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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Jobless numbers on the rise again !!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Aug-20 8:03 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 17) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>37797.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Aug 21, 2010
special report
Jobless numbers on the rise again
Particularly affected are older and less qualified workers
<!-- by line -->By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_568904.html
<!-- story content : start -->
AFTER a dramatic decline late last year, unemployment here is creeping up again.
Seasonally adjusted figures from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) show that around 68,100 Singapore residents were out of work in June, up 2,000 from March this year.
The entry of tertiary graduates into the job market, together with students seeking vacation jobs, pushed the actual numbers of the jobless up by nearly 25,000 between March and June, according to MOM.
The number of long-term unemployed - those who have been hunting for jobs for at least 25 weeks or around six months - is also headed in the wrong direction. It increased slightly between December and March (see chart). Figures for June will be published in a month's time.
However, such apparently worrying trends do not seem to overly concern experts.
They point to the fact that the total number without work is still considerably lower than the record numbers reached at the peak of the recession last June, when 116,300 were looking for a job. The seasonally adjusted resident unemployment rate - at 3.3 per cent - is a third of that in the United States.
Some think the blip in unemployment here could, in fact, be partly a product of Singapore's economic recovery.
Associate Professor Hui Weng Tat from the National University of Singapore (NUS) says the blistering economic growth of 18 per cent in the first half of this year could have prompted some to hold out for better jobs in the short term.
His colleague, Associate Professor Tan Khee Giap, says poor employment data from the US could have led some companies here to withhold hiring plans. Last week, jobless benefits claims in the US hit a nine-month high.
Deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress Halimah Yacob believes individuals who withdrew from the labour market are now re-entering it because of the high economic growth, swelling the ranks of the unemployed.
While the reasons for the increase are contested, the profile of the unemployed pool is not.
Generally, the older and less qualified you are, the more likely you are to be unemployed for any length of time.
Labour statistics highlight the fact that unemployed Singaporeans tend to be older workers - aged 40 and above - who do not have degrees or polytechnic diplomas.
In March, close to half of all resident job seekers were above 40. Almost seven in 10 had upper secondary level qualifications or below.
Such older workers can find their skill sets becoming obsolete, and may be discriminated against by those who view age as a hindrance rather than an advantage.
'There is this belief that only the young and the educated can work hard. Experience is often thrown out of the window,' says counsellor and author Gilbert Goh, 48, who runs website www.transitioning.org, which offers emotional support for the unemployed.
A 52-year-old former executive assistant, who wants to be known just as Ms Wee, has been unable to find a permanent job since she was retrenched by a Swiss logistics firm in 2003. She now spends her time doing contract jobs while searching for a permanent placement.
Ms Wee, who worked for nearly 25 years before being retrenched, has sought help at a Community Development Council (CDC), attended courses and gone for dozens of interviews.
'On at least 10 occasions, I have been told to my face that they are looking for younger personal assistants,' says the articulate mother of two grown daughters.
'The Minister Mentor wants people to work as long as they can. I agree totally. But will someone please give me a chance?'
NUS' Prof Tan says more could be done to ensure employers here first consider unemployed Singaporeans, such as Ms Wee, before applying to bring in foreigners to fill vacancies.
He thinks the Workforce Development Agency needs to work with MOM to ensure employers who apply for employment passes, S Passes, or even work permits 'be referred first to locals who want to work'.
Mr Goh sees such a move being welcomed by most job seekers.
'Many cite cheaper and younger foreign workers as an obstacle to finding employment,' says Mr Goh who, together with a volunteer counsellor, has heard the experiences of around 200 job seekers since starting the website early last year.
Until they do find a job, though, those unfortunate enough to be unemployed can count on the Government's extensive support framework for job seekers.
Mr Lee Ark Boon, director of MOM's manpower planning and policy division, told The Straits Times that job creation will be robust this year.
Those who need help with training or jobs may contact the CDCs or the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).
'There will be many jobs for Singaporeans,' said Mr Lee.
(Kojakbt: how can there be jobs for SGs when PAP policy encourages employers to recruit cheap FTs?)
