Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Mrs Josephine Teo to PQ on PMET Placements

NOTICE PAPER NO. 354 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 06 APRIL 2021

QUESTION NO. 639 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Ms Tin Pei Ling

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) in the past two years, how many professionals, managers and executives have been placed through Workforce Singapore and other Government schemes; (b) what are the profiles of these placements; (c) whether the Government tracks the duration for which the placed worker stays in the company; and (d) how many became permanent employees.

1. Workforce Singapore (WSG) works closely with the unions, agencies and employers to place local jobseekers into jobs. In 2019 and 2020, WSG’s programmes and career matching services placed over 81,000 locals into jobs. In addition, WSG placed close to 5,300 locals into traineeships and company attachments under SGUnited Traineeships and Mid-Career Pathway programmes. Over 52,000 locals (60%) were placed into professionals, managers and executives (PMET) level jobs, traineeships or attachments.

2. Amongst those placed into PMET-level positions:

a. About 40% were mature workers aged 40 and above,
b. More than 35% were placed in growth sectors such as Information and Communications, Financial Services, and Healthcare.
c. For those whom we have information on their previous employment, more than 60% were previously unemployed. Almost half of this group had been out of work for 6 months or more before placement.

3. The majority of these placements was into permanent jobs. These placements were primarily through career matching services offered by WSG’s Careers Connect, NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute and other placement partners, with career conversion programmes accounting for a smaller share of placements.

4. The employment outcomes of participants placed in PMET-level positions through the career conversion programmes are good. About nine in ten of participants remained employed after 18 months. About seven in ten earned more than in their former job.

5. As for participants in the SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways programmes, the large majority are still undergoing their traineeships or company attachments. Whether the trainees will be offered a permanent role with their host organisations will depend on the fit of each trainee to the available jobs, and the business situation and hiring needs of the host organisation. However, the skills and experience acquired through the programmes will put the trainees in a better position to secure jobs in other organisations as well. We will continue to monitor these programmes closely and WSG will provide career support to trainees where needed.