Since the start of this year, a total of 5,000 unionised workers have been retrenched. Such a high figure makes it likely for the eventual number to exceed that of 1999, when a total of 7,635 unionised workers lost their jobs.

To help these retrenched workers, who are mostly from the manufacturing industry, the Nation Trade Union Congress (NTUC) has launched a U Care Fund to provide financial aid for them and their families. The scheme has managed to raise $10 million thus far, and aims to have $20 million by the end of May.

While help is available for this group, career concerns by fresh graduates dominated a dialogue session with Manpower Minister Mr Gan Kim Yong on Sunday. For instance, one graduate asked if taking up a blue-collar job during this downturn would jeopardize future prospects for PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives,Technicians) positions, while another participant wondered if degree holders from private universities are disadvantaged.

Graduate employment rates are set to fall this year, which explains why these new jobseekers are concerned about their job prospects. Current fresh graduates not only have to compete with more experienced jobseekers in the job market, but also have to lower their salary expectations.

If you are a fresh graduate having difficulty finding a job, we would like to hear from you on the JobsCentral Forum.

UBS Singapore will shed 100 more jobs, following the release of six private bankers in late March. The swift culling of these local jobs forms part of the 240 jobs that will be shed from the Swiss banking giant’s wealth management division in the Asia-Pacific region.

The new management which is headed by new chief executive Oswald Gruebel, has announced a clean sweep of 10,000 more job cuts globally in a bid to secure a turnaround. The bank suffered the biggest loss of US$18 billion in Swiss corporate history in December 2008 and has to cut staffing-related costs as a last resort.

It has been a few months since JobsCentral launched the Retrenchment Watch to keep you updated on the latest retrenchment news. Your feedback has been extremely encouraging, and we are thankful for your support. Special thanks goes out to those of you who have shared your personal experiences, opinions and rumours with us on the JobsCentral Forum.

Although the pace of retrenchment seems to be slowing down of late, some analysts are predicting a second wave of retrenchments in the months ahead. Thus, we will continue to update the Retrenchment Watch, and look forward to your input as always. If you have any related news to share with us, feel free to do so on the 2009 Recession section of the JobsCentral Forum today!

Two reports from Philippine sources have been circulating on the Internet, stating that the country’s President Gloria Arroyo had claimed to have secured for Filipinos 5,000 of the 10,000 available jobs at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. This has no doubt caused an uproar among some Singaporeans who are currently jobless and struggling to find jobs as well.

The publications report that President Arroyo said she had sent a delegation to Singapore in March to explore job opportunities for Filipino nationals, and even sent Philippine’s Labour Secretary Marianito Roque to meet with Tan Hee Teck, CEO of Resorts World Sentosa.

Apparently, some of the many job openings at the upcoming Universal Studios will also go to Filipinos, who might be hired as performers. As Filipinos are known for their talents for song and dance (an area where Singaporeans might be found lacking), it is perhaps all right to employ foreigners to fill the gap.

However, other positions such as casino operators and hotel staff can be well-filled by Singaporeans. Surely we don’t need foreign talent for that?

The Ministry of Manpower has released figures stating that an additional 17,500 Singaporeans have become jobless since the second half of 2008. Many Singaporeans are hungry for jobs too, hence it is, naturally, quite disappointing to hear of such news.

Maybe we can applaud the Philippine government for being so proactive towards helping its countrymen find jobs – which makes us wonder if our government is doing enough for us?

Only time will tell where the IR jobs eventually go, although I think I can already (albeit subconsciously) hear the powerful melodious strains of Filipino voices ringing through its corridors.

"Because foreign talents had helped Singapore to grow financially and frankly speaking, we could not have done so well if it's not for foreign talents. If we were to retrench them before Singapore just because there is a crisis, would it be fair?

How about in the long run? After Singapore emerge from the crisis? Would foreign talents still possess the security to work in Singapore? They won't. Because they'd think, "At times when Singapore is going through crisis, I'd be the first to get retrenched."

In a short run, it may seem like a great idea to retrench foreign talents first and keep jobs for Singaporeans. But in the long run, how does that help?" -By JobsCentral Forum user LLL_77

"What makes Singapore so great in my opinion is its open-minded attitude to foreign employees. Many qualified foreign employees are attracted to Singapore, and by having a larger pool of employees, it's easier for Singaporean businesses to find qualified employees.

Bottom line: as a company manager, I would rather have the option of attracting qualified employees from all over the world, including Singapore." -By JobsCentral Forum user pgcdias

Share your views on the issue with us on the JobsCentral Forum!

