Sir, this group called the Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) are going to form the majority of our workforce in the coming years. Today, the labour movement has set up a PME Alignment Unit to align our efforts in the outreach and advocacy of PMEs across the various departments in NTUC and the Labour Movement. In our engagement with PMEs, we have found out some of the challenges and issues which concern PMEs:
I wish to just focus on a few key areas as I have addressed the others during the budget debate.
Better and Deeper Understanding of PME issues, challenges and opportunities
We need to have a better and deeper appreciation of the issues, challenges and opportunities facing PMEs. For a start, we need to know potential PME jobs within the intermediate term. Our current students and future PMEs are particularly concerned about their future job prospects. For example, in the latest NTU Career Fair in February 2012, it is widely reported that the number of job vacancies have dropped from 4,500 to 3,000. I believe for many of them securing a job first may be all that matters. All PME segments in whichever life stage would also like to understand where the future growth sectors are and whether the remuneration will commensurate with the investment of time and efforts in the area of discipline that they have taken on for their education, continuing education and work experiences. By the same token, the issues and challenges facing PMEs are varied and sometimes complex. It is therefore appropriate we set up a PME taskforce to examine the specific concerns and issues involving and concerning PMEs and possibly at a tripartite level especially for issues revolving around unemployment, employment, under-employment and employability.
Plight of Older PMEs
On the vulnerability of older PMEs (those above 40 years of age), what can we do to help “future-proof” their jobs. I foresee that more and more of them will be affected by layoffs during restructuring exercises. They may have top qualifications such as a Masters or even First Class Honours. Nonetheless, once retrenched, they take a long time to find the next job. It is not uncommon that they will take at least half a year to one year to do so. Some are forced to go overseas to look for greener pastures whilst others have to take on significantly lower skilled jobs or embark on a freelance career. Speaking to some of these PMEs online and offline, we should not just look at the employment of these PMEs but also the quality and pay of their new jobs. The current approach to scaling up career fairs for PMEs is but one approach. I feel we should also try to change the perception of employers about older PMEs. I would like to propose a three-pronged pre-emptive approach to disprove such a perception that older PMEs are not as valuable- namely conversion, placement and employer and employee education.
On conversion, the Government can first work with the private sector by promoting better career mobility through different tracks for PMEs. For companies who are prepared to hire PMEs from a different industry, there has to be greater funding for a career conversion programme in terms of both training and wages on a once-off basis. We should embark on a drive to get our employers to support this programme. On placement, the public sector should lead by example in setting a better rate in hiring PMEs who are aged 40 and above. The current rate is at 1,200 per year which is about 9% of new hires. To signify a change in paradigm, I feel that the public sector should take the lead and raise this hiring percentage and raise it even higher if the economic situation does go into a downturn. On employer and employee education, we should promote the hiring of older PMEs, investigate any discriminatory practices and provide a formal mechanism for the aggrieved to seek redress and older PMEs should be equipped with the employment landscape and opportunities.
CET systems v PME Life Stages
I would like to seek further clarifications on how a better link for our Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Skills Training for Excellence Programme (STEP) systems can correspond to the life stages of a PME.
First, when the typical polytechnic or university graduate seeks to land his or her first job, their concerns will be usually on the pay, career prospects and development of their job. I mention jobs and not career as the former is defined by a financial need which is understandable as the graduates need to pay off their study loans. Our current approach is to provide the maximum catchment of prospective employers for the graduates to embark on their first job. I would therefore like to suggest a closer collaboration between the educational institutions and WDA on a more proactive approach. This can be a start to map out the career needs and history of the individual PME. The State’s involvement in this is important as prospective employers can have access to a ready pool of PMEs with different expertise for the vacancies. From the PME’s’ perspective, they can have a more detailed understanding of the employers they are working for since this is a national database.
Second, continuing with the life stage, after 5 to 10 years of working, the individual PME may have at least one or two job switches. He or she may have a clearer sense of the long term career that they want to be involved in and the particular industry they want to be in. We ought to find a mechanism to capture this information as well on a participation basis by the PMEs. This is important as it will help to cut down on funds invested into unnecessary training, studying or skills upgrading if there is a clear job profile that the PME is going for. There has to be a clearer link to the qualifications obtained, how it has helped to raise productivity and thereby leading to a real wage increase. Coupled with other life stage needs at this time such as setting up a family, our PMEs need a national training infrastructure to be future-ready. Many years ago you could learn something in school and use for the rest of your life. This has changed. The entire landscape has changed. Previously, we used to learn, work and retire. Now, it will be: learn, work, learn, work, learn, work and then retire. Second-skilling is now ever more crucial to ensure employability especially during uncertain times. In order to motivate the individual to take a larger interest in his or her own skills and capabilities, I would also like to urge the Government to study the successful lifelong learning models in Scandinavian countries such as Denmark and Sweden. This is in terms of how public spending in adult education can help to enhance the creativity and innovation of our workforce, adding value to them and helping them to raise their pay. In addition, whatever amount the individual has invested into his or her upgrading should be eligible for tax relief and that the current limits should be reviewed. Similarly, there also ought to be a tighter framework and subvention for students and adult learners who are enrolled in private universities. Can we consider establishing even more adult education colleges so that our PMEs can undertake study sabbaticals if needed and supported by the employers?
In the third life stage, where our PMEs are 40 years old and above and have their own families, future proofing their jobs becomes a top priority.
To sum up on the three stages that I have outlined, I hope to see the Government play an even bigger role to support PMEs in their career development beyond what we see today. Are there plans to set up a national PME jobs database/bank? For our local PMEs, I have mooted previously for a PME Capability Development Fund. There is an entire train of activities in enhancing the employment and employability of PMEs. It is not merely placing them in a job but in the right job. Before we land them a job, there is a need for proper career counselling and even professional coaching. Some PMEs I spoke to said all they need is to connect them with prospective hirers and they are more than able to do the rest. Unlike traditional job fairs utilising a one-to-many approach, PMEs will require one-to-one or one-to-a few approach as the types and range of PME jobs, requisite capabilities and development opportunities are extremely diverse and vacancies are mostly one to a few in a single company. Efforts needed are thus more extensive. Are we able to develop new capabilities to train, equip, re-design, counsel, coach, place, retain, and nurture our PMEs. Resources required are huge. This PME Capability Development Fund can well be for the tripartite partners to tap on to train and equip PMEs including second skilling them and also rolling out initiatives and programmes identified by the PME taskforce. There is also the possibility of setting up a ‘one-stop shop’ to meet and serve the needs of PMEs. It could well be a comprehensive resource portal for PMEs with updated information and pointers and also link to job search engines including coaching and pre and post job placement career counselling.
Female PME Challenges
In continuing the theme on PMEs, my final area of concern is with regard to strengthening measures to help female PMEs cope better with the challenge of managing their careers and raising their families. The lack of family friendly work practices and flexible work arrangements is forcing many women to delay starting their families or even worse give up their careers. May I ask the Minister what more could be done to introduce a more conducive working environment for back-to-work women in particular female PMEs who wish to re-join the workforce after an extended period away from work? Without flexible work arrangements, it would be difficult to encourage our families to have more children. I am aware MCYS is aggressively developing our childcare services and providing support from various angles. However, we also need to get employers to provide better work-life balance as this is critical towards supporting women with families and at the same time employees should also play their part in setting their priorities right and help co-create a pro-family work environment.
Thank you.
