SINGAPORE - The Manpower Ministry on Friday (April 8) announced changes to help people and firms adapt to a challenging, leaner economy.
Here's a look at the key changes:
PMETs
* Expand Career Support Programme from May 1 to include :
- All PMETs who lose their job and are jobless for at least 6 months
- PMETs aged 40 and older as soon as they lose their job
* Increase sectors with professional conversion programmes and add specialisations in existing sectors
- New sectors include retail and pharmaceuticals
- Workers don't have to change sector, just change specialisation
* Increase target number of PMETs placed in SMEs from 800 to over 1,000 a year under P-Max programme
- P-Max helps SMEs improve human resource practices and do better in recruiting, managing and retaining newly-hired PMETs
RANK-AND-FILE WORKERS
* More industries to get place-and-train programmes
* Work-trials attachment programme to raise:
- training allowance for Singaporeans from $4.50 to $7.50 per hour, capped at 80 hours
- bonus for workers who stay beyond three months from $300 to $500
OLDER WORKERS
* Re-employment age to go from 65 to 67
* Law allowing wage cut at age 60 to be removed
- Both changes to take effect from July 1, 2017
LOW-WAGE WORKERS (for work done from Jan 1, 2017)
PHOTO: ST FILE
* Raise income ceiling for Workfare from $1,900 to $2,000
* Workfare payouts to be bigger and given monthly, not quarterly
* Expand Workfare Training Support subsidies and awards to include disabled people below age 35
ALL WORKERS
* Employment Claims Tribunal to replace Labour Court, expected by early next year
STRENGTHENING SINGAPOREAN CORE
* Companies obliged to develop Singaporean staff
- How they will be assessed:
- Proportion of Singaporeans compared to industry average
- Commitment to hiring and developing Singaporeans
- Importance to economy and society
* Firms strong in all three areas will get special concessions in applying for work passes to bring in oversea experts or foreign trainees on staff exchanges
* Firms weak in all three could get application for new or renewed work passes rejected, on the recommendations of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices
HELPING COMPANIES STREAMLINE MANPOWER
* Get more companies onboard Lean Enterprise Development Scheme
