SINGAPORE — About 2,500 job opportunities and more than 1,000 training or attachment opportunities have been offered in the retail sector since April this year, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said on Monday (Oct 12). 

In its ninth and latest edition of the Jobs Situation Report, the ministry said that only 770 of these positions had been filled. 

Speaking at a virtual media conference on the same day, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo reiterated the point that job matching inherently takes time and is “not a straightforward affair”. 

WHY IT MATTERS

The retail sector in Singapore has been in the doldrums with businesses facing intensifying competition due to the rise of e-commerce and the Covid-19 pandemic aggravating the situation.

Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing, who was also present at the press conference, said that the retail sector contributes 1.6 per cent to Singapore’s gross domestic product and employs 4.1 per cent of its total workforce. 

“Any impact on the retail industry has very grave consequences on the employment prospects of the workers in Singapore,” he said. 

Any impact on the industry will also be keenly felt by older workers because one in three retail workers is aged 55 years and above. 

NEW BUSINESS MODEL NEEDED

The sector, Mr Chan said, needs to overcome the combination of the economic impact of Covid-19 along with the structural challenges that the industry has been facing. 

The current business model of arbitrage, where firms source for goods at a low cost and sell it higher in another market by being the middleman is no longer tenable, he added. 

For retailers to break new ground, they have to go beyond the domestic market. To do that, they need to digitise their business operations and go online to reach new markets, he said.

They also need to provide new services and designs to distinguish themselves.

To help retailers, the authorities are extending the Enterprise Development Grant and Productivity Solutions Grant for another nine months to help companies rejuvenate themselves.

The Enterprise Development Grant supports businesses venturing overseas and funds qualifying project costs, namely third-party consultancy fees, software and equipment, and internal manpower cost.

The Productivity Solutions Grant supports companies keen on adopting IT solutions and equipment to enhance business processes.

WHAT ARE THE ROLES

More than 650 companies have offered 3,600 opportunities in the retail sector. 

They are:

• 960 jobs for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and 1,560 jobs for non-PMETs

• 510 traineeships and attachments with companies in PMET roles and 100 for non-PMET roles

• 190 training opportunities in PMET roles and 240 in non-PMET roles 

Overall, around 60 per cent of these opportunities are non-PMET roles, such as sales personnel, because retailers need to meet manpower needs at their stores with many businesses resuming after stay-home curbs ended in June. 

HOW MUCH DOES THE INDUSTRY PAY

The salary ranges are:

• Sales personnel in stores: S$1,400 – S$1,900

• Retail and wholesale trade managers: S$2,000 – S$3,750

• Commercial and marketing sales executives: S$2,400 – S$4,250

• Sales, marketing and business development managers: S$2,750 – S$6,500