| 104. Dr Amy Khor asked whether
we can find sufficient jobs for all those willing
and able to work. There are many jobs. Last year
alone, we created 111,000 jobs. Job vacancies
in the private sector, just in establishments
with
at least 25 employees, rose to a four-and-a-half
year high of 20,000 in September 2005. But, many
of the jobs created are at the higher end. Nearly
half the job vacancies require at least an upper-secondary
qualification, which is not surprising because
this reflects our economic restructuring. So,
while there are jobs available, the workers who
are unemployed
will need the skills and qualifications in order
to take up these jobs. That is why we have many
initiatives like the Workforce Skills Qualifications
System to help them to do so. At the same time,
NTUC is working with WDA to step up the Job Re-creation
Programme and to re-create 10,000 jobs a year.
105. Dr John Chen and Mr Zainudin Nordin talked
about the need for systematic and sustained measures
and also asked whether we could make the Workfare
Bonus permanent to help the lower-income and
unemployed in the longer term. I agree that sustained
measures are needed. Indeed, most of the key
Workfare measures are permanent and address structural
issues. We are providing more social support
for low-income families so that parents can go
out to work. We are expanding job opportunities
through job redesign and equipping individuals
with higher skills for better jobs. WDA is expecting
to spend a lot of money -- $140 million per year
over the next three years on training and re-creating
jobs, and we are investing heavily in education.
I agree completely with MPs - Dr Lily Neo, Mr
Arthur Fong, Mr Ong Ah Heng, Ms Eunice Olsen
- who said that it is important to concentrate
on children of lower-income families so that
they can, in turn, help to lift their families
out of poverty. We have a comprehensive approach
that includes early intervention, making sure
that education is affordable to all, reducing
school dropout rates and strengthening vocational
training pathways. The Opportunity Funds support
our commitment to help these children.
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