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Fresh grads have it tough

2009-07-03T13:21:00.000+08:00

FRESH university graduates will face a tougher search for jobs and lower starting pay this year due to a hiring freeze and retrenchments brought about by the economic downturn.

Although some students have been getting job offers as early as seven months before graduation, the overall mood is downbeat.

While all three local universities - the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) - have yet to compile official employment statistics for the class of 2009, they are already preparing their students for the grim prospects.

'These are indeed challenging times, with fewer job opportunities for fresh graduates than in previous years,' said Mrs Ruth Chiang, director of career services at SMU. 'We have advised our graduates to be more realistic in their expectations and cast their nets wider.'

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OCBC staff get mobile with the new iPhone

2009-07-02T15:20:00.000+08:00

Singapore - OCBC employees will now be able to telecommute more easily with access their corporate emails through the iPhone 3G, all paid for on the company's dime. This is the first of such corporate plans in Singapore's banking industry that revolve around the iPhone 3G.

Having access to real-time information on the go is becoming increasingly important, says Peter Koh who is head of technology infrastructure, group operations & technology of OCBC Bank. And with the iPhone's rising popularity, Koh says the bank thought it would be a good idea to leverage it as an office email device as well.

Doing so would also allow employees who already own other web mobile devices to merge into one singular device for their voice calling, web browsing and corporate email use.

Under the initiative, employees in the bank's Singapore, Malaysia, China and overseas branches will have to pay for the device and cost of the voice plan. However, the company will pick up the cost of the data plan, which is directly routed to the bank. Through this, employees will be able access their office email and sync their contacts, notes and calendar and carry out online banking transactions while on the move.

"Our employees can continue to enjoy the features and contents available on their iPhone without the need to carry another device in order to access office email," says Koh.

Furthermore, Koh says this is a win-win initiative for the bank and employees, as "the iPhone's subscription charges are lower than that for the BlackBerrry (by more than 50%)".

While Koh says the idea of using the iPhone for office emails was first brought up before the device was launched in Singapore, the company had to check its feasibility and compatibility with the office email systems to ensure data security. So far, Koh says the bank has received positive interest from employees and has received three application submissions within the first week of its launch.

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Handle employees under 35 with care

2009-07-01T08:18:00.000+08:00

A boss who doesn't treat employees under 35 the way the organisation had initially promised them during job interviews will cause high staff turnover among that age group.

Dr. David S. Cohen, founder of human resources development firm Strategic Action Group, says these are "bad" managers who would give candidates "false hope" during the interview process by mismanaging their expectations. Things will get ugly when Gen Y candidates take on the job and they realise their expectations are not met. "People are going to be upset, disappointed and angry," he says. "If you are under 35, you'll definitely leave because you have confidence, you know you are going to be employed even in this economy downturn."

Hence, Gen Y employees do not quit because they don't like the company or they want more money, says Cohen. Gen Y employees will most likely jump ship to another job which pays less if they dislike their current managers. "They leave managers who didn't treat them the way they expect to be treated." He adds, "If you are unhappy at the company you are at, you will take a job for 10% less at somewhere else to be happy."

For Gen Y, money is simply not an issue, says Cohen, as long as they feel they are paid fairly. Then again, this principle applies to most of the generations in the workplace. "The reality is most people would not move their jobs even for 10% more if they are being treated right because it's better to be at the company you like and enjoy working at."

This is much preferable than taking a risk to join a new company which one is unfamiliar with and might not enjoy working at. Nevertheless, Cohen says employee retention is also dependent on the individual's career goals. "If the value proposition for the employee is development and development is taken out of the budget, they are going to go to another company for less money but which is offering development."

2 in 5 companies foresaw need to cut wages in 2009

2009-06-30T19:30:00.000+08:00

According to findings published by the Ministry of Manpower, two in five private establishments foresaw the need to cut wages in 2009 if conditions worsen. This was during the period in December 2008 when Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the quarter contracted over the year by 4.2%.

Meanwhile, companies with a Monthly Variable Component (MVC) in their wage structure were more confident of gaining their employees' acceptance of a wage cut, if it has to be implemented compared with establishments without MVC.

These were published in the 320-page 'Report on Wages in Singapore, 2008' published by the Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department.