"I've been a student care teacher before and um, honestly when I started the job, I disliked kids. And kids can be a pain totally when they don't listen to you. However, I learn the trick that when you are closer to them, you are able to control them better. And it's really heartwarming when your students start to confide in you.I think the best takeaway is when you successfully become more than a teacher to them and a dependable person for them. I don't really hate kids that much after working with them :) "
-says JobsCentral Forum user yellowtooth

"The most precious takeaways is experience. No matter which company or field you are in, it always taught u in different aspects - communication / relationships among co-workers / leadership / management etc. All these can be your next job's "mirror".The most important is when you are in an organisation, you must try to mix around with co-workers and the environment will be more heart-warming."
-says JobsCentral Forum user maple

Share your own takeaways with us on the JobsCentral Forum!

While official employment figures for the first quarter of this year have yet to be released, Manpower Minister Mr Gan Kim Yong has announced that the unemployment rate will be higher than that of 2008's last quarter.

The Ministry of Manpower has observed more retrenchment notices, and plans to tackle the situation with various schemes like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) and the Jobs Credit Scheme. In particular, Mr Gan believes that SPUR has been very successful in the past four months, pointing out that it has helped to reduce the number of retrenched workers for many companies.

Nevertheless, Mr Gan urges Singaporeans to prepare themselves for another few quarters of downturn, and acknowledges that restructuring and retrenchments are unavoidable in some cases.

On the other hand, some analysts are predicting that the recession may bottom out by the end of the year. Mr Adrian Cooper, managing director of British firm Oxford Economics, expects the global economy to grow by 2.2% next year, given the numerous government bailouts of late.

Closer to home, he has tipped Singapore to grow by 4.8% next year, as compared to this year's predicted contraction of 7.2%.

Newly released figures by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) point to a slowdown in recruitment for Q3 of 2008. Three sectors – manufacturing, financial services, and transport and services – were badly hit.

Hiring in the manufacturing sector dropped by 1.3% in Q4, despite a 2.3% increase in hiring just prior to the final quarter. Hiring of PMETs also lapsed to just 1.2%.

In that same period, hiring in the financial sector fell from 2.8% to 1.9%. However, analysts note that smaller financial firms which do not have their whole foot in the US market are still poised to ride on growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Finally, in the transport and storage sectors, recruitment dropped from 2.5% in Q3 to 1.7% in Q4.

In other news, MOM has set up a taskforce to detect malpractices by employers, such as failure to pay workers' salaries on time. Minister for Manpower Gan Kim Yong said that the taskforce will consolidate and analyse information surfaced from MOM's inspections, as well as intelligence it receives.

More good news for foreign workers also comes in the form of Avery Lodge, a newly opened worker dormitory with a capacity of 8,000 beds.

Here are some headlines you may have missed over the weekend:

Doctor Shortage
With Singapore’s growing population, more health care practitioners are needed to oversee the health of Singaporeans. In similar developed countries, there is one medical school per two million people, according to Health Minster Khaw Boon Wan. There is a shortage of doctors and at least 1,000 of our doctors in Singapore are foreign talents.

Thus, Singapore is planning for a third medical school, likely to be situated in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Mr Khaw notes that it is integral to begin preparations now because a medical school will take about 10 years before it graduates its pioneer batch of medical professionals.

More jobs in health care
The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to hire even more healthcare workers than previously announced. It will continue to take in 4,500 workers into the public health care sector in the next two years instead of over the next five.

The health care sector has been booming since the year started, with 1,100 people being recruited since, of which six in 10 are Singaporeans filling administrative, nursing and allied health positions. More than 27% of these Singaporeans were above the age of 40.

In addition, MOH said 2,600 job vacancies are available now, of which one third are in nursing, one third in medical and allied health care and the rest, for administrative and support positions like managers, IT staff and care-coordinators.

800 keen on retail internships
Who says that Singaporeans are unwilling to take up jobs in the retail and service industries? At an internship fair organized by the South West CDC, a turnout of 800 people for some 400 jobs available was seen.

These internships focus on giving those interested in the services and retail industry a shot to try out jobs in the real working environment for three to five days at participating retail or service outlets.

Selected interns will receive on-the-job training and a chance to wait on customers at companies such as Coffee Club Express and MacDonald’s. Whilst on training, participants will be paid $4 an hour and at the end of the internship, those who enjoy the work and show an aptitude for it may be offered full-time positions.

They may be working behind barricades and they continue their shift work in construction while we sleep. But seeing so little of them does not mean that they do not exist. Foreign labourers are the people I am referring to. A recent check of dormitory conditions by several statutory boards revealed that almost 2,600 foreign workers are being housed in 16 unapproved dormitories.

Following the checks, 147 companies have been ordered to shift their workers to better living conditions. I don’t know which is more alarming - the number of affected foreign workers or the number of irresponsible companies.

The Divisional Director of the Foreign Manpower Management has given a firm word that housing these workers in poor conditions poses a threat to public health in general. These foreign workers who come to Singapore to earn a living for a better life in future back home often have to put up with uncompassionate employers who house them in overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

I reckon that Singaporean employers might need to receive some training, to improve their employment practices and level of compassion for the foreign labourers who work so hard to ensure a beautiful built environment in a country which is not even theirs.