SINGAPORE – Singapore aims to create about 25,000 to 40,000 jobs annually for the next three to five years, said Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say on Wednesday (Feb 8).

Due to economic restructuring and an ageing workforce, the number of jobs created in the last two years had gone down significantly, he noted.

“We won’t go back to the days of 100,000 to 120,000 jobs a year,” Mr Lim to the media on the sidelines of a career fair at Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport. “The number will stabilise at the new base.”

His comments come a day after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released its job vacancies report for 2016.

While more jobs in the coming years will be aimed at professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), he said, there is a higher risk of mismatches between jobseekers and job openings.

Read also: Nearly half of all job vacancies were for PMETs last year: MOM

Jobseekers may not know where to look for jobs or what jobs are available he said, or they may not have the necessary skills or experience for the jobs that are available.

“If we want to succeed in keeping the unemployment rate in check, we need to do more on both fronts,” said Mr Lim.

He noted that efforts by Workforce Singapore and the Employment and Employability Institute had helped successfully match about 20,000 people here to jobs last year (2016).

The Manpower Minister outlined three key aims for the MOM this year.

One is to strengthen professional conversion programmes – currently aimed at entry-level professionals – to also help facilitate career conversions for mid-level workers.

Another is to be more inclusive and reach out not only to PMETs, but all segments of the workforce, he said, including older workers and the disabled.

Thirdly, the ministry is also looking at how the growing pool of older PMETs can be better matched to jobs at small and medium enterprises which may require their expertise.

This article was first published on February 8, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Flash floods were reported in various parts of Singapore including the Orchard Road area as heavy rains hit the island on Wednesday (Feb 8) evening.

Singapore’s water agency PUB said on its Twitter page at about 6pm that there were flash floods at Orchard Boulevard towards Paterson Road, and at the junction of Hill Street and Stamford Road.

Traffic was passable, PUB said.

It also issued high flood risks for other areas including Veerasamy Road in Little India; Exeter Road and Somerset Road; and Chin Bee Avenue in Taman Jurong.

A large tree fell at Victoria Street during the downpour, blocking four lanes.

The Land Transport Authority on its Twitter page said at 6.28pm that there was an obstacle on Victoria Street towards Bras Basah Road.

PUB had earlier quoted the National Environment Agency’s (NEA’s) 5.04pm warning of heavy rain over many areas of Singapore from 5.25pm to 6.30pm.

Orchard Road was hit by a series of flash floods between 2010 and 2012, although the situation improved after major anti-flood measures including a diversion canal were carried out in the area.

This article was first published on February 8, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – Patrons of the Chinatown Complex Food Centre were surprised to see that a popular food stall there appeared to have been suddenly shuttered without warning.

The stall in question used to be home to “Ma Li Ya virgin chicken”, a well-established stall selling soya sauce chicken rice at the hawker centre. It is situated less than 50m away from the Michelin-starred Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle stall.

According to Shin Min Daily News, a patron to the food centre had seen people tearing down the signboard at the stall on Feb 4. Since then, the stall has remained shut, without any notice given announcing its closure.

However, a worker at a neighbouring drinks stall, Mdam Lai, told Shin Min that the stall had not closed down for good, but that its owner, Madam Siew, was merely taking a break.

Said Madam Lai: “I last saw Madam Siew on Feb 1. She told me then that it was her last day at this stall, and will be re-opening her business at another stall in two months.”

Shin Min managed to contact Madam Siew, who said that she had chosen to move to a new location because her current stall owner had other plans for the stall, and that her new stall would be situated close by in the same food centre.

She also told the Chinese evening daily that she is planning to spend time with her family during her two-month break, and may even go overseas for a holiday to recharge her batteries before re-opening her business.

Madam Siew added that despite being shut for less than a week, she had already gotten numerous calls from regular customers who miss her soya sauce chicken, and asking when exactly she would be returning again.

Last year, Shin Min had reported that Madam Siew is believed to have been a teacher to Mr Chan Hon Meng, the man behind the Michelin-starred soya sauce chicken rice stall at the same hawker centre. She had also revealed that her success had been due to the soya sauce she uses, which is brewed based on a secret family recipe.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE – Singapore remains a safe and secure home as crime remained low and the overall crime rate fell in 2016, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) overview of last year’s safety and security situation.

In its report released on Wednesday (Feb 8), MHA said the number of violent and housebreaking crimes, as well as theft, went down as compared to 2015.

It described the overall drug situation as stable, with a slight fall in the number of drug abusers arrested.

The number of immigration offenders arrested remained low, while the number of persons arrested for harbouring and employing immigration offenders fell.

There were fewer fire fatalities and injuries and Singapore’s roads also saw lower number of fatal accidents and fatalities last year.

MHA, however, warned that several trends remain a concern.

While the number of commercial crimes decreased slightly, it said scams involving e-commerce, Internet love and impersonation of officials from China were of a significant concern.

Read also: 11 scams happening in Singapore now

The number of new drug abusers has increased, with close to two-thirds of all new abusers aged below 30.

More elderly pedestrians were involved in fatal accidents, while the number of ambulance calls remain on the rise.

The various Home Team departments are set to issue their annual statistics reports in the coming week, which will expand on the trends highlighted in MHA’s overview.

The threat of a terrorist attack also featured high on MHA’s agenda. It urged the public to be alert and prepared, and for Singaporeans to stay united and rebound quickly.

Citing the launch of SGSecure on Sept 24 last year, MHA reiterated its call to action for the community to help prevent a terrorist attack.

“We aim to have at least one Prepared Citizen in every household. We have reached out to more than 34,000 households to help them learn how to protect themselves and their families, and how to recognise and report suspicious behaviour or items,” MHA said.

MHA also highlighted the launch of the SGSecure mobile app, which has been downloaded by over 210,000 mobile devices to date, and its efforts to spread the SGSecure message in schools.

Since last May, MHA has reached out to 40 secondary schools via the SGSecure mobile exhibition and school assembly talks.

A customised SGSecure-oriented learning resource for primary schools has also been produced for roll-out in 2017.

This article was first published on February 8, 2016.
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