Other key findings of the report include the following:

Only a small minority (1.7%) of private establishments with MVC in their wage structure cut the component in 2008, as economic conditions deteriorated sharply only from the last quarter of 2008 when GDP contracted over the year by 4.2%.
The top two common measures of wage cut are cutting the annual variable component (74% of establishments) and basic wage (47%), followed by MVC (15%) as the latter was weighed down by establishments without MVC.
As of December 2008, 84% of the workforce in the private sector was under some form of flexible wage system, same as a year ago. Large establishments (employing 200 or more employees) continued to lead in the implementation, with the vast majority (90%) of their workforce having at least one key wage recommendation in their wage system, compared with 75% in small and medium enterprises.
With the economic downturn and increased business costs in 2008, employers were more restrained in granting salary increases.
Occupations requiring higher skills and knowledge continued to command higher wages. In June 2008, the median monthly gross wages was the highest for managers ($6,400), followed by professionals ($4,405) and associate professionals & technicians ($3,000). Clerical ($1,960) and sales & service workers ($1,849) were paid close to $2,000. Among blue-collar occupations, the production craftsmen ($2,137) and plant & machine operators ($2,009) were paid much more than the group of cleaners, labourers & related workers ($975).
Wages are generally observed to rise with age as workers gain experience and skills and become more productive over the years. The pace of wage increase with age is more pronounced among managers and professionals as their work is generally more knowledge intensive.

Companies in Asia ramping up workforce amid economic downturn

2009-06-24T22:45:00.000+08:00

Companies in Asia are ramping up their workforce planning activities in response to the current economic downturn, according to a survey by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

The survey, released Wednesday, showed that more than seven out of every 10 companies in the region believe that workforce planning has become more important amid the current economic slowdown.

In fact, more than half have already begun to increase such activities within their organisations.

Workforce planning is the process by which an organisation aligns its workforce requirements to the business strategy using business analytics.

Although such planning is growing in importance, 60 per cent of those surveyed do not have a structured approach to workforce planning.

Instead, their attention is focused on immediate concerns like filling job vacancies, rather than longer term strategic issues relating to their workforce.

Asia Pacific Director of Watson Wyatt's Human Capital Group Russell Huntington said companies need to focus on longer term plans and review the capabilities needed in light of the current adverse business conditions.

He added that reducing employee costs cannot just be a numbers game, but should be a well thought-through, data-driven strategic exercise.

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12,760 jobs lost in Q1

2009-06-15T12:25:00.000+08:00

TOTAL of 12,760 jobs were lost in the first quarter, government data showed on Monday, pushing Singapore's overall unemployment rate to a three-year high of 3.3 per cent.

The total employment fell by 6,200, the first quarterly contraction in nearly six years as the number of workers hired was lower than the number of workers who left their jobs. This was in line with the slowing economy, said the Ministry of Manpower in a statement on Monday.

Some 10,900 workers were retrenched, while another 1,860 had their contracts terminated prematurely, 36 per cent more than the 9,410 laid off in the last quarter of 2008.

Most of the cuts came from the manufacturing industry, which accounted for 72 per cent of the workers laid off, up from 55 per cent in December.

Cuts in the services and construction industry, however, were lower than the fourth quarter of 2008, falling from 40 per cent and 4.1 per cent to 25 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively.

A total of 95,700 residents were unemployed in March, said MOM.

The number of people re-employed also fell, with only 51 per cent of those retrenched in Q4 2008 re-employed by March 2009, compared to 70 per cent in Dec 2008 and 67 per cent in March 2008.

Job vacancies fell for the third consecutive quarter to 21,000, down 20 per cent from December 2008 and 45 per cent from a year ago.

Singapore civil servants ranked most efficient in Asia: survey

2009-06-04T00:50:00.000+08:00

A business survey on 12 Asian cities found that civil servants in Singapore are the most efficient.

The survey, conducted by Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), also found that Singaporean bureaucrats are unhelpful when things go wrong.

It is the third time Singapore took top spot in the survey, last conducted in 2007.

Hong Kong came in second, followed by Thailand, and India was last.

Over 1,200 expatriates working in these 12 Asian cities took part in the survey. - CNA /ls

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Executive recruitment hit hard by recession | Jorbb.com

2009-05-23T10:55:00.000+08:00

Executive searches worldwide have fallen 35% in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year, according to a report by Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

The Q1 State of the Executive Search Industry Report polled over 1,500 executive search consultants in 46 countries and found that executive searches in the financial services industry suffered the hardest blow, with a 41% yearly drop in the first quarter of 2009.The industrial sector fell 27% year-on-year, while the healthcare sector showed the least decline with a 21% drop compared to the first quarter of 2008.

Peter Felix, president of AESC, feels the findings show that no region, industry or function has been unaffected. "Top management have been caught in the headlights of overwhelming uncertainty and have acted more to protect assets and reduce costs than to plan for the future. It is thus no surprise that the worldwide executive search profession has been affected.”

