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July 30, 2009
Downturn so short
By Aaron Low
Labour chief Lim Swee Say (left) said will also assess the economy's performance in the first six months of the year when he speaks at the launch of the new Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute. --PHOTO: BH
SINGAPORE'S economy and the challenges it will continue to face will be key themes in labour chief Lim Swee Say's National Day message to the labour movement on Friday.
He will also assess the economy's performance in the first six months of the year when he speaks at the launch of the new Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute, where future union leaders will be trained.
The stock-taking by Mr Lim, who is National Trades Union Congress secretary-general, coincides with the release this morning of preliminary data from the Manpower Ministry on the state of the jobs market here between the months of April and June.
Both the Government and the labour movement have stressed that it is not time to celebrate despite signs which suggest that the global economic slump may be bottoming out.
While the official growth forecast for the year was revised upwards just earlier this month, the Government said it still expects the economy to shrink 4 to 6 per cent - instead of the 6 to 9 per cent decline it forecast in April.
Similarly, a fortnight ago, NTUC figures showed that layoffs in the unionised sector between April and June fell to 1,406. This was down from a record 4,744 in the previous three months.
The number of workers who were on a shorter work week and on temporary no-pay leave had also dropped by 70 per cent to 7,608, from 24,135 in the first three months of the year.
But Mr Lim, who released the figures, also cautioned at the time that the second half of the year might see another wave of retrenchments bcause of the continuing uncertain economic outlook.
An NTUC spokesman said that Mr Lim, in his remarks on Friday, will also touch on the role of union leadership in the development of the nation.
His National Day message and the launch the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute mark the start of a series of activities that the labour movement will be holding in August to commemorate Singapore's 44th year of independence.
July 30, 2009
Downturn so short
By Aaron Low
Labour chief Lim Swee Say (left) said will also assess the economy's performance in the first six months of the year when he speaks at the launch of the new Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute. --PHOTO: BH
SINGAPORE'S economy and the challenges it will continue to face will be key themes in labour chief Lim Swee Say's National Day message to the labour movement on Friday.
He will also assess the economy's performance in the first six months of the year when he speaks at the launch of the new Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute, where future union leaders will be trained.
The stock-taking by Mr Lim, who is National Trades Union Congress secretary-general, coincides with the release this morning of preliminary data from the Manpower Ministry on the state of the jobs market here between the months of April and June.
Both the Government and the labour movement have stressed that it is not time to celebrate despite signs which suggest that the global economic slump may be bottoming out.
While the official growth forecast for the year was revised upwards just earlier this month, the Government said it still expects the economy to shrink 4 to 6 per cent - instead of the 6 to 9 per cent decline it forecast in April.
Similarly, a fortnight ago, NTUC figures showed that layoffs in the unionised sector between April and June fell to 1,406. This was down from a record 4,744 in the previous three months.
The number of workers who were on a shorter work week and on temporary no-pay leave had also dropped by 70 per cent to 7,608, from 24,135 in the first three months of the year.
But Mr Lim, who released the figures, also cautioned at the time that the second half of the year might see another wave of retrenchments bcause of the continuing uncertain economic outlook.
An NTUC spokesman said that Mr Lim, in his remarks on Friday, will also touch on the role of union leadership in the development of the nation.
His National Day message and the launch the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute mark the start of a series of activities that the labour movement will be holding in August to commemorate Singapore's 44th year of independence.
