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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Singapore-seeks-to-stay-competitive-by-retraining-entire-workforce?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220801123000&seq_num=5&si=44594 Singapore seeks to stay competitive by retraining entire workforce PayPal and Microsoft partner with national 'reskilling' program Singapore has offered midcareer training opportunities through the SkillsFuture program since 2014. © Reuters TAKASHI NAKANO, KOITSU YAMADA and YOSUKE KURABE, Nikkei staff writersJuly 30, 2022 10:00 JST SINGAPORE/TOKYO -- Caught between a declining birthrate and a rising anti-immigrant sentiment, Singapore has decided to retrain its own citizens for tech jobs that are expected to drive the country's growth. Gangadevi Balakrishnan, a software engineer, owes her current position at PayPal to the government's reskilling program. Gangadevi Balakrishnan owes her job at PayPal to Singapore's reskilling program. She is eager to acquire more new skills. "I am personally interested in security and artificial intelligence. Therefore, I will be looking into programs and courses related to these areas." said Balakrishnan, 29. The program, SkillsFuture, began in 2014 to retrain the entire population of Singapore. It has provided credits for people 25 and older to study more than 24,000 courses ranging from digital technology to business management. SkillsFuture is a response to a sense of looming crisis fueled by the city-state's declining population. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, once said that without immigrants the economy would collapse by 2050, when 1.5 workers would have to support one elderly person. During Singapore's high-growth period in the 1980s and 1990s, the influx of immigrants made up for the low birthrate. But more and more citizens have become concerned about the increase in immigration, with some accusing them of stealing jobs. In response, the government has tightened entry restrictions on foreigners, who make up nearly 30% of the population. Last year, Singapore's population of foreigners fell 10% to 1.47 million, a drop that owes chiefly to the country's COVID travel controls. Singapore's overall population has declined for two consecutive years for the first time ever. That leaves the country with no choice but to train its existing population, including middle-aged and elderly people. The government has placed its bet on raising productivity. The reskilling movement has entered its second phase, shifting into higher gear during the pandemic instead of pumping the brakes. Citizens receive access to credits, but there also are partnership programs formed with companies at home and abroad to develop skill sets that match specific job classifications in demand. PayPal is one partner, along with Microsoft, Siemens and several other big-name corporations. A public-private citizen retraining program of this scope has few precedents. Singapore's Skillsfuture program provides training support for over 24,000 courses ranging from digital technology to business management. Last year, around 660,000 people received support. This is equivalent to one-quarter of the country's total working-age residents. "We can't change the genetic composition of our population. But we can maximize their potential with education and training," Lee once said. Singapore's per capita labor productivity totaled about $170,000 in 2020, an average annual increase of roughly 3% since 2015. For a wealthy country, those numbers demonstrate the difficulty of shooting for a higher level. Luxembourg, whose per capita gross domestic product is at the top level, also faces slow growth in labor productivity, prompting a policy reboot. The country launched a project to support learning of advanced skills. From 2020, digital technology has been added to the curriculum for elementary- and secondary-school students. Declining populations and an accompanying slowdown in economic growth will be part of a future creeping up on Japan and other advanced nations. Digitalization of industry, deregulation to promote growth and retraining populations can offer a path away from that fate.

http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/05/25/foreigners-hit-50-5-of-total-workforce/ Foreigners hit 50.5% of total workforce? May 25th, 2014 | Author: Contributions Jobless rate inches up amid tight labour market” (Straits Times, May 1). Singaporeans’ unemployment increases to 3% Click to expand It states that “The unemployment rate for Singapore citizens was 3 per cent last quarter, up from 2.8 per cent, while that for residents – that is, Singapore citizens and permanent residents – was 2.9 per cent, up from 2.7 per cent.” According to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Employment Situation, First Quarter 2014 report – “There were 3,518,700 persons in employment in March 2014. An estimated 59,300 residents, including 52,300 Singapore citizens were unemployed in March 2014. The seasonally adjusted figures were 62,500 for residents and 55,700 for citizens.” Only 49.5% of total workforce is Singaporeans? So, although there is no breakdown of the employments statistics for residents into Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) – if we divide 52,300 unemployed Singaporeans by their 3% unemployment rate – we get 1,743,333 Singaporeans in the workforce. Divide this 1,743,333 by the total employment of 3,518.700, and we get 49.5%. Therefore, does this mean that about 50.5% of the workforce is not Singaporeans? If so, then we may have reached a milestone in our labour statistics – with more than half of the workforce being non-citizens for the first time in Singapore’s history. Whatever happened to the consistent rhetoric in recent years that the influx of foreign labour will be curtailed? 133,033 new citizens = 55% not “Singaporeans”? If we make an adjustment for the 133,033 new citizens granted from 2007 to 2013 – what percentage of the workforce are not originally Singaporeans – about 55% or more? 150th Press Freedom ranking? Finally, don’t you feel that there may be something wrong with the title of the subject news report – “Jobless rate inches up amid tight labour market” – in a tight labour market – shouldn’t the unemployment rate go down instead of up? SY Lee and Leong Sze Hian http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/05/25/foreigners-hit-50-5-of-total-workforce/

Companies urged to tap on educated, economically inactive women SINGAPORE: Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu has urged companies to employ highly-educated women who are economically inactive to meet the current shortages in the labour market. Speaking at a dialogue on developing an alternative workforce this morning, Ms Fu said this group is an important source of untapped talent. Currently, there are about 60,000 female university graduates who are not in the workforce. About 80 corporate leaders and HR practitioners took part in the dialogue. Among the things discussed were measures on how to promote a family-friendly work culture. Ms Fu said many women are often caught in a dilemma on whether to stay at home or to continue working. Ms Fu added: "Given our demographic challenges, the employers, workplaces, should encourage more women to do both -- having a family and having a career together. "It also benefits employers because they are able to retain their workers better, and they are also able to attract women to return to the workplace, thus, achieving both the objectives of the society and also of the employers." - CNA/lp I wonder where she got the statistic from? And 60,000 female graduate not working then what are they doing? is it local female expectation too high or all want to be tai tai. Or.... all men's all day all night while wife stay home kiao ka?

No more flash on Android? Adobe kills Flash on mobile, fires 10% of workforce

Saab Automobile plans to reduce its workforce by 200 employees or about one-eighth of its current staff, according to report from Reuters citing a union official. Hakan Skott, a union representative at Saab, told the news site that the move was expected after the company's new owner, Dutch supercar maker Spyker, cut the firm's sales target from 60,000 units in February, to 45,000 a few months later and finally to just 30,000 cars at end of October. "I'm not exactly surprised. We reduced our sales forecast just a couple of weeks ago and there is a decline in sales every year around Christmas and at the end of the year," Skott said. "I'm sure that by February-March we will see an upward trend and people will buy cars again," he added. Saab has said in the past that it needs to sell around 80,000 cars per year to break even.On Friday, Swedish business daily Dagens Industri quoted Spyker's CEO Victor Muller as saying, "There is absolutely no reason to worry. Our plans for the future still stand. Next year, we will build 80,000 cars". As for the staff being laid, Muller told the newspaper that they were temporary employees. "You take them aboard when you need them and when they are not needed, they are not on board," he added. Saab