Lim Swee Say claims credit for Singapore’s “low†unemploymen
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Lim Swee Say claims credit for Singapore’s “low” unemployment rate and “quick” recovery from downturn
December 29, 2009
Minister in Prime Minister Office and NTUC Secretary-General Mr Lim Swee Say has jumped to claim credit for Singapore’s economic “recovery” in a blatant attempt to justify his own bloated salary.
As a minister without a portfolio, Mr Lim rakes in almost SGD$2 million dollars a year, more than 4 times the pay of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Mr Lim said:
“This year was the year of the defensive play – save jobs and keep retrenchment down…….The year 2010 is going to be the year of the offensive play. We are going all out to score goals, to pursue higher economic growth, to pursue stronger job creation, to lower the unemployment rate and at the same time, increase the employment rate.”
Mr Lim described NTUC’s efforts this year as ‘less pain, more gain’:
“Less pain for the worker, less pain for the companies, less pain for the Singapore economy in a downturn and hopefully, more gain for the workers, businesses, economy in an upturn.”
He boasted that NTUC has been “largely successful” in helping both Singapore workers and businesses during the downturn and noted that “Singapore was among only a handful of countries that can boast a low unemployment rate (less pain) and a quick recovery from the downturn (more gain).”
Singapore’s “low” unemployment figures may appear impressive to outsiders, but it is hardly an accurate reflection of the reality on the ground.
In the first place, the official figures from the Manpower Ministry lumps both PRs and citizens under the same category – “resident”.
The real unemployment rate among Singapore citizens may be higher than the data released to the public.
Two groups of people are also left out from the calculation of Singapore’s official employment rate: those who are attending courses to upgrade their skills and workers who have stopped hunting for jobs altogether.
The omission of these Singaporeans help skew the unemployment figures, thereby not giving us a complete picture of what is really happening.
More importantly, unemployment rate alone does not tell us how Singaporeans are coping with the economic downturn.
A Singapore worker may be gainfully employed, but is he earning a decent wage to support himself and his family.
Does he have to hold more than two jobs and work seven days a week without any rest just to afford three basic meals a day?
As expected of its role as the “nation-building” press, the Straits Times is quick to claim credit for NTUC:
“Much of the credit can be traced to pain-relief measures rolled out this year, such as the Jobs Credit wage subsidy scheme and the Spur subsidised training scheme which coaxed companies to retain, not retrench, workers as well as to send them for training.
The NTUC, on its part, urged companies to cut costs to save jobs, and helped retrenched workers get back on their feet quickly.”
It conveniently forgot to point out that though NTUC has urged companies to restore the wage cuts and freezes imposed during the economic downturn, many have yet to do so.
Singapore workers are at a losing end in an employer’s labor market where they have little bargaining power to fight for higher pay and better working conditions because they can be easily replaced by a foreign “talent” from elsewhere.
There are no independent trade unions in Singapore to fight for the rights and interests of its workers.
The largest legal trade union in Singapore is NTUC, a pseudo-government organization which is always headed by a PAP minister.
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cos we must be better, cheaper and faster - how come "they" and the foreign aliens cannot!
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Singapore citizens is only marginally better than Australia, but considering that Singaporeans are paid pittance compared to Australians, the similarity in unemployment rates is startling.
Labour is so cheap in Singapore compared to Australia, yet unemployment rates are similar.
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Upturn. Downturn. Less pain. More gain. Sing a song. Sing along. Not a song. Song anot.
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Originally posted by deepak.c:
Singapore citizens is only marginally better than Australia, but considering that Singaporeans are paid pittance compared to Australians, the similarity in unemployment rates is startling.
Labour is so cheap in Singapore compared to Australia, yet unemployment rates are similar.
This is an interesting observation, the shocking part is that citizens in singapore who genuinely want to work remain unemployed, whereas in the similar percentage of Aussies who dont want to work are also represented in the figures.
Australia has citizen employment laws and social welfare , Singapore does not. Similar figures but population is 4x larger in Australia.
It shows me that Australia with its min wage laws and employee rights with a 5x larger population has managed to keep unemployment figures to a similar rate to singapore means that the Sg govt is grossly inefficient in keeping citizens and PR employed
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Originally posted by ☃®:
This is an interesting observation, the shocking part is that citizens in singapore who genuinely want to work remain unemployed, whereas in the similar percentage of Aussies who dont want to work are also represented in the figures.
Australia has citizen employment laws , Singapore does not. Similar figures but population is 4x larger in Australia.
It shows me that Australia with its min wage laws and employee rights with a 5x larger population has managed to keep unemployment figures to a similar rate to singapore means that the Sg govt is grossly inefficient in keeping citizens employed
Despite the Jobs Credit Scheme, Singapore's unemployment rates is similar to Australia.
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Do u now seriously think the lack of min wage of employee rights can improve employment rates in singapore? I dont think so. It only adds to exploitation of cheap labour. No fool buys into this stuff
If australia with 4x larger population and with lazy people on social security has a similar figure in unemployment rates, does that show in singapore something is seriously wrong?
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More and more jobs available, but nobody wants?
Tuesday, 7 July 2009,
Leong Sze Hian, with contribution by Ng E Jay
I refer to the report “Over 19,000 job seekers find work through SPUR programme” (CNA, Jul 3).Since the number of residents approaching CDCs for help in finding jobs has increased by 100 per cent from October last year to April this year, and the number of unemployed as of March is 95,700, why is it that only 27,000 “people are still looking for work”, as the CNA report said?
If we include those who have lost their jobs since March, surely the number of “people still looking for work” must be much higher?
