TWO reports circulating on the Internet that half of the 10,000 jobs at Sentosa's upcoming integrated resort (IR) have been set aside for foreigners have created a furore among some Singaporeans.
Two publications in the Philippines - the Manila Standard Today and the Philippine Star - on April 4 quoted the country's President Gloria Arroyo as saying she has secured 5,000 positions at the casino-resort - opening next year - for Filipinos.
She was quoted as saying she had sent a delegation to Singapore last month to explore job opportunities for Filipino nationals here, and added that Labour Secretary Marianito Roque met Resorts World at Sentosa chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck to talk about opportunities for Filipinos.
Manila Standard Today also quoted administrator Jennifer Manalili of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as saying: 'They are expanding and there will be openings for workers for hotels, casinos and performers.'
Ms Manalili, who was part of the delegation here last month, added: 'Universal Studios will also have a theme park so they told us they want to hire Filipino talent and performers...They might come here to conduct auditions either next month or in June.'
She also told the Manila Standard Today the government will send another team here next month to 'finalise discussions and requirements for Filipino workers'.
The reaction on online forums here to the reports has been furious. Some said setting aside so many jobs for foreigners amounted to 'betrayal'. A netizen going by the nickname likedatosocan wrote on one local forum: 'I am jobless now and Singaporean. Why am I not employed? I can go low as well, I mean on salary. I speak English without accent. Why not hire me?'
Others questioned whether the service provided by the growing number of Filipino service staff here is better than that provided by Singaporeans.
When asked about the Philippine media reports, Resorts World spokesman Robin Goh would only confirm a meeting had taken place. 'The Philippine Embassy requested a meeting with Resorts World at Sentosa, which Resorts World hosted. Jobs for Filipinos were discussed during the meeting, in which Resorts World stated our commitment to hire Singaporeans first, particularly in this recession.'
He added: 'Resorts World will offer 10,000 jobs when we open, and we expect the bulk of them to go to Singaporeans.' He said the resort currently has 500 employees, of whom 80 per cent are Singaporeans and residents here. The remaining 20 per cent hail from countries like Australia, Britain, Malaysia and the United States.
- The Straits Times
Apr 10, 2009
Cut costs but no layoffs
UNITED Overseas Bank (UOB), Singapore's second-biggest lender, is planning a restructuring process to cut costs - but it is understood no jobs will be lost.
In its summary financial statements - released yesterday ahead of its annual report due out later this month - the bank indicated that it wished to improve efficiencies and cut operating costs.
'In this turbulent environment, the group will steer a cautious course,' it said in the report.
The Straits Times understands that there will be no job cuts and the ongoing restructuring exercise involves tweaking its technological operations.
A UOB spokesman confirmed yesterday that it is 'integrating technology and operations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness across the region to better serve its customers'.
UOB has already implemented a wage freeze across the organisation.
Kim Eng Research analyst Pauline Lee said that UOB's cost-to-income ratio of below 40 per cent is the lowest when compared with peers OCBC Bank and DBS Group Holdings.
'It is fair for a company to look at cost savings during a difficult operating environment,' she said. 'Maybe UOB's interest is not to go to the market to raise funds, so this (restructuring) is one avenue for it to conserve cash.'
For months, market talk has been that UOB might announce a rights issue to raise capital.
But its deputy chairman and chief executive, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, during the bank's fourth-quarter results briefing in February, quashed the rumours and said it did not need to do so.
- The Straits Times
In its summary financial statements - released yesterday ahead of its annual report due out later this month - the bank indicated that it wished to improve efficiencies and cut operating costs.
'In this turbulent environment, the group will steer a cautious course,' it said in the report.
The Straits Times understands that there will be no job cuts and the ongoing restructuring exercise involves tweaking its technological operations.
A UOB spokesman confirmed yesterday that it is 'integrating technology and operations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness across the region to better serve its customers'.
UOB has already implemented a wage freeze across the organisation.
