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Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo Second Minister for Manpower to Parliamentary Question on PMETs and CSP

Skills, training and development

NOTICE PAPER NO. 940 OF 2017 FOR THE SITTING ON 9 JANUARY 2018
QUESTION NO. 1614 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Leon Perera

To ask the Second Minister for Manpower (a) how many PMETs have been assisted under the Career Support Programme (CSP) since its inception, with a breakdown by each of the three 6-monthly employment period and by those aged above and below 40 respectively; (b) what evidence is available indicating that the PMETs have been successfully reintegrated into the workforce with the help of this scheme; and (c) whether any evidence has emerged indicating gaps in the employability of PMETs under the CSP that require further training interventions.

Answer

  1. The Career Support Programme (CSP) provides short term wage support of up to 50% for up to 18 months to encourage employers to hire mid-career PMET job-seekers who have been retrenched or unemployed for 6 months or more. This helps to address mismatches in wage expectations and provides mid-career PMET job-seekers more opportunities to regain employment, especially the long term unemployed (LTU). CSP also helps employers to tap a wider pool of mid-career PMETs to meet their manpower needs.
  2. Since its inception in Oct 2015, over 1,100 PMETs have been supported through CSP. More than 90% were aged 40 and above and more than 80% were LTU at the point of placement. Placements have steadily picked up, from about 200 in the first three quarters of 2016, to more than 800 in the same period in 2017.
  3. The retention rate of the 2015 and 2016 cohorts is encouraging. Within 12 months of CSP placement, about 70% remained in employment. Majority remained with the CSP employer and the rest found new jobs with other employers. Those who are still seeking employment can return to WSG or NTUC-e2i centres for assistance.
  4. Apart from CSP, PMET job seekers can also benefit from other Adapt & Grow programmes.  For example, PMETs with skills mismatches can tap on the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) to reskill and move into new occupations and sectors with good prospects and opportunities for progression. Momentum for the PCPs has also picked up. In the first three quarters of 2017, about 2,700 PMETs were placed under PCP, up from 900 in the same period in 2016.