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Taskforce helps 70% of retrenched workers find new jobs within 6 months

SINGAPORE — Some 70 per cent of locals assisted by the Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation found new jobs within six months after being retrenched, according to data provided by the agency.

SINGAPORE — Some 70 per cent of Singapore residents assisted by the Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation found new jobs within six months after they were retrenched.

The taskforce is a government agency set up in 2016 to provide timely and effective assistance to retrenched individuals, and this is its first report on its work.

In a press release on Wednesday (Sept 19), the agency said that it had reached out to all retrenched workers whose contact details were available, in order to provide information on employment facilitation. 

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About one in four people contacted by the taskforce took up the offer of employment assistance, while those who did not gave reasons such as “choosing to find employment on their own or taking a break from work”, the agency said.

Its chairman, Mr Tan Choon Shian, noted that mandatory retrenchment notifications, which took effect from Jan 1 last year, had given the taskforce “timelier and more complete information on retrenchments to help affected locals find new jobs”.

Employers who hire at least 10 people are required to notify the Ministry of Manpower if five or more of their employees are retrenched within any six-month period.

SUPPORT RENDERED

  • Briefings at the retrenching companies’ premises on the range of employment facilitation and career coaching help available.

  • Matching of retrenched individuals with employers.

  • Linking retrenched individuals to networking and job fairs.

  • Providing further assistance through career matchmaking services at career centres, where retrenched individuals may sign up for workshops, receive job referrals and get career coaching.

KEY RETRENCHMENT DATA

  • A total of 9,120 locals were retrenched from 1,247 companies last year.

  • The majority of companies that had retrenchment exercises (about 90 per cent) paid retrenchment benefits to eligible Singaporean employees last year. Among the remaining 10 per cent, one key reason that benefits were not paid was because of the company's financial constraints.

  • There were 74 cases of retrenchment-related disputes filed by employees last year, with the majority involving appeals over the quantum of retrenchment benefits. All 74 cases were resolved through mediation, adjudication or engagements with employers.

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