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Tag: PMETs

  • SDP: Support For Unemployed – PAP Follows SDP’s Lead, Again

    SDP: Support For Unemployed – PAP Follows SDP’s Lead, Again

    The latest scheme adopted by the NTUC to provide professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) who are retrenched with financial assistance is a modified version of the SDP’s proposal launched 2010.

    The PAP’s idea, called Returner Work Trial, will assist employers to offer job training for the individuals who have been unemployed for at least two years. The trainee, who must be 30 and above, will receive

    • $1,500 per month from Workforce Singapore
    • $1,000 per month from the potential employer
    • a $2,500 allowance

    The payout period for trainees is limited to six months.

    Compare this to the SDP’s RESTART (Re-Employment Scheme and Temporary Assistance for the ReTrenched) programme where retrenched workers will receive:

    • 75% of last drawn salary (capped at median wage) for first six months
    • 50% for the second six months if still unemployed
    • 25% for the third six months if still unemployed

    The payout period is capped at 18 months and MOM will help match retrenched individuals with jobs. The job-seekers can only reject up to three job offers.

    Read also SDP proposes RESTART to support retrenched workers

    The NTUC’s idea is essentially an unemployment benefits scheme similar to RESTART but with the difference that under the Returner Worker Trial programme, a retrenched worker has to undergo training in order to get the financial support. There are many problems with the measure:

    One, it is restricted only to PMETs. There are many retrenched workers who are not PMETs. They also face the same hardships when laid-off.

    Two, the payout-training period lasts for only six months after which the employer has no obligation to offer the trainee a permanent job. This is especially salient as Singapore’s economy contracts with job vacancies continuing to fall.

    Three, how are retrenched workers expected to survive if they have to remain unemployed for two years before they qualify for the scheme? A study found that 50 percent of households have little or no savings due to the high cost of living to tide them through difficult times.

    In addition, why is the government using taxpayers’ money to subsidise businesses? Companies can use the scheme as a cheap source of labour. Also, will this not encourage companies to lay off workers and then profit by “training” others under the scheme at a state-subsidised rate?

    Given such loopholes, Temasek Holdings needs to state how many of its Government-linked companies are participating in the scheme and the government needs to tell the public how much these GLCs will stand to benefit from it.

    In the past, the PAP has also followed the SDP’s lead on minimum wage, universal healthcare, and employing Singaporeans first.

     

    Source: http://yoursdp.org

  • First Class Degree Holder Cannot Find Job Because Of Competition From Foreigners

    First Class Degree Holder Cannot Find Job Because Of Competition From Foreigners

    I am a Singaporean degree holder who has graduated with first class honours from an established university. I even got a first position in my whole entire class for my thesis.

    My CV is pretty ‘attractive’, according to the interviewers at the interviews I’ve attended, coupled with the 3 years of working experiences I have in the same industry.

    However, till now, I am jobless despite applying to everything, even to jobs outside of my industry. You know why? The reason is simple – FTs are spoiling the market.

    I was feeling really depressed when I couldn’t get anything.

    So I went to Jobstreet and applied for the jobs there. Good thing about the site is you can actually see who else applied to the same job as you and what industry they come from, as well as the pay they are asking for.

    To my dismay, I see 13 foreigners who have higher qualifications applying for the same job – a job that is willing to pay SGD $2,500 to 4,000.

    Out of curiosity, I went to check it out. Guess what? All 13 of them are Masters holder and they are asking for WAY LOWER pay than me. I don’t mean $200-300 lower or anything like it.

    One of them is a fresh grad with Masters and he/she is asking for RMB 3,500. That is only SGD $1,200+, mind you! Absurd right? That’s even lower than an ITE graduate’s pay.

    Another one of them who has a Masters and 10 years of experience is only asking for SGD 2,500, which is the minimum that the job is paying for.

    If these people are not spoiling the market, then I don’t know what else they are doing.

    And it’s times like this that you start to doubt the credibility of their academic papers.

    Because if they are indeed holding onto degree certs from credible institutions – ones whose school fees are expensive – they wouldn’t even be asking for these amount of pay. You don’t need to be genius to figure this out; it’s just common sense.

    So @Just A Guy, perhaps you don’t feel it because you are not born here.

    But let me tell you, for Singapore citizens who were born and lived here their whole entire lives, listening to their parents and teachers who tell them that if they study hard and get good results, they would get a good job and earn a lot of money, they would feel incredibly disappointed and letdown by Singapore’s current system.

    And most importantly, they would actually be dismayed by the government’s lack of interest in protecting the citizens over the foreigners.

    As a PRC, I’m sure you are currently enjoying life with a well-paying job – one that pays way better than what your home country has to offer.

    Put yourself in our shoes before you post such a lengthy post because you do not understand our situation here.

    Jes

     

    Source: www.transitioning.org