A combined effort by the public and private sectors has generated around 92,000 new positions - jobs, traineeship and attachment opportunities - it was announced yesterday.
About seven in 10 of them were professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, who gave a breakdown of the numbers as at July 31 during a briefing yesterday.
She noted that about half of the 92,000 roles are either significantly funded by the Government - whether through subsidies to help companies take on people as trainees or on attachments - or were jobs offered by government agencies.
The other 42,000 placements are mostly long-term positions offered by private firms.
Long-term positions refer to job or training placements that extend beyond 12 months and are not limited to permanent positions. Short-term roles last up to 12 months.
Mrs Teo also noted in her weekly jobs report that about 24,000 people had been placed into either employment or training roles as at July 31, with about 60 per cent of those in short-term positions.
Around 40 per cent of the 24,000 placements are for PMET positions.
Mrs Teo cited the example of Mr Alvin Lim, a displaced worker who found new work opportunities after retrenchment.
The Straits Times reported last month that Mr Lim, 48, now heads a team of field surveyors who collect data on the labour market for the Ministry of Manpower, a role he landed after receiving advice from a career coach.
Mrs Teo said she hopes Mr Lim's resilience will encourage other job seekers not to turn down unfamiliar or temporary positions because these could lead to something more permanent.
While the labour market has softened, there are still pockets of hiring, she added, noting that the Government will begin featuring hiring sectors as well as job opportunities as Singapore moves towards recovery.
Mrs Teo pointed to the key manufacturing sector, noting that while overall employment has contracted, there are still "pockets of hiring" in segments such as electronics and precision engineering.
There are at least 1,000 manufacturing positions yet to be filled, she said.
"We still hope that job seekers may consider giving these opportunities a try because they do allow you to gain relevant experience, and hopefully when the company is in a position to hire into permanent positions, you will be in a better place to access these opportunities," Mrs Teo added.
Workforce Singapore has held more outreach initiatives to help people navigate the jobs and training landscape.
Almost 1,000 opportunities in sectors such as early childhood education, logistics, manufacturing, food and beverage, and retail were available across 11 walk-in interviews held last month. More than 40 career workshops and seminars were also organised last month and were attended by around 2,700 people.
Mrs Teo responded to a question on whether the Jobs Support Scheme will be extended by noting that the Government is "looking actively" at whether broad-based support is still needed, adding that Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is also Finance Minister, will address this "quite soon".
