THE number of retrenched workers in Singapore for the whole of 2009 is likely to be 'significantly lower' than the record level of 29,000 in 1998, said Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday.
Declaring a well-fought battle against massive layoffs last year, Mr Gan said the unemployment rate of 3.4 per cent as of last September was low compared to many developed countries and lower than the record 5.2 per cent in 2003.
'The key was tripartism - which was our secret weapon to tackle the downturn,' he said at a conference on managing manpower challenges in 2010 on Tuesday morning. This positive outcome would not have been possible without the trust, commitment and joint efforts among employers, workers and the unions that represent them.'
On the positive signs that the worst is over and Singapore's economy is recovering, Mr Gan cautioned: 'Even as we are on the road to recovery, we need to be mindful that it may take quite a while to see recovery spread evenly across the board.
'The future manpower landscape will evolve and there will be challenges ahead. It is therefore all the more crucial for us to ensure that our manpower laws, practices and particularly our tripartite partnership, remain relevant for the economy, for businesses and for workers over the long term.'
To develop a 'future-ready' workforce, Mr Gan urged companies to rethink their business strategies and restructure their operations, adding that the labour movement must also evolve to keep up with the changing landscape.
- The Straits Times
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