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special report
Jobless numbers on the rise again
Particularly affected are older and less qualified workers
<!-- by line -->By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent
http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_568904.html
<!-- story content : start -->
AFTER a dramatic decline late last year, unemployment here is creeping up again.
Seasonally adjusted figures from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) show that around 68,100 Singapore residents were out of work in June, up 2,000 from March this year.
The entry of tertiary graduates into the job market, together with students seeking vacation jobs, pushed the actual numbers of the jobless up by nearly 25,000 between March and June, according to MOM.
The number of long-term unemployed - those who have been hunting for jobs for at least 25 weeks or around six months - is also headed in the wrong direction. It increased slightly between December and March (see chart). Figures for June will be published in a month's time.
However, such apparently worrying trends do not seem to overly concern experts.
They point to the fact that the total number without work is still considerably lower than the record numbers reached at the peak of the recession last June, when 116,300 were looking for a job. The seasonally adjusted resident unemployment rate - at 3.3 per cent - is a third of that in the United States.
Some think the blip in unemployment here could, in fact, be partly a product of Singapore's economic recovery.
Associate Professor Hui Weng Tat from the National University of Singapore (NUS) says the blistering economic growth of 18 per cent in the first half of this year could have prompted some to hold out for better jobs in the short term.
His colleague, Associate Professor Tan Khee Giap, says poor employment data from the US could have led some companies here to withhold hiring plans. Last week, jobless benefits claims in the US hit a nine-month high.
Deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress Halimah Yacob believes individuals who withdrew from the labour market are now re-entering it because of the high economic growth, swelling the ranks of the unemployed.
While the reasons for the increase are contested, the profile of the unemployed pool is not.
Generally, the older and less qualified you are, the more likely you are to be unemployed for any length of time.
Labour statistics highlight the fact that unemployed Singaporeans tend to be older workers - aged 40 and above - who do not have degrees or polytechnic diplomas.
In March, close to half of all resident job seekers were above 40. Almost seven in 10 had upper secondary level qualifications or below.
Such older workers can find their skill sets becoming obsolete, and may be discriminated against by those who view age as a hindrance rather than an advantage.
'There is this belief that only the young and the educated can work hard. Experience is often thrown out of the window,' says counsellor and author Gilbert Goh, 48, who runs website www.transitioning.org, which offers emotional support for the unemployed.
A 52-year-old former executive assistant, who wants to be known just as Ms Wee, has been unable to find a permanent job since she was retrenched by a Swiss logistics firm in 2003. She now spends her time doing contract jobs while searching for a permanent placement.
Ms Wee, who worked for nearly 25 years before being retrenched, has sought help at a Community Development Council (CDC), attended courses and gone for dozens of interviews.
'On at least 10 occasions, I have been told to my face that they are looking for younger personal assistants,' says the articulate mother of two grown daughters.
'The Minister Mentor wants people to work as long as they can. I agree totally. But will someone please give me a chance?'
NUS' Prof Tan says more could be done to ensure employers here first consider unemployed Singaporeans, such as Ms Wee, before applying to bring in foreigners to fill vacancies.
He thinks the Workforce Development Agency needs to work with MOM to ensure employers who apply for employment passes, S Passes, or even work permits 'be referred first to locals who want to work'.
Mr Goh sees such a move being welcomed by most job seekers.
'Many cite cheaper and younger foreign workers as an obstacle to finding employment,' says Mr Goh who, together with a volunteer counsellor, has heard the experiences of around 200 job seekers since starting the website early last year.
Until they do find a job, though, those unfortunate enough to be unemployed can count on the Government's extensive support framework for job seekers.
Mr Lee Ark Boon, director of MOM's manpower planning and policy division, told The Straits Times that job creation will be robust this year.
Those who need help with training or jobs may contact the CDCs or the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).
'There will be many jobs for Singaporeans,' said Mr Lee.
(Kojakbt: how can there be jobs for SGs when PAP policy encourages employers to recruit cheap FTs?)
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