[(proc text) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [3rd Allotted Day]. (proc text)]
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
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Together with our tripartite partners, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has made major headways the past five years from amending the Employment Act (EA) and Industrial Relations Act (IRA) to cater to the growing professionals, managers and executives (PME) workforce to introducing the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT) next month to provide adjudication for all workers for their salary-related employment claims. At the policy front, the Fair Consideration Framework and raising of Employment Pass (EP) salary criteria and other foreign manpower tightening measures have helped level the playing field for the local workforce. Enhancements to the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) and Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) have also been instituted to keep pace with wage changes and workplace accidents.
From a manpower perspective, there are several challenges for us, with the first being rising structural forces and unemployment. What has been a worrying trend is that the layoffs especially affect professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) and the slower rate of re-entry into the workforce for this category of workers, especially those who are older in age. This is largely due to what I have previously identified as the \"three mismatches of skills, expectations and jobs\".
By the same token, we face a long-term challenge to sustain inclusive quality growth, bearing in mind we have an ageing workforce, relatively flat productivity the past five years and a much slower employment growth. With globalisation, Uberisation, digitisation, robotisation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the future jobs, workforce, skills, training, labour market and the future of work are rapidly evolving and transforming. The new nature of the employment relationship, rising median wages, workforce profile change and diversity of work will require us to review our labour legislation to keep pace with the changes and the uncertain global outlook. I am, therefore, suggesting for MOM and our tripartite partners to continue its good work to carry out a review of the labour laws of Singapore − the EA, IRA, Employment Claims Act (ECA) and Trade Unions Act − to keep pace with the changes.
First, EA. There are several provisions which I believe can be further enhanced and improved in the EA and which the tripartite partners should examine to be relevant and inclusive.
First is whether there is a need to restrict the scope of EA to those earning less than $4,500 as well as exclude civil servants from the ambit of the Act.
Second, an oddly drafted section 45 of the EA which sets out eligibility for retrenchment benefits, but it is phrased as a negative eligibility clause. The section can be appropriately worded to give more certainty to the payment of retrenchment benefits and leaving the quantum to be negotiated, just as it is being done with collective bargaining. The tripartite partners can also explore removing the two-year time bar, as shorter employment terms are more common now. If removal is not possible, another possibility is to move this provision out of Part IV to the main body of the Act to be more inclusive since Part IV's application is limited.
Third, with an increasing number of mergers and acquisitions and organisational restructuring and reorganisation these days, we often face the challenge of whether a transfer falls squarely within the provisions of section 18A of the EA which allows for transfer of employees to a new entity without the need to pay retrenchment benefits. I suggest we further improve section 18A to provide more clarity. In particular, an inclusionary approach, such as a clearer and narrower definition of what situations are covered under section18A, would be a boon as the current provision is too broad and ambiguous. The scope should be limited to a sale of business. We should clarify that outsourcing is not covered. By the same token, transfers involving companies under receivership or judicial management should also be covered. Furthermore, a minimum notice period, of at least one month, should be stipulated and the notice should be in writing. To prevent multiple transfers, we should prohibit the transfer of the same group of employees for a period of one year after the first or subsequent transfers. Higher penalties specific to section 18A should be introduced and the union should be entitled to continue providing limited representation for up to two years so that PMEs do not lose protection.
Second, IRA. In the course of representing unions and union members in the Industrial Arbitration Court and advising unions on industrial relations issues, I have come across a number of situations in which the IRA does not envisage nor clearly address certain issues. I will just confine them to two areas for now.
First, the status of Collective Agreement (CA) during a Judicial Management/ Receivership. Other than having to formally apply for a leave of Court, there is limited scope for us to enforce a collective agreement or have recourse in the event of any non-compliance of the CA. I opine that the CA should continue to apply so as to protect the workers and there must also be an avenue for the union to enforce the CA during this moratorium in an economical yet expeditious manner.
Second, expanding tripartite mediation framework. Tripartite mediation is a very useful tripartite mechanism for alternative dispute resolution. It is also tightly linked to ECT as claims limits are raised if one goes via the tripartite mediation route. Although there is no salary cap, PMEs in certain categories where they are in management roles or where there may be conflict of interests as provided in the Act are excluded from utilising tripartite mediation. I submit we should review this prohibition. We should also explore extending tripartite mediation to cover unfair dismissals of those outside the scope of EA.
Third, ECA. I am delighted that the ECT will come into operation next month. The ECA currently covers all workers in an employment relationship but limited to 18 contractual and 43 statutory types of salary-related claims. With greater complexity in the terms and conditions of work as well as cases of unfair termination of contract where workers, especially PMEs, are just given notice pay and told to leave the company, I hope the Act can keep pace with the developments and address some of these issues which may not be salary-related.
Fourth, the Trade Unions Act. In light of an expected growth of freelance workers or what many call the \"gig economy\" in the next five to 10 years, the Labour Movement hopes more can become union members and enjoy the plethora of membership privileges the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and our unions offer. At present, the Trade Unions Act requires a person to be in a \"contract of service\" to join a trade union. Freelancers who are in a \"contract for service\" may not be full-fledged union members per se. As such, I suggest MOM form a workgroup to study this carefully and remove or relax the prohibition and explore ways to allow freelancers to be union members without compromising or contravening traditional collective bargaining and representation.
The above are my thoughts and suggestions based on the issues that confront us currently and which we need to address to ensure our labour laws are not just relevant but future-ready. The review cannot be done in silos and, in the spirit of tripartism, I ask for our tripartite partners to review and examine carefully and further strengthen our tripartite relationship in the course of doing so by bringing even more workers and companies within our fold.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
The Chairman: Ms Jessica Tan.
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo (East Coast): Mdm Chairman, for Singapore to continue to grow, we need to have the right skills to fill the jobs that will support this economic growth. If we do not align our manpower with our economic growth strategies, given Singapore's tight labour market, manpower will become a bottleneck to economic growth.
Can the Minister for Manpower share the progress made with the manpower sectoral plans for the sectors that have already launched Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs)? Have the manpower sectoral plans been successful in helping companies in these sectors transform existing jobs as well as meet their manpower needs?
Singapore has a highly educated workforce, and professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) form more than 50% of our workforce. As business restructure, we need to pay special attention to this segment of workers. The Future of Jobs Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2016 indicates that the greatest losses of jobs with the digital revolution will be in white-collar roles, with new jobs created in computer, technology and engineering related fields.
Can the Minister share how the Adapt and Grow initiatives like Career Support Programme (CSP) and Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) have been effective in helping workers acquire the skills required and transition into the new jobs created in 2016?
What were the learnings from the current Adapt and Grow initiatives and how have they influenced the enhancements that are being announced in Budget 2017 for CSP and PCP as well as the introduction of the Attach and Train and the Work Trial programmes?
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng (Nominated Member): Madam, in Mandarin, please.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, Chinese characters always contain deep insights. In the character \"企\" which stands for \"enterprise\", it is made up of \"人\" or \"people\" on top, while the bottom part consists of \"止\" which means \"cease\", In other words, when there are people, there will be enterprises; if there are no people, then everything would come to a standstill. Currently, our workforce is saddled with two big challenges; the first being an ageing population, with the growth in the workforce shrinking every year; the second is the restructuring economy, bringing about changes to the labour force structure and skills.
The ageing population and low fertility rate has forced enterprises to leverage on technology to lessen the reliance on manual labour. While technology could improve productivity, workers need to be trained to use new technology. For the older workers in particular, they need to make greater adjustments to attitude and mindset to cope with the demands of new skills. Now, even the Government is encouraging civil servants to pick up digital technology. This is an outcome arising from the current environment. Economic transformation has created structural unemployment. Some industries would gradually vanish, while some new industries would emerge. The workforce needs to change its knowledge, skills and concept as quickly as possible in response to this transforming environment, and restructure, making the shift to new industries according to market needs.
It is impossible to solve the current manpower shortage in the short term. We need to treasure every person. As far as possible, we need to cater to society's needs, starting from basic education all the way to continuing education. The Government has already done much in the area of training.
Last year, it allocated $37 million to training programmes under the SkillsFuture Credit. However, only 6% out of those eligible had utilised these funds. May I ask the Minister for the reason behind this low take-up rate? Besides, the unemployed claim they cannot find jobs, while businesses perpetually say they cannot find workers. How should we solve this?
For many years now, the Workforce Development Agency and now SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), has been working closely with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, helping many working people to upgrade their skills. Going forward, we will continue to work with even more trade associations and industry associations to design training courses based on practical needs. As long as companies are supportive and employees who attend courses benefit from them, skills upgrading would form a trend, the quality of our entire workforce would be upgraded accordingly.
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: Mdm Chairman, based on current trends, we are seeing slower job growth, unemployment is rising and there are more redundancies. Employers are taking longer to find suitable talent for the roles they have available and there is greater mismatch of skills to jobs created.
Based on MOM's latest figures, in 2016, nearly five in 10 job vacancies in Singapore were for PMETs. MOM had indicated that this trend is expected to continue to rise as the economy restructures in tandem with the improving skills and education profile of the workforce.
The good news is that there are good PMET jobs being created in Singapore and this trend is expected to grow. The bad news is that even though these jobs do exist, it does seem that PMETs impacted by restructuring and looking for jobs are not able to fill them.
How is MOM addressing the mismatch and missed matches, especially for PMETs and mature workers? Which sectors will the new Attach and Train initiatives be focused on? Apart from wage support for employers, what is the Government doing to ensure the quality of training and reskilling under the Adapt and Grow initiatives? With the Sectoral Manpower Plans for the six ITMs that are already launched, can the Minister share the success in matching the jobs created to the skills developed?
With technological advances, lower-skilled and repetitive jobs, both blue- and white-collar jobs are being replaced by automation, robots and artificial intelligence. For many low-skilled and low-wage workers, their jobs will go away. What measures are in place to help these workers upskill to find good jobs and stay employed?
Last year, Minister Lim Swee Say had shared in Parliament that there are approximately 250 companies on the \"triple-weak\" watchlist. Are the numbers of companies in this list going down or up? For \"triple-weak\" companies that have been successful in getting off the watchlist, what have they done to strengthen the Singaporean Core in their workforce?
For flexibility and cost management, employment models are evolving with more companies hiring on contract terms. How is MOM ensuring fair and progressive work practices for these workers?
The number of freelancers is also growing. This is not necessarily bad as it allows freelancers with flexibility and scope to work beyond just what one company can offer. However, freelancers do not get Central Provident Fund (CPF) nor make CPF contributions. This may impact their retirement planning and adequacy. In Singapore, CPF is core to planning for retirement adequacy and CPF funds allow for savings which could be used for healthcare and home ownership. With the changing employment landscape, are there any plans to have businesses make CPF contributions for the work they acquire from freelancers and for freelancers to make contributions to CPF beyond just to their MediSave?
Another area to pay attention to is the unequal impact that job disruptions will have on men and women. Data from the WEF Future of Work Report suggests that if current industry gender gap trends persist, and job transformation for new and emerging roles in computer, technology and engineering-related fields continue to outpace the rate at which women are currently entering these types of jobs, women are at risk of losing out on tomorrow's best job opportunities.
What this means in absolute terms is that for every three jobs lost for men, one new job is created whereas, for women, there will be more than five jobs lost for every job gained. If current gender gap ratios persist over 2015 to 2020, this will mean that there will be one new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) job per four jobs lost for men, but only one new STEM job per 20 jobs lost for women. With a highly-educated female population in Singapore and tight labour market, this is an area of both opportunity and focus.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: Since the implementation of the Fair Consideration Framework, I wish to ask MOM how successful have we been in the drive towards hiring and developing a strong Singaporean Core. Can MOM provide an update on their additional scrutiny efforts, engagement with \"double weak\" and \"triple weak\" companies and the punitive actions on those on the \"red lane\"? In particular, can MOM share whether information and communications technology (ICT), financial sector and professional services continue to be among the top few industries where most of the watchlist companies are and whether we will impose even more punitive sanctions against those recalcitrant companies? I also urge MOM to pay attention to employment agencies as, anecdotally, I hear from fellow PMETs that they are culprits of \"hiring of their own kind\" practices.
Mr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied): Madam, if we want Singapore to remain a shining red dot for Singaporeans, it is important that we make every effort to strengthen our Singaporean Core workforce and remove potential impediments to the employment of Singaporean workers.
One potential impediment is our National Service (NS) liability. Disruptions caused by reservist call-ups affect the employability of Singaporeans, especially in companies with fewer staff and less flexible operations. Two to three weeks' absence from work could mean poorer performance reviews or even reluctance by employers to hire workers with NS liabilities in the first place.
While the advanced notice period was meant to give employers a longer runway to re-allocate work, in reality, it does little to mitigate the effects of reservist call-ups since employers will either have to ask other staff to cover the duties of the absent employee, which adds to their workload, or specially hire someone else to cover the worker's duties for that short period. Hence, the Government may want to consider an appropriate incentive scheme to encourage employers to employ NSmen, especially those who still have to fulfil high-key In-Camp Trainings (ICTs).
Next, we must also maintain a Singaporean Core leadership in every field and every industry if we want to see a truly vibrant Singapore with robust economic resilience in the face of challenges. In respect of this, I am happy to see the introduction of the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative in 2015 and the follow up by the Government in this year's Budget announcing that it intends to groom 800 potential leaders in the next three years.
I request the Minister to share more details on the initiative and how it intends to identify and groom these potential leaders.
Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Mdm Chairman, one of the challenges faced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is finding local talent. It is common knowledge that companies need high-quality staff to extend their businesses. Many SMEs want to employ local talents, but some locals prefer to work for multinational corporations (MNCs), whether for prestige or better human resource (HR) benefits.
I would like to propose two ways to help our SMEs. Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and trade associations and chambers (TACs) have to work closely together to meet market needs. For example, many locals stay away from construction-related work. However, there are areas that pay well and need local talent. For example, quantity surveyors (QSs) with three or more years of experience earn from $3,000 to $6,000. But our polytechnics no longer conduct QS courses. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) conducts QS diploma courses with few local takers.
One, can our Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs) fill this gap? Enhancing the skills and expertise of our local talent will allow us to rely on a larger and more stable workforce, compared to a foreign, transient workforce.
Two, can we also help with the marketing of SMEs by sectors, such as furniture, food and construction industries? Help them with the brand imaging to make the industries more appealing. Poster boys and girls, inspirational stories, pride and mastery of skills, passion in doing a meaningful job − all these can help to build up the image of our important industries like construction and tourism.
Mr Lee Yi Shyan (East Coast): Mdm Chairman, Singapore has been ranked amongst the world's most competitive economies. One chief reason is our well-trained workforce. So long our workforce possesses the right type of skills, available in the right quantity, Singapore will remain an attractive place for investments, enterprise growth and entrepreneurship development.
In recent years, however, Singapore's indigenous workforce growth has slowed. In addition, the Government has also reduced the inflow of foreign workers needed to augment our pool. Coupled with rising worker levies and stricter dependency ratios, wages have risen. Between 2011 and 2015, wages outstripped productivity growth in every year. In fact, in 2015, real median wage growth was 7%, compared to labour productivity growth of 0.1%.
A number of economists have warned that \"wage growth that outstrips labour productivity growth translates into declining profit margins, business closures and layoff of workers and, unless accompanied by a depreciation of the Singapore dollar, the increase in unit labour costs also implies a loss of international competitiveness.\"
The latest international Institute for Management Development (IMD) report also says, \"Singapore is losing its edge in drawing and keeping talent\". Worryingly, if this trend persists, Singapore will become less attractive for business and lose its ability to create good jobs. New investments may pass us by and existing businesses may relocate to more competitive economies.
I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower, besides being pro-workers, would MOM also be pro-business? How would MOM help our workforce to remain internationally-competitive? How would MOM work with present employers to improve workers' skills, and with would-be investors to develop future skills needed to support the future industries?
Mr Chong Kee Hiong (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mdm Chairman, the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme (LEDS) is one of the most comprehensive initiatives launched in recent years to help our SMEs. It aims to support the growth of SMEs by helping them to develop new capabilities, capacity and markets. It also helps SMEs to be more manpower-lean and helps them to improve their HR practices.
As of last November, 1,400 SMEs had joined the scheme. May I ask if the number has increased since? Does MOM have a target number of SMEs to help and is the Ministry meeting the goal? In addition, would the Ministry share the profiles of companies under this scheme, for example, the sectors, types of businesses, sizes, number of employees and their nationalities?
During last year's COS debate, the Minister of State mentioned that the majority of applicants for the scheme were from the food and beverage (F&B) sector. Understandably, the F&B sector is labour-intensive and, therefore, is a prime candidate to benefit. Are there more companies in labour-intensive sectors that have not come forward and would the Ministry consider more pro-active efforts in reaching out? Has there been any feedback on elements of the scheme that may not be compatible to different business models?
I am also interested to know if MOM monitors the progress of the SMEs after they joined LEDS, with respect to their productivity levels, revenues and profit increases or gains in market share. What types of changes in the companies' operations and transformations in work practices have resulted from LEDS? More success stories can be shared to encourage others to take a closer look at how the scheme can help them.
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo: Mdm Chairman, with Singapore's tight labour market, for long-term sustainability, MOM has been emphasising the need for businesses to become manpower-lean.
Can the Minister share what progress have businesses made in Singapore, especially the SMEs, in terms of innovating to be less manpower-intensive, improving the quality of jobs and being more productive?
The LEDS, with its focus to help SMEs develop their capabilities, manpower and markets has been in place since late 2015. What progress have SMEs achieved through LEDS? Have SMEs been able to restructure, create higher-skilled roles and transition from reliance on low-skilled foreign manpower to developing and recruiting locals? Has the quality of jobs been enhanced and are there better jobs?
An emphasis of this year's Budget is the need to develop deep skills. Key for businesses to becoming manpower-lean is to have manpower with deep skills. What measures are in place to support and accelerate the building of deep capability, especially for SMEs? What measures are in place to continue to support businesses as they drive this transformation to become manpower-lean businesses?
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): Mdm Chairman, SMEs are critical to Singapore and core to Singapore's future growth. They are now at a crossroads, caught in the fastest changing business environment in decades while in a slower growth cycle.
MOM's LEDS has been an innovative initiative to help companies at this crossroads. What is the progress and how many workers and companies have benefited? How will the Ministry enhance LEDS? Can the Government look into greater asset-pooling to reduce the capital expenditure (capex) needs of SMEs? P-Max has been an important part of SMEs' talent pipeline. Can the Ministry also share on the progress?
Even though this is a slower period, it is also exactly the time to implement long overdue business changes. I hope that our SMEs will look into the following.
One, reskill together with their employees. Management needs to also update their own skillsets, especially in digitalisation and technology. Set time aside to train collectively as a company. Two, utilise Government funding to redesign business processes which is usually not possible when order books are filled. Three, go regional. There is robust growth in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) has outlined plans to support our global outreach. Our SMEs should seize the opportunities. In Mandarin, please.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I hope all of us can work in a determined and steadfast manner to achieve breakthrough in adversity.
Assoc Prof Randolph Tan (Nominated Member):\tMdm Chairman, for PMETs as well as rank-and-file jobseekers, skills under the Adapt and Grow initiatives provide wage and training support as well as opportunities to try out possibly unfamiliar job roles. This is especially important when jobseekers encounter job requirements that defer from what they had done in the past.
In this Budget, the Government is going to increase wage and training support provided under existing schemes of the Adapt and Grow initiative, as well as introduce an Attach and Train initiative for certain sectors. Although the extended use of wage support schemes that have overly broad coverage is a cause for concern, wage subsidies provided under the schemes of the Adapt and Grow initiative do not raise the same concerns. This is because they are targeted at improving matching between employers and available workers. They also have clearly defined durations. Such schemes play an important role in helping both businesses and workers. It is neither possible nor desirable for businesses hit by economic weakness to completely rule out the option of shedding jobs.
The Adapt and Grow initiative helps workers to adapt to changing needs and grow in their capacity to handle higher-skilled jobs, thereby expanding their opportunities for regular employment. This preserves the employment potential of workers who have been unemployed. The Attach and Train initiative goes further by targeting companies that are not ready to hire yet. Although the risk of participants not being offered permanent placements could be higher, the benefits of a rewarding career could also be higher.
I have some questions. First, would it be reasonable to expect that at least some of the participating employers must view it as being worth their while to hire under such arrangements even without Government wage subsidy? If that is so, what is the rationale for increasing wage support?
Second, how are schemes under the Adapt and Grow initiative evaluated? It should not just be assessed on their contributions to solving the short-term manpower shortages of participating companies. By giving prospective hirings an early induction into the field, they could also enlarge the pool of eligible workers for such companies in the future. Since such programmes address issues about matching, it should be useful to evaluate how the placements improve the capacity of participants to be matched. By helping employers understand the skills involved in their operations, they can also promote greater participation from employers.
Finally, what are the prospects that workers have of acquiring deep technical skills through such programmes, and what are the realistic targets to aim for in a typical placement? I am thinking about this in terms of the skills frameworks under SkillsFuture. During the placement, will a worker placed under one of these schemes be expected to acquire certain key skills he/she did not have before, utilise those skills to add value to the participating employer? In other words, what does the placement process include? A structured assessment of a participating worker's skills condition?
The Chairman:\tMr Dennis Tan.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member):\tMadam, I would like to withdraw the cut.
The Chairman: Okay. Dr Intan Mokhtar.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Chairman, while our unemployment numbers remain among the lowest in the world, there is a group of Singaporeans who face long-term unemployment. This number, while still low, has risen to 0.8% in September last year, up 0.2% from September 2015.
For some of these Singaporeans who face long-term unemployment, they are individuals with little formal education, low skills and little relevant experience who have difficulty looking for employment. Some of them are seniors or above 50 years old. Some of them are displaced because of disruptive technologies or are unwilling to accept jobs that pay lower salaries.
However, some of them are in their 20s or 30s and are tertiary-educated but still are not able to gain longer-term employment.
I have met residents who are either university or polytechnic graduates but who have difficulty finding employment after leaving or being retrenched from their first job. One of them graduated with a first degree in Engineering. However, when the company he was working with closed down because of poor business, he found himself unemployed. With a young son just born, he tried applying for another job as an engineer. Six months into his job search, he was still not able to secure an engineering job. In the end, he took up a part-time position doing administrative work just so he can earn an income to support his young family.
What more can be done to help the long-term unemployed to ensure they are able to find employment within six months of their last job, and stay employed for at least six months in their new job? Could this be attributed to a lack of skills on the part of the jobseekers, or a lack of awareness about available jobs or new skills that they do not know about? Or could it be due to a mismatch of expectations between them and prospective employers with regard to salaries, work responsibilities or work hours?
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: Although we have a relatively low resident unemployment rate of 3.1%, my biggest worry will be for those who are long-term unemployed, especially the PMEs. Since we started in April 2014 until last month, NTUC's U PME centre has assisted more than 2,500 PMEs, out of which 1,350 are for placement assistance. About 70% of them are PMEs aged 40 and above. Some take six to nine months while others take longer to find suitable employment. Older PMEs have it tougher in terms of re-entry. Those in their 30s are also not spared. I have three points to put forward to MOM. I call it the \"3Ms\" of Mentoring and Case Management, Mid-Career Entry and Mindsets.
First, helping the long-term unemployed requires a case management approach. We need to adopt a one-to-one or one-to-few approach and not a one-to-many approach, unlike traditional job placements and career fairs. These long-term unemployed require more than just counselling or being notified of career fairs or job openings. They require peer support, mentoring and coaching. NTUC's U PME Centre started our Career Activation Programme 18 months ago to do just that and we have achieved positive feedback and steady progress by getting about 20 out of the 100 on our programme employed. We intend to expand this, moving forward.
Second, one particular observation I have with the PCP is that when PMEs move into a new sector or totally new job, he/she enters at the entry point of that new sector or job. I find this unsatisfactory considering mature PMEs have accumulated decades of work experience and skill. There is strong inertia from many PMEs to explore new industries due to the high opportunity cost. It is with this in mind that I hope the Government can look into helping PMEs transit into second careers more seamlessly by exploring the adjacency of jobs and the adjacency of skills so that these PMEs can move into, move across or move up into new roles which capitalise on their acquired skills and knowledge so that they can even enter mid-career and be given credits for their experience.
Third, mindsets have to change, not just employees but employers as well. Employees must stay able, agile and adaptable. Ability is vital because we need skills for current and future jobs. Agility is not just about being able to change but change quickly and flexibly. Adaptability is crucial with shorter economic cycles, job obsolescence, new forms of work and new work streams. We need a new work mindset to embrace change before change embraces us. Employers, too, must play their part not to discriminate against mature PMEs and redesign jobs to embrace the tight, shrinking and ageing workforce.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Madam, the Government has rightly been doing more for senior PMEs, as they bear the brunt of retrenchments and the effect of restructuring. But we must not forget the younger PMEs, who have their own unique problems as a sizeable segment in the workforce.
Moreover, young PMEs are now also facing substantial risks of being laid off and affected by restructuring. I would like to reiterate my call for the Ministry to allow all retrenched PMEs aged below 40 to qualify for CSP without the condition of having to be unemployed for six months.
Another issue is that many young PMEs have been switching to contracts for service. Many are doing it for the flexibility of time and space, while some are doing it to expand the market for their skills, so that they can be engaged by overseas companies paying a better price. But this also makes them more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, especially since they will not be able to lodge claims and obtain assistance through the usual channels.
The last issue I would like to highlight is that in this category of young PMEs are many young mothers who would like to return to work after a period of leaving the workforce to care for infants. There was a well-attended career fair organised by social enterprises last year that for the first time catered to women returning to work. I hope Workforce Singapore could look into career services targeting this special group of young PMEs.
Mr Desmond Choo: Mdm Chairman, the Government has provided much support for our middle-age and older workers. However, they face a double threat. We have not eradicated ageism and the rapid pace of technological changes make getting new jobs and career transition difficult.
Adapt and Grow is an important policy to help these workers adapt to a new work and economic environment. I would like to suggest some enhancements to the scheme.
First, some employers, especially the SMEs, shared that the $4,000 qualifying salary for CSP is too high. More middle-age and older workers can benefit if we lower this qualifying salary.
Second, PCP can be enhanced by lowering the entry requirements and the duration of training. It can be intermediate job grades and functions before the full conversion is done.
Third, Attach and Train can be a gamechanger. The entry salary should use PCP's as a benchmark. I also encourage the public sector to participate actively in Attach and Train.
To provide holistic support for these workers, the tripartite partners must work together to be innovative and adopt differentiated approaches because of our workers' physical and skills requirements. I propose to set up an interagency unit to study employability for middle-age and older workers. This unit can look at evolving the Jobs Bank for age-friendly employers, develop employability programmes and train specialised coaches to help them navigate the job market.
In addition, we can also create new jobs in the heartlands. The Northeast Community Development Council's (CDC's) Community Employment Programme developed by Mayor Teo Ser Luck is a good example of how seniors can be productively hired for community work. To evolve the programme further, we should work with companies, such as Honestbee, to create micro jobs accessible to our more senior residents.
Supporting our middle-age and older workers is not only the Government's responsibility. In an ageing Singapore, they can be the vibrant driver of growth if we give them opportunities. They have carried Singapore's development on their backs over the years. It is time and imperative that Singapore give these veteran soldiers their second wind.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mdm Chairman, many of us may think that a post-secondary educational qualification or relevant work experience or the development of relevant work skills are requisites for getting employment and staying employed. Or that those who face unemployment are individuals with little formal education, low skills or little work experience.
However, increasingly, this is no longer the case. A resident I know, Daniel, has a degree in computer science from one of our local autonomous universities (AUs), which he obtained about 20 years ago. He held a stable and well-paying job in an MNC dealing with computers and information technology (IT) for about 15 years before he was retrenched from the position due to internal restructuring and the dissolution of the department he was in. In other words, he found himself facing job redundancy. Since then, he has been looking for employment and only managed to get short-term contract work, now and then, if he is lucky.
Daniel is tertiary-educated, has about 15 years of work experience in the IT sector and is now in his early 40s. Yet, he has difficulty getting a job even though his expectation for a monthly salary is lower than that for a new university graduate. I feel extremely sorry for him and have also tried to personally help him gain employment to no avail, as yet.
Another resident, Saiful, a polytechnic graduate in the marine and offshore sector, worked for three years in the industry. He left his job to look for a better paying one but after months of futile job-searching, resorted to working as a security guard. He has worked as a security guard for the past two years as he could not find a job in the marine and offshore sector. He is in his late 20s and is already facing employment difficulty.
With the current state of the economy and employment market, I am sure there are many more in the same predicament as these residents. How can MOM assist Singaporeans, such as Daniel and Saiful, who seem to have exhausted all means to gain longer term employment, despite having post-secondary educational qualifications and substantial work experience? How do we address job redundancies, particularly for employees aged 40 and above, and those who are PMEs?
Is the PCP well taken up? What is its impact for this group of employees? Under PCP, how do we ensure that those who undergo PCP will not always start at the bottom of the rung in the new industry in which they have joined because they do not have the relevant experience or simply because they are quite desperate to just find employment?
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: Mdm Chairman, I am heartened to note that the number of PCPs had more than doubled in the last year to hit 50, covering almost every sector in our economy.
The Minister shared last month that MOM managed to match about 60% of PMETs to jobs. Does MOM keep track of how long they remain in their new jobs and their subsequent progress, and can the Minister share these statistics? He also mentioned there are mismatches between the number of applicants and number of job openings across these 50 PCPs and that MOM is trying to minimise the imbalance. Can the Minister share more details on how this is being resolved?
The Economic Development Board (EDB) has identified Healthcare, IT, Telecommunications and Aviation as our growth sectors. Thousands of jobs in civil, computer and precision engineering, project management, software development, systems analysis and design, data science and robotics will be created. Will MOM be looking into PCPs for such positions?
So far, the PCP is reactive in nature. Most applicants would have lost their jobs before they enrol. I would like to propose that MOM take a more proactive and high-profile stance for PCPs. MOM may consider publicising PCPs to feed the needs of growth sectors and co-design modular training courses with the participating employers. This is so that interested applicants, who may still be employed but at risk of redundancy, can join in the training in the evenings and weekends, similar to pursuing an additional degree or certification. This would offer a smoother transition for the affected PMETs.
The Attach and Train initiative was announced by the Finance Minister for sectors that have good growth prospects but where companies are not ready to hire. Would the Ministry elaborate on what these sectors are, the types of companies within these sectors that would be eligible for this programme and the eligibility criteria?
The Chairman: Parliamentary Secretary Faishal Ibrahim.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon): Mdm Chairman, I applaud the Ministry's effort in implementing PCP to help fellow Singaporeans to reskill and acquire the necessary knowledge and competencies to take on new jobs.
I would like to ask the Minister for an update of PCP. How has PCP benefited Singaporean PMETs? Does the Ministry have a support system and support group to engage the affected PMETs?
I have received feedback from affected PMETs that they have to start at a low level in terms of salary and grade in their new profession. While the PMETs mentioned that they are appreciative of the effort of the Government, they feel that it can be quite painful for them and their family having to see them, especially the main breadwinner, to start at a low level and having to live with a reduced salary. I urge them to be patient and encourage them to do well in their new career while my Parliamentary colleagues and I engage the Government to improve the PCP.
During his Budget speech, I am very pleased that Minister Heng mentioned that there will be enhancements to the Adapt and Grow initiatives. Can the Minister share what enhancements will be made to PCP?
The Chairman: Ms K Thanaletchimi; not here. Mr Chong Kee Hiong.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong: Mdm Chairman, CSP was launched two years ago to help Singaporeans aged 40 and over who have been looking for jobs for at least six months to access mid-level and more senior jobs. CSP minimises the wage cut by subsidising for 12 months employers who hire such jobseekers in any job that pays a gross salary of at least $4,000 a month.
Can MOM share an update with the latest statistics on the progress of CSP, such as the number of PMETs in the various job functions and sectors under CSP and the sectors which have been conducive for CSP?
SMEs can seek help from Workforce Singapore (WSG) to recruit PMETs through CSP. With more SMEs encouraged to expand overseas, it will be a win-win situation if experienced PMETs with an MNC background with overseas exposure can be matched with such SMEs. Will MOM consider enhancing CSP by actively facilitating such matches? For this subset of CSP employees, can the period of support be extended beyond a year as projects involving foreign markets may have long gestation periods?
Does MOM follow up with CSP placements and monitor their progress? And were there cases where the CSP placements did not work out as envisaged? These insights will help to refine the programme such that it is beneficial to both the PMETs placed and the SMEs hiring them. If the benefits are viewed as being one-sided, then the good intentions of the programme would be lost.
The Finance Minister announced that the Government will increase wage and training support for CSP. Will the Minister elaborate on these? The CSP initiative was originally intended to run until October 2017. Will the programme be finetuned and extended?
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Madam, the national jobs bank was set up in 2014 to support the implementation of the Fair Consideration Framework and is set to evolve into an online marketplace for jobs that helps to map career ladders in different industries and offers recommendations on the types of scales and trainings workers require to get the jobs they want.
I have two recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the Jobs Bank in facilitating job-matching. First, a key challenge in job-matching is ensuring that there is a match between an employee's skill and the job requirements as well as between expectation of employers and employees regarding the job. The Jobs Bank can enhance skills matching by allowing jobseekers who have just completed training courses to be automatically directed to job openings that require those skills. This dynamic matching does not only facilitate the job hunting process, but it will also help jobseekers recognise the value of learning new skills.
Second, I would like to propose that non-Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) training providers be subject to a certification standard TrainTrust which can be modelled on EduTrust. To encourage providers to come on board, courses and providers that are TrainTrust-certified can be given priority on the list of courses that are recommended to Jobs Bank users. A certification standard will go some way in ensuring the quality of skills learnt has strengthened the trust of the potential employers in the courses attended or certification obtained by the jobseekers. It will provide a reassurance to jobseekers on the values of the certification that they are spending time and effort to earn.
In addition, I also have two questions for the Minister. First, what is the actual number of Singaporeans who have successfully found jobs through the Jobs Bank in each year since its inception in 2014? Secondly, what proportion of the overall number of postings is there in the Jobs Bank?
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: The National Jobs Bank was started as part of the Fair Consideration Framework's mandatory advertising requirement. I feel that the Jobs Bank has an important role to play in minimising the mismatches and missed matches. Moving forward, I have five new suggestions for MOM and WSG to consider.
First, applications through the Jobs Bank are without acknowledgement. Some question whether employers are just paying lip service by posting job advertisements merely to fulfil the mandatory requirement for EP applications. Is there a way we can make the employing company at least acknowledge the receipt of the job application and update whether the vacancy has been filled or that the applicant is unsuccessful? As highlighted previously, there should be some way to confirm or audit the Jobs Bank to confirm the veracity and validity of the job openings as some businesses may post non-existent job ads to boost up investor relations and confidence.
Second, the Jobs Bank gives people the impression that the jobs posted there are not for higher paying jobs, since mandatory advertising are for jobs below $12,000 monthly salary. For higher paid jobseekers, they will go to the executive search firms and headhunters. Maybe an awareness campaign can be run to improve the public's perception of the Jobs Bank and promote the universal adoption of the Jobs Bank by all employers and businesses so that all will use it to post all their job vacancies.
Third, beyond job advertisements and to help narrow the skills gap, the Jobs Bank can be enhanced with a skills gap analysis feature by comparing the applicants' curriculum vitae (CV) with the desired job's requirement.
Fourth, a comprehensive big data analytics module can also be incorporated into the Jobs Bank to educate jobseekers with the trends and types of in-demand skills that employers desire.
Finally, to imbue greater confidence on employers as well as jobseekers, WSG can share placement rates and, if not, explicitly feature the testimonies of employers and employees of successful cases of placements via the Jobs Bank.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mdm Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister if he may share further plans to strengthen the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment (TAFEP) and equip it with more teeth. I am aware it is not mentioned in the current Budget. This is crucial to the current tight labour market against the backdrop of global uncertainty. If we are to encourage more groups of people to remain contributing members of the labour force − mothers, women returning to the workforce after a hiatus, the elderly and those with handicaps – their rights must be protected.
We must also ensure that in our multiracial and cosmopolitan city, all workers, regardless of gender, race, religion, disabilities and also recently those in the \"gig economy\", have access to an accommodating and empathetic job market that respects their right to contribute and grow as any regular employee. The latest introduction of the employment claims tribunal introduced last year has been a good step but it only relates to salary disputes for PMETs, for example.
I urge the Ministry to take the next step and grant TAFEP more enforcement powers to protect the practice of fair employment and non-discriminatory recruitment policies in Singapore, especially in the current frequent changing markets and labour market environment.
Mr Desmond Choo: Mdm Chairman, Singapore has supported our companies with various grants, for example, Capability Development Grant (CDA), the Increase SME Productivity with Infocomm Adoption and Transformation (iSPRINT), Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) and Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP). Our companies have benefited from such support. Indirectly, workers have also gained through better jobs and wages.
The IGP is a more direct approach. Every company which utilises the funding must commit to sharing productivity gains with our workers. Workers and company grow inclusively. They are also motivated to find even better ways to implement the projects. I believe there is scope to expand such an approach to other Government schemes.
I note that not all gains are realised quickly and might neither be shared readily nor easily quantifiable. I propose that we expand gains-sharing to include investment in workers' training, such as subsidising training courses or providing training leave. In such a way, there will be longer-term entrenched benefits for workers. Can the Government also consider making this expanded definition of gains-sharing a key performance indicator (KPI) for our grants and initiatives?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Mdm Chairman, during last year's COS debate, I raised the issue about Singaporean and foreign workers. I shared with the House that there were companies which had the locals' interests in their hearts, although they had a regular EP inflow. On the other hand, there were also companies whose hearts were not with our locals, where I received feedback that they use the locals in filling up the numbers and were not particularly interested in developing our local workers.
I am pleased that the Ministry has developed efforts to place companies on the watchlist for weak commitment to the hiring of local Singaporeans. I would like to ask the Minister on the progress of efforts in looking at firms on this watchlist and under close scrutiny. Can the Minister share the profile of these firms? How have these efforts encouraged these firms to employ more Singaporeans? How have other firms responded to this signal?
Ms K Thanaletchimi (Nominated Member): Madam, I must applaud the tremendous effort of MOM in helping Singaporeans who are retrenched, in search of jobs, and looking to switch industries through various schemes, such as PCP, CSP and the latest Attach and Train Programme.
The new Attach and Train programme allows workers to join companies for training attachments and the firms do not have to hire them. This is unlike the traditional Place and Train scheme where workers are trained after they have been hired for jobs. This way, workers can still stand a chance to be trained on the job and gain experience while trying out new sectors. As much as we welcome the programme, how can we ensure that students or workers on the programme are remunerated fairly and can be placed in a job after the training? Does the labour law protect such workers?
Next, I wish to further call upon the Ministry to do more for \"mumpreneurs\" who would appreciate flexible work arrangements (FWAs), such as working from home. Perhaps the Government can consider providing grants or tax reductions for costs in setting up and running of home offices for this group of women entrepreneurs?
Now, I wish to speak on re-entry and re-employment of women and having enough in their nest egg for their old age. Based on the CPF Board's report in 2013, there seems to be a significant improvement in women's CPF balances. However, this analysis was done with women aged 25-54. For the elderly aged 55 and above, they may lack savings and rely greatly on contributions by family members and assistance from the Government. Can informal jobs, such as caregiving within the family and friends, be incentivised in terms of Government MediSave top-ups?
The tripartite approach to address age management and employment concerns is, indeed, commendable. However, as women live longer, it would be worthy to drill further down the concerns of mature women and their needs as they age beyond 60, whether or not they are in employment.
The Chairman: Mr Lim Biow Chuan, you have two cuts. Please take them together.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Mdm Chairman, one of the bugbears which I frequently hear is about Singaporean workers who lose their jobs and were replaced by foreign workers who are either less costly or who are related to their foreign employers. Another area of frustration of many Singaporeans is that they work in a company where the majority of employees are foreigners.
Can MOM update this House on the actions taken by the Government to reduce such unfair and unethical practices and what measures are there to protect Singaporean workers? We need to assure Singaporean employees that the Government does not condone such behaviour of employers who discriminate against Singaporeans.
Are there any punitive actions taken against any such companies found to have flouted MOM's regulations? It is also important for MOM to signal to employers that there are severe consequences if they take advantage of policies to employ mainly foreigners in their companies. In such a case, we might as well not allow such companies to operate in Singapore as there is no benefit to the country. For recalcitrant companies, would MOM consider cancelling the Work Permits or EPs of these companies? It is a drastic action but I cannot see the benefit of having such companies operate in Singapore if they do not provide sufficient employment for Singaporeans.
