Low take-up of electronics jobs and training opportunities; ‘great pity’ if positions not filled by S’poreans: Josephine Teo

SINGAPORE — Between April and September, there were more than 2,800 job positions and training opportunities offered in the electronics industry, but only about 220 — or around 8 per cent — of these have been taken up.

Almost all of the job openings in the sector are for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET), said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Monday (Oct 19) in its latest job situation report.

Despite the global economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, total employment in electronics increased by about 1,000 — the only segment within the manufacturing sector in which employment rose in the second quarter of 2020. 

That was the quarter in which Singapore recorded its largest contraction in total employment on record, with more than 100,000 jobs lost across the economy.

WHY IT MATTERS

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said that it would be a “great pity” if the positions in electronics are not filled by Singaporeans.

Speaking during a virtual press conference on the job situation report, she said: “If the companies are not able to fill these positions, either they cannot grow as fast as they would wish or they have to find some way of filling the positions, which in a sense would be a loss to us, a loss to Singaporeans.”

Last week, MOM reported that only about 21 per cent of the 3,600 jobs and training opportunities in the retail sector had been taken up so far.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, who was also present at the conference, added that the semiconductor sector has bright prospects as the world moves into 5G technology. 

INVESTMENTS IN ELECTRONICS 

During the first nine months of 2020, Mr Chan said that the Economic Development Board secured:

• S$5.7 billion of fixed assets investments

• S$376 million of total business expenditure for the electronics industry 

This would create another 1,100 jobs in the next three to five years. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON ELECTRONICS SECTOR 

• Number of workers in the sector: 70,500

• Electronics contributed to 39 per cent of Singapore’s manufacturing gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019

• Overall, the manufacturing sector contributed about 20.9 per cent of Singapore’s GDP in 2019 

ROLES AVAILABLE

More than 130 companies have offered 2,800 opportunities in the electronics sector. 

They are:

• 1,780 PMET jobs and 100 non-PMET positions 

• 780 traineeships and attachments with companies in PMET roles and 70 for non-PMET roles

• 150 training opportunities in PMET roles

HOW MUCH THE INDUSTRY PAYS

The salary ranges are:

• Manufacturing engineering technicians: S$1,800 to S$3,225

• Buyers and purchasing agents: S$2,700 to S$3,400

• Industrial and production engineers: S$3,400 to S$5,250

• Electronics and mechanical engineers: S$4,500 to S$6,000

• Sales, marketing executives  and business development managers: S$2,800 to S$8,500