Kim Eng Research analyst Pauline Lee said that UOB's cost-to-income ratio of below 40 per cent is the lowest when compared with peers OCBC Bank and DBS Group Holdings.
'It is fair for a company to look at cost savings during a difficult operating environment,' she said. 'Maybe UOB's interest is not to go to the market to raise funds, so this (restructuring) is one avenue for it to conserve cash.'
For months, market talk has been that UOB might announce a rights issue to raise capital.
But its deputy chairman and chief executive, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, during the bank's fourth-quarter results briefing in February, quashed the rumours and said it did not need to do so.
- The Straits Times
Apr 9, 2009
Second wave of layoffs possible
LABOUR chief Lim Swee Say warned on Thursday that Singapore could see a second wave of retrenchments. The first wave hit just after the Chinese New Year festivities in February, when companies began to axe workers in large numbers.
Some 800 to 900 jobs were shed weekly for a month following the holidays, he said. But it slowed significantly after the Government's Jobs Credit scheme and Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) kicked in, he added.
The numbers fell to about 200 to 300 a week. 'Since then it's stayed at that level,' he added.
The $4.5 billion Jobs Credit scheme pays for part of a local worker's salary, while the $650 million Spur sponsors workers' training.
But the slowdown in pace is just the calm before the storm, said Mr Lim, a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
'We must not assume that retrenchment will now subside and stay low at this current level for the rest of the year. We must be prepared that there could be a second wave of retrenchment coming on board.'
He said it was anybody's guess how big the retrenchment numbers would be in the second wave but the Government and the labour movement were prepared.
Mr Lim was speaking to reporters after accompanying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a visit to NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), a training and job matching centre in Redhill Road.
He also agreed with Mr Lee that Singapore could have suffered an even bigger loss of jobs in the first three months of this year if not for such programmes as Spur and the Jobs Credit scheme.
Mr Lee had said that job losses in the first quarter would probably exceed 10,000.
- The Straits Times
Some 800 to 900 jobs were shed weekly for a month following the holidays, he said. But it slowed significantly after the Government's Jobs Credit scheme and Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) kicked in, he added.
The numbers fell to about 200 to 300 a week. 'Since then it's stayed at that level,' he added.
The $4.5 billion Jobs Credit scheme pays for part of a local worker's salary, while the $650 million Spur sponsors workers' training.
But the slowdown in pace is just the calm before the storm, said Mr Lim, a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
'We must not assume that retrenchment will now subside and stay low at this current level for the rest of the year. We must be prepared that there could be a second wave of retrenchment coming on board.'
He said it was anybody's guess how big the retrenchment numbers would be in the second wave but the Government and the labour movement were prepared.
Mr Lim was speaking to reporters after accompanying Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on a visit to NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), a training and job matching centre in Redhill Road.
He also agreed with Mr Lee that Singapore could have suffered an even bigger loss of jobs in the first three months of this year if not for such programmes as Spur and the Jobs Credit scheme.
Mr Lee had said that job losses in the first quarter would probably exceed 10,000.
- The Straits Times
Apr 7, 2009
Help in scouring jobs market
ASKING for the number of job vacancies is almost second nature to Ms Venus Tan.
In the past six months, she has posed the question when attending functions, while buying a meal at McDonald's and even at a supermarket checkout counter.
But the 39-year-old, who is studying traditional medicine part-time, is not looking for jobs for herself.
She is a job navigator, a role she volunteered for when her MP, Ms Lee Bee Wah, set up a scheme for the Nee Soon South ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC, to help residents find jobs close to home.
Although the scheme was put in place in January last year - before the economic crisis hit - it has since become an important tool in Ms Lee's efforts to help residents cope with the downturn.
Speaking about the scheme on Tuesday, Ms Lee said in the last six months, more then 170 people have come to her Meet-the-People sessions looking for jobs.
Of these, around half have been placed in jobs through the Job Navigator scheme. The rest have been referred to the Central Singapore Community Development Council.
