http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_370116.html
Expect more layoffs
S'pore well positioned to tackle downturn, labour chief tells workers
By Sue-Ann Chia, Senior Political Correspondent
ST FILE PHOTO
WORKERS should continue to brace themselves for tough times ahead as the global economy has yet to hit the bottom and more layoffs are likely, labour chief Lim Swee Say has said.
In a sombre May Day message, he said the battle to manage the fallout from the economic downturn 'is far from over'.
He also said that the rebound, when it comes, is not expected to be strong: 'This means we will not only see negative growth during the downturn, but also slower growth when the recovery comes.
'Thus, the retrenchment we saw in the first quarter this year would not be the only wave, but just the first wave.
'It is not a question of whether we will see a second wave of retrenchment, but a question of when it will reach the peak, how high the peak will be, how long it will last, and how many more workers will lose their jobs in this next wave.'
Official estimates on the employment situation in the first three months of the year are set for release this week - and analysts expect the data to be grim, with retrenchments likely to exceed 10,000.
If they do, the figure would be the worst ever, surpassing the quarterly peak of 8,590 in the last quarter of 2001 after the dot.com bust and the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
But Mr Lim, secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), tempered the gloom with optimism.
'We must be prepared, but we need not be disheartened,' he said.
'No matter how rough the journey ahead of us may get, it can never stop the tripartite partners from staying united and pressing forward with our efforts to tackle the downturn.'
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times
Getting Ready for re-hiring
MR SATIVIL P. John has spent the last 39 years working for York Hotel and has no plans to retire.
The technician hopes that his boss will re-hire him when he turns 62 in October.
'It will be nice to retire and relax at home, but I don't think I can,' he said. He has three daughters aged 15 to 28.
He was among 30 employees who attended a new one-day training programme yesterday which prepares older workers for re-employment when they hit the current official retirement age of 62.
Called Re-employment: Equipping And Developing Yourself (Ready), it was organised by the Centre for Seniors, a non-profit organisation set up in 2006 to promote active ageing.
The project is funded by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), which will subsidise the training costs for employers who send older employees for the course.
The centre's executive director Helen Ko said the course was started in view of the re-employment legislation that Singapore intends to put in place by 2012.
The law will require employers to rehire older employees once they reach 62.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times
Expect more layoffs
S'pore well positioned to tackle downturn, labour chief tells workers
By Sue-Ann Chia, Senior Political Correspondent
ST FILE PHOTO
WORKERS should continue to brace themselves for tough times ahead as the global economy has yet to hit the bottom and more layoffs are likely, labour chief Lim Swee Say has said.
In a sombre May Day message, he said the battle to manage the fallout from the economic downturn 'is far from over'.
He also said that the rebound, when it comes, is not expected to be strong: 'This means we will not only see negative growth during the downturn, but also slower growth when the recovery comes.
'Thus, the retrenchment we saw in the first quarter this year would not be the only wave, but just the first wave.
'It is not a question of whether we will see a second wave of retrenchment, but a question of when it will reach the peak, how high the peak will be, how long it will last, and how many more workers will lose their jobs in this next wave.'
Official estimates on the employment situation in the first three months of the year are set for release this week - and analysts expect the data to be grim, with retrenchments likely to exceed 10,000.
If they do, the figure would be the worst ever, surpassing the quarterly peak of 8,590 in the last quarter of 2001 after the dot.com bust and the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
But Mr Lim, secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), tempered the gloom with optimism.
'We must be prepared, but we need not be disheartened,' he said.
'No matter how rough the journey ahead of us may get, it can never stop the tripartite partners from staying united and pressing forward with our efforts to tackle the downturn.'
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times
Getting Ready for re-hiring
MR SATIVIL P. John has spent the last 39 years working for York Hotel and has no plans to retire.
The technician hopes that his boss will re-hire him when he turns 62 in October.
'It will be nice to retire and relax at home, but I don't think I can,' he said. He has three daughters aged 15 to 28.
He was among 30 employees who attended a new one-day training programme yesterday which prepares older workers for re-employment when they hit the current official retirement age of 62.
Called Re-employment: Equipping And Developing Yourself (Ready), it was organised by the Centre for Seniors, a non-profit organisation set up in 2006 to promote active ageing.
The project is funded by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), which will subsidise the training costs for employers who send older employees for the course.
The centre's executive director Helen Ko said the course was started in view of the re-employment legislation that Singapore intends to put in place by 2012.
The law will require employers to rehire older employees once they reach 62.
Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times
