NDR 2023: Retrenched workers to get financial support while reskilling, scheme still being 'fine-tuned'
- Following feedback that financial pressures made it difficult for retrenched workers to go for skills courses, the Government is developing a new scheme to provide temporary financial support
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said this will help retrenched workers focus on upskilling, allowing them to get a better long-term job
- Mr Lee was speaking about the scheme during his Malay speech at the National Day Rally 2023
- He also touched on plans to spruce up Geylang Serai Market and Joo Chiat Complex
BY
LORAINE LEE
Published August 20, 2023Updated August 20, 2023
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SINGAPORE — To help retrenched workers get back on their feet confidently, a new scheme to offer temporary financial support to these workers while they upgrade their skills is in the works, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday (Aug 20).
"This scheme will ease the immediate pressure that jobseekers experience so they can focus on upgrading their skills for a better long-term job," said Mr Lee.
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Speaking in Malay during the National Day Rally 2023 at the Institute of Technical Education Headquarters in Ang Mo Kio, Mr Lee noted that the digital domain offers a wide range of job opportunities, but the "flip side" of such opportunities is anxiety.
"Anxiety to keep up with the latest trends. Worry that your job may be taken over by robots or AI (artificial intelligence) applications. We can certainly expect more job disruptions. More of our workers will be affected by such disruptions and may lose their jobs several times throughout their careers," he said.
"The pace of change is expected to increase."
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This is why the Government has put in place various initiatives to help job seekers pick up new skills or move to different sectors, such as through the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme, he said.
But while retraining to find better jobs is the way out for retrenched workers, it remains a challenge for them to go for skills courses.
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"Financial pressure and the need to support our families will affect our minds and choices," noted Mr Lee, adding that these concerns cropped up during the Government's public consultation exercise, Forward SG.
"So it is very difficult to go for skills courses. Thus, often out of desperation, we seize whatever jobs are offered."
Mr Lee said the scheme is currently being "fine-tuned", and more details will be shared by the fourth-generation (4G) leadership team when they wrap up the Forward SG initiative.
In recent months, the Government has repeatedly indicated that it was looking into providing financial support for retrenched workers, most recently in April 2023 when Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the Government was considering a re-employment scheme to help displaced workers make ends meet.
PRESERVING HERITAGE
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Apart from enhancing the economic prospects of Singaporeans, Mr Lee addressed the issue of preserving Singapore's cultural heritage in the second half of the Malay speech.
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To this end, he gave an update on the facelifts that the Geylang Serai Market and Joo Chiat Complex will be undergoing as part of the Government's Geylang Serai Cultural Belt project that Mr Lee announced in his 2018 National Day Rally.
The aim of the project is to celebrate the "history, culture and heritage of the Malay community", and the renovation works are set to complete by 2024.
With most works from the project completed, Mr Lee said the other unfinished plans for the area includes a new archway inspired by the attap roofs of traditional Malay houses at the junction of Geylang Road and Joo Chiat Road, and as well as improved walkways and public spaces around Geylang Serai Market and Joo Chiat Complex.
The market will also undergo renovation work to transform its external facade, while Joo Chiat Complex will have a new glass canopy at its entrance to shelter an event space called Festival Plaza, Mr Lee said.
"All this, including various cultural activities, will make Geylang Serai more vibrant and lively for the enjoyment of visitors, young and old," said Mr Lee.
