More women are now participating in the workforce, even as the support system to enable women to balance family commitments with career aspirations is being built up, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said yesterday.

“In recent years, we have seen labour participation rates steady at about 60 per cent, which means there is another 40 per cent for us to tap,” said Ms Fu, speaking at the inaugural Crib Summit, a conference focused on topics such as female entrepreneurship, and women in the workplace and in leadership.

Noting that Singapore’s workforce is facing higher demands for labour in the face of a rapidly ageing population, she added that “a diverse workforce also encourages innovation and creativity, which will help us stay ahead of industry-transforming disruptions and sustain our competitive advantage”.

Last year, the labour force participation rate (LFPR) for women was 60.4 per cent, according to the latest labour force survey released by the Ministry of Manpower in January.

The figure was similar to that in 2015. A decade ago in 2006, the LFPR for women was 54.3 per cent.

In comparison, the LFPR for men has remained stable at about 76.2 per cent over the past 10 years.

Ms Fu said much has been done to help women balance family and work.

The number of companies providing ad hoc flexible work arrangements, such as unplanned time off and telecommuting, rose from 70 per cent in 2015 to 77 per cent last year.

To help women re-enter the workforce and encourage shared parental responsibility, Singapore has also implemented several enhanced maternity benefit and leave schemes for working parents.

As a result, Ms Fu said, Singapore has made good progress towards achieving gender parity.

Ms Jolene Tan, head of advocacy and research at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), said the LFPR for women here still remains well below that of many Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development nations, which achieve 70 per cent or more.

Ms Tan said: “Our overall figures do not seem to have achieved the ‘M’ curve of some other developed economies, where the LFPR for females rises after a temporary dip in the early years of parenthood, as women return to the workforce.”

Dr June Goh, president of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, said the fact that “there is minimal change in the LFPR for males may mean that men may not be taking up the caregiver role in significant numbers”.

Ms Sharon Wong, 53, founder of Motherswork Singapore, said it has become easier for mothers to continue working today.

“Back then, we had to go to the office to work but now, women can work from home or anywhere else,” she said.

jantai@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 13, 2017.
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It is not something he would wish even on his worst enemies.

While serving his national service in October last year, Mr Henry Seah, 22, was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease called adenoviral pneumonia.

Complications cost him seven of his fingers and both legs.

It started with a fever of 39 deg C, then vomiting and diarrhoea.

Mr Seah was still feeling unwell even after visiting hospitals twice, so his mother got him admitted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Mr Seah was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), then the National University Hospital Cardiothoracic ICU when his condition worsened.

Speaking to The New Paper last week, his older sister, Miss Cindy Seah, 24, a laboratory officer who specialises in cancer therapeutics, said: “He fell into a coma, and it was hard for us to see him reliant on life support.

“It was really shocking for us. The doctors told us to be prepared for the worst.”

Their Catholic faith kept Mr Seah’s mum and two sisters going – his father died four years ago – and his condition stabilised shortly after.

But a series of complications caused Mr Seah to suffer from dry gangrene, which caused his fingers and toes to turn red, purple then black.

Miss Seah said: “Our younger sister, 17, was also hospitalised because she caught the same virus and exhibited similar symptoms as Henry.

“Thankfully it was discovered early, and she recovered after a week’s stay in the hospital.”

When Mr Seah woke up, he had no idea what he and his family had gone through during the one month he was comatose.

He said he could tell his mother was upset by the situation and he tried to stay strong for her.

Mr Seah, who reached his operationally ready date last month, told TNP: “I woke up (wondering) what happened. I felt almost nothing during the period I was in a coma.”

Read Also: Singaporean NSF stricken by illness comes close to death thrice in a month

BLACKENED

He noticed the blackening of his fingers and legs, and learnt they had to be amputated.

His fingers were amputated in January, and legs were amputated on March 3.

When TNP visited him last week, he was taking things positively.

Mr Seah, who plans to study IT in Nanyang Polytechnic after his recovery, said: “I was definitely scared, and it was quite ironic that my legs had be removed in order for me… to learn how to walk again.

“But I felt like this was meant to be some kind of test for me to overcome.”

Miss Seah started a crowdfunding campaign three weeks ago on GoGetFunding, and has raised more than $52,000 as of yesterday.

She is thankful to donors and hopes the amount raised will help cover costs including her brother’s medical bills, transport, prosthetics and rehabilitation.

Mr Seah added: “I hope to be able to head out, walk around without supervision and meet up with my friends.”

huienl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 13, 2017.
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A simple case of rental turned into a nightmare for a 51-year-old homeowner when his tenants refused to move out of his flat even after owing three years of rent, causing him to become homeless instead.

The owner who works at a supermarket had lived in his three-room flat at Hougang Avenue 8 for over 30 years, reported Shin Min Daily News.

He told reporters that to supplement his income, he had started renting his house out 10 years ago.

He also divulged that all his tenants were foreigners and had never run into any troubles with them, until this local couple came along:

“The agent who recommended the couple told me that they had proper jobs and there weren’t any problems, so I decided to rent it out to them.