The fall in executive recruitment streams from financial trends emerging as a result of the economic downturn. Average net revenues fell by 38% in the first quarter of 2009, compared to the same period the previous year. The average fee per executive search assignment also declined 12% from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009.

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More degree courses to be offered in polytechnics | Jorbb.com

2009-05-21T10:51:00.000+08:00

A major transformation of Singapore's tertiary education sector is on the cards.

The world's leading science and engineering university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will partner Singapore's Education Ministry to run the country's fourth university. And more polytechnic students will be able to obtain degrees in Singapore.

In the past, polytechnic students who wanted a degree in optometry had to go overseas.

Now, they can apply for a place in the University of Manchester, which is partnering Singapore Polytechnic to offer its degree programme here.

Tan Hang Cheong, Principal, Singapore Polytechnic, said: “The core lectures and so on will be (taught) by University of Manchester academic staff. Singapore Polytechnic staff will help support some of the teaching, especially in the clinical areas.

"We're also very fortunate to have Tan Tock Seng's Eye Institute help us in this... many of the optomologists will be helping us to do some technical training.”

Lek Xuan, Undergraduate, Optometry Degree Programme, said: “If I go overseas it will cost about S$30,000. In Singapore, it costs only about S$7000 a year.”

There are currently six different degree programmes being offered by all the polytechnics in Singapore. Besides optometry, the other degree programmes are in areas such as naval architecture, early childhood education, and food technologies. All these courses have a high practical component and are heavily subsidised.

Another six to eight reputable foreign universities are likely to offer degree programmes in local polytechnics by 2015.

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Starbucks recruits Twitter followers for new campaign | Jorbb.com

2009-05-20T15:48:00.000+08:00

Starbucks is hoping to harness the power of social media with a new ad campaign aimed at creating an online conversation between younger coffee drinkers.

Rolling out in newspapers, magazines and billboards in the US this week, the BBDO North America led campaign is understood to be Starbucks largest to date.

Outdoor activity encourages Starbucks' Twitter followers and Facebook fans to take pictures of the company's new billboards and be first to post them online. However, it was not revealed whether a reward would be offered.

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MCYS committed to supporting Singaporeans through trying times | Jorbb.com

2009-05-20T10:46:00.000+08:00

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has committed his ministry to supporting Singaporeans through these trying times.

In an addendum to the President's Address delivered at the opening of Parliament on Monday, Dr Balakrishnan said the ministry will exercise greater flexibility to help those at the margins.

At-risk families will be identified early, so that they will be brought under intensive case management.

And even as public donations decline in a tough economic climate, the caseloads of voluntary welfare organisations rise. The ministry has increased funding and provided a contingency fund to support these groups, as well as encouraged training for professionals in this sector.

In times of adversity, the ministry is also watching out against fault lines of nationality, ethnicity and religion.

That is why a National Integration Council has been set up to promote mutual trust across communities, especially amongst new citizens.

Dr Balakrishnan is also counting on sports to rally the nation, and looks ahead to next year's Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010.

The Singapore Youth Sports Development Committee will provide more opportunities for youths to play and compete in sports, and the ministry will leverage on the excitement from YOG to promote youth volunteerism.

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MOM focuses attention on developing globally competitive workforce | Jorbb.com

2009-05-19T22:45:00.000+08:00

Singapore said measures like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) are efforts not just for the downturn but to also ensure the Republic remains competitive in the long-run.

The Manpower Ministry highlighted its plans in conjunction with the President's address to Parliament.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said a key priority in the next two years is addressing the downturn.

Up to April this year, 94,000 workers and 1,400 companies have committed to training programmes under SPUR.

Me Gan said: "SPUR will encourage companies to save jobs but it is not intended to stop companies totally from retrenchment. Some restructuring is necessary for companies to better position themselves so that they are able to cope with the downturn and emerge from the recession stronger and more competitive."

While SPUR is for a two year period, the Manpower Ministry hopes that Singaporeans will continue to cultivate the attitude of lifelong learning and develop a learning culture even after the economy recovers and the recession is over.

To achieve this, the ministry said it will continue to strengthen the system of Continuing Education and Training (CET). This will be done by expanding the CET infrastructure and recognising the qualifications by employers and workers.

There are now more than 40 CET centres in Singapore. Mr Gan also urged all to be prepared for a second wave of retrenchments, one reason for the release of new tripartite guidelines to manage excess manpower in companies.

He said: "Once we are prepared, whether it comes in the second, third or fourth quarter, it doesn't really matter because we are already prepared. The companies are ready, tighten, strengthen, our workers are already ready. That is the most important task ahead of us."