Ms Lee was giving an update on various measures that have been introduced in Nee Soon South since she was elected its MP in 2006. Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will be visiting the ward in two weeks' time.
- The Straits Times
In the past six months, she has posed the question when attending functions, while buying a meal at McDonald's and even at a supermarket checkout counter.
But the 39-year-old, who is studying traditional medicine part-time, is not looking for jobs for herself.
She is a job navigator, a role she volunteered for when her MP, Ms Lee Bee Wah, set up a scheme for the Nee Soon South ward of Ang Mo Kio GRC, to help residents find jobs close to home.
Although the scheme was put in place in January last year - before the economic crisis hit - it has since become an important tool in Ms Lee's efforts to help residents cope with the downturn.
Speaking about the scheme on Tuesday, Ms Lee said in the last six months, more then 170 people have come to her Meet-the-People sessions looking for jobs.
Of these, around half have been placed in jobs through the Job Navigator scheme. The rest have been referred to the Central Singapore Community Development Council.
Ms Lee was giving an update on various measures that have been introduced in Nee Soon South since she was elected its MP in 2006. Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will be visiting the ward in two weeks' time.
- The Straits Times
CDCs see more people seeking help for jobs
The number of people seeking job help from Singapore's five Community Development Councils (CDCs) is rising fast. In January, there were about 14,000. The number rose past 17,000 in February.
According to Central Singapore CDC, retrenched workers make up about 10 to 20 per cent of those seeking help at its career centre.
To meet demand, CDC career centres have been beefing up their services over the past few months.
More staff have also been hired to cope with the workload, and new initiatives started to give applicants training in jobseeking skills.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong was briefed on these measures at the Central Singapore CDC on Tuesday.
He said that the CDCs are also provided with job counsellors who work with the professionals, managers, executives and technicians or PMETs to assess their employment and training needs so as to better prepare them for job placements.
The CDCs are collaborating with other agencies as well as self-help groups to coordinate job placement efforts.
To help the PMETs, the CDCs have come up with new initiatives such as workshops and seminars. The first such programme was started in January. 50 people took part, and 80 per cent of them have found jobs.
- Channel News Asia
According to Central Singapore CDC, retrenched workers make up about 10 to 20 per cent of those seeking help at its career centre.
To meet demand, CDC career centres have been beefing up their services over the past few months.
More staff have also been hired to cope with the workload, and new initiatives started to give applicants training in jobseeking skills.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong was briefed on these measures at the Central Singapore CDC on Tuesday.
He said that the CDCs are also provided with job counsellors who work with the professionals, managers, executives and technicians or PMETs to assess their employment and training needs so as to better prepare them for job placements.
The CDCs are collaborating with other agencies as well as self-help groups to coordinate job placement efforts.
To help the PMETs, the CDCs have come up with new initiatives such as workshops and seminars. The first such programme was started in January. 50 people took part, and 80 per cent of them have found jobs.
- Channel News Asia
Apr 6, 2009
Job fair draws 800 grads
FRESH graduate Wang Wei Xiang will jump at a job that pays $2,000 a month, even though it is $500 less than the average starting pay.
The 26-year-old, who has a degree in business management from Singapore Management University, is even willing to be an intern for $700 a month.
His overriding concern is that the job gives him experience in human resource and organisational development.
Mr Wang's flexible stance on pay is typical among the 800 new graduates who attended a job fair on Monday.
Altogether, 28 organisations offered more than 6,000 jobs at the fair organised by Young NTUC, the youth arm of the National Trades Union Congress.
They included the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa, as well as pre-school operator NTUC First Campus.
About 12,000 are expected to graduate from the local universities this year, said NTUC assistant secretary-general Josephine Teo on Monday. But at least 1,000 of them may find themselves jobless even after six months, should their employment rate hit the 87 per cent level of the 2003 Sars period, said an NTUC statement yesterday.
Mrs Teo, who is adviser to Young NTUC, highlighted to the graduates at the fair the large number of jobs on offer, saying it shows there are still many opportunities despite the downturn.
