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The Big Read: Despite being vulnerable, few PMETs heed call to learn new skills

SINGAPORE — Dipping into her own pocket, insurance underwriter Melissa Chai sets aside thousands of dollars a year for training courses — a practice she likens to squirreling away money for an annual holiday. “I just do it differently,” said the 43-year-old.

SINGAPORE — Dipping into her own pocket, insurance underwriter Melissa Chai sets aside thousands of dollars a year for training courses — a practice she likens to squirreling away money for an annual holiday. “I just do it differently,” said the 43-year-old.

Since 2011, she has spent an average of S$5,000 each year on courses that run the gamut from financial modelling to executive coaching sessions in presentation and leadership training. 

Ms Chai’s voracious appetite for training has reaped dividends. After attending a course on pricing methodology in 2012, she led a project the following year to devise a pricing model, which was adopted by her firm worldwide. 

“I don’t think I can sit around to wait for my bosses or my human resource department to decide what kind of training and development I need,” she said. 

For property executive Dana Wu, 35, it was interest as well as the need to be prepared for rainy days that drove her to complete a manicurist and pedicurist course recently. 

“You never know when the economy will (go into recession),” she said, adding that she was also contemplating taking up a part-time diploma in facilities management. 

Despite the uncertain economic and job outlook — and the Government’s big push for workers to upgrade their skills through a slew of initiatives under the SkillsFuture movement — Ms Chai and Ms Wu are among a rare breed of PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) who are making preparations and widening their options while they still have a job, in case their employment situation changes or opportunities arise elsewhere. 

A TODAY poll of 200 PMETs conducted over the past fortnight found that only about a quarter were undergoing courses or equipping themselves with skills that lie outside their current job scope. 

The Ministry of Manpower’s latest labour market report last month showed that layoffs for the first half of the year reached the highest number since 2009, and job-seekers outnumber vacancies for the first time since June 2012. Among those laid off in the first half of the year, about six in 10 were PMETs.

Following the release of the report, labour chief Chan Chun Sing highlighted the need to train and prepare workers who are at risk of being let go, even before they are given a pink slip, so that they are equipped to take on new jobs. 

Aiming to shorten the time that displaced workers take to re-enter the job market, Mr Chan had said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), working closely with government agencies such as the Economic Development Board, will strengthen the system to identify current job vacancies as well as opportunities that may not be on the market yet, but may be coming on-stream on account of investments made by businesses. 

TODAY’s poll and interviews with the respondents found that PMETs face several stumbling blocks, including the employer culture that deprives them of opportunities to pick up skills that are unrelated to their current work. 

Unlike other countries, companies here are reluctant to offer employees training or personal development courses that are deemed to have low relevance to their current work. In Japan for instance, department store Isetan has more than 150 training programmes, ranging from theatre to calligraphy, for its employees there. 

Nonetheless, this newspaper’s interviews with the respondents also found that many were reluctant to get out of their comfort zone and contemplate the idea of moving into a different field. Even if their industry is facing tough times and their jobs are at risk, they prefer to go for training to deepen their existing skills, instead of acquiring new ones that would allow them to seize opportunities in a growth sector. 

There was also a lack of awareness among the respondents about the plethora of schemes and programmes available, such as the Singapore Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) Professional Conversion Programmes, which provide wage and training subsidies to companies that hire first and then train eligible PMETs to take on new positions. 

The respondents were also not sure which sectors are thriving and how to go about choosing the right training to enable them to find work in these areas. “Singaporeans are like that … We know that a bad situation is coming, but we are still not changing our habits … We just think the Government is able to save us,” said supply chain manager Ong Hui Min, 26, who was among those who were polled. 

TRAINING NOT ON THEIR MINDS

For many PMETs, the training they receive is confined to what is offered by their firms. Very often, this means that they only sharpen skills that apply directly to their jobs. 

Senior talent acquisition specialist Pinky Tan, 28, said: “If you talk about relevance to my job … my company is sponsoring us and getting external vendors to come in to train us, but acquiring skills that are outside of my knowledge — no.”

Many respondents were also content with such training, and were hesitant to venture into unfamiliar territory and to develop new skills of their own volition.

An office manager in her late 50s, who wanted to be known only as Jenny, said she was “not too concerned” about having the necessary skills, as she has amassed adequate experience and knowledge throughout her career. “The years of experience give me the confidence that I can do anything that I’m asked to, provided that it’s not very specialised work,” she said. 

A 36-year-old account manager, who only wanted to be known as Ms Hui, said upgrading was “not a top priority” for her because she believed her skills, such as in sales tactics, were transferable.  She also had the perception that the training programmes on offer were not suitable for PMETs. 

“Maybe these people are more technical … or manual and they need to upgrade their skill sets, so they don’t become obsolete,” said the finance-industry professional. “Our kind of job requires more people skills, so I don’t think it’ll become obsolete.” 

For others, they did not see a need to develop new skills because they did not have plans to join a new sector. “New skills are for new industries. I will still look for a job within the same industry,” said fund accountant Yap Pei Ling, 26.

The limited awareness of the schemes and programmes PMETs can tap into also presents a major hurdle. Ms Tan said she was not really cognisant of the Government’s training programmes for PMETs, and called on the authorities to ramp up awareness. 

Others such as business consultant Ken Chew said training was possible only with knowledge of where one should be headed next. “Otherwise, I don’t know which sector or what skills I ought to get myself equipped with,” said the 38-year-old. “And if you get yourself equipped with the wrong type of skills, then you’re going to waste the next three months searching and not even get a job.”

