Pre-May Day update 2024: Progress on support for PMEs in Singapore

The PME Taskforce and tripartite partners have "made significant strides on the key recommendations aimed at enhancing workplace fairness and levelling the playing field for jobs in Singapore to benefit PMEs", NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said.

Resident professionals, managers, and executives (PMEs) in Singapore make up 63% of the country's dynamic workforce today, according to an update by the National Trade Union Congress (NUTC). A total of 258,000 joined between 2013 and 2023.

The Union released an update on the Joint NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce’s nine key recommendations to help PMEs in Singapore with employment and employability today (Thursday, 25 April 2024). Speaking at a media briefing attended by HRO, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng acknowledged that the PME Taskforce and tripartite partners have "made significant strides on the key recommendations aimed at enhancing workplace fairness and levelling the playing field for jobs in Singapore to benefit PMEs."

These include:

• PMEs are seeking "more robust" support to safeguard against job losses and access employment and job-related training opportunities.
• NTUC’s collaboration with tripartite partners and the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) to certify 12,000 HR professionals in Singapore by 2025.
• The acceptance of the Workplace Fairness Legislation by the Government, to provide the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) with legislative powers to investigate, enforce, and penalise errant companies.
• The launch of Complimentary Assessment (COMPASS) framework by MOM, where Employment Pass (EP) applicants are assessed via a points-based system, in addition to meeting a qualifying salary benchmark.

As a recap, here is what Recommendation #1: 'Enhance fair employment practices through improving HR standards and strengthening enforcement against errant companies adopting fair practices' entails: 

1. Improving HR standards

1. Increase take-up of Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) certification for HR professionals or introduce top-up modules on Singapore’s employment legislation & regulations for HR Professionals with internationally recognised certification.
2. Companies with more than 200 employees must ensure that their HR staff in recruitment, employee relations, training and development functions are equipped with IHRP or internationally recognised certification (with certification of top-up modules). During applications for Employment Passes, companies will have to submit proof of at least one of such in-company HR staff.
3. Introduce shared HR services for SMEs.
4. Fully accredit HR professionals in the longer term.

2. Strengthen enforcement on errant companies

1. Improve public communications on the Fair Consideration Framework and channels for reporting unfair hiring practices.
2. Put in place safe whistle-blowing policies & procedures.
3. Strengthen TAFEP’s enforcement power, empowering TAFEP to impose tough penalties on egregious companies and seek recourse for PMEs with “substantiated” hiring and workplace grievances.
4. Improve workplace fairness through both legislative & non-legislative options by the newly set up Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness (TCWF).

In response to a query by HRO, SG Ng shared that through this key recommendation, more will be done to ensure workplace fairness for PMEs, therefore levelling the playing field for PMEs in the workforce. 

He noted that through focusing on the challenges put forth by PMEs on a case-by-case basis, unions will be able to work even more closely, and on the ground level with PMEs to identify, assess and combat the concerns raised. 

"HR is not uniform across all the different sectors.

"So even in that space, how can we actually work with the unions, together with specific sectors, to meet those challenges?" SG Ng reflected. 

Updates to the eight other recommendations of the NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce are as follows: 

Recommendation #2: Strengthen Singaporean core through enhancing EP application review process and facilitating skills transfer to local PMEs

a. Differentiate foreign worker access by occupations which have an ample supply of locals and in which locals have the required skills.

b. Enhance the EP application review process by incorporating a point(s) system which considers a range of factors beyond the individual applicant’s education qualification and salary.

c. Facilitate skills transfer from foreign specialists to local PMEs through further strengthening skills transfer schemes such as extending, expanding and enhancing
the Capability Transfer Programme (CTP) to facilitate mandatory capability transfer.

Recommendation #3: Widen support for PMEs through review of legislation on PME’s representation

a. Setting up of tripartite work group to review the scope of union representation of PMEs.

Recommendation #4: Strengthen unemployment income support for PMEs who are involuntary unemployed

a. Basic tier – Introduction of a national transitionary support framework to provide supplementary income relief and assistance to those who are involuntarily unemployed, supplemented by active Labour Market Policy

i. Setting up of Tripartite Work Group to assess feasibility, conditions and size of support.

b. Additional tier of support for:

i. All union members and/or
ii. Vulnerable mature PMEs

Recommendation #5: Assist mature PMEs to transit into meaningful employment through short-term salary support

a. Short-term salary support for companies who hire mature PMEs with relevant skills.

Support training courses and mentorship programmes for relevant roles: Fast track training programmes with certification to aid mature PMEs to transit into
relevant roles

Recommendation #6: Build Singaporean leadership bench strength

a. Support leadership development programmes for Singaporean PMEs.

b. Facilitate global development of Singaporean talent.

Recommendation #7: Provide customised career coaching support for PMEs

a. Provide customised career coaching support to PMEs through professionally trained career coaches supported by NTUC and SNEF.

i. Support/expand funding of career coaches to NTUC/SNEF to guide and support PMEs in companies.

Recommendation #8: Develop structured jobs and skills plans for PMEs through Company Training Committees (CTCs)

a. Develop structured jobs and skills plans for PMEs through Company Training Committees (CTCs), to upskill workers in line with business and industry requirements:

i. Align employers’ and employees’ common interest for business and workforce transformation to co-create training plans.
ii. Expand resources for NTUC to outreach and support more sectors and companies (including SMEs).
iii. Support training courses and mentorship programmes for relevant roles.

Recommendation #9: Strengthen the nexus between tripartite partners to prepare workforce for economic transitions and investment pipelines

a. Reposition existing NTUC’s Job Security Council (JSC) as NTUC-SNEF JSC to strengthen the jobs ecosystem

b. NTUC-SNEF JSC will work with MOM and the relevant government agencies to improve the employment prospects and create good jobs for Singaporeans
    Ensure that training needs are incorporated into Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) curriculum, in tandem with the fast-changing economic landscape

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To end off the session, SG Ng shared two key takeaways:

The first: "We must really be (on) the ground, especially in a very fast-changing ground, (to be with) the working people, regardless of rank and file."

He added on by saying it is important to know what employees are going through and build a relationship of trust so as to fairly champion their interests. 

Secondly, SG Ng said: "Always come back to a win-win philosophy."

"While we champion workers' interest, we do it in a fair manner and with a just cause. And when this is achieved, [we] always come back into a win-win philosophy with our businesses so that in a sustained business environment, our workers can be taken care of sustainably." 

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READ MORE: Singapore's new guidelines on flexible work arrangement requests to take effect on 1 December 2024

Lead image / Provided by NTUC