Industries must support local training efforts for jobs to be added to shortage occupation list: Tan See Leng
FOR an occupation to make it into the “shortage occupation list” (SOL) for employment passes (EPs) to be issued to foreigners, industry sectors must show clear plans and a commitment to develop local talents in such jobs, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said in Parliament on Monday (May 8).
While the SOL helps companies assess foreign professionals to plug immediate skills gaps and seize economic opportunities, it does not stand alone, he stressed. The SOL has to be complemented by industry efforts to train and place locals into these well-paying jobs.
Speaking in response to questions by Members of Parliament (MPs), he added that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will work with sector agencies to set local training and employment commitments at the aggregate occupation level, and exercise flexibility rather than mandate fixed commitments for each firm.
“We will review that these commitments are met as a key condition for renewing an occupation in the shortage occupation list,” Dr Tan added.
EP applicants applying for jobs on the list will be granted extra points under the points-based complementarity assessment framework, which will take effect for new EP applications from Sep 1.
The list is created based on these occupations’ strategic economic importance, the degree and nature of the labour shortage, and the sector’s commitment to developing a local talent pool to address these shortages.
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It is regularly reviewed to remain responsive to changes in the labour market. This is done by studying quantitative data from sources such as MOM’s Job Vacancy Survey and the MyCareersFuture job portal, supplemented with qualitative data from the sector agencies and industry and tripartite partners.
The number of emerging graduates who can take on these roles is also taken into account. MOM and MTI work with the Ministry of Education on the growth of the local pipeline, including tracking the number of university and polytechnic graduates, Dr Tan said in his response to a supplementary question by People’s Action Party MP Desmond Choo (Tampines GRC).
The authorities also work with sector agencies such as the Economic Development Board, which provides regular feedback to the institutions of higher learning about the skills that are in demand, including those needed for occupations facing a shortage, so that these institutions continue to update their course offerings, he said.
These are complemented by career conversion and company training programmes, for example, which enable mid-career switches into fields facing skills shortage.
The manpower minister reiterated that the SOL will be reset every three years and adjusted annually to add or remove occupations from the list when there are significant changes in industry demand or supply of skilled workers.
“This will help us to avoid entrenching dependencies on EP holders in any occupation,” said Dr Tan.
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