Employers whom TODAY spoke to felt that workers have to take greater ownership of their training needs. Association of Small and Medium Enterprises president Kurt Wee said bosses cannot be expected to find out their staff members’ interests outside their job scopes. 

“Firstly, that proactivity must come from the employee … Employers can’t figure out for you what you’re best at, or what is your next-best alternative, but they can work with you to develop that,” he said.

Human-resource experts and Members of Parliament (MPs) from the labour movement acknowledged that shifting mindsets among PMETs was a challenge, but they noted that workers are most receptive to acquiring new skills when they have a clear idea of what they need in order to stay relevant. 

Tampines GRC MP Desmond Choo said it was “natural” for workers to want to stay in their jobs and industries, since they have invested years in learning their trades. The director (progressive wage model) at NTUC’s industrial relations department added that some may also find it difficult to set aside time for training while doing their existing jobs, especially those working shifts. 

“Our experience has been that workers are more willing to take that first step when they can see what new skills they need to stay viable. More importantly, acceptance is higher when training is accessible,” he said. 

Mr Choo said that local banks, including DBS and OCBC, for example, are already working with NTUC’s Financial Cluster and LearningHub to conduct workshops to prepare workers for the changing trends in the finance industry. 

Mr David Ang, director of capability and business development for Human Capital Singapore, said a majority of PMETs, especially those “too comfortable in their jobs”, may not have the right mindset yet. 

But those without a job, or whose companies were not faring well, would be more mindful in actively equipping themselves for the future, he said. “For those whose company is doing quite well and needs them, they may not end up doing something about it,” he added. 

The labour movement’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) provides training, career guidance and job-matching opportunities for workers and the unemployed. The institute is seeing healthy numbers for its initiatives, and its chief executive Gilbert Tan reiterated that professionals would go for training if they perceive there are benefits in doing so, and it was important to help these workers see how training is relevant to their jobs. 

PESSIMISTIC BUT NOT OVERLY CONCERNED

In recent months, TODAY had reported on large layoffs by Resorts World Sentosa and the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group. The two companies had let go of about 800 workers combined. 

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singapore was in for a rough and bumpy ride that will see the economy weaken further in the second half, and unemployment rise. Nevertheless, the Government has in place short- and long-term plans to tackle these challenges.

The TODAY poll found that PMETs were generally pessimistic about the economy and job outlook: On a scale of 1 (very pessimistic) to 10 (very optimistic), 68 per cent of the respondents indicated a “5” or lower. 

Despite the gloom, less than half (45.5 per cent) were concerned about losing their jobs, indicating a “6” or higher on a scale of 1 (not concerned at all) to 10 (very concerned). 

A majority of the respondents were confident of landing a new job within three to six months after losing their jobs: On a scale of 1 (not confident at all) to 10 (very confident), 57.5 per cent indicated a “6” or higher. 

Still, those in the finance sector were particularly jittery. Director in consulting and legal compliance Edmund Chee, 41, said: “People in banking were at the forefront (of seizing economic opportunities), but for the past six months, we realised technology and disruption will cause ... highly skilled professionals to be irrelevant … The profile that will be hit the hardest is no longer the rank-and-file but the PMETs.”

A 35-year-old banker, who wanted to be known only as Ryan, noted that the banking industry had been “hard hit” and was seeing “high attrition rates”.

“A lot of frontline sales staff are just jumping banks and buying themselves time, but to me, that is not a long-term solution,” he said. To set himself apart from his peers, he is taking courses in chartered alternative investment accreditation during the weekends. 

However, others with niche skill sets were less perturbed, with some describing their jobs as “retrenchment-proof”.

Accountant Cheryln Chia, 27, felt that accounting services would not go out of demand. “It’s like an iron rice bowl for us as everyone needs accounting services … I’m pretty comfortable where I am in my job and where it’s going ... Maybe next year, I’ll (start) thinking about professional upgrading and certification,” she said. 

Events manager Ashley Tay, 42, was also not overly worried as she felt her specialised experience and know-how would still be valued. 

“Unlike banking, where there are multiple roles in the company, being in events is very role-specific. Even if I leave this company, I can still go to 10 other companies.” 

Nevertheless, she noted that the events industry has not been spared from the effects of the sluggish economy, with budgets for high-profile events being slashed. 

Government leaders and experts have noted the variegated landscape in today’s job market — while some industries have been hit because of disruption and technology, among other factors, new opportunities have sprung up. 

Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say stressed recently that the current situation was not “helpless”, compared with the 2009 global downturn. “In 2009, we were trying to save every existing job,” Mr Lim said. “This time, we’re trying to transform every existing job so that we can have better jobs.”

Financial adviser Jace Chew, 26, believes that PMETs such as herself have to rise to the occasion and move out of their comfort zone should the need arise. “I think that it’s more about how adaptable you are to change, rather than the job market being bad,” she said. 

Gradually, people are warming to the idea, even though some are still having difficulty adjusting to the uncertainty. 

Mr Chee said that, over the past year, many around him are realising that the risk to their jobs is “real” and they need to change their mindset. Individuals are seeing the need to move beyond being “specialists” to become “generalists” by expanding their repertoire of skills, he said.

“Being part of a globalised economy, we can’t bury our heads in the sand and say: ‘This won’t affect me.’ So if there’s disruption with tech, there’s risks, but also opportunity … It’s how you position and adapt yourself to move with the changes, to move up the curve,” he added.

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