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Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo Minister for Manpower to PQ on Support for Mature Retrenched Workers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 128 OF 2020 FOR THE SITTING ON 2 NOVEMBER 

QUESTION NO. 192 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Rachel Ong

To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government will work with employers who have laid off or are laying-off workers to inform workers of job search avenues and Government support schemes, specifically to support mature workers who may not be internet-savvy or English-literate.

Answer:

  1. Employers who employ at least 10 employees are required to notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) if five or more of their employees are retrenched within any 6-month period. The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation, comprising representatives from the MOM, Workforce Singapore (WSG), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (NTUC’s e2i), proactively reaches out to affected local workers to offer them employment assistance. This includes providing information kits on career resources and briefings on available employment facilitation. WSG and NTUC’s e2i career coaches also offer career advisory and one-on-one coaching to help affected workers transit to new opportunities.

  2. The Member asked about additional support for mature workers who may not be internet-savvy or English-literate. Collaterals are provided in various languages at the career centres such as WSG’s Careers Connect and the 24 SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres. Career ambassadors and career coaches conversant in vernacular languages or dialects are also on hand to share available information and resources to assist jobseekers.

  3. The Taskforce, with the support of the Ministry, is committed to helping every retrenched jobseeker access available jobs, traineeships, attachments and training opportunities under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package.