanwhile, 3,400 students will benefit from $400,000 worth of South West CDC bursary assistance this year, up from 1,700 students last year, thanks to more donations from the corporate partners.

For residents unsure of where to seek assistance, call the ComCare helpline at 1800-222-0000.

- TODAY newspaper