Last year, during the Budget Debate, I appealed to MOM to consider a mandatory retrenchment benefit law for workers who had lost their jobs due to retrenchment. MOM had then shared about their schemes to help workers who were retrenched. I was particularly impressed by the Adapt and Grow initiative and CSP which provided wage support for companies which employ eligible Singaporean PMETs. Thus, the Government is helping companies with their wage bill if they employ retrenched workers. There have also been tripartite guidelines given requiring employers to inform MOM within five days of laying off workers and to provide the employees' details. Unfortunately, as can be seen from a recent case when an employer terminated several workers on grounds of poor performance, employees who lose their jobs for whatever reasons will face a certain period of financial uncertainty in their lives.
With an increasing number of workers who have lost their jobs in 2016 − I think it is 11,890 in the first nine months − may I urge MOM to reconsider the need to provide mandatory retrenchment benefits to workers? After all, a recent survey in late 2016 showed that 90.6% of employers do pay retrenchment benefits to workers who were retrenched. If retrenchment benefits are made compulsory, only a small number of workers will be affected. But making retrenchment benefits compulsory would certainly help these workers. And to the worker who is retrenched without any compensation, it is really a frustrating time for him as he struggles to provide for his family.
I know the Minister has spoken on this topic just last month but allow me to be a little bit more persistent, because workers whose employment is terminated really do not know what their rights are and what they can do to seek fair compensation from their employers. So, may I urge the Minister to reconsider the need for a mandatory retrenchment benefit law?
The Chairman:\tMinister Lim Swee Say.
The Minister for Manpower (Mr Lim Swee Say):\tMdm Chairman, with your permission, I have asked the Clerk to place an infographic, MOM's Committee of Supply in brief, on Members' seats. May I also seek your permission to display some slides on the LED screen during my speech, please?
The Chairman:\tYes, please. [Copy of infographic was distributed and some slides were shown to hon Members.]
Mr Lim Swee Say: Thank you, Madam. Madam, I thank Members for their views and suggestions. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How and several Members had shared that, on the ground, there is growing concern on job opportunities and job security. I can understand.
Retrenchment has gone up to its highest since the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. Unemployment, though low, has gone up, too. The resident unemployment rate had held steady at about 2.8% for four years since 2012 but went up to 3% last year.
As we transform to take our Singapore economy into the future, some may wonder what the future economy will bring us. Will more workers be displaced by technology? Will more workers be made redundant? Will more jobs go to foreigners? Will the rise of the digital and gig economy change the employment landscape, resulting in less employment and more freelancing? In short, will we have enough jobs, enough good jobs, or will more workers be hit by unemployment, under-employment and structural unemployment?
Madam, this cannot be the kind of future we want for our workers, our people, our children. The purpose of us transforming towards our future economy is to improve our jobs, our careers, our lives, not to make them worse. Of course, there is no guarantee that all economic transformations will be successful, as seen in failures in some countries. But for Singapore, we have succeeded time and time again, so far. So, working together, whole-of-Singapore, we must make sure that we succeed again.
This will not be easy because to open the door to a future of good jobs and better careers for all our people, we must have not one, not two, but actually four keys in our hand. The first key is the key of Quality Job Creation, to create enough jobs of good enough quality for everyone, young and old, PMETs and rank-and-file.
Madam, the net growth in our total employment, excluding foreign domestic workers, has slowed significantly from more than 200,000 a year before the Global Financial Crisis to more than 100,000 a year after the Global Financial Crisis, to less than 25,000 in 2015 and less than 10,000 last year. Why?
There are two reasons for this. Externally, due to business uncertainty, companies are hiring less. The recruitment rate for companies with 25 or more employees has come down, from 2.8 new employees per 100 existing employees in 2012 to about 2.2 last year. But, more importantly, internally, our local workforce growth has slowed quite significantly. With ageing and low birth rate, coupled with an already high labour force participation rate, local workforce growth is heading for stagnation over the next 10 years.
Slowdown in hiring is cyclical. It will pick up again when business sentiment improves. But slowdown in our local workforce growth is structural. Our local workforce growth will never go back to the high growth of 2%, 3%, 4% of the past. Hence, if we try to bring employment growth back to 100,000 a year, we will need to bring in many more foreign workers. If we take in 50,000 more a year, this will mean 500,000 over 10 years.
Higher economic gains will come with even higher social costs. This is not what we want. We have little choice but to learn how to grow our economy with a workforce growth of about 1% from now on. This means about 33,000 net increase in total employment a year. There will be fluctuations from year to year. Some years less, maybe 25,000; some years more, maybe 40,000. So, 25,000 to 40,000, this range should be achievable. But even so, we will still be faced with the challenge of rising under-employment. This will happen when the improvement in job quality − not just new jobs, but also existing jobs − is not able to keep pace with improvement in the education and skills profile of our local workforce.
So far, the overall quality of our local employment has been improving. The proportion of PMET jobs has increased from 49% in 2007 to 55% last year. As we help every worker to upgrade to become a better worker, we need to make every job a better job, every career a better career. Will we succeed? I believe we can, but only if we look at technology not as our competitor for jobs, but as our partner in the creation of jobs, quality jobs.
Madam, technology is the main driving force of future growth, globally. We can either use it to our advantage or allow our competitors to use it to our disadvantage. The choice is clear. To be on the winning side, we need to keep crossing the technology gate, better and faster than the competition, so that we will not end up in the black hole of global competition. However, with so many innovations out there, crossing the first gate of technology is essential but will not be enough. There is still the second gate to cross − the market gate − to compete successfully for customers and build market share. Those who fail again will end up in the black hole of global competition.
To cross the two gates, we have been building our bridge of innovation. Our next challenge is to make this bridge of innovation longer, stronger and wider, so that many more can get through as individual companies, as clusters of industry and as one future economy; not just the Pioneers, not just the early adopters, but the early majority and, eventually, the late majority as well.
Some may wonder, the more we strengthen the bridge of innovation, would technology not take away even more jobs from us?
Craftmark is a distributor and retailer of over 20 brands of footwear and leather goods and accessories. With the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID), it cuts down manhours for stocktaking by 90%. Workers were redeployed to serve customers better. As a result, they achieved not just better business for the owners but also better jobs for the workers. So, the key words for MOM are \"Better Jobs\".
The Soup Spoon is a popular restaurant chain with more than 20 outlets. To expand overseas, the company decided to move from food retail to include food manufacturing as well. With automated packaging process, its operation is not only competitive, but also 25% more manpower-lean. So, the key words for MOM are \"Manpower-lean\".
Tiong Seng is a market leader in construction. To maximise the impact of using a technology known as BIM, the company helps all its subcontractors to adopt the same technology. As a result, they improved productivity, not just within the company but across the entire value chain, by 35%. So, the key words for MOM are \"Productivity Gain\".
Madam, these companies show us that the real threat we face in the competition for jobs is not technology but global competition. Instead of worrying about technology taking away our jobs, we should focus more on how to partner technology to take away customers and jobs from our competitors before they do it to us. This is why over a year ago, MOM initiated LEDS to bring various agencies together, to provide a one-stop service, making it easier for the SMEs to develop business capability, manpower and markets. Where necessary, MOM is even prepared to allow short-term flexibility on foreign manpower quota to help make changes happen faster.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Ms Jessica Tan asked about the progress. Madam, progress of LEDS is encouraging, supported by many agencies − SPRING, WSG, the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), BCA, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), EDB and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). More than 2,000 companies, mostly SMEs across 18 sectors, have responded to LEDS. Among them were the three I cited earlier. This year, we will go three steps further.
First, we will strengthen the scope of LEDS with new schemes introduced this year. Our agency partners will help more SMEs to go digital as well as to expand market overseas.
Second, we will speed up the development and deployment of what we call \"Cluster\" solutions and promote their widespread adoption, not just by the individual companies but by clusters of companies, in a cheaper, better and faster way.
Thirdly, we will work closely with sectors that are facing and will continue to face manpower shortages due to ageing of their existing workforce or growing demand for labour. We will partner them to redesign their workflow to be more manpower-lean, and to offer jobs and careers of better qualities to our locals, so that they can compete better for local manpower to support their growth.
One example is lift technicians. We need 1,000 more lift technicians over the next three years. We will support BCA and the industry to upgrade existing workers and attract and train more locals to strengthen our Singaporean Core.
My colleague Minister of State Teo Ser Luck will speak more on the key thrusts of our Transform and Grow efforts.
Madam, with the first key in hand, creating quality jobs can help us to prevent rising unemployment and under-employment. But we will still face the risk of the third kind, which is structural unemployment, a result of mismatches in the labour market. We, therefore, need a second key − the key of Workforce Adaptability. We must help our people to adapt to change, take on better jobs − both new and existing jobs − and build new careers we are creating for them in our future economy.
Last year, WSG, together with NTUC e2i, the Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF) and our tripartite partners, we helped more than 20,000 jobseekers to secure jobs. This is an increase of about 15%. The profile of jobseekers we assisted is inclusive – young and old.
About 30% were above age 50. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh may be pleased to note that about 45% were in their 20s and 30s. Likewise, we helped workers who are employed, unemployed and long-term unemployed. Among the unemployed, 40% of them who found jobs last year, were long-term unemployed.
Also, the split between PMETs and rank-and-file is about 50-50. So, it is a good mix. But a majority of jobseekers are what we call the missed match cases. They are ready for jobs. The jobs are suitable for them. It is just that they have yet to find each other. So, we help them to plan their careers, search for jobs, prepare their CVs for interviews, and more than 16,000 workers ─ what we call the missed match workers ─ found jobs successfully.
To help more jobseekers and employers to find each other, we will make better use of technology. We have improved the user friendliness of the National Jobs Bank to provide better search functions. I recall there was feedback given by Assoc Prof Randolph Tan last year.
Jobseekers are also better updated on their application status, a point raised by Mr Patrick Tay. As we have not mandated both the employers and jobseekers to inform us of successful job placements, I do not have the statistics that Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap asked for. In other words, the National Jobs Bank is a place for employers and workers to find each other. WSG and MOM are not in the loop, but we provide the platform for them to find each other. We have also piloted Virtual Career Fairs which are of a longer duration than the physical job fairs. It is also easier to access. Feedback has been positive.
Our next big move is to transform the entire National Jobs Bank into a one-stop non-stop online marketplace. It will enable various groups of jobseekers to search for what types of jobs they are looking for. For example, First Jobs for young graduates, Next Jobs for those in mid-career, and Next Careers for those changing profession.
We also linked up the online marketplace with the Individual Learning Portfolio portal to be launched by SSG so that we can provide seamless access between the two ─ from skills to jobs, from jobs to skills, as suggested by Mr Patrick Tay as well as Mr Desmond Choo during the Budget Debate.
These major enhancements will be rolled out progressively this year. We will keep enhancing the online marketplace facilities, including the useful suggestions by Mr Patrick Tay.
Besides using technology to widen our outreach to more jobs and more jobseekers, we will also expand the channels of job-matching services through closer collaboration with private sector employment agencies. Having explored with leading employment agencies, both locally and overseas, we are now ready to partner two leading employment agencies which have been working with the government agencies in the UK and Australia. They were selected because of their business focus on active jobseekers, meaning these are the workers who are actively looking for jobs, rather than passive jobseekers where the jobs are looking for the workers. We will partner them to help place PMETs who are made redundant and those unemployed for three months or more, and will launch this new partnership in the second quarter of this year.
Madam, as we gear up to serve more of these missed match cases, we will also do more to reduce mismatches in our job market. Last year, the number of missed match cases has increased from 14,500 to about 16,000, an increase of about 10%. However, the number of mismatch cases has increased even faster, from 3,000 to almost 5,000, an increase of more than 60%. Even though the current split between missed matches and mismatches is about 75:25, we expect to see a continued shift towards more mismatches in the future.
Madam, I share the concerns of Mr Patrick Tay, Ms Jessica Tan, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Mr Desmond Choo and Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. Structural unemployment is sticky and harder to solve. So, it is better that we act faster and act more proactively. Last year, at the COS, we introduced the Adapt and Grow initiative to help PMETs who need the extra help in overcoming these missed matches. This year, we are enhancing the Adapt and Grow initiative again.
Let me explain why. As we support businesses to transform and grow faster, more old jobs will be destroyed, more new jobs will be created, and more existing jobs will be recreated. This has implications for our workers.
In the past, we strived for lifelong employment for our workers. One career, one employer for life. Today, with keener and stronger competition, instead of lifelong employment, one career, one employer for life, we now have lifelong career. One career but with many different employers throughout our working life.
In the future, lifelong career will go, too, giving way to what I call lifelong re-employability, meaning not just many employers, but also many careers in our lifetime. Each time, when we move from one career to another career, we will have to learn new skills, adapt to new environment, to regain our employability time and time again. That is why we call it re-employability. Therefore, we can expect to see more PMET jobseekers facing three growing mismatches in future: job mismatch, skill mismatch and wage mismatch.
First, job mismatch. Last year, we launched 36 new PCPs to help more than 1,000 PMETs to switch careers and to take on job openings in those sectors that are still growing and hiring.
One of the new PCPs is for data analytics. One company, as they moved on into smart manufacturing, they created new roles, such as data analytics. But at the same time, some of the existing jobs and staff were at risk of being let go. Instead of retrenchment, WSG, the company and a training provider, worked together to retrain these redundant workers who are mostly more than 40 years old. Building on their domain expertise, they are now leading projects using their new skills in data analytics. In other words, with professional conversion, these PMETs have moved into an emerging area with potential for career growth. In fact, they can look forward to becoming data scientists and programme managers one day.
Madam, currently, a majority of the jobs offered by employers for PCPs are entry-level positions. This is a point that several Members have raised. Mr Chong Kee Hiong may be pleased to know that the PCP participants, not all of them, wait till they are unemployed before they join PCP. In fact, about half, or maybe even more than half of them, are still in employment. I believe they are what the Secretary-General of the NTUC called \"the future retrenched\". These PCP participants, they are actually in employment today, but still they have decided to take up PCP to convert into their new professions. Why? Because when they look at where they are today, either they feel that they could be at risk of being retrenched in the future, made redundant in the future, or maybe the new career can offer them better growth prospects. So, I want to assure this House that for PCP, we are targeting at both the redundant workers of today, as well as the redundant workers of tomorrow, to help them take on careers of the future. These are the concerns raised by Mr Patrick Tay, Dr Intan Mokhtar, Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.
To encourage employers to offer more PCP jobs at the mid-level, we will raise the entry support caps from $2,000 currently to $4,000. What this means is that, under PCP, since we support 70% of the wages, at $4,000, we will be able to support PCP jobs with a salary of up to $5,700. Employers pay $1,700, we pay $4,000. Together, we can fund mid-level jobs of up to $5,700.
Mature PMETs, who are more than 40 years old, or the long-term unemployed for more than six months, they will continue to receive higher support, an increase from today's $4,000 to $6,000. For them, the wage support is 90%. So, at $6,000, we will be able to support PCP jobs of a salary of up to $6,700. With these enhancements, for a PCP of six months conversion period, we are able to support up to $24,000 worth of salary.
For mature PMETs or those who are long-term unemployed, salary support can be up to $36,000. This is on top of the training subsidies of an average of $9,000 for a six-month PCP.
Madam, the second mismatch is skills mismatch. To equip PMETs with the new skills needed for the future and ensure that they are able to put the new skills to good use, we have all along been adopting Place and Train, that is, place first and train later approach for PCP, and this has worked well up to now.
But we now face a new bottleneck because during this period of economic transition, the pace of hiring is slower, as I mentioned earlier. Even though there is a demand for manpower to meet future needs but, in some sectors, companies are holding back hiring due to business uncertainty in the immediate term. This poses a problem for both the jobseekers and the employers because training for conversion takes time. So, precious time is wasted if we have to wait until the employers are ready to hire before we start skills conversion, a point echoed by Assoc Prof Randolph Tan.
To overcome this, we will introduce Attach and Train to convert PMETs ahead of job placement. I just want to clarify one point made by Assoc Prof Randolph Tan, which is that Attach and Train is not targeted at companies. The Attach and Train is targeted at industries. In other words, we do not choose companies to support, but we choose industries to train these PMETs ahead of job placement for the industry.
Ms Thanaletchimi asked about payment for trainees on the Attach and Train programme. We will provide them with training allowances, which are about 50% to 70% of prevailing salaries for the jobs they are being trained for. This will be capped at $4,000 per month, in lieu of salary grants that we pay to the employers. Since there is no employer, so we do not pay wage support to the employers but, instead, we pay these training allowances to the PCP trainees.
To lower the risk of non-placement, trainees are attached to companies as an integral part of the conversion process. In other words, they do not just attend classroom training. In fact, they have to be attached to companies, equivalent to working in a real-life environment, to learn the conversion in a real-life environment. This is to familiarise them with their new jobs and new workplace, so that they will be more job-ready when companies are ready to hire them.
To minimise potential abuse by employers, we will select a few sectors to start with and manage the programmes closely with our industry partners. So, it is not a programme for all sectors but only for selected sectors.
How do we go about selecting these sectors? The criteria are the outlook for sector growth must be promising; industry leaders must be committed to help select and place trainees and rally the support of the industry members; they must also be committed to jointly spearhead industry transformation and manpower development for their respective sectors.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong and Ms Jessica Tan asked which sectors will pilot the Attach and Train programme. We are looking at the logistics sector because it is one of the key growth sectors identified by CFE. At the same time, the sector has in place a professional conversion facility known as SCALA, and the interest from PMETs is high. In fact, when SCALA conducted their first PCP course, they had 80 training places, but they received 250 applications. But at that time, there were only 43 jobs from 14 companies and, as a result, 37 of the PCP places were wasted.
With the introduction of Attach and Train, we will be able to take in more PMETs for future courses, train them, attach them to potential employers, help them to be more job-ready when companies are ready to hire them.
Ms Jessica Tan asked about the progress of various Sectoral Manpower Plans (SMPs) and support for the respective ITMs. Madam, to meet the manpower needs of the industry and employment needs of our workers, we translate the individual ITMs into skills framework − defining the jobs, career paths and skills requirements − and we follow up with our industry partners with programmes, such as the PCP, CSP, Career Fair as well as the Attach and Train programme, with the logistics industry. More will be done as and when more ITMs are launched.
Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about support for the SMEs and the various sectors, such as construction. Yes, likewise, we will do the same.
Other potential industries for the Attach and Train include infocomm. We are looking at IT system administrator − apparently there is a shortage of them. We are also looking at healthcare, in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH), and also biologics, which is a new growth sector in manufacturing. We will also partner NTUC to help more workers to migrate into future growth sectors, something that the Secretary-General of NTUC is most passionate about.
Third, wage mismatch. To encourage employers to hire mid-career PMETs, we provide wage support through CSP. Assoc Prof Randolph Tan asked why the need to subsidise wages. Madam, these mature PMETs may have the expertise and experience, but the match may not be 100%. By reducing wage cut for the affected PMETs and reducing wage costs for the employers, during this transitional period for up to one year, we hope to bring more of them together for both sides to know each other better, so that they can continue employment without our wage support after the transitional period.
Ms Sim Lay Koon was previously a finance manager. She left her job in mid-2015 due to job misfit. The job search took longer than expected, so she took the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certification while looking for a job. Finally, she came to NTUC-e2i. With the help of CSP, her new employer was prepared to give her a chance and to try her out in a role which is slightly bigger and different from what she used to do in her previous job. She is now a senior accounts associate doing accounting for the SME clients. Ms Sim used to be doing accounts for her own company but now, in her new job, she is doing accounts for the SME clients. It is something different but, with the support of CSP, both sides were prepared to have a go and, so far, things have worked out well. In fact, the new employer is so supportive of her that her employer would grant her a half-day time-off every week for her to complete her final ACCA module.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked for the progress of CSP. Madam, so far, more than 300 have benefited from the programme. To help more PMETs affected by redundancy, especially those who are long-term unemployed (LTU), a point raised by Dr Intan Mokhtar and Mr Patrick Tay, this year, we will enhance our support for three groups of PMETs. First, the mature PMETs who are unemployed and have been actively looking for jobs for more than one year. They are not just LTU; they are longer-term unemployed.
Their employers will receive higher wage support and for a longer duration, up from 12 months to 18 months of 50% of wage support for the first six months; 30% for the second six months; and 20% for the last six months. In total, the wage support can be as high as $42,000 over 18 months for the employers. Second, PMETs aged 40-49, who are made redundant or unemployed for six months, will now get the same level of support as those PMETs aged 50 and above. Currently, those aged 40-49 receive a lower level of support compared to those who are aged 50 and above. We have decided to combine the two groups. Now, those aged 40-49 will receive the same level of support as those who are more than 50 years old.
What this means is that we will double our wage support for this group aged 40-49. For the first six months, we will increase it from 20% today to 40%; for the next six months, from 10% today to 20%. In total, we support up to $25,200 of wage support over one year for the employers.
Third, we will extend CSP to all PMETs who are unemployed for six months or more, regardless of their age, regardless of whether they were made redundant. In other words, younger PMETs who are in their 20s or 30s can now receive 20% of wage support for the first six months; 10% of wage support for the second six months; a total wage support of up to $12,600, even if they have not been made redundant. As long as they are LTU, they will qualify for CSP.
We will also enhance CSP to help match more PMETs to SMEs, a concern expressed by Miss Cheng Li Hui. The qualifying salary for CSP is currently set at $4,000. As mentioned by Mr Desmond Choo, the feedback from SMEs is that some may not be able to meet this qualifying salary, especially during this period of weaker growth. We, therefore, will lower salary threshold for SMEs, from $4,000 to $3,600. I want to emphasise that this is not to depress wages for the PMETs but to increase job opportunities, especially for the younger PMETs who are LTU. We will also allow the hiring of PMETs for overseas job assignments, as long as the employees meet the criteria of CSP.
Madam, we are also enhancing support for the rank-and-file workers facing job expectations mismatch. For those having greater difficulty finding jobs, we believe it is useful for them to try out the jobs and employers before taking up the jobs. Likewise, employers want to try out the jobseekers, too, before they are ready to make the offer for employment.
SDB Solutions is a company that specialises in digitising and archiving hardcopy documents. The work requires patience, precision and attention to details, and they find it challenging to find workers of the right fit. Under the Work Trial programme, they tried out five jobseekers for two weeks, and three of them decided to continue with the job.
One of them is Heidi. She stopped work for 11 years to raise her children and she was not sure whether she can do the job. After the two weeks of work trial, it turned out to be a good fit. In fact, the company, SDB Solutions, is so happy that it is now offering three more Work Trial places under the programme.
Dr Intan Mokhtar will be happy to note that to help more LTU rank-and-file workers to return to work, especially the lower-skilled and lower-wage workers, we have decided to extend the current 80 hours, or two weeks, of work trial to as long as three months, with an allowance of up to $1,200 per month.
During or at the end of the work trial, if the employers offer employment to these rank-and-file workers who have been unemployed for more than one year, we will provide wage support of 30%, capped at $600, for the first six months of employment. In other words, those who are LTU workers for one year or more, we put them on a work trial, we support them up to three months, and during or at the end of the attachment, if the employer offers him or her the employment, we will subsidise the wages of 30%, up to $600 for the first six months. The whole purpose is to help as many of our LTU workers to go back to work and, hopefully, stay on the job.
These workers will also get an additional incentive payment of $1,000 for staying in the job for at least six months. To support inclusiveness at our workplaces, this enhanced Work Trial also supports Persons-with-Disabilities (PwDs).
Madam, we will also support the Returnship Programme proposed by NTUC and Mr Desmond Choo. We will partner NTUC to tap on the various support schemes under Adapt and Grow to support this Returnship Programme.
Madam, I wish to emphasise that the key factor determining the success of Adapt and Grow is not how much money we put in to help our jobseekers and employers but rather it depends a lot on how much our jobseekers are prepared to adapt and grow, and how much our employers are prepared to be fair and inclusive.
Members shared during the Budget Debate some unhappy cases where jobseekers did not succeed in finding jobs. They asked, what went wrong? Madam, no matter how hard we try, how much passion and commitment we put in, still we are unable to succeed in helping every jobseeker to find a job. For the rank-and-file workers, our success rate currently is about 70%. For PMETs, it is about 60%.
One of our unsuccessful rank-and-file cases is Mr A. He left his job as a logistics assistant due to differences with his boss. He had specific expectations in his job search − it must be within four bus stops from where he lives; work only from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. He demanded that the career coach must arrange at least two job interviews every week for him until he found a suitable job. And he refused our help to improve his resume and interview skills. With his unrealistic expectations, uncooperative and demanding attitude, we have not been able to help him to secure any job. We have not given up on him, even though he has been uncontactable for six months.
In contrast, Ms B, 50 years old, is a successful rank-and-file case. She is a single-income parent supporting two children and an elderly mother. She has a brain tumour, but under control. She left her previous job as a property consultant and approached our career centre after 10 months of unsuccessful job search. She needs to work near her home and end work at 5.00 pm every day due to family responsibilities. She wanted to join the healthcare sector. So, with advice from her career coach, she took up the WSQ Higher Certificate in Healthcare Support. She had financial problems. Tough.
The Chairman:\tIt is okay, Minister, take your time.
Mr Lim Swee Say: We helped her with transport cost so that she can attend the course. She missed a few modules when she fell ill, but she persevered to complete the course. Because of her determination and willingness to learn and improve herself, today, she is working as a Clinic Assistant.
We have mixed outcomes with PMET jobseekers, too. Ms C is highly-qualified, with 10 years of experience in banking and finance. She told her career coach what she wanted. It must be senior management position in investment banking, minimum pay of $10,000. But she was unreceptive to advice to enhance her resume and improve on her interview skills. When rejected by potential employers, she demanded that the employers must share with her the resumes of the successful candidates to verify that they were actually more qualified than her. She even verbally abused our staff on several occasions. For the current status of such a case, it is \"no successful outcome\".
On a positive note, Mr D, 47, is a successful PMET case. He worked for more than 20 years as a plant manager. He spent the last 10 years based in China. He lost his job when the factory closed down. And the last time he looked for a job, it was more than 10 years ago. He did not know how best to search for jobs, so he sent out his resume blindly to 70 companies. Five companies responded but all unsuccessful.
After eight months, he approached WSG career centre. Our career coach helped him discover his strengths and teach him how to market his strengths to the potential employers. We helped him to improve his resume to better reflect his capabilities and experience. He attended career fairs and walk-in interviews whenever there were opportunities. With the support of CSP, he secured a job as a production manager without having to suffer any wage cut. We are happy for him.
Madam, when a jobseeker succeeds in securing a job with the help of our career coach, we do not claim full credit. It is the result of good teamwork between the jobseeker and career coach. Likewise, when the outcomes are negative, please do not put all the blame on our career coaches. Please remember this is a joint responsibility, and we can only help those who want to help themselves.
Every time I talk to our career coaches at WSG and e2i − we have about 120 of them − I am struck by their competence, passion and dedication. They are certified career development facilitators, with skills in group facilitation, basic counselling, emotional support, use of psychometric and career-matching tools. They also have to keep themselves abreast of industry, jobs and career trends. Most of all, their hearts are in the right place.
Senior Career Coach Cheng Hing Nan can feel the pain and anxiety of jobseekers because he himself was retrenched before. One client, Mr Wong, was an LTU whose previous salary was more than $10,000. Career Coach Hing Nan knew Mr Wong was under immense stress and had low morale. So, he focused on the emotional well-being of Mr Wong. He stayed in constant touch with him, checked on his family, helped him with industry research and also prepared him for interviews. After six months of teamwork, Mr Wong found a job as a project manager with a local research facility.
Madam, serving people who have lost their jobs and careers is never easy. It requires us to be sensitive and responsive. As Mr Patrick Tay mentioned, we have to adopt a case approach, a very personal approach. I salute our career coaches at WSG, e2i and our Career Centres for their passion, professionalism and their perseverance in serving our jobseekers one to one, one by one, day after day, with their heads and hearts. I urge them to press on because our work is never done.
Madam, with the slowdown in our workforce growth from 2%, 3% of the past to just 1% in future, we have to value every worker even more, young and old, PMETs and rank-and-file, local and foreign. We need to strengthen the inclusiveness of our local workforce to strengthen our social cohesion. At the same time, we also need to enhance the complementarity of our local and foreign workforce to enhance our economic competitiveness, a point made by Mr Lee Yi Shyan.
Therefore, the third key we need to have is the key of inclusiveness and complementarity. My colleague Minister of State Sam Tan will address our support for mature workers, low-wage workers and workers who have caregiving responsibilities at home. I will share my thoughts on how we can manage better the inter-relationship between the local and foreign workforce in Singapore.
One third of our Singapore workforce today is foreign manpower. This is a permanent feature because we can never be self-sufficient in having enough local workers, both in number and diversity of expertise. Excluding foreign domestic workers (FDWs), we now have about 1.2 million foreign workers. Are they here to complement us, or to compete against us? Forty percent, or about 450,000, of them take on labour-intensive jobs − construction, marine, process sectors – demanding jobs few locals want to do.
For example, in the construction sector, they build our HDB flats, roads, Mass Rapid Transit networks and other amenities to make Singapore more liveable. Forty-five percent, about half a million, of them do jobs that locals want to do, too. But we do not have enough locals to do all these jobs. For example, PMETs − nurses, engineers, technicians; rank and file − cleaners, drivers, service staff.
For example, integrated circuit (IC) design is a highly specialised profession. It requires minimally a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and half of them have postgraduate qualifications in IC design and microelectronics. We have such local engineers in Singapore. But we do not have enough of them. Given the global shortage for such talent, having foreign IC Design Engineers here is a plus for us. They help us to support the growth of our industry and thereby create more such good jobs for Singaporeans. Of course, we will continue to strengthen our Singaporean Core through MOE's Singapore Industry Scholarship and EDB's Industrial Postgraduate Programme.
Of the remaining 15%, those in global headquarters help bring jobs to Singapore. Global companies can locate their global headquarters anywhere in the world. Having them here is good for our Singaporeans because for every three foreigners in our headquarters workforce, headquarters operations, there are about seven locals. So, three versus seven. They also give Singaporeans more opportunities to be exposed to new job functions, international working environment and global best practices. Those in info-communications help to bring technical skills to Singapore. There are about more than 100 skills clusters that can be found in the info-communications industry in Singapore. Foreigners are stronger in some of these skills clusters than our locals, and likewise our locals are stronger in some of these skills clusters compared to the foreigners. Therefore, together, they make us more globally competitive.
On the whole, most of the foreigners working in Singapore do complement our local workforce rather than substitute our locals. Why then this persistent view that foreigners are here to take away our jobs? I believe one reason is \"pockets of concentration\". Because in some companies, some segments of industries, some locations, the employers have not given fair consideration to the recruitment and development of our local manpower. What they have done is wrong, so we are taking actions against them, subject them to closer scrutiny.
Last year, I announced the implementation of a Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) Watchlist. Mr Patrick Tay, Ms Jessica Tan, Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim asked for an update on the FCF watchlist. Madam, it started with 100 companies, the list has grown to 250 as at the end of last month. They come from various industries − ICT, professional services, financial and insurance activities, amongst others.
Once placed on the FCF Watchlist, TAFEP guides them to improve their employment practices over a period of six months. Some have responded positively. They stepped up local recruitment with the help of WSG and NTUC-e2i. They collaborate with IHLs on the recruitment of new graduates. They put in place inhouse programmes to groom our local talents and they facilitate know-how transfer to our locals. Collectively, these firms hired 800 more Singaporean PMEs since being placed on our watchlist. If they continue to improve and adopt fair and progressive practices, they can progressively be removed from the watchlist. However, about 50 of them have not been receptive or cooperative. We have not seen enough improvement after six months of engagement with them.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat suggested that TAFEP be given more teeth. Indeed, we are working towards that. At the recommendation of TAFEP, more than 500 EP applications from these 50 employers have been rejected by MOM or withdrawn by the companies. We will continue to curtail their work pass privileges until they improve.
Madam, the FCF watchlist is a negative measure taken against \"unfair\" employers who are just a small minority of firms in Singapore. I want to emphasise that the vast majority of the employers are treating our locals fairly. We hope our action against these unfair employers will help reshape the local-foreign mindset for the better, from one of \"2/3 versus 1/3\" towards one of \"2/3 and 1/3\".
As we move into the future economy, we need to go another step further, not just \"2/3 versus 1/3\" to \"2/3 and 1/3\", but towards a new mindset of \"2/3 plus 1/3\" can be bigger than one.
This will take time. We are starting small with a select group of employers and their employees. Last month, we launched the Human Capital Partnership programme with 74 employers employing about 100,000 Singaporeans. They come from different industries, from manufacturing to services, export-oriented and domestic bound, hi-tech and hi-touch. They also belong to different types of enterprises − local enterprises and MNCs, Government-linked companies (GLCs) and SMEs, business enterprises and social enterprises. They are very different enterprises, but they all share three same commitments.
Mr Chong Kee Hiong asked what are the criteria. The criteria are that they must share three same commitments as everybody else. The first is the commitment to strengthen the Singaporean Core by nurturing the \"2/3\"; second, strengthen the complementarity between local and foreign employees by forging a workplace culture of \"2/3\" and \"1/3\", not \"2/3\" versus \"1/3\"; and thirdly, strengthening know-how transfer adopting the mindset of \"2/3 + 1/3>1\" to groom our promising local executives into regional and global executives, or what I call, the Glocal talent, for short. This can be supported under the SkillsFuture Leadership Development initiative, a point made by Mr Low Thia Khiang.
One example of PCP is Applied Materials. Yvonne Lee joined the company eight years ago. She and our local pioneer team learned from four foreign experts. They were also sent overseas for training exposure. Today, in what is a traditionally male-dominated environment, Yvonne is now a Senior Manufacturing Director, leading a team of more than 300. They are based in Singapore and Austin, Texas. So, the development of local talents has made the Singapore facility the global facility for a major series of equipment in Applied Materials.
Madam, to facilitate the growth of progressive employers in Singapore, we will provide our Human Capital Partnership (HCP) programme partners with \"Fast Lane\" access to our development schemes and services ranging from Transform and Grow to Adapt and Grow and SkillsFuture and from Earn and Learn, all the way to Leadership Development. They also have hotline access to MOM. With the FCF Watchlist and HCP now in place, henceforth, we will adopt a differentiated approach in our engagement of companies. \"Fast Lane\" for HCP who are progressive employers with the mindset of \"2/3 + 1/3>1\"; \"Normal Lane\" for the majority who are fair employers with the mindset of \"2/3 and 1/3\"; and the \"Slow Lane\" for FCF Watchlist companies. They are employers who engage in unfair HR practices with the mindset of \"2/3 versus 1/3\".
This will send a clear message to all employers that foreign manpower is and will always be an integral part of our Singapore workforce. However, we do expect and require all employers to give fair consideration to the recruitment and development of our local manpower. This is not only the right thing to do for our people, but also the right thing to do for businesses for both to grow better in the future economy.
Madam, last but not least, the fourth key we need to have for a better future is the key of Fair and Progressive Workplaces for all workers. Over the years, we have made major changes to our labour laws to cover more workers. Last year, Parliament passed the Employment Claims Act in August to resolve salary-related disputes, both statutory and contractual. This is especially helpful for PMEs who are not covered by the EA and have no access to the Labour Court, a point made by Mr Patrick Tay.
Last year, we also announced the setting up of the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) to mediate the ECT claims, so that only the unsuccessful cases need to be heard at the ECT. I am happy to confirm that ECT and TADM will start operations as scheduled, on 1 April this year.
I am also happy to share with the House that we have started a pilot since September last year to offer voluntary mediation for disputes that are outside the scope of ECT. We have tried out 50 cases so far involving disputes over termination, training bonds and so on. We are encouraged that 80% of the cases were resolved successfully. We will build on this early success and progressively broaden the scope of services at TADM, again, a point made by Mr Patrick Tay.
TADM will also work with Law Society of Singapore to provide access to legal clinics. Where skills upgrading or new employment is needed, TADM will partner WSG and e2i to help. For those who require help with financial or socio-emotional issues, TADM will link them up with Social Service Offices and Family Service Centres respectively. They can also find out more about services provided by the unions at TADM.
Last but not least, TADM will also operate a short-term relief fund to provide quick relief to local low-wage workers who are owed salary by employers in financial difficulties or business failure.
Madam, the setting up of ECT and TADM are major steps forward in strengthening our employment protection framework. And yet at the same time, more need to be done
In our future economy, we will see higher proportion of PMETs; at the same time, rank-and-file workers will also become more skilful and professional. So, the line between PMETs and rank-and-file will become less distinct in the future economy.
As the employment profile of our workforce continues to evolve, our current framework of employment protection and workplace practices will need to evolve, too. Not just the EA, the Industrial Relations Act and Trade Unions Act, which we will continue to review, but also tripartite mechanisms.
Mr Patrick Tay has made several suggestions to review our employment legislation. These are important to the unions. At the same time, employers may have their concerns and reservations, too. We need to find the right balance and this is best done through tripartite consultations. So, we will follow up with the suggestions made by Mr Patrick Tay and to engage NTUC and SNEF together to find a way forward.
Today, on one hand, we mandate basic workplace practices through laws and supplement them with tripartite guidelines. Failure to comply can result in action by MOM. One example is the Retirement and Re-employment Act, and the Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees. Employers must comply when making Employment Assistance Payment (EAP). Failing to do so can result in MOM taking actions against the employer.
On the other hand, we promote and encourage progressive work practices through tripartite advisories, for example, The Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment. It recommends companies to develop a harassment prevention policy on a voluntary basis.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked to mandate retrenchment benefits. Mr Patrick Tay also asked whether we can make it more certain for employees to be entitled to retrenchment benefits. Madam, as Mr Lim Biow Chuan said, I have explained the tripartite position in my reply to the Parliamentary Question by Ms Thanaletchimi just last month. The current approach, we believe, is a balanced one. Of course, we will keep updating it but, right now, we think it is a balanced one.
One limitation of our current approach is that there is a gap between the two: law and guidelines for compliance; and advisories for voluntary adoption. Workers do not know exactly which employers are committed to adopt which progressive workplace practices. Likewise, progressive employers are not able to differentiate themselves and be known as fair and progressive employers to better attract talent.
The tripartite partners, therefore, decided to introduce what will be known as Tripartite Standards to complement the existing employment laws, tripartite guidelines and advisories. Each standard will specify a set of progressive practices that are verifiable and can also be sector-specific. For example, we can have a tripartite standard on FWAs or we can have one that specifies working arrangements in a specific sector like the media sector.
Employers can then make public their adoption of the standards through the Jobs Bank and TAFEP website. Jobseekers would be able to identify these companies as employers of choice. The first series of tripartite standards will be launched by the end of the year. More details will be available then.
Taken together, laws, guidelines and standard advisories will form a comprehensive map to help employers build fair and progressive workplaces.
Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about discrimination against NSmen. This is against the Ministry of Defence Enlistment Act. If Members know of any specific cases, they may refer them to TAFEP for investigation. Madam, before I conclude, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Many workers are worried. Those currently employed worry about losing their jobs, while the unemployed worry about when they can find a job. I can totally relate to how they feel. This is because economic growth has been lower than previous years, while retrenchment figures have been higher than before, and the unemployment rate has gone up.
Therefore, when we talk about the new direction for future economic development, it is inevitable that people would have questions in their minds. They wonder if job prospects would be more uncertain in the future and if there will be less job security. Entrepreneurs in Singapore are also wondering, with so many difficulties in getting customers and workers, will it become increasingly difficult to conduct businesses and manufacturing operations?
I can assure our people that what we are trying to achieve for our nation and companies is not a slowing economy and employment market. On the contrary, through economic transformation, we want to strive for better business opportunities, better jobs, better prospects in the future economy and a better employment market.
In this fast-changing globalised economy, competition is stiff and survival hinges on creativity and innovation. To succeed and thrive, workers and companies must be highly-skilled and utilise technology fully.
At the outset, it seems that utilising technology would reduce demand for workers, hence, it is not good for them. In fact, however, if we are able to adopt and make use of technology faster than other countries and companies to enhance our competitiveness, technology can improve how we work and help us do more and do better, then more and better opportunities will come to Singapore. All these will benefit our people as they enjoy better job opportunities and our SMEs will have even more opportunities and more room for development.
We all know that success does not come easily. If we run too slowly, we might lose our competitiveness. If we run too fast, some businesses and workers might lag behind. Therefore, we must be decisive and united, support one another and move forward together. The tripartite partners will do their best to help workers upgrade their skills, adopt technology, adjust to new jobs constantly and do well in their new career. We are also committed to help SMEs transform themselves, streamline manpower and maximise the usage of resources, so as to bring value-for-money products and services to both domestic and export markets more quickly.
When it comes to economic transformation, Singapore has never failed. Be it now or in the future, we will continue to be successful. I, therefore, urge everyone to be confident and to have faith in the future. Let us work together to strive for better jobs for our workers, better markets for businesses and a better future for our people.