Moving ahead, the ministry said low wage workers will continue to be helped through Workfare, to ensure they too benefit from the country's progress. - CNA/vm

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Augmented Reality for Marketing Brand / Products | Jorbb.com

2009-05-08T22:15:00.001+08:00

In early 2009, H1Studio, Singapore, started research and innovation in Augmented Reality via Flash platform utilising the Flartoolkit SDK. At the same time, it is conducting R&I for AR via Mobile phones (Symbian and Windows Mobile). This is done via licensing of SDK from R&D centres in Europe and USA.

With the recent popularity of Augmented Reality applications such as Tonchidot’s Sekai Camera, GE’s SmartGrid and Mini Cooper’s Print Ad for Augmented Reality , we are now expanding our suite of services to include this, for Brands / Products / Services,

From Wikipedia - Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.

AR can be used in Advertising and Promotions / Marketing of a new product offering, allowing users to interact with the product replicated in 3D, in real-time, overlaid on the real video capture. It is a natural progression for the studio to offer such services due to experiences in 3D, interactive and mobile applications.

To try it out, visit http://ar.h1studio.com.

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Survey shows S'poreans would take 42% pay cut | Jorbb.com

2009-05-05T13:35:00.000+08:00

If they lost their jobs, Singaporeans on average think they would be able to cope without their main source of income for eight and a half months.

In survey findings that the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) hopes will guide the future calibration of social support for retrenched individuals, it was noted that younger people and the lower-income would be less resilient. For instance, there were more in their 20s and 30s, than in the older age groups, who would be able to cope for only up to six months.

Eight in 10 respondents would rely mainly on their personal savings.

But while just 31 per cent would step out of their comfort zone to take on any job, tellingly, respondents were on average willing to take a hefty 42-per-cent pay-cut in their next job, should they lose their current one (though the pain threshold for lower-income respondents was far lower at 34 per cent).

Very few people (5 to 7 per cent) would turn to the Government or welfare agencies for help; more (28 per cent) prefer the support of friends and family.

These findings, gathered from 817 Singaporeans and Permanent residents in mid-February, showed that Singapore residents were on the whole a fairly resilient lot, said IPS senior research fellow Gillian Koh. The study is the first of a series to study the perceptions of policies in Singapore.

Full Article, click link below.

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New Measures to Develop Manpower Capabilities in this Economic Downturn | Jorbb.com

2009-05-04T16:45:00.000+08:00

The Ministry of Manpower is introducing new measures under SPUR (Skiils Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) to further develop Singapore's manpower capabilities and provide greater support for companies and workers, especially Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs), affected by the downturn. They are:

a) Increase in Absentee Payroll to better support training for PMETs - Annex A;

b) SPUR-JOBS to encourage recruitment and retention of trainees of SPUR and other WDA CET programmes - Annex B; and

c) Professional Skills Programme Traineeships (PSPT) scheme for companies to build new capabilities in growth sectors - Annex C.

Full Article, please click link below.

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Budget's focus on jobs paying off | Jorbb.com

2009-05-04T16:35:00.000+08:00

THE decision to focus this year's Budget on saving jobs was the right move as its key planks have helped temper job losses and cut the cost burden on employers.

And while the Government's emphasis going ahead will remain focused on saving jobs, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday said workers and union leaders must continue to play their part.

Speaking at the annual May Day Rally, he outlined how the Government had and would continue to help on the jobs front.

One approach has been through the Jobs Credit scheme which subsidises a company's wage bill for local workers; and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience which pays part of workers' wages while they are on training.

A second has been to go on the offensive and create new jobs and capabilities.
The Integrated Resorts, for example, are already recruiting workers.

Also, the Economic Development Board (EDB) has brought in new projects and got existing companies to expand.

Full Article, click link below.

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4 in 10 laid off last year were foreigners | Jorbb.com

2009-04-27T14:15:00.000+08:00

FOUR out of 10 workers laid off last year were foreigners, according to the latest figures from the Manpower Ministry (MOM).

The proportion is a 10-year high, and analysts say it shows that, contrary to popular belief, Singaporeans have not unfairly borne the brunt of layoffs in the current recession.

‘A lot of foreigners are employed in lower-skilled service industries, which slowed down in the later part of last year, so they have been affected,’ said Nanyang Technological University economist Choy Keen Meng.

A total of 16,880 workers lost their jobs last year, double the figure for 2007.
Of these, 13,910 were retrenched and 2,970 had their contracts terminated prematurely.
The bulk of those in the latter group - 2,380 - were foreigners.

