In the past, people may have been going siao partying in their twenties. Nowadays, university students are going siao with the number of internships they are taking up instead.
This is just one of many trends that highlight the rising concern over job security.
According to NTUC’s Survey on Economic Sentiments 2025, 34 per cent of workers expressed concerns about job security in the next three months.
Considering the volatility of our world currently, whether that is in terms of geopolitical relations or the developments in Artificial Intelligence, even the roles of Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs) are not completely safe from these uncertainties.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) report indicated that 70 per cent of Singapore’s workforce would need to undergo upskilling or reskilling by 2030. The same report also found six in 10 Singapore firms identified skills gaps as barriers to their business transformation efforts.
During a media session today, 13 February 2025, NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng underscored the need to support workers, including PMEs that make up almost half of NTUC’s membership base, through uncertainties to enhance their job security.
So, What is NTUC Doing?
Reader: aiya, say say only, what exactly is NTUC doing other than taking my money whenever I go grocery shopping every week?
Well, quite a lot.
And please hor, NTUC is not just NTUC FairPrice.
Firstly, NTUC is piloting the Company Mentorship Circle (CMC) through three of its unions: United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI), Healthcare Services Employees Union (HSEU) and ST Engineering Staff Union (STESU).
Yes, this means that even if you are approaching or are already in the phase in which you are called “auntie” or “uncle” (but are still young at heart, I am sure), you may be getting the chance to learn from a mentor.
CMC will be built upon the pre-existing NTUC Executive Mentorship Programme, which has already benefitted over 146 mentees over its three pilot runs.
The next pilot run will be held from March to May 2025, with the goal of guiding 250 more mentees.
To date, NTUC already has a base of 1,200 mentors to support the mentorship programmes.
As kiasu Singaporeans, who doesn’t like it when everyone can win? This programme targets to arrive at such an outcome.
The programme aims to drive workers’ career progression, by giving workers access to the insights, practical guidance, and career-building advice of mentors with years of industry experience, enabling them to transition into new roles and industries.
Companies also benefit as new entrants to the workforce become more prepared to help their company thrive.
Secondly, the Company Training Committee (CTC), launched in 2019, is also delivering significant improvement in workforce development.
Using the CTC Grant, NTUC is supporting more than 7,400 workers, including PMEs and rank-and-file workers.
CTC initiatives have seen tangible results, for instance, an average of 5% wage increase above annual increment; provision of structured career pathways through Career Development Plan; and provision of skills allowances for workers.
According to NTUC, 200,000 workers are also benefitting from skills training made possible by CTC initiatives.
One such worker is 51-year-old Mr Leong Heng Weng from ST Engineering Land Systems.
The company leveraged the CTC grant to implement a Robotic Spray Painting system, that successfully enhanced efficiency and workplace safety.
With the CTC initiatives, Mr Leong also had the chance to attend training courses on programming and maintaining of robots. This enabled him to master skills he was not exposed to previously, and have better opportunities at work.
In light of the success of the CTC initiative, NTUC recently partnered ST Engineering Land Systems and SkillsFuture Singapore to form the first “Queen Bee” tripartite partnership
The partnership seeks to upskill workers across SMEs in the Precision Engineering sector within ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd’s supplier network.
Last but not the least, NTUC will continue to enhance the services provided by e2i, so as to better serve job seekers.
These services include career coaching, job placement, and skills upgrading advisory.
One such enhancement is the recent launch of e2i’s Virtual Career Coach (VCC). This has benefitted over 3,500 jobseekers.
With its scaled-up efforts and its expansion of e2i’s career and job services network across 27 centres in Singapore, job placements for PMEs rose from 8,800 in 2023 to 17,000 in 2024.
The percentage of PME jobseekers approaching NTUC’s e2i has also increased from 45 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 61 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to NTUC.
The Power of Lucky Number Three
In most relationships, having a third person join in wouldn’t really work out. I mean, we’ve all seen our fair share of people going (reasonably) rogue towards their cheating partners.
NTUC, however, is a special case. The tripartite alliances between NTUC (i.e. the unions), the Government, and employers are crucial in supporting workers, and in bridging the gap between the needs of the workforce and the demands of the labour market.
SG Ng Chee Meng has pledged that “NTUC will continue to do our part to scale up efforts and continue to work closely with our tripartite partners to enhance workers’ employability to improve job security.
“Ultimately, we need a strong economy and thriving businesses, so our workers can benefit from the success. We look forward to working with our tripartite partners to support the Government’s growth strategy so that we can ensure our workers thrive at every stage of their careers,” he added.
These include new laws or enhancements to existing policies so that they remain relevant in the context of today’s work challenges.
For example, the consistent advocacy by NTUC’s Labour Members of Parliament (LMP) and Nominated Members of Parliament has made way for the implementation of initiatives such as SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, Platform Workers Act, Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests, and more, by Government ministries and agencies.
Zooming out, these collaborations will also help tackle broader social issues, such as caregiving responsibilities amid an ageing population and better support for lower-wage workers.
If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:
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