SINGAPORE- Companies that have remained agile and invested in innovation have been able to pivot to new opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat in a Facebook post on Wednesday night (Aug 19).

He made these remarks after visiting precision engineering company Forefront Medical Technology.

The firm had been actively venturing into new business lines even before the pandemic. It was originally focused on making medical products for drug delivery and respiratory care. But it also ventured into building up automation capabilities, adding clean-room capacity and growing it local talent pool.

When the coronavirus pandemic struck, the company expanded into manufacturing products for the diagnosis of Covid-19, including the production of swabs.

Forefront Medical also hired 80 more staff to meet the increase in production demand.

Mr Heng said: "Even in the midst of the crisis, there are still pockets of growth. There are many other companies like Forefront Medical which are growing and hiring."

He added: "The Jobs Growth Incentive ...will support these companies in increasing their local workforce, with more support for our mature workers. And we hope to better match job seekers to these new opportunities."

The $1 billion incentive was announced on Monday in Mr Heng's ministerial statement on how the Government will continue to support businesses and workers. The scheme is aimed at boosting hiring of local workers, especially the older ones.

Firms that hire local workers over the next six months will receive a subsidy of up to 25 per cent of their salaries for one year, subject to a cap. This applies to growth firms that meet the qualifying criteria.

The co-payment goes up to 50 per cent for workers aged 40 and above.

Mr Heng said: "In this fast-changing environment, all of us - businesses, workers and governments - will have to remain nimble and quickly adapt. We are in this together, and by working with one another, we can emerge from this crisis stronger."