Of the 13,910 retrenched, 9,770 were locals - Singaporeans and permanent residents - and 4,140 foreigners.

As the MOM pointed out, the proportion of foreigners laid off last year broadly reflects their presence in the workforce.

Foreigners made up 36 per cent of Singapore’s workforce last December.

In actual numbers, they formed 1.2 million of Singapore’s population in June, driving it to a record 4.84 million.

For complete story, visit Asia One

Recession Will Last At Least 24 Months, Says Economist

2009-04-21T19:15:00.000+08:00

(HONG KONG) Nouriel Roubini, the New York University professor who predicted the financial crisis, said that he was 'still bearish' and that an economic recovery is going to take 'longer than expected.'

Corporate earnings will 'surprise on the downside,' Prof Roubini said in a speech in Hong Kong yesterday. 'Lots of banks, even the better ones, are going to be in trouble.'

Banks around the world have reported US$1.3 trillion in credit losses tied to the housing market collapse since 2007. The deficits, which spurred the first simultaneous recessions in the US, Europe and Japan since World War II, pushed the American government to pledge US$12.8 trillion to stabilise the banking system and revive economic growth.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index, which tumbled 38 per cent in 2008, has rallied 29 per cent after sinking to a 12-year low on March 9. Prof Roubini said that day that the S&P 500 is likely to drop to 600 or lower this year as the global recession deepens.

George Soros, the billionaire hedge-fund manager who made money last year while most peers suffered losses, said on April 6 that US stocks weren't at the start of a bull market yet because the economy is still shrinking.

'The current rally is a bear-market rally,' Prof Roubini told reporters after his speech. 'I don't expect a 50 per cent adjustment that I expected two years ago, but this is a dead-cat bounce, sucker's rally, whatever you want to call it.'

Prof Roubini's view contradicts that of investor Marc Faber, who said on April 13 that the S&P 500 may rise to 1,000 in the next three months as government spending boosts bank profits.

Markets are 'way ahead' of real economic data and this recession will last at least 24 months, Prof Roubini said. He predicted China's economy will grow 5.5 per cent in 2009, which is slower than the 8 per cent expansion the Chinese government is targeting.

Prof Roubini has stayed away from 'risky assets' including equities, and 95 per cent of his savings have gone into cash.

'Reserving capital, compared with losing 50 per cent of it, is good,' he said. -- Bloomberg

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S'pore ranks second-lowest for job satisfaction | Jorbb.com

2009-04-20T23:35:00.000+08:00

SINGAPOREANS have long been suspected to be a dissatisfied bunch - and now there are numbers to add to that view.

In Robert Half's latest survey of finance professionals, Singapore ranks second-lowest worldwide for job satisfaction, with only 53 per cent of local respondents claiming to be satisfied with their job.

Ironically though, their dissatisfaction may stem largely from their uncertainty over being able to keep their job.

Ranked third-lowest worldwide for satisfaction with job security, only 54 per cent of local respondents said they were satisfied with job security in their current position.

'As job losses continue to mount, concerns about job security, career prospects and the ability to maintain a work-family balance as workload increases are heightened,' said Tim Hird, managing director of Robert Half Singapore.

'During these tough times, managers must demonstrate strong leadership in managing their staff, to not just allay their concerns but also to motivate and encourage them and keep overall employee morale high.'

Other Asians are not much happier in their jobs than Singaporeans, forming a regional theme of dissatisfaction. Bringing up the rear on the job satisfaction front, Japan ranked the lowest globally at 47 per cent, while Hong Kong was third-lowest at 54 per cent.

Worldwide, finance professionals in Dubai were the happiest job-wise, with 85 per cent claiming to be satisfied.

Singapore's finance professionals also scored low on company loyalty, with 59 per cent of them saying they felt 'very loyal' or 'rather loyal' to their firm.

The only other countries in the survey that ranked lower than Singapore on this count were Hong Kong and Japan with 42 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.

Not surprisingly, only 11 per cent of local respondents said they plan to stay in their current job for the next 12 months, the smallest proportion worldwide.

Forty per cent are either actively looking for another job or plan to do so in the next 12 months. In Hong Kong - the only country to outrank Singapore in this area - 45 per cent of respondents plan a job change.

In Singapore, the main reason cited for a job switch was an increase in pay, for which 35 per cent indicated they would walk. A better work-life balance came in a distant second, with 21 per cent of respondents citing it is the reason for a job change.

'Especially in these uncertain times, we are advising both our clients and candidates to focus less on monetary compensation packages but more on the content and scalability of jobs,' said Mr Hird.