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said last Friday that it is likely we may observe the unemployment rate rise when the second quarter labour statistics are released later this month. He also said that “it is hard to predict if a second wave of retrenchments will come as this depends on the performance of companies beyond July and August”.
How many of the total of 124,500 workers who have signed up for SPUR since its launch last December are unsuccessful job seekers who have not been counted in the unemployment statistics?
It may not be very useful to keep hearing that more and more jobs are available at e2i — 30,000 now, 19,000 in April and 12,668 in February, that matching these jobs to the unemployed is a challenge, and that Singaporeans are choosy, etc.
What we need is a breakdown of the total jobs created into new jobs that were added this month and spillover jobs that have remained in the database, including information as to how long the jobs in the database have remained unfilled and the salary range specified, so that we may know exactly what jobs people are not taking up.
There should also be a clearer indication of what jobs are available now and paying salaries now. For example, I understand that some of the jobs at the two Integrated Resorts may only start paying full salaries when they open at the end of the year or next year.
On the e2i web site, following the link “what jobs are available” – “PMET”- leads to the web sites of 7 Government ministries and agencies.
Does this mean that there are no jobs in the private sector available for PMETs?
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if u look at CBD areas, go anywhere, can u see any companies, factories ect. All u see is shiny glittering tall sh*t with shady air con recuitment agency offices , food outlets and clubs for tourists inside them and all these sh*t only result in creation of low skilled jobs and labour like maintenance,cleaning, cooks
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and these jobs are low paying, which citizen wants to work in them?
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Originally posted by ☃®:
and these jobs are low paying, which citizen wants to work in them?
It will always be low paying as long as PAP remain in government, because they have open door policy towards foreign talents. When supply of labour is elastic and demand is inelastic, you can rest assured that wages will drop.
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This is how the unemployment figure is brought down :
Suppose 20 out of 100 Singaporeans are unemployed, that means unemployment rate of Singaporeans is 20%.
Now, the government open the floodgates and hire 300 lowly paid "foreign talents" from a third world country (who are so talented that they cannot find work befitting their talent in their own country), drop the word Singaporeans from the phrase "unemployment rate of Singaporeans" and ...
PRESTO!!!
the unemployment rate has dropped from 20% to 5%!!!
Clap! Clap! High Five!! I reduce the unemployment rate!! I deserve my 3 million dollar a year salary!!!
It's time to cut the bullshit. The government does not lie but is it hiding the inconvenient truth??!!!
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NTUC did have good measures. Unfortunately those were the only measures available to them, and their effectiveness sounds rather over-stated. More likely that Singapore's recovery is contingent on the US's recovery, and the relative stability of China. If anything, we were dragged down for a ride, and are currently being towed up as well.
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Originally posted by deepak.c:
It will always be low paying as long as PAP remain in government, because they have open door policy towards foreign talents. When supply of labour is elastic and demand is inelastic, you can rest assured that wages will drop.
yeah....in the state side despite the recession certain jobs actual received 2%-3% rise in the private sector.
While wage might have reduce for those high wage earner but the reduction is by small margin. I don't actually see it reduce.
While the lower end of the food chain the minimum wage is supporting the basic wage of US$8.00/hour.
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Originally posted by John Penn:
cos we must be better, cheaper and faster - how come "they" and the foreign aliens cannot!
Hmm just wondering.. did you mean it another way?"how come "they" cannot be cheaper but they bring in foreign aliens to make us cheaper!"
Lol... sorry I was just amusing myself.
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NTUC had helped workers of Singapore alots, by asking the govt to provide job credits and extend it till next June, already helps many sg people holding to their job, all members below $1800 - paid are qualified to get
1. Transport voucher $100
2. U stretch Voucher $160
3. Back to School Voucher $125/kid
4. Free upgrading and skill retraining and developement at e2i or learning Hub
5. Provide counselling and match job for jobs seekers
6 Career link centre for people to find jobs
7. NTUC fairprice 5% rebates and linkpoints
8. Scholarship
9. Bursary
10. Hardship grant up to $500/mth
11. Linkpoint to exchange electrical appliances
12. Back to school free textbooks
13. Protect against exploitation with free legal counsel to represent you at Court or MOM
14. Free SLF insurance as member
15. Thrift and Loan for people to save and borrow money at the lowest rates in town.
16. Chalets, clubs, golfs, family days, dinner and dance etc etc
So if you dun join NTUC, i dunno who you are...be smart, get the best deal.
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Pple are stilling looking for jobs.
Pple are still jobless or retrench.
Feel the ground first than see the statistics.
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Originally posted by likeyou:
Pple are stilling looking for jobs.
Pple are still jobless or retrench.
Feel the ground first than see the statistics.
if there is no NTUC, more people will be jobless, more peoples will be retrenched, and more will be looking for jobs. Pples just do not know how to go about the changing of employement structure. Most uncles and aunties, being trained in 80s or late 70s in a system that protray the Japanese kind of employment, which emphasized on longlife working loyality, rewards and productivity. But these does not exist in today employment structure, so if you will ask a loyal Uncle who worked for National panasonic or Hitachi or sony for 20 over years, get retrenched, how they feel, they get a shell shock of their lives, they simply cannot accept to take on another jobs which is under contractual, because these dun exist in their mind. Therefore they need to change their mindset to accept jobs that are short term and different from what had been doing for the past 20-30 years, most failed to accept it, and some dun even know how to attend and handle an interview with a younger HR.e2i, provided that change of mindset course free for a week, but people are not forthcoming, because the shell shock of discovering the change in employment structure is still acceptable to them. And as grew older, you get more stubborn to change, so end up being unemployed and worst are, most are searching for the old jobs to come back just like their good old days.