Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, to PQ on Active Licensed Crane Operators

NOTICE PAPER NO. 181 FOR THE SITTING ON 4 JANUARY 2021

QUESTION NO. 282 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Don Wee

To ask the Minister for Manpower in respect of active licensed crane operators in Singapore,

(a) what is their current number;

(b) of these, how many are Singapore citizens and permanent residents respectively;

(c) how many new local operators are being trained on average every year; and (d) what are the deterrents and challenges which prevent more Singaporeans from taking up this vocation.

Answer:

1. There are 4,703 active licensed crane operators in Singapore, of whom 90% are local.

2. The number of local operators trained by BCA Academy has increased in recent years, from 103 in 2018, to 135 in 2019 and 204 in 2020.

3. Besides wages that commensurate the skill and work demands, job seekers also look for opportunities to progress in the careers. In this regard, employers can highlight the potential for crane operators to upgrade to sophisticated and higher capacity cranes. BCA has also an Industry Transformation Map for the construction sector, to upgrade jobs, including crane operations. Besides BCA Academy, P-One, a BCA Approved Training and Testing Centre, offers crane training courses recognized by MOM for issuance of crane licenses (crawler, mobile and tower cranes). Interested locals can enjoy WSG subsidies and use their SkillsFuture credits to attend these courses.