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SINGAPORE – Preliminary data showed that 5,280 Singaporeans were laid off between January and June this year, Human Resources Minister Josephine Teo told Parliament on Friday (September 4).
In response to questions from Workers’ Party deputy He Ting Ru (Sengkang), Ms. Teo added that around 11,000 citizens were placed on leave without pay compared to 33,000 non-citizens in the same period.
Ms. He also asked about Singaporeans who have had their wages cut by more than half since the start of the circuit breaker measures.
In response, Ms Teo said that employees who had their pay cut by more than half were a “small minority” as of August 20.
Employers with more than 10 employees must notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) within one week of implementing cost-saving measures, such as shorter working hours or unpaid leave, which result in a reduction of more than 25 percent in monthly salary for local employees or monthly basic salary for foreign employees from April 6.
Ms Teo said: “We are unable to provide the breakdown between Singapore citizens and permanent residents as employers did not make the distinction in the notification.”
PAP MP Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio) asked about the number of unemployed workers who are over 50 and the average time it takes to get back to work.
Ms Teo said the ministry estimates there are 90,500 unemployed residents – Singaporeans and permanent residents – in June this year, an increase of 16,600 from December last year.
He pointed out that the proportion of unemployed aged 50 and over has remained stable, at one in three workers. By comparison, about one in four people in the resident workforce is age 50 or older, he added.
Ms Teo said: “Based on the latest available data on the duration of unemployment, the median period for residents aged 50 and over was 12 weeks. This has been stable for several years.”
But Ms Teo expects “the duration to increase in times of economic recession, although the scope remains to be seen.”
So far, more than 95,000 positions – jobs, internships and networking opportunities – have been created, he said.
They comprise 65,000 job opportunities, nearly 20,000 company-organized internships, adjuncts or training sites, and more than 10,000 opportunities under the SGUnited skills program.
The ministry has helped place more than 25,000 job seekers in jobs, internships and training places.
Ms. Teo noted that 24,000 people of different age groups had been placed in new jobs. About half are in the public sector, with about 25 percent in the modern services and lifestyle sectors, he added.
“The salary range of jobs can vary, depending on the sector and the specific job role a person takes on,” Ms Teo said.
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