(In English): Madam, it was dark at night. A man was looking for something under a bright lamp post. A passerby asked: \"Are you looking for something?\" He said, \"Yes, I am looking for my key.\" \"How big is your key?\" \"This big.\" \"Oh, that should be easy to find.\" So, the passerby joined in the search. After five minutes, they found nothing. \"Are you sure the key is this big?\" He said, \"Yes.\" \"Are you sure you lost it here?\" \"No, no, no, over there, in the bushes.\" \"Then, why are we searching for your key here?\" \"Because it is too dark over there.\" \"It's brighter, it's easier to search here.\"
Madam, many countries today face the problem of failure: problem with high and sticky unemployment, problem with wage stagnation. What we face is different. Not a problem of failure but challenges of success. How to sustain wage growth? How to sustain full employment?
We got here because we did not take the easy way out: searching for lost key at the wrong place. We had the courage to restructure when needed, continuously. Most of all, we got here because our tripartite partnership is strong and our workers, our businesses, our people, they are good. So, working in unity, we are pro-worker, we are pro-business because, if one is weak, the others cannot be strong. The two are either mutually reinforcing, like what we have here in Singapore, or mutually weakening, like what we see elsewhere.
The mutual support we give to one another, the mutual trust we have built and earned with our people, workers, unions and our businesses has enabled us to emerge from every economic downturn, from every economic restructuring, not weaker, but stronger.
We are not the only one trying to unlock the door to a future of good jobs and better careers, a future of fair and progressive workplaces. Many countries are searching for keys, too, but not many have succeeded. Some may have found one out of four, two out of four or even three out of four, but not four out of four. At least not yet. So, maybe these four keys are simply not there in the bushes in the first place. This is why instead of joining in the search for keys, whether in dark bushes or under a bright lamp post, we have always made our own keys to create our own future, the Singapore Tripartite Way.
Madam, guided by the seven strategies outlined by CFE, our tripartite partners, both at the national and sectoral levels, are working together to implement all the ITMs. Together, we can help our businesses to transform and create quality jobs, help our people to adapt to new jobs, make our local workforce more inclusive while strengthening the complementarity in our local-foreign workforce and, lastly, enhance our employment protection framework for a fair and progressive workplace. So, these are the four keys to a future of better careers for all.
We know what we need to do and we are working in unity to get there ahead of all the others. So, please have confidence in ourselves, in one another and in our future. Let us transform and grow together to create growth in our economy, adapt and grow together to create good jobs, better careers for all our people to live a better life. On that note, thank you. [Applause.]
The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member): First, I want to thank the Minister for the stories that resonate with us. Madam, let me recount a forum theatre performance that I did in an outdoor space.
It was created and performed by migrant workers. The protagonist, a migrant worker, knelt in front of his supervisor pleading not to be sent home because of a small injury.
In forum theatre, the audience would come up to enact solutions. A member of the audience, who is also a migrant worker, wanted to offer his. He came up. Then he knelt down and pleaded for forgiveness, which was the same as what happened in the original play. Then, this migrant worker told his own story, the same story, and then he broke down on stage.
Foreign workers experience displacement that comes with high risk of life derailment. They come here to provide for their families and in the course of it, they also contribute to Singapore. Many achieved their aims of a better life, but for no small numbers, things turned out badly. The derailment they suffer is quite often very severe because of two reasons.
First, the sunk cost of getting a job here. A foreign construction worker looking for his first job in Singapore typically pays about S$15,000 as recruitment costs, a result of recruitment channels placed in the hands of the few who go out to maximise profits. When basic salaries are around $600 a month, no workers can expect to save enough during the 12 months' duration of a typical Work Permit to recover this sum.
He desperately hopes that the Work Permit will be renewed for a few years. Since he must avoid doing anything to jeopardise his job or displease his boss, the power relationship is severely distorted against the worker. Even when bosses do not pay salaries for months, he may feel unable to protest too much or lodge complaints.
This is where the second factor comes into play. Work Permit holders cannot seek alternative employment in Singapore without first being repatriated. But if a worker lodges a complaint against his non-paying employer and loses his job, he will be sent home. Then, if he wants another job, he has to pay an agent thousands of dollars again.
MOM has said \"Change of Employer\" permission were granted to 2,200 workers in the last three years. But this is only a fraction of the salary complaints workers have raised which, at 4,500 per year, would be 13,500 over the last three years. In any case, no worker contemplating lodging a complaint over salary non-payment will feel secure by relying on mere assurance of discretionary considerations. In view of this, I would urge the Ministry to review the policy requiring workers to be repatriated once an employer terminates the job.
I also urge the Ministry to look at ways to eliminate recruitment costs to workers. I understand the South Korean government has, since 2004, begun operating a system that caps costs to workers to well under US$2,000, for contracts of up to five years. It may be a model worth looking at.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Salary disputes between domestic workers and their employers often arise because there is no record to prove whether payments were made correctly.
While local employment agencies are only allowed to collect a maximum of two months' salary as placement fees, domestic workers often have salary deductions that exceed this limit. These excessive deductions are often characterised as loan repayments for agency fees incurred in the worker's home country. But the lack of any records makes it difficult to determine if these deductions are legitimate.
Electronic payments would help authorities to determine if workers are paid correctly and punctually and begin to throw some light on this problem of excessive salary deductions. The Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) has announced its intentions to push for electronic payment by General Interbank Recurring Order (GIRO) or bank transfer for domestic employees, which has also been welcomed by the Association for Employment Agencies. Can the Ministry share if there any plans to work with these two organisations in the implementation of such a scheme?
The Chairman: Minister of State Teo Ser Luck.
The Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Teo Ser Luck):\tMdm Chairman, with your permission, may I display some slides on the LED screen?
The Chairman:\tYes, please. [Some slides were shown to hon Members.]
Mr Teo Ser Luck: Minister Lim Swee Say mentioned the importance of strengthening the bridge of innovation so that more companies can transform and grow and successfully cross both the technology gate and market gate. Companies which can do so will be better placed to tap on growth opportunities, contribute to our economic growth and create more quality jobs for our workers.
Since its start in October 2015, when Minister Lim launched the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme (LEDS), to end-January 2017, LEDS had been \"playing this bridge\", the bridge of innovation. To date, 2,100 companies have signed up with LEDS and we are helping them to take steps to cross, especially the technology gate towards the market gate.
The vast majority, close to 90%, of the 2,100 companies were helped by some form of digitisation or technology adoption or, for some, it is just simply outsourcing. This is how we are helping SMEs to go digital. It is not just the companies that have benefited from this, but workers have also benefited from improved productivity and technology adoption.
Based on our analysis, nearly 10,000 good jobs are expected to be created by firms supported by SPRING under LEDS. For a scheme that has been about one year old so far, there is an average of 18% wage increase for those whose roles were redesigned or upgraded through LEDS projects supported by NTUC-e2i.
I agree with Mr Chong Kee Hiong that success stories should be shared so that we can encourage more companies to come on board. Let me just share an example of how LEDS helped a small SME to benefit from LEDS. The example is \"The Singapore Curry by Velu\", a restaurant, a very small SME, implemented a very simple software solution to help them so that they can become less reliant on manpower.
Before the change, service crew either memorised or took down orders on paper, which is quite common if you go to some of the merchant shops or even the small restaurants. With over 100 items on the menu, this conventional method was unproductive and also prone to errors as some orders were missed out and this affected customer service standards. It was obvious that the restaurant needed some change.
With support from NTUC-e2i and WSG, it introduced an integrated system to link up the ordering system with the point-of-sale (POS) system and the kitchen processing system. So, orders are now taken using tablets that relay the orders to the kitchen electronically, the service crew no longer need to memorise the orders or rush to the kitchen to relay the orders before they forget, and no orders will be missed out.
As a result, the business operations are now smoother. The time taken from ordering to serving has been cut by 40%, table turnover is faster, customer satisfaction has increased and their customer base has expanded, too.
Technology has also transformed jobs for workers and, most importantly, it has also changed the mindsets of workers. Now, they treat technology as their co-worker and also as a friend instead of as a threat.
Let me give you an example − the same example − the service crew within the same restaurant, 65-year-old Mr Anwar Aziz Marican is one local worker who had benefited. As he is 65, he does not know technology nor how to use a tablet computer until this change. So, it is now easier for him to perform his service duties. He picked up the new skills, learning how to use technology, such as tablet computers. With greater confidence in using technology, he was also able to apply his newly acquired skills in his daily life, learning how to use the WhatsApp messenger to communicate with his grandchildren.
As Mr Anwar improved his productivity and enhanced his skills − he has a good employer − his employer increased his salary by about 16%. This example illustrates that when a company innovates and transforms to become more productive, jobs improve and the workers benefit as well through acquisition of new skills and higher wages. It is a win-win for both firms and workers.
Therefore, I fully support Mr Desmond Choo's very good suggestion to encourage firms which have received support for productivity improvement to share their gains with their workers, either in the form of higher wages or investment in their training.
For some, this is already happening. Under LEDS, NTUC-e2i has already built in a wage increase requirement for supported workers − the IGP. For all firms, whether under LEDS or not, subsidies, such as the substantial training subsidies and absentee payroll, are provided for companies to continue to invest in upgrading workers.
Mr Desmond Choo will be pleased to know that almost 1,100 SMEs were supported and 1,200 PMETs were placed under the P-Max programme in 2016. Nonetheless, we can do more to encourage productivity gains sharing. We will explore this with the LEDS Taskforce agencies in the coming year, and that will be our main focus.
Mr Desmond Choo and Ms Jessica Tan asked how we are continuing our efforts to help more companies transform. I have just described the benefits that can be derived or gained from a single company or a single enterprise transformation.
But this year, our objective, our focus will be to provide or to push out cluster solutions, as Minister Lim had mentioned, for groups of companies, cluster of companies, sectors and the industry. We want to make it as pervasive as possible.
We already have some examples. There were 30 preschool centres that have actually outsourced their backend kitchens to a single centralised kitchen and a solution. They have reduced manpower savings by 50%. But we can do more. We want to make sure that it is pervasive and nurture more industry cluster-based projects to create a viral effect in adopting some of the solutions, whether it is technology or just process redesign.
We will do this by supporting the development of \"cluster\" solutions that have been prequalified by IMDA and the sector agencies, such as SPRING Singapore, to be capable of driving productivity improvement, skills development and innovation across each industry. These include off-the-shelf technology and those solutions under the SMEs Go Digital Programme announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget speech. Let me share with Members two solutions prequalified by IMDA.
The first solution is the one that can be adopted at the individual company level that can also be scaled up for industry-wide adoption by multiple firms. This is the Biometrics Attendance Management System. It is very simple and is from a company called Intercorp Solutions. It uses highly precise facial biometric technology to capture and track real-time manpower utilisation, such as workers' attendance, working hours and productivity manhours spent onsite. It is a simple solution to use, off-the-shelf.
With this solution, companies no longer need to rely on the conventional way of tracking manpower utilisation onsite by marking workers' attendance manually. For smaller companies, they can actually self-register through the system. This reduces the administrative burden on the operational staff so that they can spend more time on other higher value jobs.
In addition, this management system allows users to generate detailed comprehensive graphical reports from the captured workforce data that they can use to enhance their operations. For example, project managers can use the reports to understand manpower utilisation onsite and improve the operational efficiency with better manpower planning and allocation.
This solution can also help workers avoid salary disputes on working hours as it can be customised to integrate with any third-party payroll software, ensuring seamless transference of working hours for the employers to compute the salary payment. I am pleased to share that 90 SMEs have adopted this solution.
The second solution is a shared-service solution that can be adopted by many manufacturing companies concurrently. It is an online B2B Industrial Excess Marketplace from Excess Inventory Guru Pte Ltd that provides a cloud-based platform for manufacturing companies to manage their online sale of excess inventory and automate some of their tedious and manual business operations.
For this year's economic climate, this may be an important software platform for many companies out there. With this solution, companies can expect to reduce their excess inventory holding from 30% to 15% and achieve manpower savings of 10% as fewer workers are required to conduct stocktaking of the excess inventory items.
This is a good solution that can help manufacturing companies save carrying costs and also help them achieve a leaner backend operation. Thirty-one SMEs are using this solution today. These are just two of many prequalified solutions that have proven effective. Currently, we have 71 solutions, some off-the-shelf, spread across 17 industries that we are going to push out and make pervasive.
Our objective is to accelerate adoption of these solutions, not just having one or two more companies doing this, but from \"Addition to Multiplication\", from individual firms to cluster- or industry-wide adoption.
We know that this is not an easy task. We need to have a lot of handholding and encouragement to encourage the companies to come forward. We are going to adopt a three-pronged approach: engagement, access and support for faster development.
First, engagement. Mr Chong Kee Hiong would be pleased to know that we will step up efforts to outreach through our network of 18 LEDS multipliers to reach out to more companies and industries. Roadshows will be organised, and more of them will be organised, for relevant prequalified solution providers to showcase their solutions to the companies.
The LEDS Taskforce will also work even closer with industries, especially those that have lesser companies applying to LEDS or undergoing the Lean Management Change. They can be in the hospitality, landscape and cleaning industries, which are those that we hope to encourage more to move up the productivity index. We will also work with the relevant agencies that are championing some of the other sectors to push out more solutions to the companies.
Second, we must continue to give companies ready access to all these prequalified solution providers. The spirit of LEDS is for \"One Stop Service\" because we will bring all of our schemes and grants between the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and MOM together. Companies which are willing to transform need only take the first step − approach any of the LEDS agencies or our LEDS partners, SME centres inclusive, or they can also approach NTUC-e2i and the TACs, and we will take them through this journey and link them up with these solution providers.
To accelerate adoption, we are prepared to grant the prequalified solution providers and the solutions that are provided by these companies, temporary manpower support under LEDS. We want to scale up and help to ramp up this solution towards the sector. We need to enable those companies that provide these solutions.
This flexibility in manpower will only be granted to solution providers who have demonstrated to us that they can scale up and, at the same time, there is demand for their solutions and that they have also considered Singaporeans for these job opportunities before we allow for such manpower flexibilities.
Mdm Chairman, as we strengthen the bridge of innovation, our target for 2017 is to support LEDS or to have more companies coming under LEDS, on top of the 2,100 companies that are already under the scheme. We are targeting at 2,400 companies this year alone and we want the sector to change, and we want it to be pervasive across all sectors. Our position is very simple – we hope that LEDS can not only transform a company but strengthen the sector as well, so that more quality jobs can be created.
Mdm Chairman, Minister Lim also spoke about foreign workers being an integral part of our Singapore workforce. They take on demanding jobs that few locals want to do and jobs where there is a shortage of local workers.
I agree with Mr Kok Heng Leun that we should ensure that our foreign workers are treated fairly and provided with good working conditions. Of course, it saddens me to hear such a story being related and we are continuously trying to tighten our process to make sure our migrant workers are protected. This would include ensuring that they have safe workplaces as well, and also that they receive their due salaries and get compensated if they are injured on their job.
For foreign workers with valid claims of salary non-payment, MOM will help them see through their claim and allow them to change employer and stay on in Singapore, even if their employer terminates their work pass. However, not all foreign workers want that, because sometimes when you talk to them, they may not want to change employers. They may just prefer to return home after their claim is resolved. So, we need to have a lot of consultation and work with the workers as well.
Mr Kok mentioned about the Korean system and the issues with recruitment cost. Our laws today already cap the costs that will be charged by the employment agencies to foreign workers to two months maximum or capped at two months of their salary. But we constantly learn from other countries and that will include the Korean system as well, and we will review and study it further.
I would like to stress that it is every employer's responsibility to ensure their workers are well taken care of, their workplaces are safe and also to prevent accidents. In the unfortunate event of an accident, employers must additionally take care of their injured workers, help them recover from their injuries and assist them to return to work quickly.
Foreign workers today receive compensation for work injuries under WICA. When applying for or renewing the work passes of their foreign workers, employers are required to provide insurance policy details to MOM. Moving forward, MOM will step up efforts to ensure that the policies remain valid throughout the worker's work duration in Singapore. We will also want to educate and reach out and remind employers on the need to maintain insurance coverage for their workers during their stay. We will partner the General Insurance Association of Singapore and the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd on this front.
Similarly, it is every employer's responsibility to ensure that salaries are paid on time. Where employers willfully refuse to comply with the law to pay the salaries due to their workers, MOM will take such employers to task. However, beyond punitive enforcement action against such employers, we should ensure that, in the meantime, foreign workers are provided with adequate assistance. In this case, my Ministry works closely with the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC). Foreign workers who approach MOM on housing or other subsistence issues will receive timely assistance from MOM and our partners like MWC. MWC has been helping foreign workers with various employment issues since 2009. Such assistance includes providing housing and subsistence to workers in need, as well as advising and assisting the workers on the enforcement of Labour Court orders. In some cases, foreign workers have been provided with an ex-gratia payment if the prospects of recovering the monies were slim. MWC's aid to the workers is provided using the Migrant Workers' Assistance Fund (MWAF). This Fund was set up in 2012 and more assistance can come out of the Fund to help the workers like a relief fund.
We have seen MWC in action. As an example, MWC has been helping two Bangladeshi foreign workers who were badly burnt in a serious workplace accident since January this year. MWC has been working closely with like-minded partners like Silver Ribbon and Healthserve, as well as the hospital, to provide emotional, psychological and physical support to the workers. As the employer has exhausted his finances helping the workers, MWC stepped in to provide the workers with housing and financial assistance for the payment of additional surgery through the Fund.
To better help foreign workers in need, MWC will set up a new office − it is an additional office − to be co-located with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) at the MOM Service Centre. This is in addition to their two offices, as I mentioned, and the other two offices are in Serangoon and Geylang. Foreign workers who need help can approach MWC at any of these three locations.
Besides having a safe working environment, it is also important that foreign workers return to a clean and safe accommodation after a hard day's work. These standards ensure foreign workers have access to a cleaner and safer accommodation with amenities. It is exactly the reason why we implemented the Foreign Employees Dormitories Act (FEDA) from 1 January last year to regulate large dormitories that house 1,000 or more workers. These are mostly purpose-built dormitories (PBD).
With the higher standards required under FEDA, foreign workers in licensed large dormitories are assured of safe and well-maintained living spaces. They also have access to recreational areas and amenities, such as automated teller machines (ATMs), canteens and mini-marts, all within their dormitories. So far, 48 out of 50 large dormitories have been licensed.
As announced in August 2016, factory-converted dormitories (FCDs), which are smaller, will also have to meet additional conditions, not just meeting the minimum standards but some additional conditions, including personal lockers to workers, and establishing a feedback mechanism and the installation of wi-fi.
While the new requirements were put in place only in January this year, over 70% of these FCDs inspected already comply with these standards. And for many, before we even come up with the additional conditions, they have already implemented them.
On FDWs, Mr Louis Ng asked if MOM had plans to support the CDE and employment agencies in their push for electronic payment of salaries for domestic workers as proof of salary payment in the event of a dispute. Our employers are required to maintain a record of the monthly salary paid to FDWs. Employers are also required to pay the FDWs' salary electronically if she so requests. Some FDWs may prefer to be paid in cash and to avoid being charged a fee if their bank accounts fall below the minimum sum required. But we are open to Mr Louis Ng's idea and we also support CDE's push for electronic payment. It is heartening to note that CDE is currently working with some banks to help FDWs set up bank accounts more easily and with better returns and we will help to facilitate that and support them.
Mdm Chairman, migrant workers come here to earn a living for their families. We will continue to work with the employers, employment agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs) like MWC and CDE, to ensure that these foreign workers can work safely and be treated fairly during their stay in Singapore.
The Chairman: Mr Desmond Choo.
Mr Desmond Choo: Mdm Chairman, more companies are making FWAs available to their employees. This is encouraging. However, broader adoption is tepid because of mindset, manpower and operational constraints. Senior Minister of State Mrs Josephine Teo's pilot announced on 2 March is an important step to broader adoption at the sectoral level.
We must reinforce this call for FWA. I am glad that MOM will go beyond the Tripartite Advisory and develop tripartite standards for companies to answer the clarion call. This tripartite code or standards will be an important step to further companies' commitment. I also suggest that these standards come attached with incentives for abiding by the standards. Employees in companies where there is such a standard have a right to FWA. We can also consider implementing this sectorally, starting with those where technology-enabled FWA can be made more pervasive, such as the banking, accounting and ICT sectors. Participating companies in the Human Capital Partnership Programme should also commit to these tripartite standards.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mdm Chairman, with the use of technologies, mobile applications and social media, employment now is quite different from before. Going to work may not necessarily mean that one has to physically travel to an office or workplace and stay there for a prescribed number of hours in order to be seen to be working.
The use of technologies, mobile applications and social media has allowed individuals to offer their products and services and manage their clients or buyers at their own time and according to their own targets.
If employers are not quick enough to leverage technology and offer FWAs for their employees, they risk losing these employees to freelance work, which also allows these employees to fulfil personal or family responsibilities, such as caregiving or raising their families.
On top of that, there is a largely untapped pool of human resource among our stay-at-home mothers and retirees who are able to be a part of our workforce. What they need is a buffer period to transit back to work and learn relevant work skills.
My fellow Members of Parliament, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Desmond Choo, have spoken about this before and I have proposed a returnship programme. I am happy to learn from the Minister in his speech earlier that this will be supported by the Ministry and I look forward to hearing the details.
How can our Ministry help employers implement progressive work practices or FWAs to help different segments of Singaporeans remain economically active and yet fulfil personal responsibilities, such as caregiving or raising their families?
How can women and economically active retirees who are going back to the workforce be helped through FWAs, where they can ease back into full-time positions over a reasonable period of time and learn relevant new skills, so that they are not left behind?
In addition, how can rank-and-file or blue-collar workers learn relevant skills so that they are employable and can avail themselves of more employment opportunities and not be competing with new technologies at the workplace?
Mr Chen Show Mao (Aljunied): Madam, we are living longer. It makes sense to help our older workers stay active in the workplace for longer if they so choose. When we make it possible for older workers to remain active in the workforce as they wish, we help them contribute to their own economic and social well-being. In addition, their fellow workers and society in general also benefit from the full utilisation of their human capital.
Employers can help their older workers become more effective workers in their jobs by redesigning the workplace, work processes and even the job itself.
Last year saw several Government initiatives in the area. WorkPro was enhanced in making grants to help companies implement age management practices and redesign workplaces and processes for older workers. Also last year, a programme was launched to offer an array of courses for companies and individuals on age management at the workplace − a programme administered by the Singapore Institute of Management (UniSIM), in collaboration with MOM and others. In addition, a Job Redesign Toolkit for companies developed by MOM, SNEF and NTUC was launched. These Government initiatives focus on efforts for Job Redesign for Older Workers at the enterprise level and they are welcomed.
Could the Ministry look into making these efforts also at the industry level? This is because while workplaces and processes may be particular to a company, different companies in the same industry share a great deal in common. Perhaps, resources could be pooled by companies in the industry to develop best practices, to modify tools and equipment for use off-the-shelf by older workers throughout the industry. Perhaps, Job Redesign for Older Workers could be identified as a key component of each ITM currently being developed across the economy. Perhaps, Job Redesign for Older Workers can be set out among the suite of initiatives for improving productivity in any given industry. We know productivity is one of the four pillars supporting the growth and competitiveness plans of any given ITM.
Another way to envision Job Redesign for Older Workers as a key component of ITMs may be to think of it as a third horizontal, along with promoting ICT adoption and skills development, which can help to support the ITMs and produce improvements across the economy in the face of an ageing workforce.
Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): An article on Cable News Network (CNN) caught my attention a few weeks ago. It tells the story about a hotel in a hikers' paradise in West Scotland. The foreign workers there were promised specific jobs with decent salaries. But when they arrived, job scopes were limitless, working hours were endless and pay was meagre. The boss demanded additional payments from these workers to sponsor their visa, threatened to cancel their work permit if they do not cooperate, and warned them about arrest and deportation. The workers were treated like slaves. The owner of the hotel is now serving time for labour trafficking for a group of men from Bangladesh.
Modern slavery is happening everywhere, possibly exacerbated by globalisation. You can see modern slaves working in the heart of our estates. These foreign cleaners work late into the night, seven days a week with no rest day and low wages. They even work when they were injured or sick. They have to work non-stop because they are living in bondage. A bondage with exorbitant agency fees and illegal kickbacks that they have to pay.
There are about 12,000 cleaning companies engaging about 58,000 cleaners, both local and foreign, as of 31 September 2016. A $3,000 kickback per foreign worker will translate into some serious money even if just 10% of the cleaning workforce were subject to the abuse. The mathematics and the easy money are just too tempting for some people to pass up. Foreign workers are reluctant to come forth with their story for fear of losing their livelihood. Many of them sold their possessions and borrowed heavily to come here to make a living. They have huge debts to pay and, at the same time, hungry mouths to feed back home. Coming out against their employers will mean losing their jobs and everything, a risk they can ill-afford to take. The master of the modern slave trade knows this fear very well, and they milk these workers to the maximum.
Local cleaners are also not spared. I have seen cases of local cleaners working without payslips or contracts. For some, their payslips comprise unexplained or unjustified deductions. Some are given payslips with no CPF contributions stated and they do not know why. Some are not sure about their basic employment benefits, but they dare not confront their employers for fear of losing of their jobs. Some of these local cleaners are elderly and illiterate and their next job may be hard to come by. It is hard to imagine that despite all the education, publicity and threat of prosecution, such practices still persist. Would the Ministry share its results and efforts to effectively tackle such blatant disregard for the law and basic workers' rights?
Collectively, the Town Councils in Singapore hire a substantial number of cleaners. I told my General Manager to inform the cleaning contractors in Hougang I do not want such practices to surface in the estate. I am helped by warm-hearted residents who will not stand for any abuse of cleaners in their neighbourhood as well.
Mdm Chairman, every Member in this Chamber must not turn a blind eye to modern slavery. The cleanliness of our estate cannot come at the expense of the misery of the cleaners. It is time for us to clean up the cleaning industry for a change.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: Madam, I would like to repeat a long-held call for an increase in the percentage of the cash component for Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) payouts from the current 40% to 60%.
During last year's Budget, changes were made to WIS in order to \"provide a more direct and timely reward for work effort and ensure that WIS continues to provide a meaningful level of support for eligible workers.\" There were four main changes, including a higher qualifying income ceiling, slightly higher payouts, monthly payments instead of quarterly and increased contributions to CPF, MediSave and the Special Account.
The Government, however, stopped short of increasing the cash component of WIS from the current 40%. The last time this figure was revised was in 2013. While the four changes made to enhance the scheme were welcome and necessary, would increasing the cash component not provide a far more direct reward for work effort? Increasing the cash component would allow workers to benefit immediately from the fruits of their labour and be a source of motivation to strive harder to improve their quality of life. This way, they could get promoted and improve their earnings, which is a more effective and encouraging way to help low-income workers build up retirement savings.
The Chairman: Mr Zainal Sapari, please take your two cuts together.
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mdm Chairman, the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and WIS are very good initiatives to help our workers in the low-wage sectors. However, this year, I believe it is time for us to review the PWM to ensure that it remains relevant.
NTUC will be working with our tripartite partners in the various sectoral committees for annual increments and annual bonuses to be incorporated as part of PWM, in particular, the Security and Landscape sectors. This is to improve the employment benefits and job security to attract younger workers. It also protects them from the wage fluctuations or resetting that is very common for workers in these sectors.
NTUC would like to seek the Government's support in this endeavour, the same way it had given its support to the revision for the cleaning PWM. Additionally, can future reviews of WIS eligibility take into consideration the review done on PWM and maybe, in particular, to consider increasing the salary eligibility criterion. In doing so, I believe we would be going one step closer to ensuring fairer equity for these workers so that they may enjoy the fruits of Singapore's economic growth.
Madam, I would also like to propose for the Government to consider reviewing the criterion for the existing Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) Special Relief Fund (SRF) to provide immediate relief to low-wage workers suffering from workplace injury. SRF was set up by SLF in response to the 1978 Spyros accident to provide financial assistance to industrial accident victims and their families while they awaited Workmen's Compensation.
Currently, SRF is co-administered by MOM and SLF, with MOM screening the applications and SLF disbursing payments based on MOM's recommendations. NTUC would like to propose for the administration of the funds to be reviewed to reflect the core purpose of the fund and to benefit low-wage workers by raising the income eligibility criterion. In addition, as U Care Centre was set up to better serve low-wage workers, perhaps MOM could consider letting U Care Centre to be the fund administrator.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar): Mdm Chairman, every worker should return home safe and sound every day. Sixty-six lives were lost at the workplace last year. We must do more to improve our workplace safety and health standards. Let me recommend a 3Cs approach.
The first \"C\" is better coordination. Currently, there are many workgroups formed to tackle workplace safety and health at the sectoral level, the functional level and even workgroups targeting at the cause of injuries. To enable smooth implementation of initiatives at the working level, can there be better coordination among and across different workgroups?
Last year, the Ministry issued a guide to encourage companies to report \"near misses\". A \"near miss\" is often seen as a narrow escape, a stroke of luck. But the benefits of a systematic recording of \"near misses\" may help to prevent a recurrence, identify any weaknesses in operational procedures and, when reviewed over a period of time, may allow us to detect patterns which could potentially prevent future fatalities, especially in high-risk industries. Can the Ministry do more to encourage \"near miss\" reporting?
That said, I must also caution that it would be counter intuitive to penalise companies and workers who report \"near misses\". Instead, more guidance should be provided to these companies to prevent future possible accidents. Can the Ministry organise industry-specific forums or create platforms to allow companies to share \"near misses\"? Can the Ministry also consider incentivising and rewarding companies with good \"Design for Safety\" concept and implementation?
The second \"C\" is the need for greater commitment. Be it top management, ground supervisors or workers, we all have a part to play in ensuring workplace safety. There is a need for greater commitment and ownership across all levels to collectively help raise workplace safety and health standards.
I would like to recommend making bizSAFE accreditation compulsory for all companies. For a start, we can consider the 1-2-3 approach. Companies should obtain their bizSAFE level one within the first year of operation, acquire bizSAFE level two in the next two years and reach bizSAFE level three in the following three years. As SMEs may find it challenging to get accredited, I hope that the Ministry will consider bringing back the Risk Management Assistance Funding (RMAF) to assist these companies. Will the Government also consider awarding contracts only to bizSAFE-accredited companies for major infrastructure projects?
The third \"C\" is to adopt a more targeted coaching to raise awareness of safe workplace practices. While there is a need to raise standards across the board, we should also focus more attention on the top three − the top three industries with the most fatalities; and the three most common incident types. Can the Ministry consider implementing a mentoring scheme between bizSAFE-accredited company and other non-accredited companies within the same industry? A targeted approach would be more relevant as it addresses specific risks inherent to the industry and the sharing of experiences and best practices among similar industry players would certainly be more useful.
Let me move on to workers who are injured in the course of their work. Today, only a fraction of employers proactively help their injured employees during and after the rehabilitation process. Some workers may find it hard to return to their original jobs while others may even lose their jobs. Can the Ministry establish a scheme to better help injured workers get back to work?
This scheme should include a structured case management system to help our workers with injury management, rehabilitation, job redesign, job placement and even work injury compensation.
Mdm Chairman, all workers should be entitled to enjoy workplace safety and health. Do we want to build a genuine culture of care for our workers' well-being or do we want to adopt a strategy of punitive measures to force employers to comply with safety regulations? Do we prefer to see the light or feel the heat?
The Chairman:\tMinister of State Sam Tan.
The Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong):\tMadam, with your permission, may I display some slides on the LED screen?
The Chairman:\tYes, please. [Some slides were shown to hon Members.]
Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: Thank you. Madam, I will speak on how MOM intends to drive inclusive growth and foster progressive workplaces that are age-friendly, family-friendly, safe and healthy. We will do more for our older workers, low-wage workers and workers with caregiving responsibilities.
First, let me talk about older workers. Madam, in January this year, we passed the Retirement and Re-employment (Amendment) Bill. The re-employment age will be raised to 67 from 1 July this year to allow our growing pool of older workers to contribute to the workforce for as long as they can.
To encourage employers to voluntarily re-employ older workers not covered by the new re-employment age, the Government has extended the Additional Special Employment Credit to incentivise employers to do so.
In addition, it is equally important to ensure that workplaces are age-friendly to meet the needs of our older workers and also help them to stay productive. Employers must play their part in this aspect.
Mr Chen Show Mao asked about the progress of workplace and job redesign for our older workers. In 2013, we introduced WorkPro to support companies to develop age-friendly workplaces and make jobs for our older workers easier, safer and smarter. WorkPro was enhanced in July last year with more generous funding.
A company can now receive funding of up to $300,000, up from $150,000, to redesign jobs for older workers under the WorkPro Job Redesign scheme. Besides increased funding, companies from all industries can also tap on the Job Redesign toolkit and clinics to improve their knowledge about job redesign.
More employers have since taken up the WorkPro Job Redesign Grant. Over the last seven months, 103 companies have tapped on this grant. More than 1,800 older workers aged 50 and above stand to benefit from the enhanced WorkPro.
Take Sheraton Towers Hotel as an example. The hotel obtained WorkPro funding to replace the standard tables in their restaurant with a multi-purpose table called Livecookingtable that can be used as a cooker, warmer or even cooler.
Mr Au Tiang Kok is one of the older workers who have benefited from this change. In his job, Mr Au is responsible for the setting up and clearing of buffet trays at the restaurant. These buffet trays with burners weighed around 30 kilogrammes each. It was a very heavy and laborious job for Mr Au. With the Livecookingtable, the restaurant now uses a different type of buffet trays without burners. These new trays are lighter to carry, and Mr Au is no longer at risk of getting burnt by the open flame.
I am heartened to know that 67-year-old Mr Au is happy with this job redesign and he intends to continue working to contribute meaningfully for as long as he can. Mr Au's story tells us that the commitment of management is important. I am, therefore, glad that the HR Director, Mr Francis Tan, believes strongly in job redesign and makes use of technology to improve older workers' productivity. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage more employers to learn from Sheraton Towers Hotel to tap on the WorkPro Grant and enhance the productivity of their older workers.
During the Budget Debate, Mr Heng Chee How spoke passionately about the need for older workers to continue to adapt and grow while companies transform and grow. I agree fully with Mr Heng that older workers must continually upskill, reskill and deepskill to enhance their employability. Skills upgrading is the best safeguard for workers during this period of economic and job transformation. Older workers should also take advantage of the various Government training schemes available, such as SkillsFuture, to enhance their employability.
Madam, I will now touch on the low-wage workers. Over the last five years, incomes of full-time employed Singapore Citizens at the 20th percentile grew by 3.2% per annum in real terms. This has kept pace with the 3.1% annualised growth in real median incomes of our employed citizens over the same period. This progress is, indeed, encouraging. To continue our efforts to uplift our low-wage workers, we adopt a three-pronged approach.
First, through sustainable wage increases. Currently, companies' entitlement to foreign workers is based on the dependency ratio ceiling. For example, a dependency ratio ceiling of 60% in the manufacturing sector means that the employer can hire up to 1.5 foreign workers for every one full-time equivalent local worker hired. A local worker who earns a monthly salary of $1,000 or above is considered a full-time equivalent. We review this salary threshold regularly to stay in line with rising income trends. If not, it means that we are gradually loosening our foreign worker controls simply due to rising nominal wages.
So, given the rising income levels, my Ministry has decided to adopt a new salary threshold of $1,200. This will be done in two steps: first, to $1,100 from 1 July this year and, next, to $1,200 from 1 July next year. We expect that low-wage workers' wages will adjust in line with the new threshold.
We last reviewed the threshold in 2013, that was about four years ago. The 10th percentile income then was already $1,200 and had risen to $1,300 in 2015. So, if we do not update the salary threshold now, it will mean having to make an even larger increase in future.
Another way to support wage increases is through PWM, which is mandatory in the cleaning, security and landscaping sectors. The PWMs have helped more than 70,000 resident workers in these sectors grow their wages. Before the introduction of the cleaning PWM, median gross wages for full-time resident cleaners grew by 2% per annum from 2009 to 2012. After the announcement of the cleaning PWM, median gross wages for full-time resident cleaners grew by 12% per annum from 2012 to 2015.
So, I thank Mr Zainal Sapari for his suggestions on incorporating annual increments and annual bonuses in the security and landscape PWMs. I support this proposal. As Mr Zainal has pointed out, we have already done this for the cleaning sector. The cleaning sector sets out annual adjustments to the PWM wage levels from this year up to 2022.
The Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners also encourages cleaning companies to provide increments to better performing workers. This will raise their salaries to be above the PWM wage levels and still within the recommended salary range of their job rungs. All resident cleaners will also receive an annual bonus equivalent to two weeks of basic monthly wages from 2020 onwards.
The security and landscape sectors only implemented PWMs recently in 2016. We need to give them time to evolve, progress and improve. However, I still want to take this opportunity to encourage the tripartite committees in these sectors to learn from the cleaning sector and enhance their PWM commitments over time.
I also encourage employers and unions in other sectors to adopt the PWM concept, which brings together wages, skills and productivity to create meaningful career ladders for their workers.
Our second prong to help low-wage workers is to step up our best sourcing efforts. I am pleased to announce the release of the updated Tripartite Advisory on Best Sourcing Practices today. It will provide new guidance on supporting progressive remuneration and benefits for outsourced workers, as well as fair contracting practices.
MOM has worked closely with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to ensure that all Government agencies support the updated Advisory. Today, the Government procures cleaning and security services from accredited cleaning businesses and well-graded security agencies. These accreditation and grading frameworks take into account the progressive employment practices of these companies.
MOM is working with MOF, the Singapore Police Force, the National Environment Agency and the National Parks Board (NParks) to review further measures against contractors that fail to safeguard basic employment rights of outsourced workers working under Government contracts. More details will be announced at a later stage.
When Government agencies outsource many activities, Government contracts still make up only a small fraction of the total market for outsourced services. So, I want to urge tripartite committees, like the one chaired by Mr Zainal Sapari for the cleaning sector, to reach out to more private sector buyers to adopt best sourcing. My Ministry stands ready to work with the Labour Movement and employers to increase adoption of the Tripartite Advisory on Best Sourcing Practices.
Mr Png Eng Huat asked about our efforts to protect foreign and local conservancy workers from unfair treatment and abuse. I would like to assure the Member that all cleaners who are employees are covered by EA. If they feel that they are unfairly treated, they should approach MOM or their unions for assistance or, at the minimum, they can approach the MWCs, CDE, NGOs and voluntary welfare organisations for assistance.
Third, we will continue to supplement the incomes and retirement savings of low-wage workers through WIS. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh proposed several changes to the WIS scheme. I would like to inform the House that recent enhancements to the WIS had already addressed most of his points. They were announced at last year's Budget and implemented since January this year. Just allow me to recap them.
First, we have raised the WIS income cap so that workers earning up to $2,000 are now able to receive WIS.
Second, we have increased the WIS payouts. Workers can now receive higher WIS payouts of up to $3,600 per year.
Third, we will make more frequent WIS payouts, from quarterly to monthly, starting from March 2017, that is, this month. This provides a more direct and timely reward for work effort.
Aside from helping them meet their immediate needs, WIS payouts are intended to help low-wage workers meet their basic retirement needs. This is why WIS payouts comprise 40% cash and 60% CPF. Raising the cash component and reducing the CPF component, as suggested by Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, will mean workers will have less to set aside for retirement, and may not be able to meet the basic needs in old age. We think that this may not be a wise approach. Notwithstanding this, the Government already provides other grants and transfers, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Vouchers, Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates, WIS and so on, to top up low-wage workers' salaries. So, taking all these together, this is already quite a substantial increase in the low-wage workers' income. While the cash component of WIS remains at 40% but, in actual terms, low-wage workers receive more cash with all the other social transfers from the Government.
More than 460,000 low-wage workers will benefit from this round of WIS enhancements. We will periodically review the WIS scheme to ensure that it continues to support the bottom 20% to 30% of our workers.
Madam, I will now turn to our efforts to make workplaces inclusive for workers with caregiving responsibilities. More employers are now adopting FWAs, such as flexi-time, flexi-place and flexi-load. In 2016, about two in three, or 67%, of the employees worked in firms that offered formal FWAs. This is up from just half, or 56%, in 2011. More than eight in 10 employees or, to be precise, 82% worked in firms that offer ad-hoc FWAs. This is up from seven in 10 in 2011.
Dr Intan, Ms Thanaletchimi and Mr Desmond Choo asked about our efforts in promoting FWAs, especially for people with caregiving responsibilities.
Madam, our efforts need to be targeted in order to be effective. So, we looked at the employment rate of local women who continue to shoulder many caregiving responsibilities. We are already among the top in terms of full-time employment of females aged between 25 and 64, compared to all the other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Conversely, Singapore's part-time employment is lower than that of most OECD countries.
While we are doing reasonably well, there is still room to improve the employment of our female residents, especially in the area of part-time employment. We can do this through flexi-load options, such as \"job sharing\". Such options are important because they give caregivers an option to reduce or adjust their workload so that they can better manage their multiple responsibilities.
Today, nearly all PMETs are on full-time employment, but they can still benefit from job sharing, which offers more choices to both PMETs and employers.
