Edward Chia
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
Mr Chia, managing director of Timbre Group, asked for more support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) trying to revive and transform their businesses during this period.
He said it is time to rethink ideas like "let failing companies die" and start thinking of how to "enable failing companies to rebound and restart". He suggested a fair tenancy framework to provide a fair environment where SMEs can thrive, as well as a push for more cross-sector collaboration.
"Our approach with our workers is that we cannot save every job, but we will look after every worker. Our approach for our SMEs and entrepreneurs should be the same. While we cannot save every business, we should partner every entrepreneur to evolve, help them with a soft landing, provide them with a longer runway and help them restart."
Don Wee
Chua Chu Kang GRC
Mr Wee, a senior vice-president at United Overseas Bank, asked for more to be done to ensure everyone starts from a similar playing field, and suggested setting aside more funds to scale up the KidStart programme, which helps children up till age six from low-income families.
Mr Wee also spoke about giving more support to small and medium-sized enterprises, making a constant effort to improve social mobility, and reducing stigmatisation of those with mental health issues.
"We must still ensure that everyone has a similar playing field to start from, and that should start from as young as pre-school. No system should stop parents from investing in their own children, but any system should attempt to minimise inequalities."
Gan Siow Huang
Marymount
Minister of State for Education and Manpower
Ms Gan, who was deputy chief executive of the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute, said there are calls for companies to rely less on foreigners, but that in order to do so in a sustained way, Singapore needs to increase work productivity to bring down overall demand for labour and also improve its total fertility rate.
She suggested that sectors less desirable to Singaporeans should transform and redesign their jobs.
"Our Singaporean core may be limited by the size of our citizen population, but we can be mighty if we differentiate ourselves from others by being identified with the values of openness, multiculturalism and self-determination."
Mariam Jaafar
Sembawang GRC
Ms Mariam, a managing director at a consultancy firm, said that while the country pushes for Singaporeans to learn more skills, employers must be more accountable for employees' learning. They must also be willing to give more Singaporeans a chance, looking past paper qualifications and past experience when hiring, and instead focus on skills.
She said employers can offer pre-skilling, upskilling and reskilling opportunities, as the Government sharpens and scales up schemes for job seekers.
