SINGAPORE: There is scope to refine and enhance the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), said NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say.

But the bigger challenge, he added, is to continue educating workers and employers so that more workers will become CPF members and benefit from WIS.

The WIS is one of the most important policy initiatives that Singapore has introduced for workers in recent years because it gives an opportunity for low-wage workers to come onboard the CPF social safety net and benefit from it.
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SINGAPORE: Raising wages to address the issue of rising costs may be an enticing option but that is not the right solution, said Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong.

He said adjusting wages upwards to meet rising prices would only result in a “price-wage spiral” and Singaporeans should look at the bigger picture.

“What is more important is for us to have a realistic expectation of wages that reflect the underlying economic strength of our industries and also of our productivity. That will allow us to ensure that our economy will be able to sustain its growth momentum,” said Mr Gan.
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SINGAPORE: Employers in Singapore are bracing for a slower job market growth this year, according to the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF).

Its president, Stephen Lee, said that job growth this year will moderate to about 3 to 4 percent, compared to the 7.7 percent registered in 2007.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia ahead of Labour Day, Mr Lee also expects demand for higher wages to grow because of inflation.
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore economy has been creating more and more jobs but there are not enough Singaporeans to fill them.

So companies are turning more and more to foreigners. Hence the proportion of new jobs going to Singaporeans has been falling over the years.

A Manpower Ministry study noted that in the three years between 2004 and 2006, although increasingly more jobs were created each year, those going to Singapore citizens fell from 45 percent to 40 then 37 percent in 2006.

Latest MOM numbers showed 360,700 jobs were created between 2004 and 2006. Foreigners took the largest share, clinching 156,500 jobs, with 141,700 going to Singaporeans and 62,500 to permanent residents.
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SINGAPORE: According to ECA International’s Salary Trends Survey 2007-2008, workers in Asia can expect the highest salary increases this year.

ECA International is the world’s largest membership organisation for human resources, serving a network of over 4,000 HR professionals in 71 countries.

Its survey contains information collected from multinational companies about actual salary increases for last year and predicted increases for this year.

The results have indicated that Singapore workers could expect salary increases of 5 percent.
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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s economy grew at a slower-than-expected 6.0 per cent in the fourth quarter, pulled down by falling manufacturing output, the government said on Wednesday.

Economists had expected growth of 7.0-8.5 per cent for the last three months of the year.

The estimate for real gross domestic product (GDP) growth, compared with the same period a year earlier, meant a moderation from the revised growth figure of 9.0 per cent seen in the third quarter, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said.

“Growth of the Singapore economy moderated in the fourth quarter of 2007,” it said.
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SINGAPORE : Coping with higher food prices is a global phenomenon, and NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say has called on Singaporeans to be prepared for this new reality.

The best way to meet this challenge is for Singapore to focus on economic development, and according to Mr Lim, this is the most sustainable strategy.

“Because the day we lose our economic competitiveness, then the problem is no longer about inflation. The problem is much worse than that because there will be no jobs. There will be a softening of the labour market and there will be lower pay,” said the NTUC Secretary-General. He was speaking to reporters after opening the new office for the Union of Security Employees.

Mr Lim continued: “If you look at Asia today, for example, a few countries are going through elections. Some have just finished their elections. And what do they talk about? They are talking about refocusing on economic development.
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SINGAPORE : The Manpower Ministry is already working with several employers to re-employ older workers after retirement, even before legislation on re-employment is finalised.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Minister of State for Manpower, Gan Kim Yong says it will take time for a mindset change of the concept of re-employment of older workers.

There have been significant improvements in the re-employment rates of older workers in the past year.

Thanks to the buoyant economy and measures which the tripartite partners have put in place to encourage companies to do so.

One such scheme is called ADVANTAGE, which provides funds for companies to redesign jobs and retrain older workers.
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SINGAPORE : Singapore’s economy has grown 7.5 percent for the whole of 2007, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his 2008 New Year Message.

And he remains cautiously optimistic about the outlook for the new year.

Mr Lee also spelt out significant policy decisions in the areas of healthcare, land transport and education Singaporeans would have to face in 2008.

Singapore has enjoyed another year of robust expansion, although the fourth quarter saw slower growth.

The high growth has benefited all Singaporeans - a record 172,000 jobs have been created between January and September and unemployment is down to 1.7 percent, the lowest in almost a decade.
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SINGAPORE : Children, reportedly aged about 10 to 14 years old, have been spotted selling ice cream in housing estates across Singapore.

Strolling their carts around estates, they approached people or knocked on doors asking residents to buy ice cream for around S$10.

Yvonne Schelkis said she was on the way home from work when she was approached by a group of three boys about six months ago.
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