Job sharing may come with some hand-over and coordination issues, but employers should think of ways to overcome them and make necessary adjustments and arrangements to promote greater job sharing in their companies.
Madam, allow me now to turn to my last subject ─ Workplace Safety and Health (WSH). Our workplace fatality rate stayed at 1.9 per 100,000 employed persons for the past two years. In 2016, as pointed out by Mr Melvin Yong, 66 workers lost their lives at work. Among them, 42 fatalities occurred in the first half of the year.
Through concerted efforts by our industry partners and also our stepped-up enforcement and engagement, the number of fatalities dropped to 24 in the second half of last year. This improvement continued into the first two months of 2017 with two fatalities, as compared to 10 fatalities in the same period last year. However, to us, every fatality is still one tragedy that can be prevented. And every life lost is still one too many. So, we should remain vigilant and do more to make our workplaces safer and healthier for our workers.
Mr Melvin Yong also asked what more can we do to reduce the number of workplace fatalities. Our efforts are both targeted and broad-based. The construction sector remained the top contributor with 24 fatalities in 2016. While it has improved from 2015, there are still three areas of concern that we will step up our actions and focus on. One is vehicular-related accidents within worksites; two, accidents involving formwork; and three, lack of proper supervision, coordination and communication of work activities resulting in accidents. We will enhance the WSH Construction Regulations to address these concerns.
To raise overall WSH performance, we need everyone to take greater WSH ownership. Many progressive companies in Singapore already pay close attention to WSH. In fact, nearly half of them discussed WSH issues regularly at their management meetings. We should encourage more to do so, and we will consider laying out in the WSH Act clear roles for corporate officers in maintaining an effective WSH management system in their companies.
MOM investigators will also probe deeper into the role of companies' senior management in ensuring compliance. MOM will take actions not only on the company but also hold the senior management responsible and accountable if their actions breach the WSH Act.
I would like to assure Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Zainal Sapari that we will continue to help workers who are injured at work. First, we should ensure that the injured workers, particularly the low-wage workers, receive additional financial support when needed.
Mr Zainal Sapari had proposed to review the criteria and administration for the Singapore Labour Foundation Special Relief Fund (SRF) to benefit more low-wage workers who are victims of industrial accidents. Today, other than SRF, local injured workers can also obtain financial assistance under ComCare. Nonetheless, we will work with our tripartite partners, including Mr Zainal Sapari, to review the usage and administration of SRF to provide injured workers with the assistance they require.
At the same time, we should also help our injured workers return to work quickly. Today, over 80% of injured workers are already able to return to work, and we want to do more to help them recover faster and also to return to work earlier. This will also benefit employers who are able to retain their experienced employees and save on rehiring and retraining new employees.
Mr Melvin Yong asked how we are helping injured workers return to work. I am happy to share with him and this House that we will be introducing a Return to Work (RTW) programme this year. This programme provides early intervention to help injured workers and their companies through personalised case management, a point mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong. RTW coordinators will facilitate injured workers to return to their workplaces early. This includes helping employers to make adjustments to their workplaces and jobs to facilitate the injured worker's rehabilitation and return to work. The tripartite partners will also be working together to implement the RTW programme later this year. We will share more details when it is worked out.
In conclusion, Madam, I have just outlined the key efforts of my Ministry to push for more inclusive growth and progressive workplaces for our workers. However, it must be a national effort with the tripartite partners, employers and workers all playing their part together so that we will be able to grow our workplaces to make them inclusive and progressive.
The Chairman: Mr Chen Show Mao.
Mr Chen Show Mao: Madam, many calls have been made in this House over the past year for the proper protection of freelancers who operate in the rising gig economy. I wish to echo their concerns and reiterate the importance.
Currently, employment-related laws in Singapore, such as the EA, the CPF Act and WICA, outline the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers, including contributions towards housing, retirement and medical benefits. Unlike an employee, a freelancer performing work under a contract for service currently falls outside the scope of many provisions of our employment-related laws.
Last month, Minister Lim Swee Say told the House that his Ministry is looking into results of a new survey commissioned to enable the Government to better understand the profiles of freelancers in Singapore. This initiative is welcomed. I hope it will lead to the Government looking into extending to freelancers more of the protection currently afforded employees under our employment-related laws. Perhaps, also to consider risk-pooling mechanisms yielding protection for freelancers in the event of work injury.
Madam, let us embrace the rise of the gig economy and protect our freelance workers who work in it.
Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Freelancing work is becoming an attractive option either on a full-time, part-time or project basis. Freelancers make up about close to 10% of the workforce. Aided by the emergence of the \"sharing economy\" platforms, this work has become more feasible for many.
While freelancers do have some flexibility of time, they face concerns, such as an unstable income stream, inadequate savings for retirement and, sometimes, lack of protection when disputes between them and the service buyer occur.
I look forward to the results of the survey by MOM which will reveal changes and trends in the freelancing landscape. It was also announced earlier that the Ministry is forming a task force to address the concerns faced by freelancers. This, I believe, will help us tackle the issues surrounding freelancers in a targeted manner.
I have myself seen how the Minister for Manpower act on his concerns or the needs of low-wage workers, PMEs, foreign workers, including conservancy workers. He has put in place laws to be enforced, jobs that are redesigned, contracts that are best sourced, and machinery put in place to help the work of, for example, conservancy workers.
So, the cases highlighted earlier by Mr Png Eng Huat about modern slaves in the conservancy work is a very serious one. Because if there are such cases, they should be highlighted to MOM to be investigated and action taken against those employers. I hope those cases will be surfaced to MOM and action taken.
I would also like to ask the Manpower Minister how his team will go about gathering views of the freelancer communities and aggregators to identify their freelancing concerns. Will there be focus group and feedback channels? What are the Minister's own concerns pertaining to the challenges facing freelancers?
Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Madam, being your own boss – there is a certain attraction in the gig economy. You control the time you spend, when you want to work, what you want to work on. But this attractiveness may only be skin-deep.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman himself was so concerned about the gig economy that he has said that the issue warrants a closer look. And he said at the McKinsey Innovation Forum recently that, \"We have got to avoid a continuing drift-risk being passed from companies to workers, who actually cannot take much risk − the risk of instability in wages and the risk of not being prepared for retirement because of a lack of social security contributions.\"
Even as our economy evolves, young Singaporeans should think carefully and not be lulled into thinking that freelancing in the gig economy will help secure their future. In the gig economy, people may end up like rolling stones. They do not gather any moss − the opportunity to learn new skills will be absent as they are engaged in their prevailing skillset. Job security is also sometimes non-existent and benefits non-existent as well.
Being your own boss, only by name, still means having to take full responsibility. One key element of the employer and employee relationship in Singapore is CPF. Housing, healthcare, education, retirement, all key pillars of our social policy link back to the CPF and to employment. While it may seem advantageous to be your own boss, employers also see great benefits, too, and we may see a race to the bottom and a shattering of our key social policy ideals.
Madam, on a related note, I would like to revisit a question that I posed to the then-Minister for Manpower in 2012. I had then asked if the Ministry would investigate if benefits due to younger Singaporeans on temporary employment, freelance work or what we call perma-temps, as well as now in the gig economy, are being curtailed as they are not fully covered under employment-related laws. The Minister had replied then that feedback from the industry and unions would be sought. I welcome, therefore, the most recent survey and the details that the Ministry will be able to provide.
This year's MOM focus is also about greater retirement adequacy and progressive work practices. So, the gig workers, freelancers and contract workers should not be allowed to fall through the cracks, as the gig economy continues to develop.
A disruptive economy is to be welcomed, but one that disrupts the very core of social policies in our country and Singaporeans must be one that we approach cautiously and carefully.
Mr Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Madam, judging by the number of Members who have spoken on the topic, the gig economy and a much more fluid workforce seem to be key areas of concern. This also reflects the discussions I have had on the ground. It is not just the much talked about millennial generation seeking a better work-life balance, there are many trends and larger forces at work pushing our economy in that direction. And we, as a House, need to ensure that our workers are adequately prepared for this eventuality to thrive in this new economy.
One particular area of concern is the portability of medical insurance benefits. Currently, the plans are company-centric. You are covered by the policy as long as you work for the company. From my own experience, once you stop working for the company, you are not covered anymore, even though you might want to pay up for it, and paying more in premium terms. In the old days, when people tended to stay in one job for many years, this might not be such a big deal. But if you accept that people are going to be moving around in the new gig economy or entering into alternative work arrangements which fall short of full-time employment, then this limitation becomes a matter of concern. It means, for example, that if you develop a condition in your current job, it will be considered a pre-existing condition. When you sign up for an insurance policy in your new job, chances are that you might not be able to get it. You cannot get it at all because of your pre-existing condition; so, you cease to be covered.
The crucial point is that for many reasons, people change employment, moving from one job to another, becoming self-employed, retiring or being laid off. All these scenarios will cause the worker to give up his current employer-paid insurance scheme. In the long run, experts believe that the solution will lie towards a move to a more individual-centric insurance system, instead of a company-centric one. An interim solution would be to encourage the portability of company medical insurance benefits. I am heartened to see that we are already moving in that direction. The Ministry is offering companies higher tax deductions to employers who pay into their employees' portable medical insurance benefits. But at the moment, these are voluntary and seem to focus on the very basic insurance. I believe we can do more.
In order to ensure that there is no additional cost to the employer, I would like to propose that the Ministry provide an option for the employee to continue to keep his existing benefits with his existing company under his own expense. So, there is a set of benefits. If the employee were to buy himself under an individual policy, he pays $1,000. If the company buys it under the company group insurance policy, and with risk-pooling, the cost might be $800. So, as long as the employee is employed by the company, the company pays for him. But once he leaves his job, he should be given the option of paying $1,000 at his own expense to continue with his existing benefits. The company is not disadvantaged in any way. The insurance provider continues to provide the insurance without any lapse, and there is no need for new underwriting because the employee would have been under continuous coverage.
I hope that the Ministry can consider this proposal. I would be grateful if the Ministry can share if it has any plans, as part of a broader move towards a future-ready benefits system.
The Chairman: Ms Foo Mee Har, please take your two cuts together.
Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast):\tMdm Chairman, I have long been a strong advocate of flexi-work. In the new economy, the \"gig economy\" is gaining momentum and the attention of policymakers. Gig workers are those who perform contract-based, on-demand work. The McKinsey Global Institute reported that this segment of independent workers is growing fast, at 30% a year.
Many reports on \"gig workers\" have focused on job insecurity and significant social safety risks to a rapidly growing segment of workers, as we just heard from my colleagues. But, with the right set of policy interventions, I believe it can also be the formula for higher workforce participation because of the benefits this FWA brings to both employers and employees. The gig economy may offer women with caregiving responsibilities and older workers who need more flexible work schedules the balance they are looking for.
If we expect the gig economy to prevail in Singapore' future, then the Government must take urgent action to rethink labour laws in order to accord freelance, self-employed individuals an appropriate level of support and rights. I offer the Minister four suggestions. First, establish CPF contribution obligations for parties entering into a contract for service. Second, organise a marketplace that enables gig workers to access pooled medical coverage, also a marketplace that enables efficient job matching, where workers and employers rate each other. Third, provide a special track in SkillsFuture for gig workers, so that they, too, can stay relevant and future-proof their skills. Fourth, quite importantly, prevent tax leakages arising from informal work arrangements and the creation of an underground economy.
With the right set of policy measures, we can make this unstoppable trend of gig economy work for Singapore.
Chairman, the slew of enhancements made in 2015 to CPF has made it more attractive and flexible. I am encouraged by the improved outreach efforts by CPF Board to increase members' awareness and understanding so they can receive the full benefits of the CPF scheme at different stages of their lives. Enhancements include newly designed statements with bold graphics to aid comprehension, so they look very nice in multi-media outreach programmes and CPF Mobile Service Centres. I hope these have helped members better optimise their savings and those of their family members. So, I would like to ask the Minister to share the recent trends the CPF board has observed, including how enquiries and transaction patterns of CPF accounts have changed, the topping up of members' accounts or those of unemployed family members, and how members choose between the various CPF LIFE Plans, that is, Basic, Full and Enhanced retirement sums.
Twenty-four billion dollars have already been invested in the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS), yet it is deemed to be \"unfit for purpose\". Eighty-four percent of CPFIS investors did not realise higher returns from their investments than they would have received had they left it in their CPF Ordinary Account, risk-free, whilst a substantial number actually suffered losses. Can the Minister give us an update on how CPFIS will be revamped to make it serve members better? What is the design and timeline for the launch of LRIS so that members can benefit from a simpler investment option?
Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member): Many of our 30- to 40-something-year-old working professionals already take seriously the call to upskill or be left behind. This is particularly true of those who are founders and entrepreneurs running small to medium-sized private sector or people sector organisations. I speak as one myself.
Many of us founders hit our skill ceilings as our organisations scale from small to medium to large and, at each inflection point, many of us quickly realise that the only way to survive is to get exposed to worldclass level training and mentorship to keep our organisations resilient and relevant.
I ask working professionals and organisation founders online for examples of what courses some of them would definitely go for, if they could use their CPF to do so. Some answers included the Cambridge Advanced Leadership programme that costs about $30,000, Organisational Development in the US and UK that costs $13,000, Intensive Language and Cultural Immersions in Lebanon and Beijing, costly tech conferences in Silicon Valley and so on.
For some for them, the problem that gets in the way of going for such learning courses is simply liquidity. A white-collar working professional, especially 30- to 40-something-year-old founders and entrepreneurs heading their own small to medium organisations, can face surprising crunches in both personal and organisational resources. Some may find themselves caught between having to provide financial support for ageing parents and young children, while having to put in significant personal resources to support their own organisations during a long economic crunch. So, paying for their own personal learning is sometimes a struggle and put off as the last priority.
So, there are cases of potential founders at a crucial peak of their leadership development period who put off going for training not because they do not think it is important or urgent, but they simply cannot spare liquidity for the moment. Many of them are definitely not looking for a handout from the Government, but they would like access to more liquidity, especially from their own resources.
I understand that the CPF Education Scheme was originally designed around members of lower-income families who want to further their education but did not have the liquidity to do so. So, many of the controls written into it currently are designed around those intentions. I understand that this is why the scheme currently only supports loans for full-time, subsidised diploma courses or degree courses conducted locally at approved educational institutions.
Can the Minister consider broadening the loan scheme, so that it can enable working professionals to have another liquidity option to tap on if they want to pursue a short but costly cutting-edge modular international course or conference? This will be really helpful for professionals in the people sector organisations, social enterprises and SMEs which do have less resources to tap on than professionals working for large public sector or private sector organisations who are better able to tap on their companies' sponsored learning.
I am well aware that there is a legitimate worry about the jeopardising of retirement funds. But I believe controls similar to those existing ones in the schemes, such as a cap on the amount of withdrawal or duration of return of funds can be factored in. So, I believe that this will help Singaporeans who wish to pursue the call to go out to learn from the best in the world on how to innovate and internationalise and quite willing to use their own money to do so.
The Chairman: Minister Lim Swee Say.
Mr Lim Swee Say: Madam, I thank Members, Ms Foo Mee Har and Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin, for their views and suggestions regarding CPF.
Over the years, our CPF system has served Singaporeans well in supporting the retirement, housing and healthcare needs of Singaporeans. Retirement adequacy has been improving. In 2013, about six in 10 active members turning 55 met the Basic Retirement Sum. We expect this proportion to increase to seven in 10 for members turning 55 years old in 2020.
With wage growth and higher labour force participation rate, especially among older workers, we can expect CPF balances to keep improving in the years ahead. To help CPF members to save more for their retirement, we made several enhancements last year. We raised the CPF salary ceiling from $5,000 to $6,000. About one million CPF members benefited. A member who is 40 years old earning $6,000 a month will save $370 more a month. And with interest, it will grow to $149,000 by the age of 65. If a person continues working from 40 to 65 years old earning about $6,000 a month, it will add another $149,000 into his CPF account by the age of 65.
We are also helping older workers to save more. About 570,000 workers aged 50 and above benefited from the increase in our CPF contribution rates. Another one million CPF members aged 55 and above, benefited from an additional extra interest of 1% on their first $30,000 savings in CPF.
For an older worker earning the median salary of $3,400 from age 50 to 65, the increase in CPF contribution and additional extra interest of 1% will add $14,000 to his retirement savings by the time he turns 65. Last year, we have also made it easier for members to transfer CPF savings to their spouses' account. This is an area that Ms Foo Mee Har is always concerned about.
They need to set aside only the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) instead of the Full Retirement Sum (FRS). About 2,700 members did some transfer and this is 70% more than the year before. So, the number of members who did transfer to their spouses has increased. And about one-third of the increase was due to enhancements in our rules. In fact, one in five of the spouses who received transfers now have at least BRS.
We also saw more cash top-ups last year to their own accounts or for their family members. Forty-nine thousand members received cash top-ups of $860 million. This is 27% more recipients than 2015. More members are now doing cash top-ups, either for themselves or for their family members. Beyond BRS and FRS, we introduced the Enhanced Retirement Sum (ERS) last year.
About 9,000 members exercised this new option. And those with ERS at age 55 will receive $1,900 per month for life when they reach the withdrawal age of 65. Last but not least, CPF members also now have the option of deferring the starting age of their CPF LIFE payouts up to the age of 70. They do not have to start at 64, even though the payouts' eligibility age is 64. If they want to, they can defer to the age of 70.
Last year, about 900 CPF LIFE members did that and about 70% are still working. Half of them would have received payouts of more than $500 per month and they will all receive higher payouts by starting later. Mr William Wong turned 65 years old just last week. Under CPF LIFE, he would have received about $500 a month for life but Mr Wong chooses to defer his payout for as long as he is healthy and working. So, if he defers till 70 years old, his payout would increase to $680, instead of $500; an increase of about $180 per month, for life.
On the whole, these recent CPF changes help both the younger and the older members to save more for their retirement. I hope more members will make good use of these options to meet their own needs better.
Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin asked whether we could allow members to use their CPF savings for overseas training courses because, as she put it, some of these training courses are just too expensive. But in fact, it is for the same reason, why we are hesitating.
Madam, CPF can only be used to support basic tertiary education at local approved institutions. With a longer lifespan, we are doing more to safeguard member's retirement adequacy. We need to be careful about expanding the use of CPF for other expenses. Therefore, we have no plans to open up the CPF Education Scheme for overseas programmes. But let me emphasise that, in fact, I do agree with Ms Kuik that upgrading is very important. It is not that we are not supportive of upgrading but skills upgrading or professional upgrading is not one of the main purposes of CPF. Upgrading is important but CPF savings is a wrong channel; not the right one. I will explain why later.
Madam, this year, we will introduce two more enhancements. First, a review of CPFIS. The CPF Advisory Panel observed that CPFIS is not designed for members who lack the time and knowledge to manage their own investments. There is nothing wrong with the idea of the CPFIS investment scheme. But you must be in the right profile of investors. If you have the time, the knowledge, CPFIS is the right scheme for you. But if you have no time and knowledge, then CPFIS may not be the best scheme for you. In fact, it could be better off for those who have no time and knowledge to leave their CPF money to earn the risk-free CPF interest rates.
To better serve the interest of CPF members, we are working on three areas of improvement to CPFIS. First, the introduction of a self-assessment tool to help members to determine for themselves whether CPFIS is suitable for them. In other words, we will provide a self-assessment tool for the CPF members to assess themselves. At the end of the test or assessment, if they still decide to proceed to invest through CPFIS, even though the self-assessment tool helps them to discover that they may not be of the right profile to use the scheme, it is still their decision. What we want to do is to help him, at least, to understand whether he is suitable.
Second, the lowering of the cap on sales charge. This is to discourage financial intermediaries from proactively selling products to CPF members because investment churning could actually erode investment returns.
Third, we are going to review the types of asset classes offered under CPFIS to see if they are appropriate for growing retirement savings. This is to encourage members to invest for the long term and provide members with a diversified portfolio. We will announce these changes after we have finalised them later this year.
For CPF members who prefer a simpler investment option, they can look forward to CPF LRIS that we are working on. As recommended by the CPF Advisory Panel, LRIS will have low fees, simple investment choices, investments that are passively managed and mechanisms to encourage long-term investment.
When we put together these schemes, CPF members will have three ways to grow their CPF savings in future: risk-free CPF interest rates, CPFIS and LRIS.
Madam, we will also introduce an additional option for CPF LIFE plan, as recommended by the CPF Advisory Panel. This is to allow members the option of starting their CPF LIFE payout, with a lower initial payout which can then be escalating at 2% a year. With this new option, from January next year, January 2018, CPF members will have three options: Standard and Basic Plans and now the Escalating Plan. Those who are already on Standard and Basic Plans, they will have one year to switch into this new option if they want to. CPF Board will provide further details later this year.
Mr Ong Teng Koon asked if we should make company medical plans portable for individuals with pre-existing illnesses who have left the company. Madam, I think we should leave this to the market to decide because it would have impact on the premiums for all members on the scheme, not just those with pre-existing illnesses. So, MOM will have no intention to intervene in the market. We will leave it to the insurance market to decide.
Madam, with these planned and pending enhancements, we would have strengthened our CPF system into what we call the \"1, 2, 3\" of CPF. Three basic needs: healthcare, housing, retirement. Education is not one of them. Three contributors: employer, employee and CPF Board. Three ways to grow your savings: CPF risk-free interest, CPFIS and LRIS. When you turn 55, three options for the retirement sum: Basic, Full and Enhanced. And when you reach the age of 65, three options for CPF LIFE payout: Basic, Standard and Escalating.
Madam, to help the public understand these enhancements better and make more informed choices as they plan for their retirement, we have stepped up our communications and outreach efforts to CPF members. We revamped the Yearly Statement of Accounts last year and adopted a pictorial format. We also provided customised tips for each member. We are glad that the members find the new format easier to understand. CPF Board will also continue to reach out to members in the community through CPF retirement planning roadshows and mobile service centres as well as through mainstream and social media.
Last year, CPF Board piloted a CPF Retirement Planning Service for members who are reaching 55, in other words, at the age of 54. We invited 1,200 members to test out this service and 95% of them said they would recommend this service to their friends. These one-on-one sessions help members to understand better the CPF schemes and the options available to them. As members have found this service useful, therefore, we will extend the CPF Retirement Planning Service to all CPF members turning age 54 this year. An estimate of about 20,000 of them will be invited.
In conclusion, the Government has and will continue to strengthen our CPF system to help members improve their retirement adequacy. We hope that members will make good use of the options available to better meet their retirement needs, as well as those of their loved ones.
Madam, I will now go on to the topic of the gig economy. Madam, there is no official definition of the gig economy worldwide. However, OECD and several international studies commonly refer to workers in the economy as workers on the \"Platform Economy\". These are online labour-sharing or capital-sharing platforms.
These online platforms serve as intermediaries to match or connect service buyers with workers who take up short-term or piecemeal jobs. So, there is matching of supply to demand.
From the economic angle, such online platforms create opportunities for businesses, workers and customers. They allow businesses to tap on workers who are available \"on-demand\" to serve customers more flexibly and responsively so as to reduce costs and increase revenues. They also allow individuals to market their skills, provide their services to earn an income, and they can do so under a more flexible working arrangement.
From the employment angle, my Ministry is monitoring closely their potential impact on the long-term well-being of the workers. Common questions and concerns raised, including those raised by Mr Alex Yam, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Chen Show Mao and Ms Jessica Tan are: how different is gig work from traditional employment? Are gig workers adequately protected under our labour laws? Will they save enough for their housing, medical and retirement?
Madam, first of all, I want to point out that not all gig workers are gig freelancers. Gig workers can be employees or freelancers. For example, if a private car driver joins a transport company with an employment contract and takes on jobs offered via app, he is in the gig economy but he is still an employee protected by labour laws because he is on an employment contract with the car rental company, even if he is on a short-term employment contract with the car rental company. There is no difference from other workers who are employed under what we call \"contract of service\".
But if he provides a service in return for a fee, without entering into any employer-employee relationship with any party and, at the same time, he is not overly constrained by the conditions imposed by the platform owner or service buyer, then this is no different from any freelancer that we know today under what we call the \"contract for service\". If you are a gig worker providing a service under a \"contract for service\", you are a gig freelancer, but under a \"contract of service\", then you are a gig employee.
For the gig freelancers under \"contracts for service\", they are known as own-account workers in our labour force surveys and they are considered as self-employed persons by CPF and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. In short, \"gig workers\" can be gig employees or gig freelancers depending on his work arrangement.
Madam, reliable and internationally comparable data on gig workers are currently not available. To understand better the freelancer landscape arising from the rise in the gig economy in Singapore, we supplemented our annual comprehensive labour force survey with a more detailed survey on freelancing last year. I shall now share some interesting findings with this House.
First, the total number of primary freelancers remains flat at about 167,000 in 2016. These are workers who freelance as their main job. This is within the range of 8% to 10% of employed residents in the past 10 years based on our previous surveys.
Second, if we add the secondary freelancers, then the total number of freelancers in Singapore would be about 200,000. The secondary freelancers are those who freelance part-time alongside other jobs. They have a primary job and freelancing is their secondary job. These would include students, housewives or retirees who take on side jobs for additional income.
Thirdly, about 81% of freelancers do freelancing as a preferred choice. They are in freelancing because they prefer to be freelancers. Sixty-seven percentage points of the 81% are primary freelancers and 14 percentage points are secondary freelancers. The main reasons for choosing to freelance: more freedom, earning extra income, spending more time with their family. The remaining 19% freelanced, even though it was not their preferred choice. Sixteen percent of them are in primary, 2% in secondary. This group, that is, 16%, about 32,700 were doing primary freelancing but it is not their preferred choice. This is the group that I am most concerned about. Under Adapt and Grow, we hope we will be able to reach out to as many of them as possible and help them move into full-time employment because freelancing is not their preferred choice.
Fourth, the top freelancing occupations are still the traditional occupations. The top three are taxi drivers, real estate agents and working proprietors, such as provision shop owners and other business owners with no employees.
The other major freelancing occupations with more than 10,000 freelancers are insurance agents, private hire car drivers, hawker/stallholders and private tutors.
Fifth, freelancers who use Internet platforms, also known as online intermediaries, to find work in the gig economy are still a minority. The largest group is private hire car drivers: the Uber and Grab drivers. About 10,500 of them.
The rest are largely small. Among those with more than 1,000, we have professional services, including consultants, accountants and bookkeepers; creative services: graphic designers, interior designers and product designers; media and communications: producers, editors and photographers. Finally, delivery services like Foodpanda and Honestbee.
All these add up to another 10,000. So, 10,000 in the private hire car, plus 10,000 from the rest of the groups, and if we put them all together, that would be about 20,000 gig workers we have today.
Many of us may have the impression that there are actually many more gig freelancers out there than the number reported in this survey of 20,000. I wish to point out that these 20,000 are those who freelance regularly, both part-time or full-time, but it does not capture those who freelance occasionally or once in a while.
Also, traditional freelancers who do not actively make use of online intermediaries to find work are not considered as gig workers. Even though they may have an online presence to market themselves, they are still not considered as gig workers, for example, sport coaches and music instructors.
Our future annual surveys will enable us to track if the number is growing and in which occupations.
Finally, we also asked our freelancers about their concerns. Their top concern is whether they can find sufficient customers. As freelancers, customers are very important to them. They also have concerns over the lack of income security, for example, arising from work injuries, when attending training or going for skills upgrading. Some of them are also concerned about timely and complete payment from their clients.
Last but not least, they are also concerned about their savings for housing and retirement. Madam, while these concerns may not be new to freelancers, yet we are taking them seriously. This is because the number of freelancers may grow in our future economy in tandem with the growth of the platform economy.
Mr Ang Hin Kee has asked how MOM will gather views of relevant stakeholders and safeguard the interests of freelancers. Ms Foo Mee Har has also offered her four suggestions in terms of how we can take care of the well-being of the freelancers better. I thank both of them. In consultation with our tripartite partners, we will form a tripartite workgroup to study these issues, address the concerns of the freelancers and come up with workable solutions for the well-being of the freelancing workforce in our future economy.
Mr Patrick Tay asked about reviewing the Trade Union Act to allow freelancers to become NTUC union members. The Trade Union Act, together with IRA and the Trade Disputes Act, regulate industrial relations between employers and employees. Hence, this set of legislation is not applicable to freelancers. This is not an employer-employee relationship. But this does not mean that freelancers today cannot join NTUC as members for NTUC to champion their interests.
A good example is that many taxi drivers are freelancers with no employer and are today NTUC-U Associate members. So, we support NTUC in reaching out to more freelancers in more occupations, including the gig freelancers, and will be happy to work with NTUC and SNEF to pursue this issue further through the tripartite workgroup on freelancing.
Madam, facilitated by technology, we can expect the gig economy to keep growing. There is potential upside, there is potential downside, too. So, our challenge is to maximise the upside and minimise the downside.
The first survey is a good starting point for us to get better insights into the freelancer landscape in Singapore. We will continue to monitor the developments and, together with our tripartite partners, we will find practical solutions to address the issues faced by the freelancers.
The Chairman:\tWe have a bit of time for clarifications. Mr Patrick Tay.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: I just have a couple of questions for the Minister on the newly-announced Attach-and-Train programme. Just several questions.
Firstly, will there be an employment relationship between those on attachment and the company? That is one. Second, if there are any training courses or programmes which the person on attachment is going through, or will be required to go through, will that training or course be fully paid or fully subsidised? Third, the Minister mentioned earlier that the target group of this scheme are PMETs. So, are we also opening it to all workers of all ages as well as including the rank-and-file workers? Fourth, will the company then be obliged to hire these workers after the attachment? Fifth, as we roll out this scheme, I hope employers as well as MOM will watch over these people on attachment because I am just concerned that they are not treated fairly and are being used as cheap labour.
Mr Lim Swee Say: Madam, I had earlier explained why we introduced Attach-and-Train. It is because of this timing gap between the hiring and the time needed for conversion. Having said that, we are mindful of the potential downside of the Attach-and-Train programme. This is the reason why we have no intention to roll out Attach-and-Train across all the 50 PCPs. It will be done selectively. I have earlier explained the selection criteria to minimise the danger that the trainees may eventually not be able to find jobs. Hence, we will only be working with sectors where there is a growing demand for such PMETs.
With that in mind, on the first question about whether there will be an employer-employee relationship, the answer is no. These trainees will be selected by the industry body, and then they will go through the training as trainees. So, there is no employment and there is no employer-employee relationship.
Secondly, the training needs to be fully funded between the WSG and SSG plus our training partners. The PCP programme right now is open to PMETs. Whether we need to have a PCP for rank-and-file, I am open to the idea. As I mentioned earlier in my speech, looking ahead to the future economy, we are going to see less distinction between PMETs and rank-and-file. In fact, we do need to upgrade the rank-and-file job as well, to professionalise them. Therefore, as and when there is a demand, I would be happy to launch them.
Now, obligation to hire. We are putting the obligation to hire on the industry partner. For example, in the case of logistics, we are working very closely with the Singapore Logistics Association. They will be the ones helping us to screen the candidates, select the candidates. They will be the ones to help us to find companies among their members to provide the attachment. At the same time, at the end of the training, the responsibility to find placement would likewise rest with our industry partner, supported by WSG and e2i. So, it is a safeguard to make sure that the programmes will not be abused.
Last but not least, about fair treatment. I can assure the House that these partners that we have, they are all reliable partners, responsible partners. When they make arrangements with their industry members, they also take on the responsibility to make sure that these companies taking them on attachment are, likewise, responsible employers.
The Chairman:\tPlease keep your clarifications short. Ms Jessica Tan.
Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo:\tI would like to ask the Minister as he did not touch on the point I made with regard to the unequal impact of disruption for men and women, especially as we look at the digital disruption and the impact on jobs and job opportunities, with current employment trends, as well as with women entering the choice of education and entering the workforce at different roles.
Mr Lim Swee Say: Madam, my apologies. I believe the Member is referring to a study by WEF where, on a global basis, they projected that, given the nature of work and the distribution between male and female, it is likely that more of the jobs performed by females can be displaced by technology.
Having said that, I will say that the employment profile between Singapore and the rest of the world is quite different in terms of education level, in terms of our deployment in STEM jobs. If I remember correctly, broadly, the proportion of female university fresh graduates in STEM courses has gone up from 37% to more than 40%. Of course, we will still continue to encourage a more balanced form of engagement.
But at the end of the day, I want to basically express that the impact of technology will be on everyone, whether male or female, young or old. But I took pain in my speech earlier to emphasise that fearing technology is not the way to go because, at the end of the day, all countries, all enterprises, will have no choice but to tap on technology.
I will give Members a simple example. Two companies, assuming they are identical in their business and so on, company A employs 100 workers – male, female, young and old. Company B employs 100 workers. They are in the same business. Annual revenue $100 million. Company A, due to global competition, decides to embrace technology, so they use robots, IT and so on. They improve their productivity by 10%. So, instead of 100 persons, they became more manpower-lean and now need only 90 persons. But because they are more manpower-lean, they would be able, hopefully, to offer products cheaper, better, faster – the point mentioned by Mr Thomas Chua during the Budget Debate. When they are able to compete in a cheaper, better, faster way, their market share will grow. So, instead of $100 million, it may grow to $110 million, $120 million, and take away business from the company that did not respond. As a result, as the company continues to grow over time, even though they are manpower-lean, in fact, their workforce can actually grow, except that the growth in their workforce will be slower than the growth in their business revenue.
Therefore, it is very important that, in Singapore, we do not look at technology as our competitor for jobs. The faster we make use of technology, the better hope we have in terms of not just moving into the future economy, which is driven by innovation and technology, but, more importantly, to use technology to make the job of all workers, for example, low-wage workers and older workers, easier, safer, smarter, so that the future economy can, likewise, be an inclusive economy for our workers, both male and female.
The Chairman:\tMr Low Thia Kiang.
Mr Low Thia Khiang:\tI understand that the Government intends to groom 800 potential leaders in the next three years under the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) which was announced in the Budget Statement. I would like to know what industry the Government is targeting at these potential leaders, and how the Government wants to achieve this target of 800 future leaders. Lastly, I would like to know how these potential leaders are identified and groomed.
Mr Lim Swee Say: Mdm Chairman, LDI is a topic of great interest to me personally. But let me also explain upfront that LDI is today a programme driven by MTI. EDB is our overall champion for LDI. But having said so, MOM, in fact, is a strong supporter of LDI. The reason why I said so is because we believe that the development of a strong Singaporean Core should not be measured just in terms of numbers. It is not about whether in any sector, in any company, what percentage are Singaporeans and what percentage are not. That is just a quantitative measurement of the strength of the Singaporean Core.
What is more important is to look at whether we can strengthen the Singaporean Core at all levels, from the entry level all the way to the top. That is the reason why SkillsFuture, led by SSG – in fact, tomorrow, Members can ask Minister Ong Ye Kung to explain even better – under SkillsFuture, we make sure that we have support programmes all the way from internship to Earn and Learn and all the way to the leadership development initiatives. MOM will go all out to support EDB and MTI in the development of LDI.
Earlier, I mentioned that we have formed a committee in what we call the Human Capital Partners (HCPs). The HCPs are our employers who believe in nurturing human capital. In fact, one of the core priorities of HCP is to nurture what we call the \"Glocal talents\". These are local talents who are good enough to perform regional and global roles. \"Local\", you add the \"g\" in front, it becomes \"glocal\". So, \"glocal talents\" are our local talents who are good enough and are as good as global talent.
Under HCP, the nurturing of glocal talent will be one of the key thrusts. Who will identify these companies? These companies will identify themselves. In other words, if a company feels that it has enough commitment in doing so, they can step forward and say, \"Look, I want to join the HCP community.\" Now, who will identify the person to be nurtured into the glocal talent? Again, the company. It is not for us to go into the company and say, \"Look, you should nurture this person or that person\". Earlier, I have shared the example of the applied material case where Ms Yvonne was identified by her company and has proven that she is good enough for the job. She was able to live up to the expectation and, as a result, today, she is a senior manufacturing director, and the product line that she is responsible for, in fact, is one of their so-called product lead throughout applied material globally.
The Chairman:\tMr Melvin Yong.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: Madam, I thank Minister of State Sam Tan for his responses on workplace safety and health. I have two questions.
First, I think workplace accidents are often the result of poor coordination in workplaces, especially in the construction sector. I would like to ask whether the Ministry can do something to enhance worksite coordination.
The second question I have is whether MOM can do more to encourage near-miss reporting at workplaces. I believe the Minister of State missed this point earlier.
Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong: Madam, I thank the Member for raising two very important questions. First, is on the lack of coordination at workplaces, particularly the construction sites, that has led to many worksite injuries and fatalities.
Madam, it is, indeed, true that there is a lack of proper coordination, communication and also supervision in the construction sector. That is why the construction sector continued to be the major contributor with 24 fatalities last year.
My Ministry will be working with the WSH Council to review the WSH (Construction) Regulations to require construction worksites to hold daily meetings, particularly when they have major hazardous activities to be performed. We would require them to hold meetings at the worksite to pass down the message, communicate with one another so that there will be proper supervision and coordination to reduce worksite accidents.
Madam, the Member also asked about the near-miss reporting. I am sorry that I did not address this point just now because of time constraints. So, now, I would like to take the opportunity to allay his concern. MOM and also the WSH Council have been actively advocating the reporting and also the monitoring of near misses at worksites. If we are able to encourage this as part of the WSH system in every company, every near miss incident reported can prevent the next accident from happening. This is something that we are working very closely on with the WSH Council.
In this respect, MOM has developed a mobile app called Snap@MOM which made it easier for anyone who has a smart phone to report unsafe work conditions or practices to MOM. Just last week, I received some photographs on this platform by a former Member of Parliament who observed some unsafe worksite practices. He sent the pictures to me and, immediately, I got somebody to go to the worksite. As a result, we were able to prevent worksite accidents from happening.
We want to further upgrade this platform by allowing companies to download this app onto their system so that they can integrate this Snap@MOM throughout the whole company, so that every worker will be able to report near miss incidents to their management. The beauty of this upgraded Snap@MOM is that it will not be linked to MOM. All near miss incidents reported will be confined within the company, so that MOM will not go down to investigate. But it is for the company, the management, to take responsibility to investigate to make sure that they do something to right the wrong. So, I hope I have addressed the Member's queries.
The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun:\tI would like to clarify with Minister of State Teo that there is, indeed, a policy change to give migrant workers an option to change employer when their employments are terminated prematurely or due to valid complaints like salary or excessive work hours, and that this option is not dependent on the discretionary consideration of MOM.
Mr Teo Ser Luck:\tThe consideration is upon investigating on their valid claims or non-payment of salaries. Most important is to establish the facts. While we are investigating and trying to find out about the facts of the claim, we do not want the workers to be unproductive. So, there is an arrangement for them, if they so request, to transfer employers. That can be facilitated by MWC to enable them to continue to be productive.
The Chairman: Ms Foo Mee Har.
Ms Foo Mee Har:\tMadam, I congratulate the Minister for encouraging the retirement adequacy trends shared with the House, and also the CPF \"1,2,3\" schemes he has nicely coined. I would like to ask the Minister about LRIS. I think one of the things that the Minister mentioned made a lot of sense, that is, low cost. But I would like to ask the Minister to clarify that when he mentioned \"passive\", I think it has raised concerns among people in the industry because no retirement scheme, if it is an investment, can be passive. At the least, it needs to be able to meet the needs of members at different life stages. So, for younger people, you can take a little bit more risk; nearer to your retirement, you have to make sure you preserve. Of course, the system can do that, but it cannot be passive. If I can ask the Minister to make sure that that is accounted for.
Mr Lim Swee Say:\tMdm Chairman, the Member is exactly right in the sense that LRIS is meant for CPF members who have no time and no knowledge. That is the reason why we have to design LRIS such that he or she would be putting his/her money under LRIS passively, as a passive investment. But somebody has to work for his/her money. So, that would be under LRIS. There would be fund managers to manage the fund for him/her. The member himself or herself does not have to make active decisions.
The Chairman: Dr Intan Mokhtar.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar:\tMdm Chairman, the Minister earlier mentioned about the enhanced work trial for rank-and-file, the blue-collar workers. That is good news. Can I clarify with the Minister whether this scheme is open to any rank-and-file worker looking to switch industries or must he be unemployed for a certain period of time first? Is it across all industries or only specific industries?
Mr Lim Swee Say: Madam, the purpose of the work trial is, as I had mentioned earlier, for the rank-and-file jobseekers who come to us. Our success rate today is seven out of 10. There are still 30% who have not been successful. Our main concern is that among them, there is a small group, the LTU group. The longer they are unemployed, the harder it is for us to bring them back to work. That is the reason why last year, we started this scheme called work trial just to test out the concept. As it turned out, the feedback has been very positive because we have the confidence of jobseekers as well as the confidence of employers. This is the reason we have decided to expand the programme to make it more attractive and, at the same time, make it longer.