“I did not expect to run into such trouble.”

According to the owner, the couple moved into his flat in July 2013.

Although they had paid their rent as per normal for the next nine months, they suddenly stopped, and even refused to move out:

“Whenever I ask them for the rent, they would plead with me to let them stay instead.

“The woman would even kneel.

“She asked me to give them six months more to find jobs and would then return the money they owe to me.”

Not wishing to be inhumane, the owner agreed, but the situation kept repeating itself.

Finally, at his wit’s end, the owner decided to move out and rent a house from a colleague instead.

Said the owner:

“It’s been three years and I had given them many chances, yet they deliberately delay payment and refuse to move out.

“My family members worry for my safety and advised me to move out.”

He has lodged a police report and sought various organisations for help but the situation has not been resolved.

The owner said in exasperation:

“I have a home, yet somehow I’m homeless and have to rent a room from someone else.

“This is laughable indeed.”

The police have confirmed the incident.

When reporters visit the unit yesterday (Mar 11) they found the couple living in the unit.

The 35-year-old woman told reporters that her husband had sustained injuries after getting into an accident while driving a cab last year.

She claimed that he had head injuries and two broken fingers, and was therefore unable to work.

On the other hand, she said she has depression and Lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease, and was too, unable to work:

“We tried picking up soda cans, but didn’t know who to sell them to.

“Our individual family members all have troubles and are unable to help us.

“We haven’t eaten in two days either.”

When asked about accusations that she had stolen before, the woman admitted that she had taken a $1.80 soft drink from a shop, but returned the money to the shop keeper after feeling guilty about her misdeed.

The couple has also planned to move out by next Friday, citing that they felt indebted to the owner, but had no idea where they should go or whom to go to for help.

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This year’s Budget is about changing the way things are done here so as to help Singapore stay ahead of the curve in the disruptive economy, Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.

He noted that the Budget debate – which ended last Friday after eight days of parliamentary sittings – took place in the wake of economic uncertainty and a report from the Committee on the Future Economy that has sparked debate over whether Singaporeans have the relevant skills to take on future jobs.

Mr Ong added that the Government’s financial plans for the year do not involve major fiscal adjustments nor huge resource adjustment, as these have been carried out previously.

“Instead, this economic exercise is about us doing things differently from before,” said Mr Ong, who gave out awards to some 330 students in the Canberra ward together with fellow Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak yesterday.

Citing the education system as an example, Mr Ong said that it may appear unchanged on the outside, like a computer.

SYSTEM UPGRADE

“But inside, the operating system is changing, the algorithm is changing. From the Education Ministry’s perspective, that is an overwhelming adjustment,” said Mr Ong.

Unlike the case in the earlier days, big changes in the system cannot be brought about by pumping money into infrastructure projects, such as by building a new polytechnic or university, he added.

Instead, the changes that he and Education Minister (Schools) Ng Chee Meng announced last week can prepare students for the new economy.

These include measures targeted at reducing the over-emphasis on academic achievement and grades, and encouraging students to pursue their passions and talents.

For example, aptitude-based admissions in polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education have been expanded, with both being able to admit up to 15 per cent of their intake through such schemes from the next academic year.

From next year, a pilot scheme that allows lower secondary students from the Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) streams to take subjects at a higher academic level will be extended to all schools.

ON TRACK

Mr Ong said plans to bring SIM University under MOE’s ambit are on track.

He hopes to table a Bill in the middle of this year to restructure it into Singapore’s sixth autonomous university.

The university will support lifelong learning and target students and adult learners.

“Altogether, I think we are taking meaningful steps towards changing the way education should work for our children so that they grow up fully prepared for the changes (in the economy),” he said.

yuensin@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on March 13, 2017.
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More helpers taking on extra roles with no proper training or compensation

Four decades ago, there were 5,000 foreign women working in Singapore as domestic help – cooking, cleaning and minding children. Today, there are 237,100.

As their numbers swelled, so have their duties. Maids today are employed for roles as varied as chauffering their employers to tutoring children or even illegally working in businesses. As Singapore’s population ages, they are increasingly hired to care for the elderly or the disabled, and perform medical duties.

Indonesian Kusrini Caslan Arja, 37, for example, had to suction phlegm from the windpipe of her disabled four-year-old charge.

While doing so last November, Kusrini got a suction cap lodged in his throat. On Monday, she pleaded guilty to ill-treating the boy.

Her case has been adjourned to March 23, but District Judge Low Wee Ping, in unexpectedly sharp comments, pointed to the system as one possible culprit.

Singaporeans use maids “too generally”, he said, adding that “it may be the system’s fault” for allowing domestic workers to perform medical care even though they are not trained to. “We employ domestic maids to be car washers, gardeners, plumbers, nurses, when they should not. When they do something wrong, we point fault at them.”

Maids’ job scopes have indeed expanded, said migrant-workers groups. Yet, they are not adequately trained or compensated for the extra work they are doing, they say.