Young NTUC plans to hold three networking sessions on specific industries to help the new graduates find jobs.
It also started an online employment advisory service for undergraduates and new graduates on Monday, at www.youngntuc.org.sg.
- The Straits Times
The 26-year-old, who has a degree in business management from Singapore Management University, is even willing to be an intern for $700 a month.
His overriding concern is that the job gives him experience in human resource and organisational development.
Mr Wang's flexible stance on pay is typical among the 800 new graduates who attended a job fair on Monday.
Altogether, 28 organisations offered more than 6,000 jobs at the fair organised by Young NTUC, the youth arm of the National Trades Union Congress.
They included the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa, as well as pre-school operator NTUC First Campus.
About 12,000 are expected to graduate from the local universities this year, said NTUC assistant secretary-general Josephine Teo on Monday. But at least 1,000 of them may find themselves jobless even after six months, should their employment rate hit the 87 per cent level of the 2003 Sars period, said an NTUC statement yesterday.
Mrs Teo, who is adviser to Young NTUC, highlighted to the graduates at the fair the large number of jobs on offer, saying it shows there are still many opportunities despite the downturn.
Young NTUC plans to hold three networking sessions on specific industries to help the new graduates find jobs.
It also started an online employment advisory service for undergraduates and new graduates on Monday, at www.youngntuc.org.sg.
- The Straits Times
Higher jobless rate likely
UNEMPLOYMENT and retrenchment rates in the first three months of this year are likely to be higher than in the last three months of last year, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the release of the first quarter's figures this month, he said the economy was not yet out of the woods. He also noted that more retrenchment notices went out in the first quarter than in the previous one.
In the final quarter of last year, unemployment was 3.7 per cent for Singaporeans, up slightly from the 3.3 per cent from the third quarter.
If laid-off foreigners are included, the number of people retrenched in the final quarter of last year would be 7,500, three times more than the quarter before.
Earlier estimates for the number of people laid off in the first three months of this year have been put at more than 10,000.
With the downturn expected to last a few more quarters, Mr Gan said stemming unemployment and retrenchments and helping workers cope with the downturn were top on his list of priorities now.
He said: 'What's more important now is to focus on managing the downturn; managing costs so we can save more jobs.'
He wants more employers and workers on board the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience, which gives employers higher training subsidies so they will retrain rather than retrench workers.
The four-month-old programme, which has enrolled more than 43,000 workers from over 700 companies so far, has been successful in staving off some retrenchments by helping companies save costs. He said some of them may have decided to defer making the decision.
Beyond the immediate crisis, the minister - newly promoted to his post just last week from an acting capacity - also plans to improve workplace safety and to encourage employers to hire more older workers and women.
- The Straits Times
Speaking to reporters ahead of the release of the first quarter's figures this month, he said the economy was not yet out of the woods. He also noted that more retrenchment notices went out in the first quarter than in the previous one.
In the final quarter of last year, unemployment was 3.7 per cent for Singaporeans, up slightly from the 3.3 per cent from the third quarter.
If laid-off foreigners are included, the number of people retrenched in the final quarter of last year would be 7,500, three times more than the quarter before.
Earlier estimates for the number of people laid off in the first three months of this year have been put at more than 10,000.
With the downturn expected to last a few more quarters, Mr Gan said stemming unemployment and retrenchments and helping workers cope with the downturn were top on his list of priorities now.
He said: 'What's more important now is to focus on managing the downturn; managing costs so we can save more jobs.'
He wants more employers and workers on board the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience, which gives employers higher training subsidies so they will retrain rather than retrench workers.
The four-month-old programme, which has enrolled more than 43,000 workers from over 700 companies so far, has been successful in staving off some retrenchments by helping companies save costs. He said some of them may have decided to defer making the decision.
Beyond the immediate crisis, the minister - newly promoted to his post just last week from an acting capacity - also plans to improve workplace safety and to encourage employers to hire more older workers and women.
- The Straits Times
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