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The mission of MOM is to
achieve a globally competitive workforce and great workplace,
for a cohesive society and a secure economic future
for all Singaporeans. MOM’s desired outcomes are
a ‘Globally Competitive Workforce’, ‘Lifelong
Employability for Economic Security’, and ‘Great
Places to Work’.
Many of MOM’s major funding initiatives for FY2005
will be directed at ensuring that our workers have the
right skills to help our businesses grow. This will
be spearheaded by the Singapore Workforce Development
Agency (WDA), which aims to enhance the employability
of our workforce through promoting and facilitating
lifelong learning among Singaporeans.
Even as we improve the flexibility and responsiveness
of our labour market, we must look after the welfare
of our workers. MOM’s priority in FY2005 is in
ensuring that the things that matter to the individual
worker – your health, safety, employment terms
and well-being at work, are well taken care of.
Including the Lifelong Learning Fund’s budget
of $83 million, a total budget of $303 million has been
allocated in FY2005 to achieve MOM’s mission and
desired outcomes. The key initiatives and programmes
to help Singapore develop a great workforce and build
a great place to work are highlighted below. |
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Globally Competitive
Workforce and Lifelong Employability for Economic Security |
Manpower Development
Assistance Scheme (MDAS) |
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$31 million for the MDAS,
which aims to provide in FY2005: |
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Support for 30,000 training places under
the Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP). The
SRP provides incentives to encourage employers
to send their workers for skills training; |
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Funding for curriculum development to meet
the needs for worker training in growth sectors. |
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Lifelong Learning Endowment
Fund (LLF) |
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 $83
million has been set aside under the LLF to help tackle
structural unemployment. The programmes funded under
the LLF will help workers find and keep jobs, and enhance
the skills of our local workforce. |
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The Public Employment Services (PES) programme
provides a robust community-based placement and
social support infrastructure to help unemployed
find jobs through the Distributed Careerlink Network
(DCN) partner organisations (e.g. Community Development
Councils, NTUC and Self-Help Groups). |
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The Re-employment Support Scheme (RESS) will
assist less skilled unemployed Singaporeans to
take on and stay in new jobs. |
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WDA & its partners
will also: |
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Introduce a nation-wide job creation programme
to raise the level of productivity as well as
improve the image and work conditions of existing
jobs, with the aim of transforming them into higher
value-added jobs and creating more employment
opportunities for Singaporeans. This will be a
tripartite initiative led by NTUC and involve
MOM/WDA. |
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Develop industry-specific training to build
manpower capabilities to meet the needs of the
industry and enhance the employability and productivity
of workers. |
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Implement the National CET Framework (NCETF)
to identify sector-specific skills competencies
and to train workers in new skills for the jobs,
as well as higher occupational skills that can
help them progress within the sector. |
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Provide funding support to develop and train
workers in portable employability skills (which
include literacy and workplace skills) under the
National Employability Skills Programme. |
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Great Places to Work |
Workplace Health and
Safety |
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 $19
million will be deployed to protect the safety and health
of workers. MOM will ensure that the safety standards
of our workplaces continue to improve, and that rates
of injury and disease due to work are kept low. To raise
our safety standards and benchmark with those of developed
countries’, MOM will draw on international experts
to review and critique practices and standards in Singapore.
The new Workplace Safety and Health Act will extend
the coverage from factories, worksites and shipyards
to include workplaces such as hotels, restaurants and
hospitals. The responsibilities of all parties will
also be clearly defined to encourage persons with the
right competencies and safety mindset to take on these
jobs and carry out their duties diligently. |
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Quality Workplaces &
Labour Relations |
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 $20m
will be used to raise workplace quality and to maintain
harmonious labour relations and tripartite cooperation.
MOM wants workplaces to have good practices in the following
5 areas: safety and health; employment conditions and
practices; workplace relations; work-life harmony; and
staff training, development and engagement. This will
enable workers to be more productive and engaged in
their workplace. In turn, companies will be more competitive
and workers will continue to have employment opportunities. |
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Regulation and Enforcement
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MOM will be spending $14 million on
foreign manpower management, which consists of enforcing
the relevant Acts and managing the well-being of foreign
workers while they are working and staying in Singapore.
Effective enforcement is an important pillar in our
efforts to regulate foreign worker employment such that
it generates economic growth for businesses and creates
employment opportunities for locals. To build up a more
flexible and responsive workforce, MOM will continue
to facilitate the entry of foreign manpower into targeted
areas. However, errant employers and illegal foreign
workers will reduce the number of job opportunities
for Singaporeans. MOM will thus be building up its enforcement
capabilities. Doing so will allow MOM to better detect
employment offences and quickly follow up with punitive
actions to send a deterrent signal to potential offenders.
MOM will also embark on programmes to educate employers
and workers on employment laws. |
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