“Maids are not masters of all trades,” said Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, chairman of the Centre for Domestic Employees. “Employers should be cognisant that some of these tasks should be done by a trained professional.”

Mr John Gee, executive committee member at Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) said: “Training centres in workers’ countries of origin normally train women to be general purpose domestic workers. We should be aiming to recruit specialised care workers… with other duties limited and with set hours and decent salaries.”

The reason why Singaporeans resort to maids is clear: It is far cheaper than to hire professional nurses.

For instance, hiring a maid costs about $600 a month, as opposed to the $14 to $65 per hour it costs, depending on subsidy amounts, to hire a nurse to come to one’s home.

Mr Jolovan Wham, acting executive director for Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home), noted that there are also no rules against maids taking on additional roles.

Experts said one solution could be in defining their responsibilities more clearly, especially in their employment contracts. But Mr Gee said that is provided “the workers really have the power to insist on the terms, including having time off and access to a phone so that they can seek help or complain if the terms are violated”.

In response to queries from The Sunday Times, the Manpower Ministry said employers can send their domestic workers for relevant caregiver training. This includes approved training courses under the Agency for Integrated Care’s (AIC) Caregivers Training Grant which provides an annual $200 subsidy for caregivers of seniors and the disabled. This includes foreign domestic workers. Employers can also hire domestic helpers who have been trained by the AIC.

But Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore) president K. Jayaprema said: “I’m not sure if it is enough to just go through a two-day or a one-week course.” It is not just physical skills that are needed, but also mental resilience when caring for an elderly person with dementia or a disabled child who needs constant attention, she said.

Mr Wham said that each week, about three to five domestic workers caring for the elderly or the disabled come to Home for help. “They are all very tired and exhausted when they come to us.”

Ms Jayaprema said there are maids with caregiving certificates and that agencies do recommend those. They would cost $650 to $1,000 a month, compared with regular maids who command $550.

But many families are unwilling to pay the higher fees.

Mr Gee added: “Social attitudes will need to change: those who have relatives who need care need to be convinced of the advantages of hiring dedicated care workers.”

TRAINED IN ELDERCARE

Every day, Indonesian maid Ema Yulia, 28, carefully monitors Mr Soh Bock Hiang’s many pills of various colours. There are six different ones that the 84-year-old has to take five times a day.

Meanwhile, his wife Huan Soo Kiaw’s back hurts. She cooks and cleans and raised 10 children. But now, at 82, she has finally agreed to their children’s pleas to have a helper at home.

And so, Ms Ema arrived 21/2 weeks ago.

Madam Huan said: “My children kept wanting to get me a helper, but I never wanted one. But now he’s sick I’ve no choice.”

Ms Ema had attended a basic eldercare course at the Ang Mo Kio – Thye Hua Kwan Hospital and knows how to safely transfer an old person from bed to wheelchair, shower him and feed him, among other skills. She is one of the maids from a scheme that has them trained in eldercare before they are matched with a family.

She is paid $640 a month, higher than the average of $500 or so that others get.

ADVANCED TUTORING TOO TOUGH

Every weekday afternoon, she would help a four-year-old with his maths, reading and writing, art and motor skills.

Some days, she would even use Japanese teaching methods called Herugu and Shichida.

But Miss Margie Laguit, 36, is no superstar tutor. She did not even finish primary school in the Philippines.

“They said it is part of my work,” she said, of her employers. She started working for them in December 2015.

According to the timetables Ms Laguit showed The Sunday Times, she would be out of bed by 5.45am to get the two children ready for school. She would then clean the four-room HDB flat and cook. But the household chores did not bother her.

“Just don’t force me to teach the kids. Mathematics and English I can do, but Shichida, I cannot do.”

There is no law prohibiting domestic helpers from tutoring, but Mr Jolovan Wham, acting executive director for Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, said employers cannot expect advanced tutoring.

Miss Laguit asked to be sent home multiple times, but said her employers kept delaying. Frustrated, she ran away from her employers last month. “I just want to go home,” she said.

ASKED TO WORK AT EMPLOYER’S RESTAURANT TOO

All was well when Ms Tusriyati, 31, joined her fifth employer last June.

But, in December, came an odd request. Ms Tusriyati’s employer took her to his new restaurant and asked her to clean the place. Soon, she was working there full time, serving food and handling the cash register like a regular employee. This continued till she ran away on Feb 23.

“I was scared the Government (would) catch me. I know my work permit is only for working in the home,” she said.

Foreigners employed as domestic workers can only ” perform household and domestic duties at the residential address as stated in the work permit”, states the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Friendly patrons of the restaurant would make conversation and she worried that she would let the truth slip. “My employer said, don’t tell anyone you are a maid. Say you’re married to a Singaporean,” she said.

Ms Tusriyati, who is at a shelter now, said that the work at home was also tough. Her employers, a couple in their 30s, were particular about cleanliness. The car had to be washed daily, the floors swept, mopped and vacuumed twice a day.

This article was first published on March 12, 2017.
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