Coronavirus: Singapore pairs citizens with jobs and training amid record recession as GDP falls 13.2 per cent in Q2
- Worst quarterly performance on record sees city state’s growth shrink 13.2 per cent year on year, with full-year GDP forecast to contract 5-7 per cent
- Government has placed 24,000 people in jobs and training since March, but minister says global uncertainties require ‘charting a new direction’
The ministry on Tuesday said 24,000 people had been placed in jobs or training opportunities between March and July, with about 40 per cent of them in PMET roles (professionals, managers, executives and technicians).
“This reflects the fact that for short-term positions, employers [and] those on the receiving end, they will find it more easy to match people,” said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo.
Teo said a total of 92,000 jobs, traineeship and attachment opportunities had already been made available as of the end of July, putting the government on track for a target of 100,000 within the current financial year. About 42,000 of these opportunities were from the private sector, Teo said, adding that there were “still pockets of hiring” with new jobs, such as in the electronics and precision engineering sectors despite a downturn in the broader manufacturing industry.
Among those who have found employment during the coronavirus pandemic is advertising executive Sherlyn Goh.
The 24-year-old was laid off in April by an advertising agency that specialises in travel companies, which cut its Asia Pacific headcount due to reduced revenue. She was then hired in June by a statutory board on a two-year contract but described the two months of unemployment as “quite an intense” period.