Taskforce calls for tighter review process for employment pass, and for unemployment benefits for PMEs

THE review process for Employment Pass (EP) applications could be tightened, and Singapore workers who have lost their jobs may get unemployment benefits if a set of recommendations by trade unions are taken up by the government.

Nine recommendations were unveiled in a report by a joint taskforce comprising representatives of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), which has studied the challenges faced by professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).

The recommendations, which were made public on Thursday (Oct 21) and have been submitted to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), are underpinned by 4 key thrusts, the first of which involves enhancing workplace fairness and strengthening the Singaporean core.

NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said there has been increased competition for Singapore PMEs in recent years due to economic restructuring brought by Industry 4.0. "Now, with the layering of Covid-19, the pressures on our PMEs, especially the mature PMEs, are exacerbated," said Ng, a co-advisor to the PME taskforce.

"We think that this is a space that the labour movement should step in, to protect and represent the interests of this increasing pool of PMEs, who have traditionally been able to fend for themselves, but are increasingly vulnerable," he added.

On the suggestion to tighten the EP application review process, the taskforce said a point system should be created to consider a range of factors beyond the applicant's education qualifications and salary.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Patrick Tay, taskforce co-chair and assistant secretary-general of NTUC, said: "Salaries have always been the biggest proxy. So with this point system, we hope to see that MOM considers, in granting EPs, beyond just salary and qualifications, other areas."

Examples of other variables include sectoral input, whether the employer has been hiring and developing local workers, and the diversity of nationalities within the company, said the report.

The taskforce is also suggesting that the government differentiate foreign worker access by occupations for which an ample supply of locals with the required skills is available.

An online survey of 1,000 Singapore PMEs this month revealed that more than half of them felt the education, healthcare and human resources sectors in particular should prioritise Singaporeans, Tay noted.

Skills-transfer schemes such as the Capability Transfer Programme should be expanded and enhanced to facilitate mandatory capability transfer from foreign specialists to local PMEs.

Meanwhile, human resources (HR) standards should be improved, with the view of accrediting HR professionals in the longer term; enforcement on errant companies should also be strengthened.

In addition, the taskforce recommended setting up a tripartite workgroup to review the scope of union representation of PMEs and to widen support for them through legislation.

The second thrust focuses on providing unemployment support and benefits to support PMEs, especially older ones, who are involuntarily unemployed.

The taskforce has recommended introducing a national transitionary support framework to provide supplementary income relief and assistance to those who have lost their jobs. Union members and vulnerable mature PMEs should get an additional tier of support, it added.

However, Tay said the taskforce has not come up with specific parameters as the issue needs to be further studied. Three questions need to be answered: When unemployment benefits should be triggered, the quantum, and how long these benefits should be given out.

"The key is, we don't want this unemployment support to be providing a disincentive to work, meaning this support is to help you to alleviate some of the challenges in the period that you're looking for a job," said Tay.

These benefits should be rolled out together with "active labour market policies", he said. For example, job seekers may need to participate in programmes organised by two of Singapore's placement agencies - Workforce Singapore and the Employment and Employability Institute.

"So being on our programmes, actively looking for job openings, attending some of the employability boot camps that we organise for these unemployed or retrenched workers, and at the same time, attending interviews when given opportunities arranged by these two placement agencies, as well as attending some of the job fairs," said Tay.

The third thrust homes in on ensuring more hiring opportunities for mature PMEs. This could mean providing short-term salary support for companies which hire mature PMEs with relevant skills as well as accelerating training programmes with certification to help them make a transition into relevant roles.

The fourth thrust covers support for PMEs in their career progression and skills upgrading. This includes a recommendation to build Singaporean leadership bench strength by supporting leadership programmes for Singaporeans and facilitating their global development.

It also calls for more funding for career coaches to NTUC and SNEF to provide customised support for PMEs. Support should also be given to develop structured jobs and skills plans for PMEs through NTUC's Company Training Committees.

Finally, the taskforce said the nexus between tripartite partners should be strengthened to prepare the workforce for economic transitions and investment pipelines.

These recommendations come as a result of a year-long public consultation involving 10,000 PMEs, union leaders and business leaders to understand their concerns, said the taskforce.

Robert Yap, SNEF president and taskforce co-advisor, said: "That has actually laid a lot of the harder parts. So I would think that by next year, we should have very firm response from the government in terms of moving this forward."