SINGAPORE – More than 200,000 workers have benefited from skills training since 2019 through company training committees (CTCs), taking on job roles unlocked by their employers’ innovations.

Employers form CTCs with unions to map out the skills workers need given business and industry prospects, guided by the National Trades Union Congress.

Providing the latest update on the scheme in the labour movement’s annual May Day message on April 30, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and NTUC president K. Thanaletchimi said CTCs help promote career advancement and resilience even as technology transforms the industry and employment landscape.

For instance, machines can now analyse data at unprecedented scales and automate tasks that were previously done manually, they noted.

“This shift has undoubtedly impacted our jobs and workplaces, requiring staff to upskill themselves to perform these tasks.”

Yet, workers in Singapore also face various pressures, such as high prices and inflation, in tandem with the need to upskill.

The two labour leaders said: “There has been a noticeable increase in retrenchments since last year, and we anticipate further cost-related and structural organisational changes this year.”

They also noted: “Many of you juggle personal and professional responsibilities while navigating a competitive global market.”

They assured workers that NTUC is taking action to support and empower them.

For one, the CTCs help businesses transform by harnessing digital tools and investing in a skilled workforce, creating higher-value jobs to train workers for, they said.

They added: “We urge more employers to join us in this transformative journey, where innovation leads to higher productivity and improved wage outcomes.”

They also pledged to help improve the well-being of all workers regardless of profession, age and nationality.

Professionals, managers and executives can access programmes that help them to navigate their career journey, enhance skills and adapt to new job opportunities.

The labour movement will also advocate to improve their career progression and financial security as well as personal and mental well-being amid a continued rise in the number of such workers in the workforce.

Meanwhile, NTUC will push for better wages for lower- and middle-wage workers, as well as provide assistance to help them cope better with the rising cost of living through measures such as the Progressive Wage Model.

Mr Ng and Ms Thanaletchimi also outlined in their message upcoming and ongoing moves to support platform workers, youth, women and other worker groups.

Summing up, they said: “We firmly believe that unity and collective action can bring about meaningful change, even in times of uncertainty.

“This is why we will continue to work closely with the People’s Action Party Government to champion your interests and support you.”

Employers’ role: SNEF

Meanwhile, the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), in its May Day message, called for a three-pronged strategy to ensure that workers hold skills that remain relevant to employers in the future.

Promoting closer partnerships between industries and schools, encouraging better career planning and fostering deeper appreciation of skills figure in this strategy, said SNEF president Robert Yap on April 28.

He said these are needed to stave off potential skills mismatches in the labour market that job vacancy and retrenchment statistics point at.

A longer working life and quicker evolution of skill needs also require employers to think about skills development more strategically and systematically, he said.

Singapore’s retirement age will be raised to 65 and re-employment age to 70 by 2030, he noted.

Some skills could become obsolete in as quickly as 2½ years, he added.

“While the labour market is still healthy, we need to take proactive actions to nip the problem of skills mismatch in the bud.”

On the need for closer school-industry partnerships, Dr Yap said faster-changing skill needs could open a gap between what is learnt and what employers need.

To close this gap, SNEF has inked several memorandums of understanding with institutes of higher learning to strengthen internship programmes, as well as provide students with more opportunities for exposure to a realistic work environment, he noted.

Mid-career workers will need to take stock of their aspirations even while businesses they work in are transforming.

As such, he said, SNEF encourages employers to implement structured career planning that can help identify skill gaps and relevant training for the employee to stay relevant in his existing role or to reskill for a new role, with career goals in mind.

“This will enable the employee to have a second wave in his career and contribute to the business.”

Dr Yap added that employers must recognise that career growth should not be just about attaining leadership roles, but also deepening workers’ skills to attain mastery in their occupation.

“We need to provide alternative pathways to recognise and reward workers who seek skills mastery and become excellent in their job.”

He called for society to play its part by having a deeper appreciation of technical and vocational skills, which he said would enable employers to attract fresh talent to such jobs.

He also said possessing the right skills is one of the best protection for workers to stay employed and grow in their career.

“Therefore, SNEF is committed to working closely with our tripartite partners to foster a culture of life-long learning in workplaces for both employers and workers to thrive in the future economy.”