Jobs Bank to link up with skills portal

Singaporeans will be able to use one portal for their training, learning, job-hunting needs

Visitors at a roadshow for the SkillsFuture Credit programme at One Raffles Place, on Feb 22, 2016. PHOTO: ST FILE

The national Jobs Bank will soon be more than just a portal for Singaporeans to find work, as the Government moves to improve its functions as part of efforts to better guide workers on skills training and match them with jobs.

The Jobs Bank, run by statutory board Workforce Singapore (WSG), will be integrated with the SkillsFuture Singapore-run Individual Learning Portfolio, which will curate information about the training and jobs landscape when it is rolled out in stages from this year.

Singaporeans will then be able to turn to one portal for their training, learning and employment needs, spokesmen from both agencies told The Straits Times yesterday.

The move comes at a time of muted employment growth amid a slower economy. It also follows recommendations by the Committee on the Future Economy to integrate both portals. The committee released its report last Thursday.

It said two shifts were required for Singaporeans to thrive in a constantly changing job market: People have to work on acquiring deep skills throughout their lives, and more opportunities must be created for them to use their skills on the job.

The WSG spokesman said the Jobs Bank will be enhanced this year, and details will be released later. He added that the enhancements are a result of feedback from users.

The Jobs Bank was launched in 2014 under the Fair Consideration Framework. Employers must post vacancies on the portal for positions paying less than $12,000 a month, for at least 14 days, before they can apply to hire foreigners on Employment Passes.

Observers and users have suggested ways for the Jobs Bank to be a virtual career adviser for job seekers.

Singapore Human Resources Institute president Erman Tan and Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad said the portal could recommend jobs and courses to people based on profiles they create listing their work experience, for instance.

Labour MP Patrick Tay said applicants could have their skills gaps identified for them based on their curricula vitae and the requirements of the jobs they apply for.

Data from the portal could also be used to inform policy on training, observers said. If the data shows that certain jobs are not being filled by locals, training agencies can focus on helping them develop the required expertise, said Mr Joshua Yim, chief executive officer of recruitment firm Achieve Group.

Research analyst Sean Yeo, 27, who has used the Jobs Bank career resources to prepare for interviews, suggested having a feature to track the progress of a job application.

For instance, it would show whether an application has been seen by companies, and if an interview has been scheduled. "For a fresh graduate navigating the unfamiliar job search process for the first time, this would be very helpful," he said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 13, 2017, with the headline Jobs Bank to link up with skills portal. Subscribe