What you need to know about the National Jobs Bank

Singapore's new National Jobs Bank has been launched in its beta stages, and already boasts more than 9,000 jobs across several industries.

The site is being administered by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), and the current testing stage, which will end in June, allows for employers and individuals to provide feedback for site improvements.

Once the portal official launches on 1 August 2014, employers in Singapore will have to advertise for available positions paying less than S$12,000 a month on the site for two weeks, before they can offer those roles to a non-local.

This is in line with the Ministry of Manpower's Fair Consideration Framework. In September last year, Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said: "These changes are part of a broader effort to ensure that good jobs continue to be created for Singaporeans."

However, he added the framework is not about hiring Singaporeans first, or hiring Singaporeans only.

"What the government is doing is to help them get a fair opportunity. Singaporeans must still prove themselves able and competitive to take on the higher jobs that they aspire to," he said.

"We will continue investing in our continuing education and training infrastructure so that Singaporeans can upgrade their skills and remain competitive in the workplace."