The survey was conducted by the consulting firm in October last year. It involved 3,556 finance professionals globally, 200 of whom were in Singapore.

This article was first published in The Business Times.

Pay rises slow down in Singapore: survey | Jorbb.com

2009-04-10T10:35:00.000+08:00

SALARY increases in Singapore are slowing down to a crawl, according to ECA International's latest Salary Trends Survey.

Held in February, the survey monitors how economic conditions have changed since its first run in September 2008. The data reflects nominal wage projections.

Singapore workers will see a lower pay increase of 2 per cent, down from 5 per cent last year. This is well below the regional average of 4.8 per cent and almost two-thirds lower than initial forecasts.

Of the 41 companies surveyed for Singapore, 36 per cent announced intentions to halt pay increases. These companies included multinational corporations (MNCs) as well as other companies headquartered here.

Other countries and territories in the region are also experiencing the squeeze. Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have recorded a steep fall in expected wage increases. In addition, almost a third of Asia Pacific-based companies surveyed plan to freeze salaries.

However, there are still some bright sparks in the region.

India, Vietnam and Indonesia are expected to see wage increases of 10.8 per cent, 10.6 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.

In particular, Vietnam is the only country in the region where rises are predicted to outstrip last year's.

'There is still a huge demand for talent in India which is keeping salary increases high despite the current economic situation. While in Vietnam and Indonesia, persistently high levels of inflation are keeping increases up,' said Lee Quane, regional director for ECA International's Asia operations.

However, in most other countries including Singapore, annual inflation rates have fallen. Hence, 'real wage increases - the difference between actual salary increases and inflation - may not differ significantly from last year'.

Grads flexible about salaries | Jorbb.com

2009-04-09T11:30:00.000+08:00

FRESH graduate Wang Wei Xiang will jump at a job that pays $2,000 a month, even though it is $500 less than the average starting pay.

The 26-year-old, who has a degree in business management from Singapore Management University (SMU), is even willing to be an intern for $700 a month.

His overriding concern is that the job gives him experience in human resource and organisational development.

Mr Wang's flexible stance on pay is typical of the 800 new graduates who attended a job fair yesterday. Over 6,000 jobs were on offer from 28 organisations at the fair organised by Young NTUC, the youth arm of the National Trades Union Congress.

Participants included the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), integrated resorts Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World at Sentosa, and pre-school operator NTUC First Campus.

About 12,000 are expected to graduate from the local universities this year, said NTUC assistant secretary-general Josephine Teo.

But at least 1,000 of them may find themselves without a job even after six months, should their employment rate hit the 87 per cent level of the 2003 Sars period, said an NTUC statement yesterday.

Hence, Mrs Teo, adviser to Young NTUC, urged graduates at the fair to promptly launch their career even if they cannot find their 'dream' job. Whatever the job, it will give them new skills, she said.

She also highlighted the large number of jobs on offer at the fair, saying it shows there are still many opportunities despite the downturn.

Mrs Teo's advice struck a chord with SMU marketing graduate Desiree Koh, 24. 'I'll accept a starting pay of about $2,000. I'm still young,' she said.

Employers at the fair said most of the students they met yesterday were enthusiastic and willing to learn. Resorts World's assistant vice-president for communications Robin Goh said it received 300 applications at the fair. The most popular jobs were that of a croupier and of supervising operations at theme park Universal Studios Singapore.

Four in five asked questions that showed they were keen to find a good job fit, while one in five were interested only in the starting pay, he said.

The National Council of Social Service also saw some interest in the 100 positions for social workers, special education teachers and other staff. Most of the interested 80 graduates were initially unaware of the role of the sector, equating social service work with volunteer service, a spokesman said.

The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) are also helping graduates find jobs. NTU has waived charges for employers to set up job booths on campus, said its career and attachment office director Loh Pui Wah. At NUS, students are getting help with job interview skills and setting up their own ventures, said its career centre director Corrine Ong.

Young NTUC plans to hold three networking sessions on specific industries to help new graduates find jobs. It also started an online employment advisory service yesterday for undergraduates and new graduates, at www.youngntuc.org.sg.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

Take good care of staff; they will take good care of customers | Jorbb.com

2009-04-03T14:50:00.000+08:00

IF YOU take good care of your associates, they will take good care of your customers, and the customers will keep coming back - such is the philosophy of Singapore Marriott, as spoken by its founder J W Marriott Snr.

'This is the bedrock of our success thus far,' says Greg Allan, the hotel's general manager. 'It identifies our main assets as our associates, setting us apart as an employer with a heart and an employer of choice.'