The Member asked whether we would expand this programme to the non-LTU workers. I would say that our main purpose is to help workers to get jobs. Therefore, we do allow for that. If the worker is prepared to try out the work, why not? The question of whether this is available to all sectors, it is available to all sectors. Our challenge is more to find employers who are prepared to join the scheme.
The Chairman: Ms Thanaletchimi.
Ms K Thanaletchimi:\tMadam, I have got three questions. One, is on work trial extension. Basically, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would consider a work trial for our PMETs who want to look at other industries before they switch over permanently. So, it would be worthwhile looking at it.
The second question I have is with regard to PCP. For some of the programmes, the training is beyond 18 months. For instance, nursing is 24 months for someone who is not in the industry at all. Can the wage support or some form of support be given to these people and the industries that are taking them? This will help, especially the Intermediate and Long-Term Care sector, which is taking in nurses who want to switch over from one industry to another? The third question is on HR professionals. I remember MOM stating that there will be a HR framework and to make sure that the HR professionals are up to skill and professionalism. When will this be rolled out?
Mr Lim Swee Say:\tMadam, on the first point on the work trial for the PMETs, we have not thought of it because we did not think that there would be many PMETs and many employers of PMETs who are prepared to try this out. However, I am open to the idea. So, maybe you can work with the NTUC, the Labour Movement to see whether we can try this, probably under the future job, future skill programme led by Mr Patrick Tay. I am open to the idea. On the second point about the PCP longer than 18 months, we support PCP. So, is the question whether it can be extended beyond 18 months?
Ms K Thanaletchimi:\tFor some sectors like nursing, it takes 24 months to train a person. It would be worthwhile to consider extending this wage support beyond that.
Mr Lim Swee Say: The answer is yes, our arrangement with the various sectors is that we have a standard PCP. We will provide a certain level of wage support, training support, but our partners, it could be MOH or other agencies. IMDA, for example, what they do is that they take our basic PCP, they add something on top called \"PCP plus\" and \"PCP plus, plus\". For the Member's suggestion, I think we can take it up with MOH.
Last, but not least, on the HR professionals, I thank the Member for bringing up this point. In fact, we have started moving quite fast. We are going to launch some major initiative by the middle of this year. The reason why I did not touch on this is because, like what Mr Sam Tan said, we ran out of time and no Member raised this issue. So, I can assure the Member that we are making some major move to upgrade the HR community in Singapore. This will include the so-called professional certification of the HR community. Members should expect to hear our announcement by the middle of this year.
The Chairman: Miss Cheryl Chan.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling (Fengshan):\tMadam, I have a question for the Minister. A lot of the points that the Minister has raised seem to be more pro-workers. While I understand why something has to be done, I think businesses and employers are also the ones who create jobs to keep the workforce. Can the Minister explain how he would intend to strike a better balance in future in some of the schemes?
Mr Lim Swee Say: Mdm Chairman, I thank Member Cheryl Chan for bringing up this point. I must apologise if I have come across as simply pro-worker. In my conclusion, I did highlight that whatever we do, we have to be pro-worker and pro-business, both at the same time. If one is weak, the other one cannot be strong.
With that in mind, if I can revisit the four keys that I talked about for this year. The first one is about transform and grow. Transform and grow is both pro-worker and pro-business because, as we heard from Minister of State Teo Ser Luck, all the 2,000 companies under LEDS, whatever they have done − automation, mechanisation and so on − is good for their business and, at the same time, good for the workers because by being more manpower-lean, as a result, the workers are more productive, their wages have improved and so on. Therefore, transform and grow is both pro-worker and pro-business.
The second part is Adapt and Grow. Again, Adapt and Grow we believe is both pro-worker and pro-business. Our local workforce growth is slowing down to 1%. More and more companies, like what Mr Thomas Chua mentioned earlier, are not only having problems finding customers, they are also having challenges finding workers. With Adapt and Grow, we believe that we are not just satisfying the employment needs of the workers but, at the same time, also looking after the manpower needs of the employers.
The third aspect is about building an inclusive workforce, at the same time strengthening the complementarity between local and foreign workers. Again, we believe that the mindset of \"2/3 plus 1/3\" is greater than one that is not only pro-workers but pro-businesses. Many of our companies under HCP are all doing very well.
The reason why they are doing well is because they value manpower. They look at their staff not as human resource but as human capital. I asked one of them what is the difference between human resource and human capital. They said resource normally is for consumption and it will depreciate over time. But capital is what you invest in and it will appreciate over time. Therefore, our third thrust is both pro-workers and pro-businesses.
Lastly, fair and progressive workplaces. We believe this is both pro-workers and pro-businesses as well. If the workers are treated fairly, treated progressively, hopefully, they will become more engaged, more motivated and thereby do better for the business. So, I assure Miss Cheryl Can and all Members in this House that everything we do as tripartite partners would be both pro-worker and pro-business.
The Chairman:\tMr Patrick Tay, do you wish to withdraw your amendment?
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan:\tIn closing, I thank my fellow Parliamentary colleagues who filed their cuts and shared their thoughts, views and suggestions. I believe we have thrown greater light on the challenges we face as a country and the right things we must do to transform and grow and adapt and grow.
I would like to thank Minister Lim Swee Say and Ministers of State Sam Tan and Teo Ser Luck for their comprehensive responses and the slew of new initiatives, measures, policies and programmes which we can look forward to. I also want to thank the Permanent Secretary, Deputy Secretaries and the MOM team, Workforce Singapore, CPF Board as well as SLF for their hard work behind the scenes. Thank you very much. With that, Madam, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.
[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $1,706,720,800 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $20,899,800 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply − Head Q (Ministry of Communications and Information)","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang):\tMadam, I beg to move, \"That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100.\"
The Chairman:\tPlease take your three cuts together, Mr Zaqy.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Madam, the way in which businesses operate globally is shifting as a result of digital disruption. Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are trying to find their way in trying to win over customers and compete against competitors who have mastered the digital realm. The impact of the current economic slowdown has not helped as most SMEs I have spoken to are more focused today on the issue of everyday survival to retain their current business and pay their employees.
With the recent Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) report highlighting the shift to a digital economy, I would like to seek the Ministry's update on its initiative to help SMEs in particular which face more constraints and have less resources to help themselves.
I believe, for instance, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) can play a driving role to energise the sectors in helping SMEs. So, I hope that both the Ministry and IMDA will look into how it can help with industry transformation. For one, it can address the feedback from industry about technology adoption and, secondly, it can also help SMEs better leverage the grants available to help them transform.
Specifically on industry transformation, I would like to find out if the Ministry has any game-changing initiatives and, if so, what would these be? I would also like to know what could possibly be done to catalyse a quicker adoption of technology, such as the Internet of Things and data analytics, among SMEs, which can consequentially provide better insights into their business, workforce and improved customer service.
I would like to suggest that we consider setting up Innovation Centres or Centres of Excellence for key sectors where transformation can make an impact. This goes beyond the current capability of SME Centres or industry associations because the largest impact will come from deep experts who can identify trends, intellectual property (IP) and research that can drive innovation at all levels − the businesses, across the value chains and the whole ecosystem. Given how technology is strategic to Singapore's future, I believe that expert access to our business and technology know-how will be crucial to the success of our SMEs.
I urge the Ministry to consider all of these questions so that our home-grown companies can maximise the opportunities presented to them by digital disruption.
Besides SMEs, it is also important that we help Singaporeans maximise the opportunities presented by the digital wave. I would like to know what the Ministry is doing to help workers who face difficulties in reskilling themselves, particularly those whose jobs have been displaced by technology?
Also, I would like to request the Ministry to provide an update on the information and communications technology (ICT) manpower initiatives that it announced at the Committee of Supply (COS) last year.
Given the disruptive and rapidly evolving nature of the digital economy, how can we ensure that we also retain our technical expertise to remain and provide projects and create an ecosystem that continually challenges them? Without opportunities to progress careers with technical depth, many ICT professionals switch to general management and into sales to further their careers. Thus, the industry may keep losing skilled resources and not grow deep skills as a whole.
In identifying the need to build a vibrant ecosystem, what steps can the Ministry take to reduce our over-reliance on foreign, migratory talent in this area and build genuine career opportunities for Singaporeans?
It is important that for us to have a healthy, sustainable and vibrant digital economy, that we have an ecosystem which must provide opportunities for exciting technical career paths. This will help us drive innovation and cutting-edge tech application and research. This is one of the reasons why ecosystems, such as those in San Francisco, thrive as hubs of innovation. I look forward to hearing the Ministry's plans on these initiatives.
Madam, as Singapore increases its digital capabilities and goes deeper into a digital economy, the impact of a cyberattack increases as it could be damaging to the economy. Therefore, with cybersecurity being of increasing importance in a digital economy, what is the Ministry doing to increase its cybersecurity capabilities, as well as to strengthen the cybersecurity industry in Singapore?
Last year, the Government announced that it will separate its networks from the Internet. What is the feedback from civil servants and public servants thus far? Has there been impact on customer service from the Government by those agencies that have been affected by this policy? Has the Ministry studied the impact on the productivity and effectiveness of knowledge workers in the agencies and their responsiveness to the public?
It is inevitable that the more exposed we become to the virtual world in a digital economy, we are exposed to more and more risks and trade-offs. We will need to study and assess these negative effects so that we would not be caught off-guard.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng (Nominated Member) (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, the Government has announced that 10,000 civil servants will be trained up in digital capabilities to better support innovation and cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit. Taking this lead is an excellent initiative. Today, the topic I wish to discuss is how to drive SMEs' digitalisation.
Firstly, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) welcomes the \"SMEs Go Digital Programme\", and we shall be actively helping SMEs to adopt digital technology. Later this month, the Chamber's office will be relocating to the Trade Association (TA) Hub in Jurong East. More than 20 TAs will come on board with us. The TA Hub will be the base from which we shall be promoting the digitalisation of enterprises.
We have specially set up the TA Committee to help industry associations integrate resources, improve capabilities, promote collaboration amongst TAs, build up partnership relations and provide a platform to channel feedback to Government agencies. One of the important areas of the TA Committee's work is to help local enterprises go digital.
For many years now, the Chamber and IMDA have worked closely together to help SMEs adopt infocomm technology (IT) and promote the Increase SME Productivity with Infocomm Adoption and Transformation (iSPRINT) initiative. This has helped us to accumulate valuable experiences. This time, we hope to continue to work closely with IMDA to drive the \"SMEs Go Digital Programme\" in a big way.
Making digitalisation a reality involves two factors: one is system and the other is workers. SCCCI's subsidiary, the Singapore Chinese Chamber Institute of Business, will be doing its best to help TAs train their workers. But the other challenge of promoting digitalisation is how to apply a standardised system to improve the effectiveness of the whole industry.
In the interconnected Internet world, companies need to plug into a collaborative network. The effectiveness of digital technology could only be evident if the system is compatible with that of your customers, suppliers and partners. If not, the transfer of large masses of data could cause system errors. Such programming defects that occur willy-nilly could frustrate SMEs and make them lose faith.
Applying a standardised system for the industry is likened to learning a common language to facilitate communication. Recently, many food and beverage (F&B) establishments are using the electronic menu ordering system. Customers who frequent different restaurants first need to study how to use their systems. After being accustomed to Restaurant A's system, you need to start over again with Restaurant B. Starting from the menu selection, serving of food to paying the bill, the entire process is fully automated. Businesses could even use the data captured to analyse which dishes are the most popular and decide on the quantity of ingredients to purchase. These are all advantages.
But from a deeper perspective, if every restaurant uses its own system, we could never standardise the employee training curriculum. Moreover, whether customers can get used to the system would determine their continued patronage. If F&B players use a common system, the entire process of customer acceptance could be accelerated.
This simple example allows me to clarify that in the journey of digitalisation, TAs and industry associations must consider the big picture of the whole industry, including problems which may be encountered by related industries. They should not digitalise for the sake of doing so. The Budget has already announced certain sectors which will receive support first, including retail, food services, logistics and so on. Everyone must work together, relying on the capacity of the SME Technology Hub and leveraging the assistance of the \"SMEs Go Digital Programme\", so that they may discover the benefits of digitalisation.
The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat, please take your three cuts together.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): How are the Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI) and IMDA planning to help SMEs with the digital transformation? That is the question I have for the first cut. In particular, how is the use of consumers' data, such as their purchase habits and feedback, to be utilised more optimally by SMEs and companies so that they may evolve their products and services to better cater to current needs?
Will the Ministry also be looking at ensuring that the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) remains relevant? We are now in a climate where we are encouraging companies to use data innovatively and optimise business opportunities, yet the personal data in their possession needs to remain secure and protected, which makes it a bit more difficult for their businesses.
I am pleased to note from the Budget that the Government is helping businesses to go digital and encouraging the use of digital technologies. Indeed, this is a step in the right direction towards a more productive and technology-savvy workforce. I am keen to hear about MCI's detailed plans and strategies to build a digital-ready workforce. Last year, the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) was announced as an initiative to fill tech positions with Singaporean talents, through targeted training and job matching. Can MCI elaborate on how TeSA will be used to improve employability of IT staff, on top of the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) that have been announced in the Budget? Furthermore, how does IMDA plan to develop a future-ready media workforce?
It has been over two years since PDPA was implemented. With more companies taking their businesses onto different platforms, there is a greater exchange of customer information, particularly online and through social media. In the past, email addresses and phone numbers were among the main concerns of consumers who were receiving spam emails and messages. Now, with social media having a greater role in transactions and information exchange, data protection has become more complicated.
Furthermore, recent high-profile hacking incidents have led to the accidental compromise of customer and personal information, showing the vulnerability of online data systems. Can MCI share how it plans to further help businesses, especially SMEs, better comply with their data protection obligations under PDPA without any adverse effects?
Dr Teo Ho Pin (Bukit Panjang): Madam, I wish to seek clarifications from the Ministry on the following.
First, to provide an update on the implementation of PDPA. Second, what measures have been taken to ensure the protection of personal data of Singaporeans embarking on the Smart Nation initiatives?
Madam, in today's e-services and digitally-driven economy, many agencies or organisations in both the public and private sectors collect personal data of Singaporeans or customers respectively for various purposes. As a result, lots of personal data are vulnerable to abuse and cyberattacks.
Madam, the recent breach of the Internet system or the I-net of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and subsequent theft of several hundred MINDEF personnel's personal data on 28 February 2017 have raised concerns about personal data protection. Similar breaches had also previously happened in private firms, such as K- Box and PropNex Realty, in which the personal data of thousands of customers were leaked online.
Madam, while the Government agencies may have more resources to build robust Internet systems to reduce cyberattacks or breaches, companies and organisations in the private sector will face immense challenges in getting resources to build such cyber defences. Thus, the personal data of Singaporeans are at risk of abuse.
Madam, as Singapore strives to develop a digital economy on its journey to becoming a Smart Nation, more personal data will be collected by service providers in various applications, such as smart payment systems, e-Government services and e-commerce activities. This will undoubtedly be a cause of concern for consumers.
Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mdm Chairman, since the launch of the Smart Nation initiative in 2014, much has been said about facilitating initiatives that allow easy access to information on state services. Smart Nation envisions a Singapore where citizens are empowered by technology to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Such efforts will also include providing greater access to official statistics and information on official programmes under Public Service initiatives.
In raising this cut, I use the word \"smart\" in Smart Nation with a non-digital definition in mind. At a time when poor information, misunderstanding and even misinformation and fake news are becoming increasingly prevalent, efforts that assist and allow the public access to primary sources of information so as to have an informed fact-based public debate are especially needed. This allows a discerning active citizenry to participate in governance and have a direct stake in policy-based discussions with fact and reasoned opinion as the order of the day, as opposed to wild diatribe and unsubstantiated exaggerations. No doubt, the latter will not be easy to filter out, given the open nature of the Internet and the information age we are in today.
The Government has stated that it is looking at how it can reinforce its legal and regulatory hands against purveyors of falsehoods. But the long arm of the law alone is unlikely to engender a Smart Nation. Smart Nation must, at its core, understand where to find news that allow its citizenry to make informed decisions.
Parliament is an important if not central conduit for information dissemination and can make a seminal difference. For Singaporeans to be resistant to fake news, it must be sufficiently informed, and providing a \"live\" and open Parliamentary platform could serve as a key inoculant against fake news.
Educating the public about their rights and responsibilities as citizens and voters are equally important and useful next steps. Specifically, I would like to ask the Government if it would consider live video streaming and a searchable video archive of Parliamentary debates.
The digital revolution has opened many doors to provide such services competitively. In fact, it was noteworthy that the recent Budget speech delivered by Minister Heng was streamed \"live\" and available on The Straits Times' website. The absence of full Parliamentary question and answer clips and Second Readings of Bills appears contrary to the principles of open Government. No doubt, the delayed Channel NewsAsia (CNA) videos available online shortly after a Parliamentary session are a notable improvement from the past. I also note that the scope and length of coverage have increased progressively as well. However, current reports on Parliamentary proceedings by the mainstream media centre on snippets sometimes omit key statements, facts and context, and this depends on the liberty of editors. As a written record of speeches, there are also limitations as to what the Hansard can convey in a timely manner, given society's migration to video-based formats on our smart phones.
I hope the Ministry can review its position on this matter and consider bringing \"live\" Parliamentary proceedings in full to our smart devices, in step with our evolution as a Smart Nation. I believe it will improve citizen-state relations in a significant way and improve public discussions about policy trade-offs and the understanding of Singaporeans about Parliamentary affairs.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Madam, a few months ago, I met with Traffic Police to ask for more enforcement action against drivers who are racing or speeding in a dangerous manner along the East Coast Parkway.
I asked the Police whether they could install more portable speed cameras within the constituency so that the need for constant patrolling by the Traffic Police can be reduced. To my surprise, it seems that installing a speed camera is not so straightforward. Despite the fact that cameras are so common nowadays, to date, the portable speed camera is not yet installed.
This made me wonder whether the Government can do more to tap on technology to deliver its services to the public. For example, we currently already have closed circuit television (CCTVs) to monitor places where there is illegal parking. Can we use the latest wireless technology to install more such CCTVs at lower costs so as to deter illegal parking which obstructs other road users?
I also urge the Government to consider using the latest camera technology to curb high-rise littering and littering along areas like public parks or bus stops and other busy public places. The Government can use sensor technology to track whether roads and drains have been regularly cleaned by the cleaning companies.
Today, when my mobile data usage on my phone reaches 80% of my limit, Singtel automatically sends me a short message service (SMS) to alert me. Can the Government rely on such similar technology to alert residents when their household water usage exceeds 80% of the norm? This will remind residents to be more careful about their water usage.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) can also analyse commuter data from the bus transport operators to determine where there is peak demand for buses on normal days, so that the bus companies can despatch buses to places where there is high commuter ridership.
I urge the Government to consider investing more on digital and data technology so that it can continue to deliver essential services to the public and yet keep the costs of human capital low.
Mr Chen Show Mao (Aljunied): I would like to ask whether we could do more to help ensure that we do not leave groups of Singaporeans behind in the drive to digitise Government services and build a Smart Nation.
One recent example is the difficulties that some seniors still face in trying to use SingPass and activating two-factor authentication (2FA). Seniors without mobile phones need to apply for the OneKey token. In many cases, the only practical option for seniors who are unable to apply for the OneKey token online is to visit one of the two OneKey offices in Alexandra and Tanjong Pagar. This is the case, notwithstanding the onsite assistance available at the 25 Citizen Connect Centres in Singapore who can help with applying for SingPass but not OneKey tokens. The process may prove cumbersome particularly for several groups of people, such as seniors who are not tech-savvy, those with low levels of education, those who are not conversant in English, those who do not own mobile phones and those who may have difficulties getting around. This calls to mind the bigger issues of the growing risk of losing access to essential Government services for groups of Singaporeans in the face of digitalisation. Let us try to make our pioneering Smart Nation even more inclusive.
Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, one of the core missions of the National Library Board (NLB) is to foster a reading culture and to provide free public access to knowledge through its collections of books and online databases. Other than to promote reading, the libraries can also double up as community hubs that support the adoption of IT and lifelong learning, as well as being the point of access to e-Government services.
As the Government continues to digitise more and more of its services, it is crucial that those who are unfamiliar with IT be provided with a public channel that they can use to transact with the Government.
Given that both NLB and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) are under the purview of MCI, both agencies could work closely to ensure that dedicated and secure terminals are made available in public libraries to those who have no home access to the Internet so that they can access e-Government services.
Furthermore, NLB can value-add to this service by using it as a platform to enhance community engagement. Specifically, could NLB perhaps engage Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) students from relevant IT courses in the Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs) or polytechnics as volunteers to provide onsite assistance to residents who need help with their e-Government transactions? I hope that this is something that the Government can consider.
The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling, please take your three cuts together.
Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Madam, digitalisation has been identified as one of the seven pillars in the CFE report. Digitalisation is a challenge as well as an opportunity for SMEs. While it significantly changes how business is being done, disintermediating the middleman and impacting companies that may be asset-heavy, it also offers an opportunity that SMEs can scale up and internationalise quickly.
SMEs form the bulk of our enterprises. If they are able to successfully leverage on digitalisation, there is a real chance of us being able to break out of the constraints of land and rental, manpower and small home markets, achieving higher revenue, higher productivity and lower manpower reliance. How do we encourage our SMEs to embark on digitalisation and what holds them back?
One of the reasons for the slow adoption of digitalisation could be a lack of familiarity with technology. One way of increasing awareness of digitalisation for SMEs could be to organise meet-the-firm sessions, akin to a Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), except that instead of meeting a Member of Parliament to seek assistance and introduce the various Government schemes, the firm and its management can meet an IMDA officer to be introduced to various digitalisation options. For it to be impactful, the outreach should look to touch base with as many firms as possible, but provide solutions targeted to each firm's technology capability level. This could help spur adoption. There is a tipping point for technology, where a critical mass of users starts using digital solutions, digitalisation could undergo an exponential adoption rate. Let us help to initiate a tipping point.
Madam, in a world with great uncertainty, data can help make sense of things. Data can help power services to ensure seamless operability to the advantage of Government and local enterprises. GovTech is leading the Government's efforts to embrace digital transformation and innovate to enhance Public Service delivery. How has it done so far? How has it enabled the Government to better harness ICT and related engineering to drive transformation and innovation amongst other Government agencies?
While data is being provided to the public to engage in co-creation of applications, what is being done to systematically integrate new applications to existing Government services to provide users a one-stop user-friendly experience?
Lastly, as more Government services are migrating to e-services, how are we enabling our seniors to keep up with the changes? I would like to suggest that young Singaporeans be encouraged to come forward to volunteer to teach seniors how to use e-services and municipal apps at a retail level. This could be done in the form of simple workshops conducted by volunteers at void decks for seniors or at community hubs, such as town hubs and libraries. Such activities will greatly complement GovTech's efforts. Our seniors need a personal touch to encourage them to use e-services, and there should be more one-on-one opportunities for them to do so.
Madam, the roof of Punggol Waterway Terraces had collapsed, screamed the headlines; a gigantic explosion at the Tuas Plant a few weeks ago; and the biggest problem is that these were all fake news. This is not a local phenomenon. Theories abound about how fake news and push-through reporting were alleged to have had a hand in shaping voter behaviour during Brexit and the recent United States (US) Presidential Elections. Countries, such as Germany, are looking at laws targeting fake news while Internet and the social media giants, Google and Facebook, are reviewing their policies to curb the spread of fake news.
Minister Yaacob Ibrahim had shared that the Ministry plans to amend both the Films Act and the Broadcasting Act this year to take into account changes in technology. Given media convergence, amendments to the Broadcasting Act is likely to be a dominant media legislation. I would like to ask the Minister whether the timing of his recent announcement is related to public interest on the rise of fake news and its impact on societies and how the Ministry intends to maintain a balance between regulations and a market-friendly approach, given the need to uphold and promote Singapore as a communications hub.
Mr Ong Teng Koon (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Madam, technological convergence has been a key trend in media for a number of years, along with the continued growth of the Internet and Internet users. This poses a number of challenges for the regulation of content. For me, there are two components to this new challenge: firstly, that content creation is now global and, secondly, that most content is distributed via huge and powerful global platforms.
The distribution of content has become easier and anybody can create content and have it go viral. In \"the good old days\", content was stored in physical media, and copying and distributing it took much effort. This made it easy to identify perpetrators. The current situation is complicated by the fact that content is now global. Content providers do not need any sort of physical presence in Singapore to serve content to Singaporeans. They do not even need to have a formal website per se, as their content can be spread virally through Facebook or other social media.
Unlike local content producers, who have to comply with our laws, Singapore will often have limited leverage over overseas producers, even if they are creating content that might harm religious or racial harmony in Singapore. How does the Ministry intend to create some form of parity between local and overseas content producers? What about foreign content creators using Singapore as a base to create and distribute content that may be sensitive to our neighbours?
The next challenge is that most consumers will discover that the content they receive will come through either Facebook or Google, or might be even sent through WhatsApp, which is also a subsidiary of Facebook. The very size and scope of these platforms give them significant power in discussions with any individual government. There is very little that a government can do to compel them to act, short of banning their services within the country. However, the loss of access would create a huge uproar.
Given the vast amount of content that is uploaded to these sites, it would be unreasonable to expect them to police them constantly. A more pertinent question is whether they are obligated to remove \"objectionable\" content once it is flagged to them. Again, this is a difficult task, for what is objectionable to one may not be to another. It sometimes seems that there are people on the Internet whose sole purpose is to get outraged by one thing or another. So, we cannot just pander to the lowest common denominator.
Germany has floated the idea of fining Facebook €500,000 for every single piece of \"fake news\" that it fails to take down. Or even if this law gets passed, this is not without challenges. What qualifies as \"fake\" news? The term originated to describe sites that manufactured stories out of thin air to drive clicks and profits. The term is now being used rather loosely, even by senior officials, to describe news and opinions that do not comply to their liking.
I think we can all agree that completely fabricated stories with no basis in reality should be clamped down with all the tools that we have. However, the world is a messy place and facts may not be easy to agree upon. Take one example − the prosecution and defence lawyers in a murder case will use the facts to spin completely different narratives. In effect, only one of those two narratives is real and the other is, by definition, \"fake\". Would news outlets presenting and supporting the case for the defence be denounced as fake news by the prosecution and vice versa? What if we load the stakes and say that the case involves the murder of a prominent religious leader, which has the potential to stoke religious tension? Would there be pressure to stop media outlets and social media sites carrying reports supporting the defence team's arguments, even though they may ultimately prove to be correct?
How does the Ministry intend to approach working with content distributors to protect Singapore's racial and religious harmony from the scourge of fake news? A totally draconian approach is unlikely to work. It would also harm our image as an open society and a great place to live and work, and contradict our long-standing light touch regulatory regime. Yet, we also cannot do nothing. As the furore over alleged fake news in the United States (US) shows, even a mature democracy can be rocked by such threats. For a young country like Singapore, the risk of fake news exploiting racial and religious sentiment is real. The situation is challenging but I look forward to hearing from the Ministry on this. This is a hot topic that governments around the world are starting to grapple with, and it is an exciting opportunity for Singapore to lead the world in creating a sound yet resilient regulatory regime.
The Chairman: Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.
The Minister for Communications and Information (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Madam, I would like to thank Members for their kind comments.
Mdm Chairman, with your permission, I would like to show a short video summarising the work of my Ministry over the past year.
The Chairman:\tYes, please. [A video was shown to hon Members.]
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Thank you, Madam. Madam, as you can see, MCI has been working hard to improve Singaporeans' lives. Ours continues to be an important role moving forward. This is an exciting time for Singapore. CFE laid out the opportunities and challenges in the next phase of our economic development, and the Budget detailed how we can thrive in this exciting future. One way is to harness technology to seize the opportunities in the digital economy.
Madam, this is not new to Singapore. We have always leveraged technology to overcome our constraints. For instance, several years ago, we decided to lay fibre optic cables and improve mobile speeds across the island. Our huge investments in infrastructure now give us vast connectivity across the nation and beyond. That connectivity has opened up a new space for Singaporeans, presenting many opportunities for businesses and work, research and learning, social interactions and self-expression. It enables us to leverage infocomm media (ICM) technologies to transform the way we live, work and play.
MCI, Madam, has also contributed to the use of technology in other sectors. Take public transport, for example. In the video, you saw a GovTech Technology Associate share how his team used data science to identify the cause of the Circle Line breakdowns last year. There are many more examples of how GovTech supports national objectives through technology, such as in developing smarter Government digital services or developing platforms, such as a National Digital ID system.
We thus have the building blocks for Singapore to thrive in a much more technologically-enabled world. Yet, for all their possibilities, these new spaces and technologies have also raised concerns about their impact on jobs and equality, and about their potential to dehumanise society and corrode our values. As a society, we need to apply a critical eye to the implementation and use of new technologies. Together, we need to define the rules by which this new space works so that it optimises opportunities, fosters innovation, ingenuity and creativity. But, most importantly, to do so in a way that will strengthen our communities and improve our lives.
Cognisant of these challenges and concerns, MCI undertook three key steps in 2016 to help Singapore better prepare for the digital economy. First, we restructured our Statutory Boards, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the Media Development Authority (MDA), to form two new entities: IMDA and GovTech. This allows us to better utilise our resources and allowed convergence on changes necessary for our digital transformation.
Secondly, MCI has strengthened our standards of cybersecurity as a fundamental prerequisite for the digital economy. We cannot be a Smart Nation if we remain open and vulnerable to cyberattacks. Hence, in October, Prime Minister Lee launched the Singapore Cybersecurity Strategy to build a resilient and trusted cyber environment. The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) will also take steps to elucidate cybersecurity so that everyone understands the importance of cybersecurity and how they, too, can play a role in securing our IT systems from cyberattacks.
Thirdly, Madam, MCI is building and developing an ecosystem that enables our businesses and people to thrive in a digital economy. Last year, IMDA launched TeSA to help our workforce acquire new ICT skills, such as cybersecurity, so that they can secure better paying jobs and grow in their careers. In chairing the TeSA Governing Council, IMDA leads a diverse range of stakeholders to realise this vision, including companies, TAs and Government partners, such as SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore. In tandem with this focus on training, we also created physical spaces, like Pixel Labs, to help our young and startup community gain a foothold in the digital economy. And we will continue to consult and partner our TAs and businesses to help companies adopt ICM technologies.
Madam, these three steps have taken us further along our journey to be a Smart Nation. But this is a journey without end. We will build on these foundations in 2017 and beyond. In line with CFE to keep Singapore's economy competitive and position our country for the future, we plan to, first, help companies transform and build strong digital capabilities, second, deepen our workers' technical expertise and, finally, continue to digitalise the Government to better serve Singapore.
Madam, MCI will help our companies thrive in the digital economy, especially our SMEs. A number of Members have asked how we plan to help SMEs transform themselves digitally and prepare for the future. We strongly believe that digital technology can help companies across all sectors drive productivity, create growth, catalyse innovation and boost competitiveness.
So, let me elaborate on two examples that illustrate how companies have used digital solutions to improve their business under IMDA's iSPRINT programme.
Firstly, through the adoption of a School Management System, TwinkleKidz Academy reduced their preschool teachers' administrative duties by 70%. The system allows teachers to take attendance via iPad, instantly generate students' progress reports with an e-portfolio, and keeps parents updated on students' activities. This not only helped free up teachers to devote more time on their students' development and well-being but also improved communication between parents and the school.
Secondly, Old Tea Hut, a beverage takeaway shop, deployed a mobile ordering system for its customers to place advance orders and make payment through their smartphones. Due to the increased convenience that its customers experience, 25% of the company's daily sales are made via this system. This has allowed Old Tea Hut to increase its overall sales by 15% and more quickly open new outlets.
Madam, since its inception in 2010, iSPRINT has helped more than 8,000 SMEs improve their business through tech solutions. Thus, building on iSPRINT, IMDA and CSA will work with agencies, such as the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING), with an \"SMEs Go Digital\" programme. It will help raise SMEs' overall level of digital readiness by giving them step-by-step advice on the technologies to use at each stage of their digital journey.
Firstly, SMEs can approach SME Centres for basic advice on off-the-shelf digital solutions prequalified by IMDA. For those with more advanced needs, such as data analytics and cybersecurity, experts at a new SME Digital Tech Hub will provide dedicated assistance. Besides advice, the hub will also help connect SMEs to ICT vendors and consultants, as well as conduct workshops and seminars to help build SMEs' digital capabilities. And for any progressive SMEs interested in experimenting with emerging digital technologies, they can pilot co-creation projects with IMDA. IMDA can also connect SMEs to experts to help them in their innovation expertise, as suggested by Mr Zaqy Mohamad. Madam, at each stage, SMEs will continue benefiting from funding support to defray the cost of technology deployment.
Secondly, IMDA will work with sector leads to develop sector-specific Industry Digital Plans which are aligned to the respective ITMs. Playing the role of Chief Information Officer, IMDA will synergise these plans across different sectors, including ensuring interoperability, as suggested by Mr Thomas Chua. Hence, ICT companies can not only identify areas their solutions can potentially value-add, but also whether they can be deployed to other sectors with similar needs. Similarly, SMEs can be guided on how different solutions, such as cybersecurity, data analytics and e-payment, can be integrated together to meet their requirements.
Finally, to accelerate the pace of transformation, we are adopting a sectoral approach to help more SMEs adopt more impactful pioneer solutions so as to help pave the way for more of their peers. For a start, we will focus on sectors where technology can uplift productivity, such as retail, logistics, food services and cleaning.
Through SMEs Go Digital, IMDA will collaborate with big corporations who can play an influential role in helping to digitalise the SMEs they work with. These large companies are well-placed to help uplift the entire sectors, by pushing the mass adoption of impactful digital solutions to SMEs.
One example, Madam, is Robinson's, a big retailer which uses an e-procurement platform to transact electronically with their 200 SME suppliers. By integrating on the same system, Robinson's saved 85% of the time used to manually process their numerous transactions with suppliers, while each SME, on average, was able to redeploy two admin headcounts to other tasks. Furthermore, as Robinson's could provide suppliers with their daily sales data, the system allowed both parties to benefit from better planning and inventory management.
Market leaders, such as telecommunications companies (telcos) and banks, can also work with ICT companies to expand their traditional services and provide more value-added solutions to their SME customers. Starhub will partner IMDA and various vendors to provide F&B and Retail SMEs with a comprehensive digital solution package. This includes bundling existing broadband and wi-fi connectivity with a suite of complementary solutions, such as digital ordering and payment, digital advertising, cybersecurity and retail analytics.
Madam, I understand Starhub is working with Tampines Merchants Association and ICT company Getz Group to offer mobile ordering and payment solutions to F&B merchants in the Tampines N2 cluster. Sandwich outlet Toasties has already adopted Getz' solution, while another four merchants, including the popular Al-Azhar Restaurant, are being engaged as well.
I appreciate Members' support for the programme, but note potential concerns about its implementation. I also agree with Mr Thomas Chua's point about Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs). Recognising the SMEs' digital needs vary widely across and within sectors, we will invite TACs, other key industry players and SMEs themselves to provide feedback, create awareness and help to improve SMEs Go Digital. Our main aim is to ensure it meets the needs of SMEs and remains \"user-friendly\".
Madam, on Mr Zaqy Mohamad's point about ecosystems, IMDA plans to continue building locally grown ICM enterprises that can break new grounds for Singapore. This means rolling out an integrated approach to groom local ICM companies by expanding Accreditation@IMDA and introducing other schemes to grow these companies and build an innovative ecosystem.
Accreditation@IMDA is a key initiative for promising local tech startups, as it provides resources and investments to help them build a track record and accelerate growth. As of end February, the programme has accredited 17 companies in areas like video and data analytics, robotics and energy management, helping them generate Government project opportunities worth over $60 million.
One such company is AeroLion Technologies. Accredited in December 2015, it is now working with agencies, such as the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and Public Utilities Board (PUB) to explore using its unmanned aerial vehicles in maintenance and inspection work. In urbanised Singapore, AeroLion's technology assist agencies in navigating challenging environments to better detect problems like building cracks and debris. The results gathered from AeroLion's analytical data also helps staff devise potential preventive measures and run our main infrastructure systems more efficiently.
Accreditation@IMDA was initially launched to leverage Government demand to identify and establish the credentials of promising startups. Due to these accredited companies' success, IMDA will now be expanding the programme's focus beyond the public sector to the enterprise sectors, such as real estate and finance. It will also expand beyond accrediting startups to include small high-growth SMEs.
Madam, the CFE had recommended focusing help for high-growth SMEs, large local enterprises (LLEs) and multinational corporations (MNCs) to seize global opportunities. Thus, for larger high-growth ICM SMEs which require targeted intervention to scale overseas, we plan to help them partner LLEs and MNCs, such as CapitaLand, Mediacorp and Sentosa Development Corporation, for product innovation, capability building and export to overseas markets. For example, in the area of the Internet-of-Things, IMDA will work with CapitaLand to develop the smart building capabilities of these Singapore tech companies. CapitaLand's global network of over 500 properties offers these companies a living lab for ideas and prototypes to be field-tested and validated, supporting the co-development of globally competitive breakthrough technology solutions.
Madam, Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Saktiandi Supaat observed that as we prepare companies for the digital economy, we also need to equip Singaporeans with the relevant skills. This applies to both the ICM sector and digital-related work across all industries. At last year's COS, I announced TeSA would pioneer new ways of enabling Singaporeans to acquire ICT expertise and skills. I am pleased to report the progress TeSA has made. As of mid-February 2017, TeSA has enabled over 10,000 professionals to benefit from upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
Hakim Ariffin, 26 years old whom you saw earlier came from a finance background and has since successfully converted to a programmer employed with American healthcare firm Merck, Sharpe & Dohme. Lim Yi-Min, 23 years old, is now a Data Scientist at National Computer Systems (NCS). Through the TeSA's company-led training (CLT) programme, she was able to better transition from school and a degree in engineering to a working environment and a new exciting world of data analytics.
Finally, I would like to speak about Alvin Koh, 54 years old. A seasoned veteran with 30 years' experience in systems administration and technical support, Alvin challenged himself to pursue a new career in cybersecurity after being laid off. Having completed his on-the-job training, Alvin is now enjoying his work as a Security Consultant with Singapore Technologies (ST) Electronics.
I am delighted to announce that TeSA's CLT programmes continue to have high placement rates and am pleased to add that our number of industry partners continues to grow. TeSA has partnered over 15 CLT companies, including Singtel, Accel, Quann and Optimum Solutions. Two new partners are SAS Institute and Deloitte and Touche Enterprise Risk Services, which will offer training in data analytics and cybersecurity respectively.
Going forward, Madam, we will continually expand TeSA's range of training partners and courses, as well as look at new initiatives to drive Singapore's ICT skills landscape. Beyond ICT professionals, it is important for the workforce of other sectors to start digitalising. The SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) aims to develop the next generation of business leaders, helping aspiring Singaporeans acquire leadership competencies and critical experiences.
TeSA will work with LDI and other partners to implement on-the-job training leadership programmes with a focus on developing tech management skills. This complements other programmes supported by TeSA, such as Squared Online for Singapore SMEs. A digital leadership and marketing course, it was developed in partnership with Google to help SME leaders and employees who are keen to digitalise their businesses and navigate the evolving digital landscape.
We will continue to develop a capable, future-ready workforce in other ways. IMDA has developed a Media Manpower Plan which Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will share later. We will also continue working closely with tertiary and pre-tertiary institutions to boost our pipeline of talent. One programme is Industry Preparation for Pre-graduates (iPREP) which equips pre-graduates with relevant industry-ready skillsets and work experience. About 800 students have enrolled since its launch last year.
One beneficiary is Jaren Lim, an undergraduate from the Singapore Management University's (SMU's) School of Information Systems. Jaren is passionate about IT and interested in how organisations function. Through iPREP, he now better understands how technical expertise marries with business acumen, before he enters the workforce.
Madam, we want Singapore to be the place to create and internationalise digital solutions and businesses. This means our businesses, people and Government must all play a part. Singapore has always embraced technology to serve our needs. I recall we formed the National Computer Board in the 1980s to computerise the Civil Service and improve public administration services through the use of ICT. In a similar vein, the Government will take the lead in Singapore's whole-of-nation initiative to develop into a Smart Nation, with GovTech helping to lead digital transformation within the public sector.
In the past year, GovTech has been developing national-level digital platforms and infrastructure to help catalyse the digital economy. GovTech has also partnered other agencies to use technology to enhance and transform the way Government services are delivered to our citizens. Minister of State Janil Puthucheary will elaborate more on their work.
Madam, Mr Zaqy Mohamad said that cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important, and I agree. Cybersecurity was identified as an emerging growth sector as it is projected to grow at 9.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to about $900 million and could potentially provide over 5,000 additional job openings by 2020. Also, as Singapore transitions into a digital economy, more and more aspects of our everyday life will be made digital.
In today's landscape, we recognise that cyber threats have been increasing in frequency, scale and sophistication as governments, businesses and consumers have become more reliant on information systems. No one is immune. The Government is aware that it is a potential target. Thus, as Singapore's Cybersecurity Strategy coordinates our efforts to build a resilient and trusted cyber environment, the Government has already taken the necessary steps within the Public Service to strengthen our systems.
