NTUC seeks more govt funds for grant to get more workers into better jobs: Ng Chee Meng

SINGAPORE – The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is calling for a fresh injection of government funds for an existing grant scheme that defrays costs for companies to rework business processes, so more workers can be put in better jobs.

More than 85 per cent of the $100 million given to the Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant has been earmarked for approved projects since the scheme was launched in 2022.

At the end of 2024, there were around 480 approved projects from more than 330 companies.

The updates were provided by NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng on Jan 10 at a jobs fair organised by the labour movement.

“We hope that the Government will see the usefulness of the CTC Grant and partner NTUC once more to see how we can bring businesses to new heights and, with better businesses, take care of our workers,” he said.

“NTUC needs good employers – employers with vision, employers with good business practices – to succeed so that when their businesses succeed, they can give employment to Singaporeans.”

More than 7,400 workers are set to benefit from the funded CTC Grant projects via either an average wage increase of 5 per cent over and above their typical annual increment, or clearer pathways for career progression.

The grant is part of a wider CTC programme launched in 2019 in which companies form committees together with unions and industry experts to map out the skills workers need to upgrade in the light of business and industry prospects.

Under the grant scheme, companies can apply to NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to cover up to 70 per cent of the qualifying cost of projects that raise productivity, redesign jobs and upskill workers.

The NTUC Career Festival, held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre on Jan 10 and 11, marks the first time NTUC is showcasing the full suite of help it can provide to both employers and workers.

Mr Ng also spoke about Singapore workers’ anxieties over job security – an NTUC survey conducted over the last two months of 2024 found that 34 per cent of respondents were concerned about losing their jobs in the next three months.

Singapore’s economy is actually at full employment, but the restructuring of the economy is causing churn, he said.

“So when there’s churn, actually, there might well be the anxieties we’re observing. But importantly, how we react to the churn is most critical, because with the churn, there will be more jobs, better jobs,” he said.

“If we can move Singaporeans, upskill them, up their productivity, they can actually seize new opportunities together with businesses.”

While technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly reshaping what jobs look like and what employers need, Mr Ng said these changes also present opportunities that can be seized with the right support.

The labour movement has also adopted such innovations itself to provide better support to more workers, he noted.

For instance, to assist its career coaches, e2i now has a generative AI-powered tool that highlights what jobs and skill pathways are available to individuals.

In his speech, Mr Ng also announced the launch of a new mentors’ network that brings together 1,100 mentors from three existing mentorship programmes targeting mid-career and young workers, as well as women.

He said many professionals he has interacted with indicated that they had difficulties understanding what training they needed to realise their career goals, which underscores the need for seasoned mentors to provide guidance.

One of the over 70 employers that were present at the jobs fair was Grenadier, which designs, produces and puts up promotional materials for customers such as supermarkets.

The Singapore company is looking to add to its current headcount of more than 70 workers – multiple positions are available across more than five different roles, including account executives, project management executives and carpentry supervisors.

Managing director Kelvin Lim, 48, told The Straits Times that the company sees significant room for expansion in its business in the fast-moving consumer goods, food and beverage as well as retail sectors.

“I’d say there seems to be quite a lot of interest in the positions we are offering, so I’m really hopeful we’re able to fill the positions,” he added.

Ms Magdalene Toh, 67, who was among the job seekers visiting the event, said she was looking for a job that would let her socialise and keep her mind active.

She added that the face-to-face nature of the event and prior screening by NTUC of participating employers gave her the assurance that the job offers would not be scams.

Having worked outside of Singapore for over 30 years in the furniture manufacturing sector before retiring three years ago, Ms Toh said she hoped to find an employer who would value her overseas experience.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that generative AI now underpins chatbots used by e2i for career counselling. This is incorrect. Instead, e2i has a generative AI-powered tool for its career coaches that highlights what jobs and skill pathways are available to individuals.