This belief has served Singapore Marriott well, for it has been deemed one of the country's Best Employers this year. It also won the award back in 2007.

Since it first opened back in 1995, Singapore Marriott continues to be steadfast in its commitment to training and developing its associates. With a staff strength of approximately 460, the hotel has a strong focus on staff welfare and career advancement.

'The working environment at Singapore Marriott is fair and dynamic,' says Mr Allan. 'We believe in providing equal employment opportunities and thereafter, development and training to all existing and potential associates.'

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Media-savvy professionals dominate short list for Queensland Tourism's competition for "best job in the world" | Jorbb.com

2009-04-03T12:20:00.000+08:00

Short list: Anjaan RJ - India, Ben Henry - France, Ben Southall - UK, Cali Lewis - USA, Clare Wang - Taiwan, Clarke Gayford - New Zealand, Erik Rolfsen - Canada, George Karellas - Ireland, Greg Reynen - Singapore, Hailey Turner - Australia, James Hill - Australia, Juweon Kim - Korea, Magali Heuberger - Netherlands, Mieko Kobayashi - Japan, Mirjam Novak - Germany, Yi Yao - China.

Two Queenslanders are the sole Australian candidates for the $150,000 six-month contract as a "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, which will be announced in May.

The Queensland Government's tourism body announced 15 finalists for the job this morning, who will join the previously announced Taiwanese wildcard Clare Wang on the short list.

Hailey Turner, 20, is a student and IT sales rep from Brisbane and James Hill, 24, plans to return to his home in the Whitsundays after working as a photographer in London.

If he is successful in landing the Hamilton Island job, he can add it to his resume alongside a stint as official photographer for the Daydream Island Resort.

Ms Turner travelled to seven cities in 12 days as part of her efforts to land the stint in north Queensland.

"I wanted to travel to some of the largest demographics for international visitors to the reef and get out and meet as many locals as I could to encourage them to come and visit the reef," she said.

Alongside the two Australians are candidates from as far and wide as India, Ireland, the Netherlands and China.

The Tourism Queensland campaign attracted more than 34,000 video applications, and it was clear that an experience in the media was an advantage, with journalists, web developers, designers and an actress taking up nine spots on the list.

Other successful candidates include a charity fundraiser from England, a manager from China, an American PE teacher living in Singapore and a Japanese receptionist.

"The worldwide response to Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World campaign has been nothing short of phenomenal and already we have achieved around $100 million worth of global publicity for Queensland," Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said in a statement.

After narrowing the thousands of applicants down to a short list of 50 last month, organisers decided they had to expand their original plans of a 10-strong short list to 15.

"Tourism Queensland has spent the past few weeks watching in amazement at the lengths these candidates have gone to in their quest for the best job in the world," Mr Lawlor said.

"From organising stunts like scuba-diving in a tank in Amsterdam, dressing up as a mermaid in downtown Singapore and spruiking at a London pub to conducting hundreds of media interviews, the top 50 have shown an incredible amount of ingenuity and passion."

The short list will be flown to Hamilton Island on May 3, and the successful candidate will be announced on May 6.

The successful applicant will work on the Great Barrier Reef, and report back on what they are doing.

Time to embrace flexi-work | Jorbb.com

2009-03-24T00:08:00.000+08:00

OFFERING employees the freedom to work fewer and more flexible hours could help companies trim costs and lift productivity amid the downturn.

Fewer hours - meaning lower pay - could help rein in salary costs. And offering more flexible hours to employees can also improve the bottom line, studies overseas have shown.

But perhaps what's best about flexi-work is that unlike retrenchment, it is likely to be embraced by young and old alike - with benefits that could well outlast the downturn.

At least three recent studies here have shown that flexi-work is a tempting carrot that would entice older folk from retirement and wean new mothers from baby bottles back to their Blackberries.

The latest, reported by The Straits Times last month, showed that 72 per cent of 1,000 workers polled would be encouraged to remain in the workforce for as long as possible in their senior years - if given fewer and more flexible work hours. Data for this survey was culled from a global study on the future of retirement by Oxford University.

Another recently released survey of 3,000 baby-boomers here, commissioned by the Government, yielded similar findings.

In yet another Government survey made public last July, more than 60 per cent of 25,000 unemployed older folk who planned to look for work said they preferred part-time work.

Same for mothers of young children. In a survey of 1,000 mothers who were either working or looking for jobs here last year, 85 per cent said flexible hours and results-based performance evaluation would best help them cope with the dual demands of children and career. The survey was commissioned by baby food company, Friesland.

But this groundswell of opinion has so far had little effect among employers.