To further reply Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Miss Cheng Li Hui, the Internet Surfing Separation policy is meant to protect Government systems and citizens' data by removing one avenue which cyberattackers can use to steal information.
Besides setting up the necessary infrastructure to ensure officers can still easily access the Internet for work, we are adjusting and adapting our work processes and introducing productivity solutions and tools to help maintain an efficient and productive Public Service. There has been no impact on our public service delivery. Members of the public are still able to send and receive emails from Government offices. Government digital services and transactions by the public and businesses have also been unaffected. We are working to ensure a smooth transition for public officers to meet our target May 2017 implementation date. This separation, Madam, is necessary and we will continue to review and calibrate our security measures to ensure our systems remain resilient and trusted.
Protecting Singapore's cyberspace and Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) remains a core mandate of CSA. Cyber defence is now part of Total Defence, so the National Service (NS) cyber vocation announcement by MINDEF is timely. It is an important part of the overall national strategy to build up a skilled workforce, with full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) being deployed to CSA to augment capacities in protecting our CIIs.
We are already growing our talent pipeline through upskilling and reskilling programmes under TeSA and the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists (CSAT) programme. Armed with their NS cybersecurity experience, some NSFs may choose to take up careers in Government agencies, such as CSA, MINDEF and GovTech, while others will enter the industry. They will not only strengthen the wider cybersecurity ecosystem but also become future cybersecurity entrepreneurs creating jobs and economic growth.
To complement these manpower development efforts, the Government will introduce a Cybersecurity Professional Scheme to attract, develop and retain cybersecurity practitioners in the public sector. Centrally managed by CSA, the scheme will develop a core of cybersecurity specialists to be deployed across agencies to support Singapore's cyber defences.
As part of the ongoing efforts to professionalise the wider cyber workforce, the scheme will also provide a framework to catalyse growth and uplift the overall industry. I am likewise pleased to see the industry playing its part in growing the industry. Singtel, for instance, is reaching out to students through an interactive online portal called the Cyber Security Experience (CSX). This portal will be launched soon and, hopefully, such efforts will interest students to explore cybersecurity further and eventually join this exciting field.
I would now like to reply to Ms Sun Xueling and Mr Ong Teng Koon on how we will be updating Singapore's media regulations to better keep pace with technology. I had previously spoken about our plans to update the Films Act, which was enacted back when screening a film required a physical copy on a reel. Today, films can be directly streamed from overseas. We will be updating the Films Act for this digital age. We have started consulting some key stakeholders and will do a wider public consultation very soon.
We will also update the Broadcasting Act (BA) this year. Singaporeans now have access to a wide variety of content on the Internet and are no longer limited to services offered by Mediacorp or our subscription TV operators. When overseas content providers are directly targeting Singaporeans, we need to ensure that their content is in line with our community values, including the need to uphold racial and religious harmony. We are studying this carefully to make sure that any changes we make will not add undue burden to our businesses. In reviewing our amendments to BA, we will rationalise some of the changes made in past years. One example is the 2013 online news licensing scheme for accountability and responsibility in news reporting.
Many Members have spoken about the increased dangers of fake news. The Internet is vast and open. But if an entity reports news about Singapore regularly to inform Singaporeans on matters of public interest, we expect them to do so responsibly.
So, I am heartened that industry giants like Facebook and Google have realised that some control is necessary in this environment where misinformation can spread so easily. Google has prohibited advertisements on sites with deliberate misinformation while Facebook is mobilising users to call out misinformation in their news feeds.
Madam, more details about the BA amendments will be announced soon and we look forward to engaging businesses and the public on this. Amending the BA is the first step. For the longer term, we remain committed to harmonising our legislation for a converged infocomm and media environment.
Yet, even as we update our legislation and regulations, it is even more important that those who use, create and share content on the Internet do so safely and responsibly, while being discerning on any information they find online. To this end, we will continue to promote information and media literacy to all Singaporeans, particularly our young and those who may be vulnerable.
So, Madam, to summarise, the digital economy is coming. It will create growth, jobs and higher wages for Singaporeans, but will also require us to adapt and be open to many changes.
My colleagues will continue to share MCI's plans to help Singaporeans prepare for the future. Amongst others, Minister of State Janil Puthucheary will elaborate on how we will enable Singapore for the digital age, capitalising on data and technology, while Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will share on our initiatives to support the media sector.
However, Madam, it is our businesses and people who must be willing to take advantage of these opportunities, making the effort to relearn, upskill and keep pace with technology. The opportunities for economic success are here and waiting. We just need to have the initiative to seize it.
The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Dr Janil Puthucheary): Mdm Chairman, Singapore has been through change and uncertainty time and again. Each time, we bounced back stronger, more resilient. We must be equally adaptable in this time of disruptive technology and innovation.
Fortunately, we start from a position of strength. We have never been more highly skilled, more globally reputable and more digitally connected. How then will we deal with the very real anxieties expressed by Singaporeans and Members of this House in this time of disruption?
Firstly, GovTech will lead the charge towards a more integrated and technology-enabled Government. Secondly, we will support efforts by industry and research institutions to build deep technological capabilities. Thirdly, we will help our people seize opportunities in the digital age.
The Government will take the lead in Singapore's efforts to build a Smart Nation, and I thank Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms Sun Xueling for their questions. Indeed, we will innovate with technology and data to deliver better public services. The establishment of GovTech last year is key to giving these efforts a push, and GovTech will lead in several areas.
First, to develop national platforms which make it easier for individuals to access services, and also for the Government and businesses to deliver those services. One example is the Smart Nation Platform, which GovTech is working to enhance. This common sensor and communications platform facilitate the collection and sharing of data across the island by multiple agencies.
Through the Smart Nation Platform, large amounts of data will be generated by a variety of agencies through a wide mix of sensors. These can yield meaningful analysis and applications for the Government to better deliver key public services, such as transport, utilities and much, much more. Citizens can also be much better informed and make better decisions through the applications and the data analytics available, often through their personal mobile devices.
The next area that GovTech will play a leading role in is to build capabilities, such as data analytics. Ms Sun Xueling asked about how GovTech has led the Government's efforts to embrace innovation. One recent example was in solving the Circle Line breakdowns last year. Data scientists from GovTech solved the problem through a very innovative application of data science. The full details are available on their blog.
The value of data we hold is enormous, especially when correlations can be drawn between datasets, rather than just analysing a dataset on its own. This was so in the example of the Circle Line, where the specific rogue train was identified by correlating video footage of train movements to data on breakdowns. However, the video footage was originally collected for very different purposes. This is the case for much of data; sometimes we are not aware of the full utility possible at the time of collection. So, we want to enable data to be shared across domains and agencies so that we can harness the greater value of data and unlock a greater future potential from the data. As a result, GovTech is building an API Exchange (APEX) to facilitate such data sharing.
Third, GovTech will use technology to deliver anticipatory, integrated, data-driven, well-designed digital services, predictive services. Ms Sun asked also about what is being done to systematically integrate new applications to existing Government services. ''Ask Jamie'' is one example. It is a Virtual Assistant service that GovTech has developed in collaboration with various Government agencies, and is currently live on 32 Government websites, including the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). The public can \"Ask Jamie\" questions using natural language. Essentially, it is a chatbot. You can ask questions and get answers instantly. Using algorithms, it searches through data and gets better over time as the public asks it more questions and refines the way in which it interacts with the public. I would encourage Members to try out the service.
GovTech is also looking at how messaging platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, can be used to perform transactions with \"Ask Jamie\", for example, to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for an overseas trip. It is possible that in the near future, engaging Government services will be as simple and as convenient as messaging a friend.
This digital transformation of Government will rest on the right expertise and talent. GovTech has and will continue to take the lead to build ICT and related engineering capability in the Government. GovTech will build up ICT capability centres in a variety of areas, focusing on data science, Government ICT infrastructure, software development and the Internet of Things. GovTech will put in place a series of talent development programmes, such as the Smart Nation Fellowship Programme, and use its national projects to provide on-the-job training to its officers.
I agree with Mr Zaqy Mohamad that an ecosystem must provide opportunities for cutting-edge tech application and research. To become a truly Smart Nation, the Government cannot be the only player. Industry and academia must come together to develop deep capabilities. We do not know what skills will be needed in 10 years' time. So, we must come together across these different domains − Government, industry, academia, private enterprise − and work together to ensure that we are resilient.
We have the infrastructure in place to support a digital economy, and an immense amount of digital activity is already happening here. This means that businesses have all the tools they need to participate effectively in the digital economy at the higher end of the value chain here in Singapore. However, many companies lack the awareness of the possibilities. In particular, with data science, companies cite a lack of good data, awareness, expertise and some concerns about regulatory clarity. Mr Zaqy Mohamad's question on how we can drive quicker adoption of technology, such as data analytics, is extremely relevant.
IMDA will establish a Data Innovation Programme Office (DIPO) to lead this effort. DIPO will address industry concerns by facilitating data-driven innovation projects and the development of the data ecosystem in Singapore. One of the ways DIPO will do this is to introduce a Data Sandbox, which will provide a neutral and trusted platform for companies to share data securely without threatening their individual interests. The Data Sandbox will also provide data analytics tools to help companies build expertise in data science.
To encourage co-creation of solutions using data by citizens and businesses, GovTech has been actively improving data.gov.sg, focusing on quality, instead of only quantity, of data. For example, a Developers' portal was introduced last year to provide data users and developers easier access to real-time data via application programming interfaces (APIs). DIPO will also work with Government agencies to release more economically-useful data through data.gov.sg. I encourage Members to investigate that uniform resource locator (URL) as well.
Central to this is the trust that citizens have about the use of their data. I thank Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Saktiandi Supaat for their questions on data protection. As companies innovate with data, we also want to make sure they know how they may use personal data, in accordance with regulations. This is increasingly important with the rising use of smartphone apps and e-commerce websites.
The PDPA has been implemented for over two years now and we have seen greater awareness among organisations of the need to protect the personal data in their possession. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) will be actively reviewing the Act in light of the lessons learned over the past two years and the needs of the industry today. PDPC is also committed to improving the data protection ecosystem and will put in place additional measures to ensure businesses know how they may use personal data responsibly. PDPC will develop Data Protection starter kits to help SMEs kickstart their data protection practices within their companies, engage SMEs through the TACs and sector-specific forums, and provide more affirmative guidance to give certainty and clarity on what is permissible.
It is important, Madam, that everyone has a chance to participate in the digital age. I thank Ms Sun Xueling, Mr Chen Show Mao and Mr Darryl David for their comments and suggestions.
We are committed to making it easier to access Government digital services. Currently, we have trained staff at 27 Citizen Connect Centres island-wide to assist less tech-savvy users in accessing Government digital services. At these Citizen Connect Centres, you can perform many Government digital services, such as requesting for your Central Provident Fund (CPF) statement, applying or renewing Housing and Development Board (HDB)/Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) season parking tickets, online registration for SingPass and more.
It is important that we enable our seniors to keep up with these changes and, hopefully, become IT-independent. One way we are doing so is through the Intergen IT Bootcamps and the Silver IT Fest Mass IT workshops. Through these, IMDA has been collaborating with primary to tertiary-level schools to provide opportunities for the younger and older generations to come together and learn about IT. Seniors can also learn about IT at any of the 29 Silver Infocomm Junctions and People's Association's Senior Academy Centres available island-wide where affordable and customised IT classes are available. IMDA will continue collaborations with schools and organisations and regularly review the curriculum to ensure seniors are equipped with applicable skills, such as using social media apps and accessing Government digital services. Interested youths can sign up to be Friends of Silver Infocomm volunteers to help seniors at such events and participate in the Silver IT Fest classes as well. Given our libraries enjoy a wide reach among our citizens, they can also play a bigger role in the future in assisting citizens with Government digital services.
There are other ways to support more families in benefiting from connectivity. IMDA already has a variety of programmes in place. We are expanding the Home Access Programme, which provides low-income households with low-cost broadband connectivity at home and a tablet, to benefit a further 16,000 households, in addition to the existing 8,000 households on the current programme. We also partner private sector organisations in these efforts, such as the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) FairPrice Foundation and NetLink Trust.
I hope that among these types of outreach efforts and the examples provided by some of the members about volunteerism for our young, that more organisations and more youth volunteers will step forward and come on board to work with us to make sure that everybody in Singapore has an opportunity to participate in the digital age.
Mdm Chairman, we have talked about the transformations we need to make to respond to the rapid technological changes. But this is not something only for the future. Disruption is here and companies are already transforming to respond to it.
DC Frontiers is one such company. It has applied natural language processing and machine learning technology in an innovative way to analyse corporate financial data and unstructured text from public domains. Its programme fuses this data together with their clients' own database to provide strategic intelligence that their clients can use to make decisions about their strategic investments. And it can do so in a shorter amount of time and get better and sharper all the time.
But DC Frontiers itself has faced an internal disruption. The artificial intelligence (AI) programme that it has built has now taken over the jobs of their own analysts who were making the AI machine faster, sharper and better. DC Frontiers had seen this coming, embraced this change and now has a proactive, structured programme in place to reskill and redeploy its own workers and analysts and keep them within the company. This willingness to be reskilled and to keep learning has become part of the company's ethos. So, now, when they hire someone into their company − and they are still hiring, despite this disruption – they are looking at the skillsets of that person not just for the job they have been hired for, but considering whether two to three years from now, that this person is suitable and adaptable to being reskilled and redeployed into a new vocation and job.
DC Frontiers is not brand new. It is about six years old and has gone international with offices overseas and clients across borders. It has done significant work. It is not a startup anymore, although it behaves like a startup through an attitude of bringing people in with a willingness to disrupt themselves, their business models and internal work processes, and redeploy both themselves and their workers going forward, and making that part of the company's ethos. DC Frontiers has retained the startup mentality even as they have scaled up and gone international. This is a very useful mental model, a frame of mind for us as a nation and as we deal with digital disruption and consider the possibilities ahead of us.
But it is not just about our national effort, it is not just about a single company's efforts to be disruptive and innovative. It goes all the way down to the individuals and the opportunities they have here in Singapore today, and not just the Singapore of tomorrow.
I would like to share about Mr Chua De Bao, whom I learnt about when I visited SG Enable. De Bao is hearing-impaired and has designed an app for the hearing-impaired which transcribes conversations in real-time. In order to use an app like this to transcribe natural language, you would need to hold the phone with a microphone close to your mouth so that your speech is captured clearly. As the text is transcribed, it comes out on the phone, the right way up for you, the speaker. As such, it is upside down for the person you are facing, the hearing-impaired person that you are trying to translate to. So, what you have to do is to pass the phone back and forth, which interrupts the flow of conversation and makes it not an enabler, but a disruptor to the conversation you are trying to have between a hearing-impaired person and someone who is not. So, De Bao designed his own app. Very simply, it is a natural language processing engine which flips the text upside down, so you can keep it there, by your mouth, and you can have a conversation back and forth.
It seems like a very simple design change, but it is very useful and has been used regularly. From there, he has now a portfolio of over 15 different applications and went on to become a software developer. He is now working at AutoDesk. With De Bao's experience, IMDA is looking at ways to better promote the use of technology amongst persons with disabilities.
The disruption, innovation and ideas are here today. We cannot be planning for something in the future. They are here right now and we need to be active and proactive about embracing the opportunities that are available.
Mdm Chairman, the path ahead in any time of change is uncertain. But we have never shied away from a challenge to seize opportunities and deliver results. Rather than see threats and disruption, we must continue to see the world through the eyes of a startup, full of promise and full of opportunity. Similarly, we need to be committed to keep learning, trying and striving. It is with that attitude, and with the Government, businesses and people coming together, that we will become the best place in the world to incubate the next big change, a Smart Nation at the leading edge of the digital technology revolution.
The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the break now.
[(proc text) Thereupon Mdm Speaker left the Chair of Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]
Mdm Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 5.19 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 5.20 pm until 5.40 pm.
Sitting resumed at 5.40 pm
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
[(proc text) Debate in Committee of Supply resumed. (proc text)]
[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]
The Chairman: Mr Zaqy Mohamad, you have two cuts. Please take them together.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Thank you, Madam. I would like to acknowledge that the Government has continued to invest in Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) and has increased funding in this area significantly in the past years.
It is important to note that our national broadcaster faces new challenges in competing for citizen attention, compared to new and emerging Internet content and service providers, such as Netflix and Amazon. While Mediacorp has started going digital on Toggle, how does the Ministry ensure that the increased funding delivers intended PSB outcomes and that PSB programmes continue to stay relevant and viable, especially with the younger audiences moving online to consume overseas content?
What outcomes have we seen and can expect to see with the increased funding?
Today, our younger generation are consuming children's programming from the Internet. Even on our national channels, many of the programmes for children are from western cartoons, which may not necessarily be aligned to our Asian values system. While we have done better in documentaries, current affairs shows and primetime local programmes, the Ministry can do more to develop high quality local children's programmes that can engage our children better, which will also bring about better learning outcomes of our local environment, cultures and values.
I would like to find out what has been the trend of actual spend on our Public Service Broadcasts (PSBs) on productions' overall and per-episode basis to enhance the quality of programmes to compete against international content. How different has the spending been among programmes from the vernacular languages − Mandarin, Malay and Tamil − especially to keep its relevance within the next generation of Singaporeans?
Overall, while we often speak about quality programming, quantity also matters, to ensure sufficient local content to provide more choices for different segments and tastes among our older and younger generations. I hope the Government will continue to find ways to expand our PSB space as new Internet-based media platforms continue to grow.
I would like to find out what are the Ministry's efforts to help our national broadcaster, Mediacorp, to position itself for the digital age to provide relevant and engaging PSB content? Can PSB stay relevant and continue to evolve and meet the changing consumption habits of Singaporeans?
On one hand, it is easy to blame the Internet for taking away audiences from our national television medium. It is worthwhile transforming our approach to engage and work with the mainstream and digital channels and review the ecosystem.
Take, for example, South Korea. Their locally produced content continues to maintain viewership ratings on the television medium. In fact, many have gone international, too. This is also attributed to the fact that they have quality content in look and feel but, more important, with storylines that connect with local and international audiences, too.
Moving on to newspapers, many news agencies globally have struggled for readership, competing with digital channels. Our newspapers have always played an important role to uphold quality journalism and reporting while also fulfilling the important role of an enabler for national communications.
We have seen some consolidation as readership declines, and this is more concerning for the minority language papers. How can the Ministry enable and support our print media to face the challenges of the era of digital news, to uphold professional journalism in the era of sensational news, flick baits and alternative facts, and help uplift their digital capabilities to better reach out to and engage the digital generation?
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Mdm Chairperson, IMDA offers various grants for media works. I would like to ask what IMDA is doing to promote private investment in Singapore films. Globally, new film financing models are emerging. These include loans, private equity and crowdfunding, with film production completion bonds being used to help independent filmmakers secure funding from these kinds of sources.
What measure is IMDA taking to incentivise and promote private sector funding for the film industry, including novel funding sources? For example, are there tax incentives for private investors who fund movie productions? Would IMDA consider a co-investment scheme whereby the state can match private investors dollar-for-dollar, so as to kickstart the growth of movie private funding? Is IMDA supporting the development of a crowdfunding industry for films?
Such efforts may not only help commercially oriented funding but also encourage private funders to step forward to finance films for which they have a passion. A better financial ecosystem for film production in Singapore would place the industry on a more sustainable footing. Unleashing private funding will also help the cause of artistically or nationally important films that may be less commercially viable.
I would also like to know how IMDA is supporting local filmmakers to offer content online, as this is a fastest growing platform for film consumption. All these are important for the quest to create more Singapore movies that can inspire us and help bring the light of Singapore to the world.
Mr Ganesh Rajaram (Nominated Member): Mdm Chairman, firstly, let me declare my interests as I run the Asian business of a multinational media company, Fremantlemedia International.
MCI has had a busy 2016. MCI tackled the impact of convergence head-on by realigning itself to face the challenges thrown up by disruption. IDA and MDA were restructured into GovTech and IMDA.
This restructure is critical in the evolution of our media landscape and our collective Smart Nation ambitions. Already, we have seen a slew of measures that include the creation of thousands of jobs in the ICT sector, the launch of the 2025 Design Masterplan, strengthening of our cybersecurity sector and the digitisation of Government services, just to name a few.
Mdm Chairman, at last year's COS debates, I spoke about the need for the freelance community to be more structured and regulated, given the increasing number of freelancers in the media sector. As such, I am very heartened and appreciative of MCI's various measures to support the freelance community.
These measures, which include the setting up of a portal to assist in job matching, will definitely help the sector, given the slowing economy. However, I do feel that the freelance community itself needs to be more proactive to take advantage of these initiatives. I urge the community to put aside their individual interests and come together as a community, so that the entire ecosystem can benefit from these measures.
IMDA has introduced talent assistance schemes for freelancers to deepen their expertise. But I feel more can be done to broaden the skillsets to fully benefit from the impressive infrastructure we have at Mediapolis @ one-north. In some sectors, there seems to be a disconnect between the talent available and industry needs. Let me cite one example.
The Government has invested millions into Mediapolis, which is Singapore's media hub. The centrepiece of this ecosystem is Infinite Studios, which houses Singapore's largest sound stages. The sound stages face stiff competition from the likes of Pinewood Studios in Iskandar, Johor. As such, the sound stages in Singapore have not seen the expected scale of projects. And to make viable use of the space, these state-of-the-art stages are now being leased out for alternative uses like Fashion Shows and Corporate events.
One big issue is the lack of skilled Singaporean manpower to operate these sound stages. Most Singapore film students and practitioners prefer to go down the art film route, the route which has unearthed world-class talent, such as Anthony Chen, Boo Junfeng, K Rajagopal and Kirsten Tan, just to name a few. And while we must encourage our filmmakers to pursue their dreams, there are also massive job opportunities in mass market, commercial projects. We need to help educate and incentivise Singaporeans to fill these jobs.
More and more film studios and television platforms are looking to produce their mega projects in this region. In fact, pan regional pay television networks and digital platforms are specifically looking to produce original content in this region, as this is becoming a requirement for the renewal of their carriage licences in many markets.
So, given the infrastructure available, there is a real opportunity for our talents to scale up to international industry standards and become familiar with production facilities like sound stages. Perhaps, IMDA can look into this and see how we can help with incentives and training schemes to fill this gap. Singapore can then be an attractive option for broadcasters and platforms, as we will not just have the hardware, but the software, too.
Mdm Chairman, I am also encouraged by the Ministry's efforts to strengthen PSB, thereby delivering quality programming to Singaporeans. Last year, I spoke about programmes like the daily drama series \"Tanglin\" on Channel 5, which seems to have struck a chord with Singaporeans. Another highlight for me was the documentary \"Regardless of Race\". Produced by CNA, the one-hour documentary aired in August last year. It made a very tough topic, perceptions of race in multicultural Singapore, accessible and entertaining. I congratulate the commissioning editors of the programme as it was curated beautifully. Of course, one of the key standouts of the programme was the presenter, Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary. Minister of State Janil was not just credible, but a natural in front of the camera.
Other Channel 5 programmes like \"Renovaid\" and \"You Deserve a Break\" are great examples of how impactful PSB programmes can be. However, while we have had a few successes, there is still a lack of consistency in the quality of programming, particularly on Channel 5. Dramas like \"P.I.\" still suffer from loose plots, bad acting and inferior production quality. And while programmes like \"OK Chope!\" can be lauded for their innovativeness and daring, once you start watching, it is hard to continue. The commissioning process needs to be strengthened, particularly with increased funding for online content through the new content development fund that is being set up. The on-demand digital world is even more picky than the linear world. Commissioners have to know exactly what their audiences are after.
Mdm Chairman, this also brings me to an issue that I have raised before in this House: transparency in public service-funded initiatives. Mediacorp outsources 40% of public service-funded projects to independent production companies in the private sector. There have been calls from the industry for more transparency with regard to the quantum and projects. There is much expectation that with the establishment of IMDA, the agency can now make public the projects that are commissioned under the PSB Framework, as well as the contestable fund initiative. This list should include details, such as genres, durations and production budgets. This is a move in the right direction and will create more transparency and trust between broadcasters and production entities and build a more balanced and robust competitive environment that can only be good for the marketplace. This will also allow commissioners to be able to differentiate the strengths of the various production entities and deal with the best-in-class across different genres.
Mediacorp, just like every other free to air broadcaster in the world, is facing huge challenges to retain its audience share. Competition from the plethora of digital platforms as well as falling advertising revenues have made the broadcast landscape extremely challenging. But there are still opportunities.
One area that I had briefly alluded to earlier in my speech was in working with pan regional broadcasters and platforms, like Fox, AXN, Discovery, A&E, Netflix, Amazon and many more. Most, if not all of these platforms, are looking to produce local and regional content. However, unlike free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters, they do not have production resources and often rely on independent production companies.
Mediacorp has state-of-the-art facilities in its new premises at one-north, from studios to auditoriums and broadcast facilities. To me, it makes sense for Mediacorp to partner these pan regional networks to produce content that can be aired on both platforms. This will allow for bigger budgets and talent pool, thereby creating more quality content and more jobs. It also offers a bigger platform for our local talent to be exposed as a pan regional channel typically has a footprint of 20 to 40 countries. It can also be a source of revenue as Mediacorp can tap on years of production experience and technical knowledge to support these productions. Given the size of the Singapore market, it would be difficult to sustain growth without forging these relationships.
Mdm Chairman, given the plethora of platforms available to audiences, our pay-TV platforms should also take the cue and put customers first. Starhub's pay-TV business continues to lose subscribers as 7% of its subscribers, or 38,000 subscribers, have cut the cord over the last 15 months.
Customer service has not always been at the top of the agenda for our pay channels but, in today's world of cord cutters and content on demand, it should be. How many times have we been put on hold for hours when we desperately needed to speak to someone because of a technical issue? Or how many of us have suddenly realised that a channel that we were watching was suddenly taken off air or replaced by channels that are not really apple-for-apple replacements, or even programme guides that constantly give you the wrong information, and even the wrong synopses?
But for me personally, the biggest pet peeve is the football coverage. Last year, one of our pay platforms decided to license the English Premier League and other football content to a new channel. However, there is little evidence that the pay platform has exercised quality control over the licensee's programming, as the locally produced programming that surround the football matches is some of the worst we have seen in years. Shoddy production values and amateur presenters have tainted and continue to taint the enjoyment of watching these matches. It is frustrating as the pay platform actually has access to the world-class and professionally produced original pre-match and half-time shows.
Despite these issues, ever so often, subscribers are told of increases to rental rates of set-top boxes and channel packages. Pay-TV platforms in Singapore need to accept that their days of monopolistic dominance are gone. They need to take their customers seriously and that is the only way to stay relevant in an era of technological disruption.
Mdm Chairman, in closing I commend MCI for its efforts to strengthen our media ecosystem. However, the Government can only do so much. Ultimately, it is up to the industry and society at large to take advantage of the support and foster growth and success.
The Chairman: Mr Vikram Nair, please take your two cuts together.
Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang): Mdm Chairman, Mediacorp remains Singapore's main broadcaster. It was the successor of our old Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Over the years, Mediacorp has been innovating to keep up with the times, reaching across multiple platforms in creative ways.
With my various duties − I am sure many Members of this House have as well − I do not get the chance to watch television (TV) on a regular basis, but I do get to watch a lot of locally-produced content happily on Toggle. So, I do not have to catch a show at the exact same time, I do not have to be available at the same time, but I can still keep up with all the content that I am interested in. And many of these locally-produced shows on Toggle are supported by PSB funding. So, this allows our \"Uniquely Singapore\" content to have a platform and to be enjoyed.
I will make a short pitch since everyone else here is doing this as well. One of my favourite contents on Toggle is the telemovies, but the vernacular telemovies do not come with subtitles. As much as I would love to watch them all, I do not get a chance to. That is my little pitch for quality improvement. Having said that, Toggle is a wonderful platform because it allows us to access content not only on TV, but also on mobile devices, so that we can watch it anywhere, whenever it is available.
However, all of this requires financing, and the revolving media landscape of FTA TV is largely supported by advertising revenues, for which there is intense competition across a variety of platforms. In principle, I would like Mediacorp to be financially independent, but Mediacorp faces serious challenges in delivering good quality content in a financially self-sustainable way.
It was announced at COS 2016 that there would be a review of the operations of Mediacorp to see how it can better position itself for the future. What are the outcomes of this review conducted by Mediacorp of its operations? What changes can Singaporeans expect to see from this review?
In last year's COS debates, Minister of State Chee Hong Tat announced that the Government would be enhancing its communications to the public across three dimensions, namely, Content, Platforms and Language.
The Government rolls out a great many good policies every year, and yet, public awareness of these may be limited. I noticed a lot of creative approaches to bridge this gap in recent times, including helpful aids, such as kopi kaki books and videos in different languages. All these have been very helpful.
As a long-standing member of the Feedback Unit's Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home (REACH) panel, I am also personally aware of how hard the Government tries to reach out and have dialogues with as many groups of Singaporeans as possible in a wide variety of forums, from face-to-face dialogues, outreach posts, Facebook livechats and radio shows.
In a more diversified society and changing media landscape, it is important that the Government further strengthen public communications to ensure that we can reach out effectively to different groups of Singaporeans. MCI is responsible for leading and coordinating this effort. I am interested to know what other initiatives it has in mind to improve its public communications for the whole of Government.
Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin (Nominated Member):\tThere seems to be an occasional disconnect between the Government's genuine confidence that a full public consultation has been carried out and the ground's equally genuine consternation that they were not consulted.
So, I asked people for views about whether they would turn out for a Government-organised engagement to share views or issues they said they cared for and, if not, why. I would only focus on the answers of those who currently feel less inspired to show up because I believe their specific feedback will help us design engagements that reach beyond the usual choir.
These are just two ad verbatim answers: \"Yes, if there is real interest in engagement and opposing views\"; \"Yes, but only if it feels like there is a genuine interest in what we have to say, not just defending certain policies or positions that have already been decided on. It will be nice to have a session where whoever is conducting the session just ask questions and listens.\"
Mdm Chairman, these are subjective points of view, of course. But I do want to revisit a point I brought up in the Budget Debate on the role of facts and feelings when it comes to effective communication between the Government and the people. I said that we are missing a big point if we say people must deal with the facts as they are, not where they feel they should be. But most people make their choices according to their feelings about the facts.
So, if we care about making sure people hear us out on the hard facts about our country's situation, we must start all our communications with connecting with people where they are, which is how they feel, even if the feeling is disagreeable or irrational to us. If not, we have to accept that our words will never impact anyone outside our echo chambers.
Online strategies are really good for downloading facts and messages but only offline face-to-face engagement alone can do the most significant work of communication, which is communicating and building trust, not just between different groups of people but between the people and the Government.
I think there is a place for consultation sessions to be used by the Government to share with people the difficult trade-offs involved in policymaking. But if a session becomes more about a download, then the consultation is no longer perceived as a consultation but a presentation.
Once people feel they are being presented to rather than consulted, they will either choose not to show up anymore or, if they show up, they will stay silent or offer only surface answers that they may think you want to hear, rather than the deep views they really hold, which is precisely the kind of high-quality deep data that you need to formulate decisions that connect with the ground.
One example of a missed opportunity was with the private outdoor adventure education industry. Many were surprised by the announcement last year that the Government was going to provide outdoor adventure education to students. They were consulted but so late in the process that there was very little they could do to counter-propose a decision presented to them that would impact their businesses quite significantly. Many in the industry shared the Government's ambition to help young Singaporeans become more resilient and an earlier consultation could have allowed them to not just share their concerns but offer their combined years of expertise and pave the way for maybe a more win-win partnership. Though the industry still maintains good trusting relations with the public sector partners, many still wish that the process was done a little bit differently.
Both the people and the Government want each other to not just understand but empathise with the complexity of the issues they are dealing with and the trade-offs in decision-making. So, I have two suggestions to make community engagements better.
First, conduct consultations earlier before policies are set in stone. Give people a real chance to have their views shape policymaking. If their views have been taken into account, inform them or, better yet, celebrate them, because such trust-building goes a very long way.
Second, compose the dialogues and focus groups with more obvious diversity in viewpoints. Prof Tommy Koh said that including challengers who are subversive and who have alternative points of view make Singapore stronger. Member of Parliament Louis Ng suggested that public servants work more closely with civil society activists and not to be afraid of them, because these are people who speak up because they care. The people we engage less with may be precisely the people we need to engage more with.
My hope is for both the people and the Government to approach the consultation process as an exercise in compassion, a space to listen and share each other's passions, pains and interests. We often forget that compassion is not a fluffy word − passion means suffering, compassion means suffering together. Trying to do good work for our country involves plenty of suffering enough. I hope we do work towards finding new ways of solving our sufferings together rather than apart.
The Chairman: Mr Darryl David, please take your three cuts together.
Mr Darryl David: Mdm Chairman, programmes featuring Chinese dialect like \"Chiak Pah Buay\" and \"Hwan Hee Chio Hor\" were conceptualised by the Government to raise awareness of Government policies and to promote key Government messages. Indeed, we saw a segment of \"Hwan Hee Chio Hor\" in the video shown by the Minister earlier.
Based on feedback shared by MCI and also the elderly residents that I spoke to, both series were not only well received as a form of infotainment, but there was definitely increased awareness of Government policies and there was also some retention of key messages as well.
I would like to ask if the Government has any plans to use more of these programmes to serve this purpose. Also are there plans to use similar programmes and strategies to target the same elderly demographic in other ethnic groups, such as the Malay and Tamil communities? Such programmes would also be able to raise issues that would be unique to those respective communities as well.
Madam, according to the annual Nielsen Media Index report released in November 2016, while FTA television continues to be the main platform for local audiences to consume media and entertainment, I think we all agree that pay-TV has a growing market share and the report says that its current weekly viewership stands at 51.7%.
Aside from pay-TV, other media channels, such as Netflix and online streaming websites like YouTube, have given local audiences many options to consume media content. What is the Ministry doing to ensure that PSB remains relevant and accessible in this modern age where media content exist across multiple formats and platforms, and consumers are no longer tied to one single medium? Would the Ministry explore and develop collaborations with non-mainstream providers of media content to support the dissemination of PSB?
Madam, an article in the online Guardian newspaper in 2014 confirmed the link between reading and intelligence by stating how \"recent scientific studies have confirmed that reading and intelligence have a relationship so close as to be symbiotic.\"
I have also come across research that says that it is not so much what one reads, but how much one reads at a young age that is the main predictor of intelligence. And needless to say, my eight-year-old son and I have used this to justify to my wife why it is okay for him to read his football magazines as opposed to his textbooks.
My point is, Madam, I would like to enquire what the National Library Board (NLB) is doing to promote and encourage reading among young children. Also, could NLB share what it is doing to promote a reading culture among the other demographics and ethnic groups as well?
Dr Teo Ho Pin: Madam, I wish to seek clarifications from the Ministry on the following.
First, provide an update on the progress of the National Reading Movement. Second, what measures are taken to inspire Singaporeans to read?
Madam, I recently conducted a quick survey of 278 persons to find out how many of them have read at least one book of more than 100 pages last year. Only 25 persons or 9% of them have read at least one book of more than 100 pages. This finding is, indeed, not surprising as many Singaporeans, especially adult Singaporeans, are losing interest or face increasing difficulty in finding time to read books.
Madam, although the National Library has invested significant amounts of money to purchase books and provide a conducive library environment for reading, the active readership among adult Singaporeans remains low. Common barriers to reading books include a lack of time, interest and motivation, or a combination of all three factors.
Madam, we need to think of more innovative ways to inspire and motivate Singaporeans to read more. I wish to propose a few suggestions.
First, make eBooks easily available to Singaporeans and free of charge, if possible.
Second, broadcast book extracts and reviews through smart phone applications and provide book delivery services or book pick-up services at Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations or supermarkets.
Third, set up thematic book reading clubs at community clubs, such as Travel and Leisure, Health and Medicine, Investment and Wealth, Personal Skills and Improvement.
The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling, please take your two cuts together.
Ms Sun Xueling: Madam, a sample of observations of the National Library on Trip Advisor provide rave reviews of their attractive facilities and the offerings of our public libraries. It is obviously a place that people want to go to. In traditional library spaces, visitors read or do research quietly while in new types of library spaces, visitors want to have the opportunity to explore, experience and collaborate with others while learning.
A library can be a fertile ground to inspire and inculcate the habits of lifelong learning. How can our libraries facilitate that? I would like to suggest that libraries, as in all places of interest, be designed with the target audience in mind. Preschoolers, young teens, young adults and mature adults have different approaches to learning and different interests. It is not quite sufficient just to segregate books by reading complexity and interest. The layout, interactivity that visitors can enjoy, should be catered to different age groups. I would like to suggest that libraries become more theme-based and to run programmes, such as role play, reading clubs and thematic forums, to promote a passion for lifelong learning.
Madam, our libraries can partner the community to help different groups come together to learn together. For instance, students can be engaged to serve as active volunteers in the library. They can interact with seniors and bridge the digitalisation gap for seniors by showing them how to use the online tools available in the library. Seniors can then have personalised help in learning how to access learning online as well as e-Government services to make their lives more convenient.
Seniors and adults can also be encouraged to come together to organise reading programmes for preschoolers. Not all young children have the opportunity to grow up in an environment where books are readily available or have adults to read to them. If volunteers are able to read to them and encourage these preschoolers to take part in storytelling and role play, this would greatly enhance their confidence and readiness for school.
The Chairman: Minister of State Chee Hong Tat.
The Minister of State for Communications and Information (Mr Chee Hong Tat): Mdm Chairman, MCI will develop the Infocomm and Media sectors to be key enablers and engines of growth to nurture competitive companies and create good jobs for Singaporeans.
I agree with Mr Ganesh Rajaram on the importance of partnerships in industry development. Our strategy to attract global media companies has provided opportunities for local media companies and Singaporeans to participate in flagship projects and international co-productions, which can then be enjoyed by consumers in Singapore and also around the world.
For example, a team of Singaporeans from Industry Light and Magic (ILM) − this is the visual effects studio arm of Lucasfilm − created ground-breaking animation and visual effects for the blockbuster film \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens\".
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) in the Chair]
Our local production houses have also been working with international broadcasters, such as Discovery, National Geographic and Home Box Office (HBO) Asia, to produce original content for broadcast across Asia. HBO Asia's latest original comedy series called \"Sent\" is the first series where a local media company, Very Tay, has worked hand in hand with HBO Asia through the entire process from development, writing to production. When I visited HBO Asia and they showed me and told me about this collaboration, I was very encouraged because it has provided opportunities for Singaporeans and our companies to be able to work hand in hand with an international company to produce something that can be enjoyed in Singapore and also exported to other markets.
Sir, MCI will continue to develop a business-friendly and pro-growth environment for Singapore media companies to innovate and experiment with new ideas. One such useful initiative is Mediapreneur. This is an incubation programme by Mediacorp that supports media startups through seed funding, mentoring, networking and marketing opportunities through Mediacorp's platforms. Several of these startups are already partnering business units in Mediacorp to develop interesting concepts. What IMDA does is to support this initiative and also bring in what we call the Accreditation Scheme to complement Mediapreneur's efforts to provide tailored assistance to these startups in areas, such as product testing and financial modelling.
I met some of the startups and their founders when I visited Mediapreneur. These are passionate individuals. They feel strongly about their ideas and they appreciate the support from IMDA and Mediacorp. I look forward to seeing some of their ideas being adopted by our media companies, whether it is Mediacorp or other media companies, to produce entertaining content and to raise the level of enjoyment for our viewers.
Mr Leon Perera asked if IMDA is exploring ways to promote private sector funding of local films. IMDA has been studying different ideas, including the ones mentioned by Mr Perera, and has been discussing with industry players to see which ideas are more feasible and more impactful to help them to grow their business and also to produce quality content. IMDA's Production Assistance Grant is one such scheme. It is a co-funding scheme which supports up to 40% of a project's qualifying expenses and this helps our media companies. It also encourages private sector funding. And because 100% of the equity goes to the media company, it is fully incentivised to commercialise the film, including taking it overseas. We will continue to study ways to boost the market for film investments, including tapping on new funding models and growing the demand for quality local content.
IMDA's support for the local film community through grants, scholarships, these efforts have produced some encouraging results. For example, IMDA has embarked on a partnership with a local online film platform, Vidsee, to create a Singapore film channel. Today, the channel showcases a collection of short films produced by promising local filmmakers like Kirsten Tan and K Rajagopal. These are some examples of the industry development initiatives by IMDA to help our local filmmakers create compelling Singapore stories and bring their films overseas to an even wider audience.
Sir, talent attraction and development are key success factors for all sectors but, in particular, for creative and knowledge-based sectors like infocomm and media. IMDA's Talent Assistance scheme has groomed media professionals and helped deepen their capabilities.
