Cycle 4. Were you waiting that long?
The recession is over but bosses may not be heaving a sigh of relief. A new challenge is looming: rising wage bills. From June, bosses will no longer enjoy any wage subsidy from the Jobs Credit Scheme. Poor employees, some would say, as they seem to be under attack on several fronts to raise wages. But think of it the other way: Could it be payback time? -- First World country, but not First World wages?, May 15, The Straights Times.The members of the workforce were the ones in the most disadvantageous position during the recession, what with companies laying-off as a measure for cost-saving. Now that the economic turmoil is over and the Singapore economy is well on its way to stability, the worrying bug has shifted to pestering our hardworking top executives. The latest surveys are conveying the same results: the balance of power is slowly swinging back to the workforce. The job market is doing well-- employees are ready for a job change, for better salary and career. Employees are demanding; bosses are, of course, pressured to commensurate. “As candidates see that more opportunities are available and confidence in the market grows, they are adjusting their salary expectations,” says Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore in a press release the company shared with JobsDB.com Singapore.
Are you looking into the prospect of changing careers soon? Don't you have any more reason to like your current job? Fact is, the top priority of bosses this quarter is staff retention. A press release from Hudson says so. We're pretty sure your boss is up to making a counter offer if you're really worth it. Why not schedule a talk with him?
Two new shemes will boost the numbers and deepen specialists' skills. Now, among the 22,000 offices from agencies such as the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force, junior ones typically hold diplomas while senior officers tend to be graduates, The change means that 14,700 junior officers stand to get better pay than before. -- Better career paths for Home Team officers, May 17, The Straights Times.Good news for our hardworking Home Team officers! The Ministry of Home Affairs is liking the fact that Home officers are aspiring for better careers in the force and has taken the best means to match their career wishes.
Singapore's labour movement, NTUC, is taking the lead in enhancing the productivity levels of low wage workers in the country. Its assistant secretary general Ong Ye Kung said it will involve a three-prolonged strategy - redesigning jobs, urging suppliers to go for best sourcing and changing mindsets of workers towards training. -- Better job design, worker training key to up productivity of low wage workers, May 13, channelnewsasia.comWho says that there's no room for career development for you, if you're a low wage earner? Attending courses will improve your qualifications a lot and increase your salary. NTUC will be rigorously pushing forward its job recreation programme for low wage earners who are interested to undergo special courses.
When it comes to training, JobsDB Career Events can be of help to you too. Following a not-for-profit setup, Career Events keeps the fees at a minimum to help as many workers and job seekers as possible with their careers. For this month, it's offering a seminar on excelling in your career. To view its calendar of seminars, please proceed to www.jobsdb.com.sg/StaticContent/SG/CareerEvents/default.htm.
We'd like to end Cycle 4 of our headlines that matter with an inspiring story. Madam Tan here, a breadwinner, failed a medical test in 2008 and couldn't provide the right coverage according to the news article. She was saved by the hotel's human resources director Francis Tan Kweng by appealing to the insurer to give Madam a re-examination. This just proves that understanding between employers and employees, results to a pot of gold. As an employee, it's your duty to stay fit and healthy for your company.
Madam Tan, who has been with the hotel [Sheraton Towers as Chambermaid] for 23 years, said she was fortunate to have a supportive employer, but added that workers must play their part if they want to stay on in a job: "Employees must be responsible and serious about work, and stay healthy. otherwise, why would bosses want to employ us?" -- 'Cheaper, better, faster': 300 get NTUC awards, May 14, The Straights Times.
For more career resources, please proceed to www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Resources/JobSeekerIndex. The latest jobs in Singapore can be found here: www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/Search/NewAdvanceSearch.
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