Indeed, the Oxford survey, which interviewed 300 employers here as well, found that only 43 per cent of employers were willing to offer flexible work to older workers. The remaining 57 per cent, presumably, are against such arrangements - or at least undecided. Contrast that with Britain, where studies have shown that fewer than a tenth of all requests for flexi-work are turned down.

The Singapore working mothers survey, for its part, found that nearly two-thirds of the mothers were unable to re-enter the workforce after childbirth as they failed to find jobs that offered 'family-friendly' hours.

Figures from the Ministry of Manpower made public last December show that only 7.4 per cent of private sector employees here are on flexible work schedules, up from about 5 per cent in 2006.

If you include the public sector, the proportion of employees on flexible work arrangements in 2008 was 9.4 per cent.

While the numbers here are inching up, Singapore is still a far cry from countries like the United States and Britain, where nearly 30 per cent of employees work on flexible schedules.

So why the lag here?

The biggest hitch is that many employers still view 'face-time' at the workplace as an important criterion in evaluating staff performance and productivity, says Mr Josh Goh, senior manager for corporate services at recruitment firm GMP. They fail to recognise that there is little correlation between productivity and the number of hours worked, he says.

Chief executive officer of HR firm LifeWorkz, Ms Cheryl Liew, points out that many firms here have the misconception that the nature of their businesses is simply not conducive to flexi-hours.

Many small companies, for instance, equate telecommuting - that is, working from a computer at home - with flexi-work. They think that if they don't have sophisticated IT infrastructure, they cannot afford to be more flexible.

But telecommuting - ideal for desk-bound executives hooked up to office computer systems - is not the only type of flexi-work. There can be flexibility in both the scheduling and number of hours worked.

These include a 'compressed work week', where an employee works an extra few hours every work day, to be on a three- or four-day week. This is ideal for those in manufacturing.

Job-sharing - where two employees share one full-time position - has also proved to be useful to those in administrative or shift-based jobs.

Finally, there is the 'annualised hours' scheme where, instead of say 40-hours a week, employees are given an annual quota of the number of hours they need to work. Such a scheme is useful especially for organisations that have round-the-clock operations.

But companies here remain apprehensive about heavier administrative loads on managers in terms of communicating, supervising and scheduling the working time of employees.

This needs to change, say some experts on productivity. There is increasing evidence that flexible hours are not just a boon for employees, but for the company's bottom line too.

A 2006 study by Georgetown University in the US, for instance, cited several cases of companies that raked in more revenue even as they gave their employees more freedom in how and where they did their work.

Chubb, a Fortune 500 insurance company which implemented various forms of flexi-work in its claim services department, found a 40 per cent jump in claims processed, and a dramatic reduction in overtime costs.

Global IT giant IBM, for its part, saved US$20 million (S$30.6 million) in operating costs annually and over 500,000 sq ft of real estate by allowing employees to telecommute.

While Singapore companies watch and wait, the US and Britain are both beefing up their flexi-work mechanisms.

On Jan 30, days after being sworn into office, US President Barack Obama announced the formation of a task force to find ways for overloaded parents to better balance their work and family lives.

And from next month, a new British law will make it a right for all working parents with children under 16 to ask for flexible working conditions.

There is no need for legislation here yet, but clearly it's time to delve deeper into flexi options.

As work slows and morale dips, giving employees a choice on when and where they work could be the cheerful upside of this depressing downturn.

Resorts World to open up more job openings in mid 2009

2009-03-20T22:15:00.000+08:00

Good news for jobseekers who are looking for jobs at the integrated resorts.

Resorts World at Sentosa will ramp up its hiring from June.

William Fong, 46, was among the 20,000 people who applied for a job at Resorts Worlds recently.

The former assistant engineer was retrenched early this year.

Now, the father of three has reasons to smile again.

He said: “After my first interview at Resorts World, they offered me a job as a slot technician. I feel glad that this company is really concerned about workers who are older and with lower qualifications.”

Resorts World has received overwhelming response to its recruitment efforts - it gets up to 200 online applications everyday.

Resorts World currently has more than 800 job openings. So far, only 10 of those positions have been filled, but Resorts World is looking forward to bringing in more new hires soon.

But those who did not get the positions they had applied for should not fret.

Assistant vice-president of communications at Resorts World at Sentosa, Robin Goh, said: “What may happen is that we may look through their resumes, and if we find them a fit in other attractions we have, Universal Theme Park for example, we may refer them to the Universal team to do the selection."

Resorts World says it is committed to hiring Singaporeans for the 10,000 positions available.

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