One example is Mr Billy Yong. He is a freelance animator who attended two overseas training courses with funding support from IMDA. The training has enabled Billy to enhance his proficiency in storytelling and animation and helped him to secure more projects.
Our growing media industry will create many jobs that require a diverse range of skills, including the use of media tools, to achieve business outcomes. Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked how we plan to develop a future-ready media workforce. Minister Yaacob had earlier announced a Media Manpower Plan with four key thrusts. Let me elaborate.
First, our media workforce must deepen core skills to remain competitive. We need to strengthen content creation and the ability to tell original, compelling stories. One initiative is IMDA's Story Lab, which brings people together to incubate ideas and explore innovative ways to tell interesting stories. We also want to equip media professionals with skills to benefit from the latest technologies and platforms, including the facilities at Pixel Studios, which has been purpose-built for online content creators.
Second, we will enhance the media industry's attractiveness by developing a skills framework for media professionals. IMDA and SkillsFuture Singapore will jointly develop this framework as a common reference for jobseekers, media professionals and employers. It will contain information on current and emerging skills for different occupational levels, as well as career progression pathways for different media-related jobs. Employers can use this framework to design talent development plans to attract and retain talent for their companies.
Sir, there are many freelancers in the media sector. Hence, our third focus is to provide better support for media freelancers, in line with the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) broader efforts to encourage fair and progressive workplaces. Let me briefly mention some of the ongoing initiatives.
First, IMDA and NTUC are developing a tripartite standard by this year for the procurement of services from media freelancers. This is done in consultation with media companies and freelancers and it will provide a list of good employment practices, such as having written contracts that clearly spell out payment terms, intellectual property rights and how to handle disputes, if they should arise.
In partnership with the Singapore Mediation Centre, IMDA will also provide subsidised mediation services to help resolve disputes between media companies and freelancers on contractual matters, including late payment and, sometimes, non-payment.
These moves aim to encourage better work relationships between media companies and freelancers, and I share Mr Ganesh Rajaram's hope that freelancers will proactively leverage on these available initiatives to help them. I also urge freelancers to focus on their career development and retirement adequacy, including contributing regularly to their CPF and MediSave accounts. These are important for their longer-term retirement adequacy.
The fourth thrust is to partner key industry players and industry associations to develop our media professionals and propagate good practices. This includes media companies which receive Government funding, as well as production houses which work with Mediacorp on PSB programmes.
We will start by requiring media companies to adopt the above-mentioned good industry practices if they want to qualify for Government grants and PSB funding. IMDA will take action against companies that wrongfully delay or withhold payment to their staff and freelancers. We will monitor the effectiveness of these measures and will consider introducing new measures, if necessary, to ensure that media sector employees and freelancers are fairly treated.
Sir, I will next touch on how we are producing quality local content for Singaporeans through PSB programmes.
I agree with Mr Zaqy Mohamad and Mr Darryl David that PSB is important for our national development, and it needs to stay relevant in the digital age.
Through PSB, we have supported media companies to produce local programmes that entertain and engage Singaporeans. Dramas, such as \"Tanglin\", which Mr Ganesh Rajaram mentioned. On Channel 8, we have this very popular Mandarin programme called \"Yao yaoba\", which means \"118\". We also have \"Aduh! Bibikku!\" and \"Vetri\" on Suria and Vasantham. These are very popular programmes that continue to drive primetime viewership on our FTA channels. Other genres, such as documentaries, current affairs programmes, have also been well-received. One example is the excellent documentary on nursing produced by Channel 8's Tuesday Report. I attended the preview and met the nurses and their families, and the viewers who have watched the episodes found them to be very meaningful and admirable.
As several Members have highlighted, the media landscape is becoming increasingly challenging. Changes are happening very quickly and we cannot stand still. Apart from Netflix, Amazon Prime and Viu, recently I read that YouTube will be launching a new streaming television service called YouTube TV. So, there is a lot of competition. The selection of over-the-top content is growing rapidly, but consumers' time and attention are limited. Even premium content on Pay TV channels no longer holds the same draw. This has caused TV advertising revenues to decline but at a time when more investments are actually needed to build capabilities in content production and online technology.
Mr Vikram Nair and Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked about Mediacorp's plans to better position itself for the future. At last year's COS, I spoke about transforming PSB by focusing on 3Cs − Content, Channels and Capabilities. These remain our focus in bringing quality local programmes to all Singaporeans.
First, on content. I recently read a Straits Times interview of Mediacorp's award-winning scriptwriter, Mr Ang Eng Tee. He is a script writer for many of the popular Channel 8 dramas − \"Hero\", \"Yao Yao Ba\" that I have mentioned earlier, and previously \"The Little Nonya\". And what Mr Ang shared when he was interviewed by the Straits Times was that the challenge to get eyeballs for local TV will increase, but he said, \"If we continue to tell Singaporean stories, there will be something here for Singaporeans to watch\". I fully agree with Mr Ang. Locally-produced PSB programmes can best capture and convey our unique Singaporean flavour.
But we cannot match the budgets of Hollywood productions or Korean dramas, so we must compete differently by engaging our viewers through quality local content. To keep PSB content offerings relevant and fresh, IMDA and Mediacorp will establish a Content Development Fund to encourage more experimentation with new content formats, including the use of new technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Next, on channels. We all know digital is the new frontier, especially so for younger viewers. Mediacorp has been moving towards a stronger digital focus over the past few years. It will invest in further improving Toggle as its online platform so that we can watch our favourite local programmes anytime, anywhere and on any device, from mobile phones to large-screen high-definition TVs (HDTVs).
Toggle has seen a three-fold increase in unique viewers since its relaunch in April 2015. I must say this is an encouraging improvement, considering the intense competition for eyeballs. This growth is helped by the first slate of Toggle Original series which was well-received. So, it goes back to what we discussed earlier, that content is, ultimately, the most important thing. Good-quality local content is what I think will help to drive viewership.
We will support Mediacorp to boost its Toggle offerings. This year, Mediacorp will roll out an even bigger slate of Toggle Originals. These will involve collaboration with independent producers and tertiary institutions and cover a diverse spectrum of genres to offer more content choices.
For better user experience, Toggle will also enhance its streaming reliability, navigation, content recommendation and personalisation features. I was glad to hear Mr Vikram Nair spoke earlier about watching his favourite shows on Toggle, and we will certainly look into his suggestion for Mediacorp to add subtitles so that the shows can be enjoyed by more people.
Even as Mediacorp strengthens its digital channels, FTA TV channels remain important for many viewers. FTA channels are collectively still the most popular destination for Singaporeans when it comes to media consumption. Good content developed for Toggle can then be re-telecast on FTA TV, so that TV audiences can also enjoy them.
I am pleased to inform Mr Zaqy Mohamad that Mediacorp will reposition Okto as a children and sports channel. Last month, our first local bilingual TV series for preschoolers \"Junction Tree\" was shown on Okto. This series is supported by IMDA and the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. Mediacorp has also started featuring sports programmes, including programmes that encourage young Singaporeans to take an interest in sports and lead active lifestyles. One example is Okto Cup, a futsal tournament for kids. Sir, I remember at last year's COS, Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin also raised this point about children's programmes. I want to thank her and acknowledge her suggestion and we have discussed with Mediacorp how best we can focus on this area. Because I agree with her, it is very important to provide good-quality programmes for our children.
Sir, the third thing we would do is to continue to support Mediacorp's efforts to build its capabilities in producing good-quality programmes for both TV and digital channels. This includes enhancing training in core skills, such as commissioning, directing, storytelling and content production.
To invest for the future, IMDA will partner Mediacorp to build a pipeline of young creative talent for the media industry. Through new scholarship and apprenticeship programmes, as well as collaborations with schools, we want to discover our young talent and then groom them early in media and content production. This includes a programme to develop young producers to create content targeted at youths. So, content produced by young people for young people.
Mr Darryl David asked how the local media industry has benefited from increased Government support for PSB. Through PSB, Mediacorp outsources a portion of its programmes to independent production houses. Starting from this year, Mediacorp will enhance its collaboration with industry players by increasing the amount of outsourcing. It will also explore more co-production opportunities, a point mentioned by Mr Ganesh Rajaram. I will certainly discuss with Mediacorp to see how we can do this better − it is a win-win partnership − so that it benefits Mediacorp and it benefits our film industry, our media industry. Ultimately, what we want is to have a win-win arrangement to bring quality local content to our viewers.
I also encourage all industry players to tap on the PSB Contestable Funds Scheme to create quality PSB content. The scheme is now in its fifth year, and our partnership with platforms like Starhub has produced good programmes, such as \"Echoes of Time\", a historical drama series by Ochre Pictures. It received a nomination for Best Production Design and Art Direction at the 2016 New York Festivals.
Another initiative is Singapore Press Holdings' (SPHs') partnership with IMDA to produce and distribute short-form digital video content. The aim is to connect younger Singaporeans with digital PSB content and encourage a greater appreciation for our local productions. I viewed the recent video produced by Zaobao on the world's languages and must say they did a good job. 继 续 加 油！
I agree with Mr Zaqy Mohamad that high-quality journalism is an important public good which we must continue to support and preserve in Singapore. Like Mediacorp, SPH is keenly aware of the need to engage the digital generation, and they are actively reinventing themselves to better serve their readers.
I met the online teams from The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. They are doing good work in producing interesting digital content, trying out new ideas and fresh approaches.
Sir, I would like to share that based on IMDA's 2015 Media Consumer Experience Study, the newspapers' ranking has improved from sixth place in 2014 to first place in 2015 and 78.9% of respondents were satisfied with the newspapers' content, up from 74.8% in 2014. So, this is a good sign. We have to continue to work at it, but it is good sign, it is an encouraging sign that people find newspapers' content in Singapore to be satisfactory and their ranking has improved. From 2015 to 2016, SPH achieved a 2.8% increase in its average daily circulation for both print and digital editions combined. This result is commendable, especially in a challenging period when many overseas newspapers are seeing declining readership.
Sir, Mr Vikram Nair asked about how MCI is leading Government communications efforts to reach out to all Singaporeans. Measuring and analysing data give a better feel of the concerns and sentiments of Singaporeans. This helps us to address information gaps, respond more quickly and customise more impactful messages. MCI will enhance our data analytics and research capabilities, which will help to support whole-of-Government communications efforts.
I agree with Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin that the Government must engage widely and meaningfully. Progress has been made over the years, including use of face-to-face sessions, to engage in deep conversations and candid discussions with different groups of Singaporeans. MCI is a strong supporter of public engagement, an important area driven by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. For example, REACH has worked with other Government agencies and partners to increase its number of outreach sessions which include dialogues, focus group discussions and also listening points. We welcome suggestions on how we can further improve. Effective listening and engagement are an important part of effective communications.
We are also collaborating with partners to produce innovative content that can connect with Singaporeans, both intellectually and emotionally. For example, MCI has started a crowdsourcing initiative called Project Lapis Sagu, a film contest that invited the public to submit story ideas on fostering awareness and understanding on social integration.
With support from four well-known local film directors − Eric Khoo, Kelvin Tong, K Rajagopal and Sanif Olek − we received more than 1,200 entries. The winners come from different backgrounds but they share a common passion for filmmaking. Through this co-creation initiative, we hope to encourage greater involvement from the community and bring fresh perspectives on complex social issues. The four teams are currently developing their story ideas into short films, which will be ready next month.
Mr Darryl David asked if we plan to continue with our public communications efforts in vernacular languages, including the use of dialect, to communicate with seniors and help them understand Government policies and programmes.
We will do so. MCI has produced dialect programmes together with Mediacorp and industry partners like Jack Neo and Royston Tan. These programmes communicate useful information to seniors through an entertaining format and using a language which they are familiar with.
To reinforce the messages, we also engage our seniors through roadshows in our HDB heartlands and through key touchpoints like the Pioneer Generation Ambassador network. Many seniors, including my residents, have told me that they enjoyed these shows and found them informative and entertaining.
I am pleased to inform Mr Darryl David that we will continue with these programmes to enhance Government communications, and we are also developing similar content in Malay and Tamil.
Sir, Mr Pritam Singh asked about \"live\" streaming of Parliament proceedings. Over the years, MCI has worked with Mediacorp to enhance the coverage of Parliamentary proceedings. Today, key Parliament sessions, such as the Budget Statement and the Opening of Parliament, are broadcast \"live\" on both TV and online.
Footage of all Parliament speeches and Question and Answer sessions are already available online on CNA's Parliament microsite.
Parliamentary highlights are loaded onto this microsite within three hours of broadcast. Videos of all speeches and footage from Question Time are uploaded by the following morning.
If you go to the site, you will see that the videos are sorted by date and name of the Member of Parliament. The video clips are easily accessible by the public and are organised for convenient viewing. The online archival period for these videos has also been lengthened since 2013. It used to be one month; now it is six months.
In addition, the public has access to the full written record of Parliamentary proceedings via the online Hansard. Singaporeans who are interested in watching the proceedings can also attend any Parliamentary Sitting in person, watch the news on TV that evening, or view the complete set of video clips from the CNA microsite using their computers and mobile devices the next morning.
Based on data collected, the viewership of \"live\" broadcasts remains low. Even for a major speech like the Budget Statement, the number of people who watched it \"live\" is less than 10% of those who watched the Parliamentary highlights on the news that evening. And less than 1% of all viewers watched the Budget Statement \"live\" using web-streaming, and this is the Budget Statement − it is a major speech.
The experiences in other countries show that there are pros and cons to having \"live\" broadcasts of parliament proceedings. Observers have noted that one downside is the risk of members of parliament playing to the gallery in the presence of live cameras, which would affect the work of parliament.
Sir, we have many convenient channels by which the public can have access to Parliamentary proceedings. I believe these existing avenues have been useful in helping Singaporeans to understand what was discussed in this House and to inform their decisions on national policies and legislative changes.
Several Members have asked about our plans to promote a reading culture in Singapore. Please allow me to conclude my speech in Mandarin to talk about our efforts to promote reading in Chinese.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Government launched the National Reading Movement last year to encourage Singaporeans to read regularly, read widely and read together with the family. A key focus is to promote reading in mother tongue languages with the aim to strengthen the standard of bilingualism in Singapore.
Mr Stanley Chia, the founder of an educational startup Cialfo, is a businessman who benefited from being bilingual. He told me that his Mandarin was not fluent in the past but, with more exposure and frequent use, his standard of Chinese has improved. This is especially helpful for his business in China. In the beginning, Stanley had a more limited vocabulary in Chinese. However, with persistent hard work and practice, he can now use fluent Mandarin to make speeches and conduct meetings, thereby building very good relationships with his clients.
Good reading habit should start from young. NLB has rolled out Tiny Tots Reading Club to encourage young children to read in Chinese through many interesting activities. There are currently five such reading clubs for children. NLB will expand this to more libraries around Singapore.
I had the opportunity to participate in some of these reading sessions when I visited the library and was glad to see many parents showing keen interest in encouraging their children to read Chinese books, including books written by our local authors. I am very encouraged by this.
NLB will launch \"Raise a Reader\" workshops this year for parents to learn more about the resources available at our libraries and how to choose appropriate books for their children.
Besides children, NLB will also be expanding its collaboration with our media partners to encourage more adults to read in Chinese. Weekly news reading interest group attracted a good following since its launch in March 2016. This year, NLB and Lianhe Zaobao will launch a series of monthly talks. These sessions will cover a range of interesting topics from finance and health to local Chinese literature. Here, I would like to thank our media partners for supporting these initiatives, helping us to encourage more people to read widely.
Reading together in the community can cultivate a deeper appreciation of our culture and heritage. This requires support from our community partners and the general public. We would like to thank our volunteers for running the library at Chinatown.
We will also be building new libraries. Tampines Regional Library will reopen in August this year and Chou Sing Chu Foundation will be sponsoring the majority of the books in the Chinese Children's Collection. Mr Chou was the founder of Popular Holdings. As a passionate lover of Chinese culture, he had been a strong supporter. On behalf of NLB, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to the late Mr Chou and his family for their generous donation.
Through the National Reading Movement, we will continue to encourage Singaporeans to read in mother tongue languages. This is a worthwhile effort to strengthen bilingualism and develop Singapore's competitive edge.
The Chairman: Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, thus far, we have heard how technology offers many possibilities. They also herald change − uncomfortable in many ways, but necessary. This is why learning to adapt, to keep on picking up new knowledge and competencies, has become so important for our people's future. The place to do so informally is at our libraries.
No matter what stage we are in life, our public libraries are places for learning at your own comfort level and pace, where you can pick up a book or attend a talk, for your hobby or career.
Technology also enables our people to read and learn more conveniently, wherever they are, whenever they want to. To support this, Dr Teo Ho Pin has suggested we make e-books freely available and broadcast book reviews via smart phones. Sir, I am pleased to say that NLB has offered free access to e-books online for over 10 years now. Every month, on average, over 100,000 digital books are borrowed from NLB's online collections. Compared to last year, we have seen an increase of 38%.
Take Samiksha, whom you saw in the video played earlier. She is a busy student who downloads NLB's digital books and journals to read on the go. Book summaries are also available via NLB's mobile app.
There is also Mr Foong Chow Weng, who uses the Pasir Ris Public Library often. He is 63 years old and has also made the switch to digital. He began reading the newspapers online from digital devices at the library, after seeing a queue of people waiting to read the physical copies. He enjoys reading the digital version, as he says he can \"view all the newspapers at one place and zoom in to make the words bigger\". Mr Foong is, indeed, an example of a lifelong learner, adapting to new technologies to serve his learning needs.
However, Sir, I also recognise that nothing can replace the feel of a book. Some people, like myself, are more comfortable with them, so our libraries will continue to cater to all modes of reading and learning. The key is to encourage everyone to use our libraries to read and learn.
Sir, let me now report on what we have achieved recently in helping our people read and learn new knowledge. Dr Teo Ho Pin has asked for a progress update on the National Reading Movement and what measures we have taken to inspire Singaporeans to read. Mr Darryl David has also asked what we are doing to promote a reading culture among all segments of society.
Last year, we embarked on the National Reading Movement, a five-year campaign to encourage adults and seniors to read and for citizens to read in their mother tongues. The first National Reading Day on 30 July was a rallying call for the public to pledge to read more, read widely and read together. Over 430,000 people so far have made this pledge. More than 380 organisations have also supported the reading campaign in various ways by encouraging their staff to Read@Work.
For example, DP Architects spread regular reading recommendations to their staff and participated in library programmes. PropNex, KPMG and PhillipCapital Group respectively organised mass reading sessions, book exchanges and book review competitions.
NLB also launched a Curated Reads programme, which provides organisations a starter kit series of curated book excerpts, video clips and other smaller, bite-sized materials. The topics ranged from values for life to skills for work. Companies, such as Singtel, have disseminated them to their staff.
Meanwhile, NLB has also increased the number of mother tongue programme offerings last year. To encourage the young to read in their mother tongues, it set up 11 mother tongue language reading clubs for children as well.
Besides the mother tongue language reading clubs, NLB has run the national KidsREAD programme for over 10 years now. It aims to promote the love of reading and cultivate good reading habits among children from low-income families.
Last year, NLB refreshed the programme by introducing drama to KidsREAD. The librarians and volunteers partnered expert storytellers and theatre companies to provide more varied styles of storytelling and dramatic, interactive performances of the storybooks. They certainly enthralled beneficiaries like four-year-old Kai Yyi, who watched a dramatic retelling of a ninja story. It was so exciting that the usually shy boy started raising his hand eagerly to answer questions and to interact with actors.
Sir, let me now highlight more of our plans for 2017. Ms Sun Xueling has asked about how our libraries can inspire and inculcate the habit of lifelong learning. I have said earlier that our libraries are places for learning, no matter what stage we are in life. But libraries are also community places for our people to learn from one another, to come together and share their knowledge and experiences.
For example, Matthew is an avid user of the PixelLab makers' space at Jurong Regional Library. He uses the 3D printers to create, modify and improve the parts for his self-made drones. He has since founded a startup company making drones and happily shares his growing knowledge with other library users and the budding creative makers' community at Jurong library.
People like Matthew who want to share their knowledge with others are an inspiration for NLB. That is why we want to evolve our libraries to foster more face-to-face connections, while still employing technology to meet the learning needs of Singaporeans and their digital lifestyles.
We want our libraries to inspire people from all walks of life to come together as a community to learn together, learn from one another and embrace technology. To do so, we will redesign our library spaces and introduce programming that encourages collaborative learning and explore even more partnerships with the private and people sectors to promote reading.
Firstly, we are opening four new libraries this year in Sengkang, Bukit Panjang, Tampines and Bedok. They are designed to encourage collaboration and promote reading and learning as an attractive lifestyle. There are flexible seating and fixtures to enable discussion and creative expression, for example, at the Sengkang library's new Tween space. There are also interactive digital displays where you can browse recommended digital books and download them via the NLB mobile app.
At the much larger Bukit Panjang library, NLB will pilot a new immersive story-telling service for children aged four to 12. Kids can soon experience the stories they hear with sound effects, lights and interactive, visual projections. It will certainly be a new environment, which will complement the story-telling experience where librarians read aloud from picture books.
NLB will also partner more communities and volunteers to encourage space co-ownership and community bonding. For example, seniors can soon gather and plan their own programmes in the new Bedok public library and, with training, even service their own corner of the new library in Tampines.
There will also be a second makers' space and collaborative workspaces at the new Tampines Regional Library for budding entrepreneurs and creative makers to come to learn and experiment together. We had one in the West at Jurong, and now we will have another one in the East. Ultimately, we want these new library spaces and programmes to spur our people towards a shared community journey of lifelong learning.
Secondly, Sir, this year, we will explore more partnerships and collaborations to sustain a vibrant reading and learning culture in Singapore. To gain insights on our current reading culture and habits, NLB recently completed an inaugural, nationwide study. Sixty-nine percent of residents surveyed said they read at least one book in the past year. Eighty percent said they read more than once a week, be it books, magazines, news online or social media. Only 19% read books more than once a week and most did not find reading as stimulating as audio-visual content. Nonetheless, our libraries are one of the top sources for books. Fifty-six percent of those who read books borrow them from our libraries.
The study shows that we can do more. Dr Teo Ho Pin has also shared his views on how many Singaporeans are losing interest in reading books, especially among adults. While more must be done, NLB cannot do it alone. As shared by Ms Sun, we should work with the community to help different groups come together to learn together. Therefore, this year, for the National Reading Movement, NLB will seek more partnerships to encourage adults to read more and read widely. For example, NLB will work with an informal group of SME owners, called the Bosses Network, to run a business acumen series conducted in Chinese. Established business owners will share their knowledge and favourite reads.
We will also continue to build a love of reading in our young. KidsREAD children can look forward to a new reading curriculum with more customised activities for different reading levels, and home activity packs that parents and guardians can use to read together with their children. This will not only help in building bonds but also sustain their interest in reading.
Whether young or old, we must never stop learning. As the late Minister Mentor Lee once said, \"One sign of an educated society is the number of books read by the people… one test of an educated man is his ability to continue reading and learning throughout his life\". This was from Mr Lee's speech at the opening of the Queenstown library on 30 April 1970. Mr Lee was a living example of a lifelong learner who read widely throughout his life. Here, he is at the opening of the Nanyang University Library in 1966 and at a commemoration dinner in 2004, always reading, indeed.
I hope that through our efforts in 2017, more Singaporeans will remember never to stop reading and learning. Our NLB libraries will continue to play key roles in helping us do that.
Sir, my colleagues and I have outlined the tasks ahead for MCI and our agencies. The Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) has highlighted the need for Singapore to build strong digital capabilities so that we can participate fully in tomorrow's digital economy.
Like it or not, the digital economy is here to stay. Companies, citizens and even the Government will all have to make this transition.
For businesses, the way markets are organised, the rise of the sharing and gig economy, and the global nature of competition on the Internet mean that companies must stay agile in order to adapt to the changing business environment. At the same time, companies have to accumulate and develop the expertise needed to manage and secure interconnected business systems and to extract insights from the massive amounts of data that they are gathering.
Individuals also need new skills to thrive in the digital economy. Whether you are a professional harnessing technology to transform your business, a hobbyist learning coding in your free time, a content creator figuring out how to engage your audiences online, or a casual user navigating the rich universe of online media, we all need to know more about what going digital really means.
My Ministry recognises this and has outlined our plans for IMDA to help Singaporeans gain new skills in ICM technologies through the TechSkills Accelerator programme to support media freelancers and to help businesses transform their operations and processes through digitalisation. At the same time, we have also highlighted our efforts to help companies protect and secure their valuable data and the steps we are taking to grow the cybersecurity profession in the process.
Change is never easy, but we can minimise the dislocation we experience by understanding and preparing for it as early as we can by \"doing, learning and adapting\", as the Minister for Finance said last week.
We can best do this through partnership between the Government and businesses. Businesses must be proactive in maximising the potential of ICM technologies to deliver new services and products and even in exploring new emerging markets. Hence, I share Mr Ganesh Rajaram's views that our businesses should explore partnering competitors beyond our shores. We have a highly connected, cutting-edge economy. But we also need highly connected cutting-edge companies prepared to grapple with the \"innovator's dilemma'\" head on in order to thrive in a digital economy.
The Government also needs to be highly connected and at the cutting edge of technology adoption in how it delivers public services. Citizens' expectations have increased and these make it incumbent on the Government to reach out to all Singaporeans and to build trust in new ways by leveraging technology.
GovTech will lead the way by creating more Government digital services that help make life easier for citizens on the go and that keep the citizen − the young, the old, the technology-savvy or not − at the centre of user experience. This means not only having the hardware and software in place but also the heartware. Officers at our Citizen Connect Centres and our libraries can serve as ambassadors and guides to help the less tech-savvy users discover and maximise the benefits of transacting with the Government digitally on the go and at their own convenience.
Within the Government, we will also be placing more emphasis on driving Government digital transformation and technology adoption in a more integrated manner, with GovTech at the centre of these efforts, and working in concert with 10,000 digital-ready officers across the public sector.
Sir, in conclusion, whether in our economy, our society or the Government, MCI and its agencies like IMDA and GovTech, in particular, are at the centre of the changes that the digital transformation will usher in. We cannot turn back the digital tide but we can ride it to a better destination.
Sir, I am confident in our ability to do this, just as we had ridden previous waves of change along our journey from Third World to First. In all our efforts, the Government will always be guided by the need to ensure that we help workers, businesses and citizens transition smoothly and benefit from technology. We will always be aware of the need to complement the hardware and software with heartware so that technology helps bring us together rather than drive us apart and so that technology serves us and not enslaves us.
So, let us, therefore, come together − the Government, businesses, citizens, workers and civil society − to shape the digital Singapore we want. Whether it is robotics, artificial intelligence or other new assistive technologies, which do we want to deploy and how? Only when we come together will we realise our Smart Nation vision and ensure that we harness technology to improve as many lives as possible. Only when we come together can we realise the benefits of a truly digital economy, a truly digital society and a truly digital Government without leaving anyone behind.
The Chairman:\tWe have a few minutes for clarifications. Mr Zaqy Mohamad.
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Thank you, Chairman. I have three supplementary questions. One, it is heartening to hear from the Minister the example of Mr Alvin Koh who is above 50 years old and who benefited from TeSA and is now a cybersecurity professional. Many of those above 50 that I see, often find that careers and jobs are hard to come by. How can the Ministry help seniors in this age group find career pathways and, especially for those outside the sector, can we bring them in and how can we help them through?
The second question is about the transformation in sectors, such as the preschool sector. I know this will help enhance experience of parents and children in this sector, but I just want to ask the Minister whether anchor operators and non-profit organisations will also be part of iSPRINT. Can they also benefit? Because while these are not SMEs per se, they cater to a large base of lower-income children and families, and the impact can be quite significant.
The third supplementary question is for Minister of State Chee Hong Tat. It is heartening to know that for SPH, we have seen increased readership. Part of my speech also covered the minority languages because we also want to make sure that there is sufficient coverage of that. How has that been? I know for The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao, there are existing programmes. Are there also programmes for the Malay and Tamil newspapers as well to help enhance their reach and quality of journalism?
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: I thank Mr Zaqy for the two questions. First, on the transformation for our senior career professionals, as per the example of Mr Alvin Koh whom I mentioned in my speech, there are a lot of opportunities through TeSA, for example, under the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP). We can help people who are mid-career, who may have lost their jobs or want to have a change, preferably if they come from a sector which is related with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sector, it would be much easier. But IMDA is prepared, as I said earlier, working with TeSA to consider all professionals who may want to make that transition. We will assist them as much as possible.
The reason why we want to do so is very simple. There is, indeed, a shortage in the ICT sector. The opportunities are there, like in cybersecurity and data analytics, but this is something which the individuals would have to make their choices. What we will continue to do is to create more pathways by more partnerships with the companies and, through the partnerships, we hope that the companies can also see the value and the talent in some of the trainees so that they are willing to employ them after they have been trained.
On the second question as to whether or not other organisations which are non-profit can benefit from some of the support by IMDA, let me ask IMDA to study this. We want to help as many as possible within the sector. The preschool sector is a very large sector. IMDA is in conversation with the Early Childhood and Development Agency on how we can deploy some of these solutions across all members of that sector.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Sir, I will answer the third question from Mr Zaqy Mohamad. We have programmes that are in place to support programmes, such as TV programmes and PSP programmes, on Suria for the Malay community, and on Vasantham for the Tamil community. These additional resources that we have put in go into areas that include research, script development, content development, ultimately, to produce better quality local content that will resonate with the various groups of viewers. And what Suria and Vasantham do very well is also to follow up and bring the characters and shows from TV into real life.
So, they do roadshows, they go into the heartlands, they engage their viewers using not just TV and radio, but bringing the stories, the characters face to face and interacting with the viewers.
This is something which I think can also extend to other channels. In fact, these are good practices that I hope we can do likewise for the other channels on Mediacorp.
For SPH, it is the same. I think the challenges are faced by all the newspapers. They need to continue to invest in producing good content and also the outreach, and moving in tandem with changing consumer preferences, which is why a lot of people are now viewing their news online using digital sources. We also need to move online to be able to engage different groups of viewers.
One key learning point that the online teams have shared with me is that you cannot do online by taking traditional content and formats and going digital. You have to think online and design it online to meet the digital group of viewers and readers. The way you present your articles, the format which you use, the content which you use, all these need to be thought through and designed for what is the online audience.
We will continue to work with our media companies, including SPH and Mediacorp, and across different languages and platforms.
The Chairman: Mr Vikram Nair.
Mr Vikram Nair: Mr Chairman, following up on the topic of languages, I wonder if the Minister of State has any update on the work of the National Translation Committee. I think Minister of State Chee Hong Tat discussed that in the last COS.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Vikram Nair for his question on translation. I did not have time to cover that in my speech during the earlier session.
Translation is a very important area because we live in a multilingual society and we have got four official languages. To communicate effectively, we need to develop capabilities in effective translation. One of the things that the National Translation Committee, which I chair, does is to work closely with our partners, in particular, the schools and the education institutions as well as our media partners because these are areas where you have got resources and also to reach out to our young people.
My belief is that we have got to start young to cultivate their interests, raise the awareness and also be able to develop the language skills. Let us take Malay translation. We have got strong collaboration with Berita Harian and also with MOE. We organised the workshop for the Malay language translation, competition and we got young people to participate, raise awareness and interest. From what I discussed with the young people, they want to see more of such activities and make it fun for them, to show translation not as a very technical subject, but something that is fun and relevant and they can see how it can be applied in their daily lives.
We are also working closely with other communities. I recently announced the review of the Tamil translation. I must thank our resource panel, chaired by Mr A Palaniappan. They helped us develop a set of recommendations to further enhance the way we do Tamil translation in the Government.
So, I think this is the approach that we will continue to take. Reaching out to the various communities, working with partners, raising standards, raising awareness. I believe that translation is something which will give us not just a better way of appreciating the different languages that we have, better way of understanding the different cultures that we have, but it is also an effective way to communicate with different groups of Singaporeans.
The Chairman: Mr Pritam Singh.
Mr Pritam Singh: Mr Chairman, I would like to thank Minister of State Chee for some add-on information that he gave with respect to my cut. Just two quick questions for Minister of State Chee. Can I seek confirmation from the Minister of State that the delayed broadcasts for Parliamentary Questions and Answers and Members' speeches will actually be reproduced in full and not edited when uploaded after Parliament has finished, so that there is no cut and nothing has been edited? I just want confirmation from the Minister of State on that point.
Secondly, can I request that the Ministry be minded to actually consider \"live\" Parliamentary broadcasts maybe for a short pilot period of three to six months to understand whether there are misgivings the Ministry may have − and I am not saying they are misplaced − whether they are genuine concerns of the Ministry? I say this because I do believe that public discussion on policy matters actually would be improved and would be more reasoned as a result of \"live\" Parliamentary broadcasts.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Pritam Singh for his questions. To the Member's first question, the answer is yes, there is no edit done to the video clips of speeches, except for those places where there are some pauses or when certain issues are very local issues. For the speeches, I think Mr Pritam Singh would probably know this, many of us would go to the site and use those videos for social media. It is something for everybody to see. The record is out there. As I said earlier in my speech, it is out there for up to six months of archival period.
On the second question, I thank Mr Singh for acknowledging that there are pros and cons to \"live\" broadcasts. We do recognise the upside as well; it is not that this is a straightforward thing. But we look at what we have now and our sense is that it is meeting the needs of what Mr Singh had spoken about in his speech. The provision of the information is out there, timely and comprehensive, and organised in a manner which is easy for viewing.
If you put up the whole \"live\" stream, someone who is viewing it has to sit from the beginning to the end. Whereas the way Mediacorp does it, they arrange it by date and then by the speakers. It is actually a lot easier for someone to find what he or she wants to look for in a convenient way.
We believe that this format will fulfil the objectives and the benefits that Mr Singh spoke about. It is something which I think we will look at whether there are further ways that we can improve. The archival period, for example, as I mentioned in the past, used to be one month, and it was lengthened to six months. So, we welcome feedback and suggestions.
The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun.
Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member): It is about the Parliamentary \"live\" streaming. I support some of the Members who are asking for this streaming. It is not just about watching the archival. I think it is the whole process of how this Parliamentary debate is being done. This is very important in our political education, especially for the people. That is why I would like to advocate for it to be done.
Secondly, it is about the local content. I wonder whether the Government would actually consider multilingual productions, especially for the narrative kind of productions. What we have now is, a lot of time, what we see on TV, especially narrative stories, it looks as if they appear in a very weird world whereby the Chinese gather together and talk about their own stories, and Malay content. I think we need to have multilingual content so that we are used to serving different languages, so that it does not become a kind of a myth that we live in, whereby we all live in our own different language worlds.
Thirdly, I just want to ask the Minister of State if he can share with us the survey that was done where he said that the people are more satisfied with the content in the newspapers. When he said they were more satisfied, what does it mean? What is the comparative study that we are talking about, as in \"more satisfied\"?
Lastly, I just want to know, in terms of the reading habits, whether we are reading more literature − I am talking about narratives like prose, poems and novels − or are we reading more of those do-it-yourself (DIY) toolkits kind of books?
Mr Chee Hong Tat: I was checking with Minister Yaacob whether he wants me to answer all the questions. I will answer the first three questions and the Minister will answer the fourth one. If I may, I will start with the last question. Mr Kok asked about the survey. This is the Media and Consumers Experience Study that is done by IMDA. The numbers that I cited in my speech where I said the newspapers' ranking improved from sixth in 2014 to first in 2015, it is in the same study. So, they improved from sixth place to first place. Of the respondents in 2014, 74.8% said they were satisfied with newspapers' content and, in 2015, this number went up to 78.9%. I recognise this is just one dimension, one key performance indicator, one study, which is why we need to really look at what are the ways to further work with our media partners to help them to build capabilities and develop good content. That, ultimately, is what the people are looking for.
Mr Kok also asked about the use of multiple languages. That is a very interesting idea which we will certainly discuss. It is found already in different productions but it is whether we can help to develop the content further and for such shows to be more commonly found. I think that is where the Member is coming from because it is actually already available in some productions. But I think the Member's question is whether we think this can be done further. We will certainly discuss with Mediacorp and also what I had mentioned in my speech, the independent producers. Because not everything has to be done by Mediacorp. A lot of good productions can be done by Mediacorp, by independent producers or collaborations between Mediacorp and the independent producers.
Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: To answer the Member's question, there is no one genre which is dominant, based on the pattern that we observed, and primarily because the library users are basically from a wide cross section or our community. We have the elderly and the young, we have the families.
If Members notice carefully, in the last few years, we basically moved our library to be more thematic. If you want to read something on early childhood, for example, Jurong Library is the place to go.
We have also created spaces so that we can attract certain segments of the population. Pasir Ris Library was redesigned to attract younger people. In fact, now, they are coming in and they are not only reading, they are learning together, they are co-creating content.
In the Library that is about to open in Sengkang, we have a section called the \"Tween\" section. This is somewhere in between the teens and the young kids, where they come in, they want to read books of their choice, at the same time, they want to have a certain ambience.
So, we cater to all segments of the society. The other thing that we observed, for example, is that our e-books are becoming very popular. It is very difficult for us to decide which genre because it depends on the number of e-books that we can acquire. We have to acquire these books from the people that produce them. You can see, if you go down to the e-books section, some of the books that are extremely popular are, for example, some of the current non-friction books which are hitting the New York list of bestsellers.
There is no clear dominant genre, but we want to encourage reading, no matter what books that you like to read, and to read consistently and constantly.
The Chairman: Mr Leon Perera.
Mr Leon Perera: Mr Chairman, just a quick point of clarification to Minister of State Chee regarding the issue of \"live\" Parliamentary broadcasts. The Minister of State alluded to the fact that someone looking at a \"live\" broadcast may not know what exactly he or she is looking at, whereas if you look at the video clips that have been uploaded, then those can be clearly labelled and so on.
Does the Minister of State not recognise that that issue can be addressed by placing a single crawler on the screen to state who is speaking and what they are speaking about and what is the context. That is what we see on C-SPAN, for example, in the US.
Would the Minister of State also not recognise that such \"live\" broadcasts could be done via a web platform rather than through the TV, and that could be very cost-effective?
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Leon Perera for his questions. Maybe allow me to clarify. The Member may have misunderstood me. I did not mean to say that a person who is watching the \"live\" streaming or broadcast would not know what was going on. Because Mr Pritam Singh was talking about \"live\" streaming, and if you put \"live\" streaming on the Internet, somebody watching it would have to watch the whole proceedings.
Whereas if you were to organise it in the way the CNA microsite currently does, which is, they separate it, sort it by date, and then by name of the Member of Parliament, it is easier from the point of view of the public who is going in to view the clips that he or she wants to view. The search is easier. You do not have to sift through the whole proceedings to look for what you are interested in and just play those few minutes of the clip that you want to watch. So, that was what I meant in terms of the convenience for the viewer.
To answer the Member's second point, we do recognise, as in my response to Mr Pritam Singh, that this issue has pros and cons. I think Mr Pritam Singh also agrees with me that there are pros and cons. Our assessment is that the current arrangement has sufficient avenues for the public to have access to the information, to the video clips, and these are put in a timely manner, that very night itself, the news highlights are up in three hours, all the videos are up by 8.00 am the next morning. Our sense is that, in terms of information availability and also convenience of viewing for the public, going in to look for what they are interested in, what they want to watch, the site is well-organised and well-sorted. The current data that we have collected, as I shared in my speech about the Budget Statement, showed that most people still prefer to view it through the TV during the news highlights. Not many want to view the Budget Statement \"live\" and even fewer view it \"live\" streaming.
The Chairman:\tOkay. Mr Kok, last one. Make it brief.
Mr Kok Heng Leun:\tI think the Minister of State has not addressed my concern about it being a whole of political as well as the political learning process, especially knowing how the legislative process is being done. As someone who actually comes into this Parliament fresh and new, I realised that it was a lot of things for me to learn in this process. I think it should start young. So, that is why watching it through the whole process will be very important.
Mr Chee Hong Tat: Chairman, just now when we were having our debate, we see students coming in and that is actually part of the education process as well, to expose our young people to what is going on in Parliament. That is also available for any member of the public who wants to come in and watch, not just \"live\" broadcast but \"live\". The information on the debate is there. It is on the microsite.
I agree with Mr Kok that it is useful for people to understand what Parliament has discussed. It is a point which I also made in my speech. It is useful for people to understand the debate, the points that are being made, but this information is available on the online Hansard, the full set of information and all the videos, speeches, questions and answers are also available. So, I think it will fulfil the benefit that Mr Kok and Mr Pritam Singh mentioned, using the existing channels that we have.
The Chairman:\tMr Zaqy Mohamed, would you like to withdraw the amendment?
Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Mr Chairman, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all Members for their cuts and making the COS for MCI a meaningful one for Singapore and Singaporeans. I would like to thank Minister Yaacob Ibrahaim, the Ministers of State Dr Janil Puthucheary and Mr Chee Hong Tat, the Permanent Secretary and the teams from MCI and the various Statutory Boards for their extensive work to develop the programmes and initiatives in this Budget. I wish them every success in executing the Budget presented. Good luck! Chairman, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.
