Easier now for unemployed to look for jobs

Jobless people can tap into Manpower Ministry' one-stop job-placement service through 13 grassroots bodies

By G. SIVAKKUMARAN

UNEMPLOYED people will find it easier to look for jobs now that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has extended its one-stop job-placement service, Career-Link, to 13 grassroots organisations.

They can find jobs, obtain career counselling and training-related programmes that MOM offers at these organisations.

The new Distributed CareerLink Network launched yesterday incorporates the five ethnic-based self-help bodies, the five community development councils, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the Singapore Professionals' and Executives' Cooperative and the Singapore National Employers Federation.

Through this network, these organisations will get funding from the ministry to run and extend their own job-placement and employment-related programmes.

They can also tap the ministry's other job-related services, such as its national job bank.

At the signing of the memorandum of understanding between MOM and the 13 bodies yesterday, Manpower Minister Lee Boon Yang said: "Having one location is not sufficient. We… wanted to extend the service to the community level." The new grouping was recommended by the Employment Task Force set up by the NTUC in September to come up with ideas to ease unemployment.

Its recommendations were incorporated into the Government's second off-Budget measures announced in October. The ministry is providing $3.2 million to fund the new network for a year, the money coming from the Lifelong Learning Fund.

Indian self-help group Sinda's chief executive officer S. Vivakanandan likened the network to casting a "net where more unemployed Singaporeans can be reached and helped".

About 2,100 people have visited CareerLink at MOM since it was set up in January. About 70 per cent of them have been matched with possible vacancies.

At the end of October, the ministry's job bank still had about 5,600 vacancies.

Mr Vivakanandan said the various organisations can now match jobless people to available jobs, instead of referring them to the ministry.

"Sinda will set up a virtual link with MOM to access its job bank. We also hope to expand our worker-assistance programme that provides training for Singaporeans."

Central Singapore CDC mayor Heng Chee How said the network will help CDCs match job openings in their neighbourhood to people who turn to the councils for help.

Mr Heng, who is also NTUC's deputy secretary-general, added: "This network brings jobs closer to them and extends those channels closer to the ground."

Task Force: Govt may take lead

THE Government may take a leading role in the Employment Task Force that the labour movement set up in September to help ease unemployment.

It may even become a multi-agency group that sets Singapore's long-term employment policies.

The NTUC set up the task force as an ad-hoc group and made recommendations that have already become part of official measures to fight the recession.

Manpower Minister Lee Boon Yang said the task force may get "resources and better support" to reach "comprehensive and far-reaching measures". He gave no details.

Task force chief Heng Chee How said: "As unemployment is a national priority, incorporating the task force's role closely with the Government's work, with the Government taking centre stage, makes sense." This will help the group to examine polices related to creating long-term job opportunities, and the private sector's role in job placement, he said.

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