When age is the limit

MATURE WORKERS

Older jobseekers cite qualifications and skills as other obstacles

Leong Wee Keat , weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

05:55 AM Jun 16, 2009

THE 48-year-old made the journey from her home in Boon Lay to an office in Middle Road for a job interview - only to be told she was “too old”. The job Ms Jennifer De Souza was applying for?

A telemarketer.

“I was so angry I demanded my bus fare back,” she told Today. “Age should not be a factor in this line of work. If I’m willing to work, what’s the problem?”

Mature workers, like Ms De Souza, have found it harder to get employment in the first quarter of the year, according to labour market figures released by the Manpower Ministry yesterday.

Nearly six in 10 who were unemployed for more than six months were such workers. Compared with the same period last year, the number of long-term jobless people has doubled from 7,500 to 16,600 this year. And familiar faces have been turning up at meet-the-people-sessions, Members of Parliament have stated.

These jobseekers cite a combination of age, skills and education qualifications as obstacles to their re-employment.

Those with secondary education or lower are the hardest hit. Ms De Souza, who has O-level qualifications, for example, sent out more than 600 job applications over six months before she finally landed a job as an administrator in April.

To help mature workers overcome any physical limitation, labour MP Halimah Yacob suggested employers consider reducing working hours - from eight to six or even to four hours - to allow flexibility.

However, even as various options - such as re-training, job matching and highlighting vacancies - have been made available to mature jobseekers, some have been adamant as to the kind of jobs they would do.

MP Cynthia Phua said some insist on being hired as security guards even though jobs as cleaners are readily available.

At Punggol Central, residents not matched with job offers are given other helping hands: The Sengkang Community Club lent out 14 pushcarts and also entrusted its car park to four elderly residents to manage. The residents take home any profits.

Mr Goh Cher Chye, 53, takes home between $70 to $300 a month selling toys from a pushcart. Even though he is grateful for the help provided, Mr Goh’s wife had to re-enter the workforce to supplement the family’s income.

Ms De Souza, who is single, is slightly better off - her $800 monthly salary helps to cover the monthly $500 HDB mortgage.

“It is not great, but it beats sitting around at home,” she said.

From TODAY, News – Tuesday, 16-Jun-2009; see the source article here.

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A disparity in job expectations?

By Alicia Wong | 05:55 AM Jun 08, 2009

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Minister of Manpower Gan Kim Yong (centre), with Tanjong Pagar GRC MPs, scaling fish during a community visit to Bukit Merah View.
Photo by WEE TECK HIAN

ARE locals really unrealistic in their job hunt?

For restaurateur Amelia Kang, hiring Singapore citizens and permanent residents has not been "that ideal". Out of 10 local workers, mainly in clerical work, it's typical for only two to last more than three months, while out of 15 locals, only three have stayed in the job for more than a year, she shared.

Some Singaporeans do not have industry-specific knowledge, but expect to earn their previous salary. Said Ms Kang: "It doesn't make sense."

But when Mr Andrew Tan applied for a job he was over-qualified for, his interviewer told him: "If you come in, I don't know what I can teach you, but you have a lot to teach me."

Mr Tan, who had used the Manpower Ministry's job matching system, suggested that it be improved.

The expectations of workers and employers was one of the issues at a dialogue session yesterday at the Tanglin-Cairnhill division, and with Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong visiting, it was not long before foreign workers soon became the bogeymen.

Mr Gan reiterated the need for a "calibrated approach" in hiring foreign workers. Reserving jobs for locals during hard times would affect our long-term economic position, he said. Measures such as foreign worker quotas and the Jobs Credit scheme protect Singaporeans, he added.

One participant among the 300 residents and grassroots leaders, however, pointed out that Singaporeans "do not quarrel with the fact that we need foreign talent" but with the marketing of foreign talent as "saviours of Singapore".

"You have to look at things in perspective," he said, as foreign workers come to eke out a living and can survive on less, unlike Singaporeans who have families to support.

Foreign workers in the production line are also more willing to work overtime compared to Singaporeans, added Mr Tan.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Gan said the foreign-local divide "will remain" and is a "stress point that ... is heightened during the recession".

"It's important for Government and community to continue to explain why it's important to do the right thing, rather then to do the favourite things (by keeping jobs for locals)," he said, and added that the Government is working to assimilate foreigners into society.

Other issues raised during the one-hour session at Singapore Management University included feedback on the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience. Mr Gan urged residents to go to the Community Development Councils or their Members of Parliament for assistance.

From TODAY, News – Monday, 08-Jun-2009

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