[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $1,084,323,200 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]
[(proc text) The sum of $236,391,400 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply − Head K (Ministry of Education)","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Chairman, I beg to move, \"That the total sum to be allocated for Head K of the Estimates be reduced by $100\".
Sir, truth be told, many of us have been sufficiently warned about the current volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) age. We heard the mantra: \"disruptions are occurring at breakneck pace and if we do not retool, reskill ourselves, the likes of Ubers, Grabs, AirBnB, TripAdvsors, Alibabas will soon be eating our lunch!\"
Sir, I urge the Ministry of Education (MOE) to assemble a team of external and internal parties to take a deeper look at how schools for the future ought to look like, how different they are from the schools of today. What kind of future schools will support the future economy and the SG100 nation we want to build? Let me go through some recent observations in this space.
The World Economic Forum (WEF), in a paper on the future of jobs, had called for a rethinking of education systems. The paper cited that most existing education systems provide highly silo-ed training, featured by a number of 20th century mindsets and practices that hinder the progress of today's talent and workforces.
Two such legacy issues burden formal education systems worldwide. One, the traditional dichotomy between Humanities and Sciences and also the dichotomy between applied and pure training; and two, the prestige premium traditionally attached to tertiary-certified forms of education versus, say, skills mastery of other forms.
There is the urgent need also to incentivise lifelong learning. Because of the declining population of the young in countries, simply equipping the young better in schools is not enough. The report says, \"Ageing countries would not just need lifelong learning. They will need wholesale reskilling of existing workforces throughout their lifecycle.\" Schools for the future must surely be Schools FOR Life.
Single-skillset jobs are also on the decline, they say. This means that many jobs that require only mathematical, including computational, skills would be automated. A coder's job, too, can be replaced. Similarly, jobs that require only predominantly generic social skills would not be paid well since the supply of this pool is usually large. Schools for the future must thus try to develop students who can successfully combine mathematical and critical soft skills.
Next, on learn-ability or learn-agility. That is the essence of good future education. This is confirmed by workforce consultants, such as Manpower Inc and the Centre for Creative Leadership. When new skills are identified as fast as other skills become extinct, the ticket to stay relevant is one's learn-ability and, that is, the willingness, capacity and capability to learn. How do schools for the future promote and model learn-ability? One way, as some experts pointed out, is for the student of the future to be constantly exposed to and try new experiences, including unfamiliar subjects in school.
School OF Life. But technical competencies are not the only deliverables of education, now or in the future. More so, the future education system needs to deliver students who are not frustrated or surprised by changes; students who in the face of change and failures, pick themselves up quickly and prepare themselves yet again; students who in the midst of changes retain an anchor and heed a compass that will help them retain their humanity, their loyalty and goodness. We need students with character who will do good even when no one is watching; clean up after themselves and be comfortable in interacting on a daily basis with persons who are of different races, religions and abilities. A School OF Life, so to speak.
I would like to speak about the school that Mr Jack Ma is building. I recently came across the concept of the \"East-West Private School\" that Mr Jack Ma, billionaire-founder of Alibaba, is intending to build. In the Chinese website describing this school called Yun-Gu, named after Mr Jack Ma himself, Ma Yun, I learnt of the several features advertised to attract top-notch families, local and foreign, to sign up their children. With the mission to raise every child to be the best version of himself, Mr Jack Ma said that the unique features are as follows: that it will be a 15-year school syllabi covering from preschool up to high school. There will be an open, sharing, green smart-campus with a strong foundation in technology, using big data, cloud computing and the works. There will be a curriculum based on bilingualism, porosity amongst schools, society and nature, strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) focus, physical wellness and life skills and an appreciation for the arts. And there will be individualised education plans and schedules developed with students and by students as well, based on their learning ability and their areas of passion.
I was initially excited when I read about this school that Mr Jack Ma intends to build until I analysed it more carefully. You see, the school that Mr Jack Ma intends to build is meant for 3,000 young people; a staff-student ratio of one is to five; with a strict entrance assessment. It is not a school built for a nation. But our Singapore Government is different. We are not a company and it is formed for the purpose of meeting the needs of every citizen, not only those who can afford private education. Hence, I am convinced that if Singapore put our heart to it, we will be able to build even stronger schools for the future than Mr Jack Ma.
MOE starts from a position of strength. Our definition of education, for instance, has expanded to more than the traditional limits of age through the SkillsFuture initiative. We are still a long way, of course, to creating a nation of learners who do not just carry an L-plate but we need to cherry Triple L-plates, which stands for Life Long Learners, Triple L.
There is much to reflect and rethink about Schools for the Future for Singapore. What would the future literacy curricula cover? Who would we be educating in the schools for the future? How would content be delivered and by whom? How do we promote innovation and learnability? How do we assess learning outcomes? What are the roles, competencies and contributions of the partners of our schools for the future − the educators, employers and the families?
Sir, education cannot be business as usual. We cannot afford to ignore sacred cows we reared − the high-stakes exams, the direct admission system, the over-reliance on tuition. We cannot tweak it a little here and there. We need to dare, we need to imagine, we need to innovate. We need an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) that includes the MOE professionals and partners. We need to build schools poised for the future. I, therefore, urge MOE again to assemble a team to review, reflect and report on how ready our education institutions are, indeed, for the future.
[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]
The Chairman: Dr Intan Mokhtar.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, the development of values and good character has always been a cornerstone of our education system. We have initiatives, such as Civics and Moral Education, Character and Citizenship Education, and now, Values in Action, in our school curricula.
While we cannot deny that values and moral education are usually caught rather than taught, we cannot overlook the need to instil, nurture and exemplify good values at every opportunity we have, beginning with our schools and educators.
Children learn values and develop character through three ways: understanding, observing and doing. For instance, when children are told to be kind, they need to understand what being kind means. This has to be explained through examples. In addition, children need to see kindness in action − role-modelled by the teacher or the parents, so that the understanding of kindness is entrenched. In order to internalise it, children need to demonstrate kindness to others around them, be it their friends, family members, towards animals and to perfect strangers.
Behavioural psychologists have found that role modelling is the most effective way of helping children internalise values and develop character. Children learn this by observing significant adults in their lives, be it teachers, parents or adult caregivers. Hence, for our children to learn and develop values and good character, they need to have good role models and be actively involved in demonstrating those values which will shape their character.
One way of doing this is for our children to be actively involved in community work where they help others, or in outdoor learning where they learn to engender trust and to care for the environment and for others or participating in team games where they learn about teamwork, cooperating with others and looking beyond self. That, I believe, is the intent of Values in Action in our schools.
Now, with the announcement of NurtureSG, our children also need to learn about taking personal responsibility for their health and extending peer support to their friends to do so.
However, the reality is that many students and even parents still see Civics and Moral Education, Character and Citizenship Education and now, Values in Action and NurtureSG as just another subject or programme to sit through, complete and get a passing grade in.
How can such important programmes be enhanced and intertwined with one another so that the nurturing of values and development of good character are part of a more holistic education for our children in schools? How can parents play a greater role in creating this holistic educational environment for our children?
Mr Png Eng Huat (Hougang): Mr Chairman, the journey to becoming a sporting nation and achieving sporting glory at the highest level surely must start somewhere. Look at the vibrancy of the sporting scene in the schools in the US. They used to send their college teams to compete at the Olympics. Every young athlete there harbours a dream to compete for sporting glory at the highest level, be it local, national or international.
However, the dream of becoming the next world champion, especially for a young athlete living in a small country like Singapore, should not rest on the individual and his family alone. The nation must share that dream and it must filter down to the schools to begin with.
The fire in the sporting belly of our schools has dimmed. I remember back in the 1970s, competitions among the schools were keen and sporting rivalries were strong, all in good spirit and character building. There was always a lesson to be learnt, in victory or defeat.
The New Nation, the predecessor of The New Paper, gave generous coverage to school sports with large photo spreads. You do not see that anymore. And what you do not see often, you do not think much of it over time as well.
Sir, football is one of the most popular sports here and yet some schools do not even play the sport anymore. How can we dream about competing against the great footballing nations at the World Cup Finals when our youths are not even fired up to compete against one another in schools?
Sports in schools can build camaraderie, character and a sense of belonging in our youths. I urge the Ministry to look into promoting a vibrant sporting culture in schools because the future of our dream for sporting glory is at stake.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member): Last month, in this House, we heard about the progress of the YES! Schools programme. My colleague, the hon Leon Perera, also suggested at the same Sitting that we should consider a \"push\" model instead of the current approach. Currently, the YES! Schools and other programmes are open on an opt-in basis.
I would like to ask the Government to consider making all students go through such entrepreneurship programmes and from a young age. The Government should develop such entrepreneurship programmes progressively for different levels from primary school upwards to tertiary levels.
I believe that making such programmes available to every student will bring benefit not just by way of general education and exposure, but from this much larger pool of students exposed to such education, we should be able to inspire many more young Singaporeans to be entrepreneurs and/or to develop a nose for businesses.
Through such programmes, we should let students try their hand at starting a business even when they are still in school. Give them practical experience in thinking out of the box, selling, raising capital, even getting rejected and learning to be resilient.
Ultimately, we need to develop a mindset change in our young students in looking at life and business and how we view risks and possibilities in life. And I believe early exposure to entrepreneurship training and development can help to bring about such a mindset change. I hope we can change the mindset of our young people to consider entrepreneurship as a worthwhile ambition alongside, if not ahead of, working for the Public Service or for a multinational corporation (MNC).
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, streaming has served its purpose in our education system for many years. Most of us have lived through and probably even benefited from academic streaming during our own educational journey. However, with an education landscape that supports different educational pathways, greater diversity in the pursuit of excellence and in fulfilling varied aspirations, many would question the continued purpose and need for academic streaming.
As an educator, I recognise the purpose of academic streaming. It helps teachers in being more focused in their teaching so that they are able to pitch their teaching content and pedagogy that are suitable for the students they teach. This, in turn, helps students to optimise their learning and realise their full potential.
However, this can be done just as well through subject-based banding, without exposing students to the self-limiting structure of academic streaming.
Academic streaming tends to pigeonhole students and inadvertently place expectations about their intelligence or abilities according to the stream they are in.
For students, they ought to be given a wide enough berth to discover their abilities and potential in different subjects and not feel limited by the academic stream they are in.
For parents, academic streaming fuels their worry for their children taking the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), to the extent that the tuition industry and proliferation of assessment books and enrichment courses for personal development have boomed because of the belief by parents that, with these interventions, the academic stream their children are eligible for and, hence, their children's future, can be assured.
For prospective employers and the general public, their perception of individuals and their potential for success in life is largely shaped by the academic stream they were in.
Is now not the time to do away with streaming and instead provide only subject-based banding which has already been implemented in different grade levels across our schools, and which has allowed our students to realise their potential in different subjects at their own pace?
Are we still not ready to cull this sacred cow? With our emphasis on different educational pathways and different peaks of excellence in education, as well as subject-based banding and discretionary admission to schools, I believe it is time we take this leap of faith to abolish academic streaming in our schools and instead continue with just subject-based banding.
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Mr Chairman, we have debated the issue of class size in this House before. Class size is distinct from teacher-student ratio, which can be affected by many other factors.
While there are different perspectives in the academic literature on the merits of smaller class sizes, some facts do stand out. Class sizes of international schools in Singapore are smaller than in local schools. Our class sizes are still significantly higher than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. And our typical class size has not changed very much since I was a child, and I need not remind Members that was a very long time ago.
Our large class sizes are supplemented by remedial classes which can provide weaker students with more focused teaching and engagement. However, remedial classes have their downsides. Students who are required to attend remedial classes may feel stigmatised and become demoralised. Morale and self-esteem can have an effect on academic performance. Moreover, remedial classes extend hours for students and crimp time for other kinds of academic or character development.
I would like to ask whether MOE has conducted any studies or if it has any data that assess the relative merits of smaller class sizes as opposed to maintaining the current system of larger class sizes plus remedial classes.
Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): Parents have shared with me about word problems in primary school mathematics, which can be very complicated. I worry that such word problems are not just a test of numeracy and mathematics, they test English comprehension as well. This could be a double hurdle, maybe even a regressive effect, for children with limited language skills, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Does MOE have any plans to study this further and review this in the curriculum?
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, increasingly, we are confronted with incredulous large advertisements, advertorials and media write-ups of Super Tutors who earn a hefty $1 million a year or more.
At the rate they are glorified, celebrity tutors are on their way of reaching stardom, much like their counterparts in Hong Kong where their faces are splashed all over the train station billboards.
The private tuition industry, said to be at least $1.1 billion large, is described as the shadow education industry by some. However, often, it is the elephant in the room that is being ignored, at least by MOE in public.
There is a rightful place for additional education help outside school hours. This is especially so for students who are academically weaker and at risk of not being able to catch up.
In fact, the self-help groups, such as the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), the Council on Education for Muslim Children (MENDAKI) and the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) have done good work supporting students who need the extra help.
It is time that MOE review its position of ignoring the tuition industry, especially publicly. Besides having the tuition industry diminish the good work that MOE has put in, the habit of tuition, regardless of one's real needs, will produce students whose learning habits and styles may run counter to what is required in the future economy, the future economy being one which highly favours self-driven learners with a high learnability quotient, meaning a high degree of willingness and capability of learning new skills quickly.
To this end, I urge the Ministry to adopt the following strategies to counter the further advancement of a \"tuition-nation\".
One, accelerate the setting up of an e-campus so that students and other MOE staff and stakeholders can help themselves to good quality learning materials with content good enough that the typical students would not require to spend to go for tuition.
Two, further support the not-for-profit organisations, such as self-help groups, the Community Development Councils (CDCs) and anchor preschool operators more strategically. Strengthen their ability to help those who need help. This can come in the form of training tutors, deploying MOE teachers to work in these outfits and investing in additional resources for their charges.
Three, engage families who are willing and able to support their own children, for instance, in regular MOE-organised bootcamps to update them on syllabi, learning outcomes and assessment methodologies.
Four, study ways by which the private tuition industry can be engaged and set up ground rules to ensure quality and affordability.
And lastly, in the longer term, gradually lower the stakes by seriously introducing other forms of assessments so that the focus on academic rat-racing is reduced.
Sir, it is time for MOE to not ignore the tuition phenomenon in our education landscape, lest this elephant in the room grows way out of control.
Mr Png Eng Huat: Mr Chairman, this is the second year in a row that I am raising the issue of equitable funding for schools. The Minister's replies, when I brought up the issue twice last year, were along the lines that MOE resources schools based on the needs of students, programmes offered by the schools and the enrolment of the schools. In other words, MOE does acknowledge that there exists a distinct disparity in funding between the brand name schools and the other schools.
I have highlighted that the per capita funding for schools favours popular schools with high enrolment. Parents can see the disparity for themselves, which manifests in differences in the range of arts, sports and enrichment programmes offered by schools. When this information makes its way through the grapevine, the perception that certain schools offer more and better opportunities for student development will perpetuate. This drives the enrolment numbers for the schools and, consequently, the amount of funding that the Government disburses to them, based on enrolment figures. Even without factoring in the higher fees, greater economies of scale and contributions by well-connected alumni, the brand name schools are already competing in a league of their own.
The per capita funding for students may seem fair at the micro level but, at the macro level, there has to be a baseline funding for schools. If per capita funding is the great leveller in developing our students fully and holistically in all schools, why did MOE need to close down seven neighbourhood schools last year? Falling enrolment numbers should not be a reason for these schools to shut their doors then because the Government is still committed to funding them on a per capita basis.
When some schools are forced to do more or the same with less, while others are spoilt for choice in terms of what they can offer their students, can we say that this model of funding is in the best interest of every student?
Last year, my colleague, Mr Dennis Tan, asked the Minister if the Government takes the higher school fees and contributions from wealthy alumni into account when providing funding to schools. The Minister did not provide a response to that. I hope the Minister can provide an answer to this important question and release details on the funding given to each school to support the notion that every school is a good school.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): In July 2016, MOE announced changes to the PSLE system. MOE said, \"The current T-score system grades students very finely. It is unnecessary at this young age to make such fine distinctions between children. Some people believe that a student who scores 231 points is better than another student who scores 230, but it is not educationally meaningful to differentiate so finely between the two at this age. Hence, we are moving to wider scoring bands, where students in the same band are similar academically.\"
MOE wants parents to believe that it is not necessary to chase after the last mark in the PSLE exam and that \"Primary school education is a time when students develop foundational language and numeracy skills.\"
But yet, after PSLE results are released, every school is told that if the student does not meet the cut-off point for the school, there is no scope for appeal.
The contradictory message which MOE is telling the students and the parents is that \"every point counts\". If you do not make the PSLE score, you do not make the cut-off point, there is no discussion. The principal has absolutely no discretion.
I appeal to MOE to reconsider this policy. You may say every school is a good school. But students do have their aspirations, their dream choices. For various personal reasons, they may not have opted for Direct School Admission (DSA) to be admitted to their choice secondary school. Or they could not make it for their dream school based on DSA. But sometimes, their dreams, the aspirations are just within a finger's grasp away. Because of a bad day due to illness or nervousness, they did not perform to their expectation. MOE should allow these students who are not too far off from the cut-off point of the school, maybe just one or two points away, to demonstrate their ability to the principals through an interview or some form of assessment.
In the past, principals of schools do have some discretion to admit students on a case-by-case basis. They can look for students who had performed well throughout the six years of school but fumbled on PSLE day. It may be that the student has other skills or talents which the school may be able to develop. For example, a school with a tradition for swimming may be a better choice for a budding swimmer. Our school principals are very capable civil servants. Allow them some discretion to admit students based on their assessment or interviews. The universities are already practising this. Please do not send a wrong signal to the students that the PSLE score is everything.
Next, I wish to ask MOE about its policy on schools which deliberately set exams to such high standards so that a majority of students do not do well. I understand that some schools pride themselves on their ability to fail a large percentage of their students during the school exams in the belief that these students will strive to do better during national exams.
By doing so, would not the school be imposing a disproportionate level of stress on the students? Has MOE ever studied the effect of such stress on the students? Surely, there may be some students who are greatly discouraged by their poor results. Some students may suffer a breakdown when they find out that they had failed a few papers despite working very hard through the year. Why do such schools take away the joy of learning by imposing an unrealistic standard for the students?
Could our students learn in a better and more enjoyable manner instead of expecting them to memorise everything and regurgitate them during the national exams? The schools should ensure that the students are tested based on what is expected of them.
Mr Ang Wei Neng (Jurong):\tChairman, in 2016, 16,000 students tried to apply to a choice of secondary schools through the DSA scheme. I would like to ask the Minister how many of the 16,000 students applied to schools that offer the Integrated Programme (IP). Of the 2,800 students that were successful in DSA, how many of them ended up in IP schools?
Minister Heng Swee Keat used to profess that every school is a good school. A good school does not necessarily mean a school that offers IP. Rather, it is the best choice based on how closely it can meet and nurture the students' talents, academically and otherwise.
Thus, I would like to know how MOE can help non-IP schools focus on their niche and how it can attract students to apply to non-IP schools through DSA.
At the other extreme, it is an open secret that Gifted Education Programme (GEP) students in primary schools are automatically admitted to IP schools of their choice, even if they scored badly in the PSLE, and they do not need to sit for entrance tests. They move on to IP schools which offer School-Based Gifted Education Programmes (SBEP). This is like a \"backdoor\" for the gifted students. A Straits Times article dated 23 January 2017 also alluded to this anomaly, when several parents interviewed said that in the most competitive schools, at least half of those admitted via DSA were academically talented, including those from GEP.
I would like to urge MOE to review the DSA scheme. In particular, I would like to ask the Minister to consider closing the \"backdoor\" so schools will no longer use academic criteria to \"pre-select\" students under the DSA Academic scheme.
The Chairman:\tMr Edwin Tong, you can take both the cuts.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai (Marine Parade): Yes, Sir. Sir, admission to the school of choice is amongst the most challenging of issues facing parents in Singapore. Since 2004, the DSA system has become part of that admission ecosystem. It is, therefore, no surprise that 2016 saw a record number of applications by PSLE students for DSA into a school of their choice. MOE has previously announced that it is relooking the DSA criteria. This, indeed, is timely because there are several areas which, in my view, need an urgent review.
First, I really cannot understand the meaning of DSA Academic. According to the MOE website, the purpose of DSA is to give students, and I quote, \"an opportunity to demonstrate a more diverse range of achievements and talents in seeking admission to secondary schools\". DSA Academic, however, does absolutely nothing to enhance that diversity because the PSLE is itself based entirely on academic merit. Why then is there a need to have this parallel admission system based on academic merit? Can this be dispensed with?
The parallel system can also be open to abuse, such as offering students DSA Academic on waitlist. Why is there a need for a waitlist? And when does the waitlist become closed? And if a waitlist's student is confirmed only after the PSLE results are released, does that not mean that one can game the system? In such a case, it would then become very important to understand what the criteria for the waitlist are, but that is never published.
Second, can the Minister also review the requirement that a student who gains admission into a school in DSA Sport or Performing Arts is required to stick to that chosen field for the next four to six years and not replace it with any other co-curricular activities (CCAs)? Like anything in life, our CCA system cannot be rigid and unbending. If a student gets a DSA place based on, say, athletics, first, and subsequently discovers his talent in something else, can that student be allowed to pursue that something else at the expense of athletics? A DSA place is for four to six years. We have to remember that a child at 11 or 12 will be very different from one who is 16 or 17, and our system must be flexible enough to take that into account.
Another unintended consequence of a very robust DSA system is that it leaves very little room for a student to try out new sport or experience a new art form in school. One has to be already very good at the CCA to even join it. It is either you are very good at it, get a DSA place or do not join the CCA. There is no more fun in CCA. So, can the Minister please look into this when reviewing the system?
Second, on cut-off points. I heard my colleagues take this point up earlier so I will be very short. The short answer the Ministry previously gave was that it is better to have a simpler system. I can understand the merits of having a simpler system as it is easier to administer.
But we are dealing with the educational pathways of our students and a simpler system runs counter to the belief that each child is special and different. It also cuts across the MOE's own policy of making education much more than just about numbers and grades and to look at the holistic worth of each and every individual. It sends the message that whatever may be the efforts to value holistic education, at the end of the day, only academic merit matters. Can the Minister, therefore, review this policy?
I would also like to join my colleagues in urging the Minister to consider returning the discretion to consider these admissions back to the principals and the teachers. They know the child best. They have dealt with the children. Perhaps, give them the discretion with some parameters and guidelines so that it is not abused. But trust our educators with that discretion because they will consider the merits of each appeal individually.
We have come to accept that every school is a good school. Perhaps, we should also recognise that every child is a good child, albeit in different ways and at different paces, and that having a simpler system is not necessarily doing justice to recognising the individual intrinsic worth of each child.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Sir, last year the Ministry said it would review the current affiliation priority in secondary school when it announced changes to the PSLE scoring system. Many parents are anxious to know if the current advantage given to affiliated pupils would be reduced.
The entry scores for affiliated and non-affiliated pupils at some schools can vary by as much as 40 points. For example, in last year's exercise for entry into the Convent for the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) Secondary (Toa Payoh), affiliated pupils need only a T-score of 200 to get into the Express stream while non-affiliated pupils must score at least 247 and above to get a place in Express stream. Some had questioned whether giving affiliated pupils a 30- to 40-point advantage under the current system was too much.
I suggest MOE gradually do away with the current affiliation priority scheme so that all students can be more accurately placed in schools that best suit them according to their abilities. Perhaps, the Minister can give an update on the review?
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, school affiliation remains a bugbear for many parents and students. Parents whose children are not in primary schools affiliated to popular schools are worried that their children will have little chance of gaining admission to these popular schools. Parents whose children are still in preschools are also getting very worried because they want to ensure their children can enrol in a primary school affiliated to a popular school.
Their worries go back to preschool admission and the planning goes on for more than 10 years ahead. This is very stressful parenting, indeed.
While we recognise the purpose of affiliation and its role in developing values and culture that are aligned to the religious or clan association that the affiliated schools come under, we must also strive to ensure fairness and accessibility to popular schools for all our students.
What assurance can the Ministry provide to parents whose children are not in affiliated schools that their children will not in any way be deprived of equal opportunities to enrol in a popular school of their choice?
How can the Ministry review the school admission process based on affiliation to make it fairer and equally accessible for students who do not come from affiliated schools to gain admission into popular schools that have affiliated feeder schools?
Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, I am extremely grateful that MOE's support for students with special needs has grown from strength to strength in the last decade. My inputs here are on how to take it to the next level.
First, on mainstream schools. Today, all primary schools and most secondary schools are resourced with at least one Allied Educator. It is a known fact that this current support model is insufficient to effectively help those students to access the academic curriculum, not to mention the other life skills that they require in life.
The small number and the bandwidth of Allied Educators in each school mean that they can do very little to educate these students. In schools where there are students with different types of learning disabilities, the stress on these professionals is even worse. So, we need more innovative and scalable models in this space.
Next, in the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs), such as the ITEs, polytechnics and universities, thanks to MOE, most IHLs have now set up one-stop education support services for students and undergraduates with special needs. However, the type and quality of support are largely inconsistent. Handshakes between tertiary level students and the employers are either non-existent or quite weak, making internships and eventual employment dicey and at risk of failing.
There is a strong need to develop a more robust framework of a minimum core set of services, standards and training. We need to strengthen the handshakes between IHL students and their employers, likely in the form of a Train-Place-Train model.
For Special Ed (SPED) schools, the SPED schools of today are in a far better state, thanks to MOE. However, gaps remain.
One, beyond the curriculum framework drawn up by MOE's SPED department, there is a need to populate the framework with common resources. Subjects, such as daily living skills, a domain of learning required for all students, are left to the individual voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) to develop.
Two, inclusion opportunities for many special schools remain low. Many SPED students interact with their peers from mainstream schools only during Community Involvement Programme (CIP) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and not on a daily basis.
Three, talent identification, talent invitation and development in SPED schools remain challenging for the schools. There is not even a degree in special education offered by the Government-funded IHLs of Singapore. The SPED sector continues to compete unsuccessfully for health professionals, such as occupational therapists and speech therapists.
But, Sir, my biggest concern lies in the dearth of learning opportunities for adults with special needs in our country. The continued education and training for persons with special needs is an area of high priority. Without continued training both in life and job skills, more and more will remain at home or will require external day-care help, all of which are costly options to the families and to the state.
Singapore's local workforce is forecasted to experience zero growth if our population trends remain. The special-needs workforce can be an important strategic asset to take on either blue-collar or white-collar jobs. Today, the number of courses customised for the special needs workforce is miserable. There must be innovative ways by which the thousands of courses in the mainstream can be systematically customised to train others who learn differently.
On the SPED Academy, I believe that the best strategy is to establish a SPED Academy that will cut across all Ministries and led by members with strong passion and relevant networks. A SPED Academy should look into specific learning needs, solutions and across the entire lifespan of persons with special needs in our country, underpinned by the important principles of digitalisation, innovation, scalability and partnership set out by the Committee for Future Economy and analysing how the future economy and ITMs can include persons who learn and contribute differently.
A bus academy, a rail academy, had already been set up. Hence, I hope my call for a SPED Academy will not be ignored.
If done well, I am confident the SPED Academy will be the first of its kind worldwide and can play an important role in the future education landscape and economy of Singapore.
The Chairman: Ms Chia Yong Yong, you have two cuts.
Ms Chia Yong Yong (Nominated Member): Thank you, Sir. I declare my interest as President of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and Board Member of SG Enable.
Last year, I requested that the Ministry consider specifically approaching training providers for more efficiency and greater efficacy in outcomes. Can I know if the Ministry has paid consideration to the same?
As more mainstream schools embrace students with disabilities and certain special needs, I request that the Ministry consider a panel of prequalified educators, allied as well as teachers, so that such students can be appropriately cared for and effectively nurtured. The equipping of educators is too important to be left to individual schools to select training providers, as is the case now. Schools, despite their expertise, may not be best equipped to choose appropriate training providers.
On the other hand, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has developed a structured training programme in which preschool teachers trained in assisting children with special needs and disabilities and, together with VWOs, Government agencies, like the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and ECDA, have developed accredited training programmes for preschool teachers. These teachers who require training and then register to attend courses will be appointed training providers. Perhaps, MOE could consider taking some reference from ECDA's model?
Sir, with increasing efforts to provide inclusive environment in mainstream schools, will the Government consider \"introducing disability awareness into the mainstream curriculum, such as making disability information and resources available through the schools learning platforms, including e-learning platforms?
Mr Leon Perera: Mr Chairman, for many special needs students, navigating the public transport system on their own may be a daunting task. As a result, SPED schools and parents of special needs students depend on school buses.
As a parent of two primary school children myself, I trudge down to the void deck of my flat to see my two kids off on their school buses on most mornings. Our school buses are a Singaporean institution and special needs students should not be excluded from that.
Sir, I have encountered feedback from some VWOs running special needs schools that it is difficult for them to engage school bus contractors. This is because the bus operators for such routes may need to deploy additional manpower for special processes and equipment that may degrade commercial viability.
What would the VWO do if no operator wants to take up a school bus tender? Not all VWOs have the means to buy and operate their vehicles. Will MOE consider fresh ideas to help special needs schools address this issue?
One suggestion is to require bus operators to support a certain number of special needs school bus routes as part of the contracting requirements under the Bus Contracting Framework. Another idea is to apply a state subsidy to bus contracts for special needs schools to make them commercially attractive.
A one-off financial assistance package could also be applied to help school bus operators retrofit their buses to better cater to transporting special needs children, similar to the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) assistance package rolled out in 2008 to help retrofit seat belts and provide booster seats on small buses. If successful, such schemes can be extended to day activity centres and sheltered workshops for persons with disabilities operated by VWOs.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, it has been reported that globally, 4% of each cohort of students suffer from dyslexia severe enough to require intervention. This would mean that there are about 1,600 children per cohort in Singapore who may have severe dyslexia.
It was reported last year that the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) has been assessing around 900 students each year, of which two-thirds are diagnosed with dyslexia. This means that there could be hundreds of children per cohort who have the condition but are not diagnosed.
Currently, dyslexia assessment is done voluntarily based on pre-assessments by preschool and primary school teachers who would then make recommendations to parents.
I believe it is timely for MOE to introduce mandatory and subsidised dyslexia screening at the preschool level. An assessment performed when the child is in the second half of the second year of kindergarten would give the parents more time to prepare the child for formal schooling. Studies have shown that early intervention helps the child to better catch up in reading and writing with their peers.
Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: Sir, last month, Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said in an answer to a Parliamentary Question from my colleague, hon Member Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, that persons with disabilities and special needs (PWDs) comprise only 0.55% of the resident labour force.
Despite initiatives like the Open Door Programme, the employment rate of persons with disabilities and special needs remains low. The take-up rate to date is but a small fraction of the $30 million set aside for the programme. Only 1,000 out of an expected number of 4,000 people have been placed under the programme by last month.
If we want to build an inclusive society, we are going to have to work on changing mindsets. I would like to propose that schools should actively look into hiring PWDs for roles that match their abilities. Ministries and Statutory Boards already hire PWDs.
Besides the benefit of having an inclusive employment policy which helps to encourage and boost further employment for PWDs, it will also expose our school children to an environment where they may grow up seeing such persons working alongside other staff.
Together with suitable education programmes, MOE and schools can use such opportunities to help all students understand the needs of PWDs and to learn how to interact and get along respectfully and meaningfully. We have a long way to go in equalising employment opportunities, but if we allow our students to develop respect and empathy from a young age, they are more likely to carry these attitudes with them when they enter the workforce in future or become employers.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, MOE kindergartens hold a strong appeal for many parents as they believe that the Ministry has more resources to develop a high-quality curriculum while keeping the fees affordable.
I would like to ask what parameters MOE is using to measure the success of these kindergartens and how does it assess their performances so far. In addition, how many more MOE kindergartens will be set up in the next two years and whether there are plans to open them in all primary schools in Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang?
MOE seeks to level the playing field for all children through subsidies and additional financial assistance for needy students. May I ask how many children benefited from such assistance last year and what is their percentage of their cohorts?
Would the Minister also share if the teachers are trained to detect students with learning difficulties and assist them?
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, I and many Members of this House have spoken on the importance of early childhood education on the overall development of our children previously. We have appealed to the Government to put more resources to enhance early childhood education as it is an important social leveller.
I have also proposed to the Government to build larger early childhood education centres similar to our primary schools instead of tucking them in void decks and to co-locate them with the primary schools as well. I am glad that the Government has responded by opening five larger capacity preschool childcare centres in each district and opened a kindergarten that is co-located within a primary school, that is, North Oaks Primary School in my division. Larger preschools will have economies of scale and also create better career prospects for our early childhood educators.
Currently, there are 15 MOE-run kindergartens and there are 169 run by partner operators. What are the plans in place to expand the MOE network of early childhood education centres? We should continue to invest in the training of early childhood educators and the pedagogy. How can we attract and encourage more talents into this very important sector? I suggest MOE take the lead to ensure that our preschool educators are remunerated attractively and have a programme in place to retain the top talented educators in the public sector, instead of them being poached by the private tuition sector. We are dealing with the foundation years which are very important for our students and for our future.
Dr Tan Wu Meng: Sir, would MOE consider establishing more Overseas Singapore Schools in key overseas cities with many Singaporean families working there?
This would make it easier for Singaporean families to go overseas and regionalise and easier to integrate the children back into our school system upon their return. And given our education branding, perhaps non-Singaporeans could even be charged premiums high enough to help cross-subsidise our own overseas Singaporeans students.
The Chairman: Miss Cheng, you can take both your cuts.
Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Chairman, the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) suggested that in our next phase of internationalisation, Singaporeans need to spend more time in regional markets to understand them at a deeper level. It urged the Government to \"ease the concerns of Singaporean parents over their children's education while taking on overseas assignments\".
Hence, I would like to ask MOE to consider setting up more Singapore International Schools (SIS) overseas, especially in cities where there are significant Singaporean communities. At the moment, the only overseas school run by MOE is in Hong Kong. It has an excellent reputation and attracts non-Singaporean parents as well, who are drawn to our academic formula, and these schools also provide chances for our teachers to gain overseas exposure.
The education system in Singapore has been focusing on academic grades, sports and the arts. Due to affluence, we understand that dietary habits have become a problem for young children. Will the Ministry share with the House the progress of NurtureSG in inculcating healthy behaviours in our young? What kind of skills are they taught and how is the Ministry working with parents, caregivers, schools and community institutions to create a conducive environment for them to embrace healthy dietary habits and lifestyles?
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Teachers I have spoken to report the number of cases where students do not attend school for a long period of time without valid reasons. There have been cases of parents or guardians brought to Court for neglecting to send their children to school, but it is understood that incarcerating the parent or guardian may put the child in further jeopardy. How then would the Ministry ensure that the Compulsory Education Act will be an effective deterrent for neglectful parents? How will the Ministry ensure that children are sent to school?
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: Sir, a number of studies on the sleep patterns of our teenage students indicate that they are not getting enough sleep. They are getting around five to six hours of the recommended eight hours of sleep. One recent study by the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School linked sleep deficiency with lowered cognitive performances, deterioration of sustained attention, working memory and alertness. Longer-term issues include high blood pressure, obesity, behavioural problems and impaired growth.
One of the recommendations from the study was to start school later. Currently, most of our schools start at 7.30 am, which means that students would wake up before sunrise, resulting in a disruption to their circadian rhythms. If we can start schools an hour later at 8.30 am, students will no longer need to wake up before sunrise and this could help improve their sleep cycles, thus leading to better health and learning outcomes. Additionally, most schools today function as full-day schools, making it feasible to implement a later start time.
Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, today, more than 90% of Singaporean children aged between five and six are enrolled in a preschool. About 15,000 Singaporean children, or 45% of the cohort, were enrolled in a full-day preschool programme at Kindergarten (K)2 level in 2016. When these 15,000 children transit from full day preschool to Primary 1 this year, many would require after school care service as well.
From the answer to a Parliamentary Question I filed last year to MOE, around 7,800 Primary 1 students are enrolled in Student Care Centres (SCCs) registered with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). Among these students, 4,800 are enrolled in school-based SCCs whilst the rest are enrolled in community-based SCCs. This means that only slightly more than half of the 15,000 students who were previously in full day preschool at K2 managed to get a place in an after-school care centre.
Although MOE has increased the number of school-based SCCs from less than 50 five years ago to 147 today, the overall enrolment has risen from 3,000 to more than 18,000. This is obviously still insufficient. I also note that MOE will continue to expand the places in each school-based SCC and expand the number of schools with SCCs.
Many families with both working parents, put their children in full day kindergarten. When the child enrols in a primary school, after-school care services are essential for this group. There seems to be a huge mismatch between childcare and after-school care services. Can the Government do more to make sure that we have an accurate projection of the demand for after-school care services in each estate by the number of children in full-day kindergarten? Most parents prefer to put their children in SCCs that are in the same primary school as the children. When can we see all our 190 primary schools have their student care centres? I hope MOE can ramp up the capacity and the number of SCCs to match MSF's rate of ramping up childcare centres.
Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (Nee Soon): Sir, even with the global economic uncertainty and even as our own economy matures, our Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is full of opportunities.
For our youths to effectively tap on these opportunities, language and cultural understanding is key. Indeed, even basic proficiency in a language opens a window to the culture and mindset of another people. Will MOE consider offering ASEAN languages as a third language option for more students? And would MOE consider working with tertiary institutions, especially their business faculties, to strongly encourage students to learn ASEAN languages, cultures and business cultures?
Mr Chen Show Mao (Aljunied): Sir, the importance to our country and to our economy of regional cooperation and trade, and the importance to our people and our enterprises of internationalisation and regionalisation have been much rehearsed in these COS proceedings for other Ministries. Could we complement these efforts and facilitate these outcomes with an increased focus on regional language proficiency in our school curricula? There are other good reasons, in many ways more important reasons, for doing so.
First, education. Research has found several benefits of multilingual education in children, including cognitive and intellectual skills. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has consistently championed multilingual education in schools.
Second, to protect and preserve our own multiculturalism. We should promote the learning of our own national language and our other official languages. It promotes national integration, and it is our good fortune that our national language and other official languages happen to be among the most widely spoken in Asia and the world.
We currently have third language programmes at the secondary school level like the Malay Special Programme (MSP) for learning Malay, and Chinese Special Programme (CSP) for Chinese; and we have conversational third language programmes for Malay and Chinese at the primary school level as enrichment, but not as part of the regular curriculum.
As learning languages is best done when young, could the Ministry look into making the conversational third language programme part of the syllabus to deepen the conversational language skills of our primary school students, and we do this starting with our national language and our official languages perhaps included as part of the regular curriculum for every student, that is, compulsory and during school hours, but without the pressure of examinations?
Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson) (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, language encompasses culture. The two are intertwined and cannot be separated. Hence, a good command of Mother Tongue can help students understand their own culture and roots and stimulate their interest and passion to explore and study further. This will also help students to be sensitive towards other countries' culture, strengthening their world view and understanding of their own culture. Cultivating interest in mother tongues and improving the standard cannot rely on textbooks alone. Mother tongues should be used more often and in a lively manner.
I would like to ask the Minister how MOE is going to strengthen cooperation between schools and the community to promote our bilingual culture.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh: Sir, it has often been said that it takes a village to raise a child. This is, indeed, a universal truth. Parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, neighbours and communities all owe a child varying degrees of duty to protect and nurture him and to guide him in his journey towards adulthood.
Over the years, MOE has been making the effort to strengthen the partnership between parents and schools and communities so that our children will have a better education experience. This is a challenging initiative as our curriculum is quite demanding and we have more families where both parents are working. Can the Ministry provide an update on its efforts to foster stronger parental and community partnership with our schools to enrich our children's educational experiences?
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I would like to ask the Ministry if it has plans to further support and strengthen the relationship between schools and parents to better integrate schools within their communities. A positive school-home relationship will improve communication between the school and parents, which can lead to more productive and constructive outcomes for students and for other schools as well.
The nature of parent involvement in schools is evolving. Parents today are better educated and more well-informed. Some would like a bigger involvement in their children's development and care in school. They feel that they have the capacity to volunteer in various areas, to contribute to the overall school experience for their children. Other parents are less able to volunteer in schools because of work and family commitments, but still want to be involved in their child's education journey.
Many schools tap on the Parent Support Groups (PSGs) to support school programmes and activities. How can MOE help schools build strong networks with PSGs which can then be a bridge between the school and other parents? How can PSGs be more effective in the school involvement? A strong integrated network will enable schools and parents to better understand what is in the best interest of the children so that they can work together to develop the children's passions and strengths, both in school and at home.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Committee of Supply Reporting Progress","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"The Minister for Education (Schools) (Mr Ng Chee Meng):\tSir, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?
The Chairman:\tI give my consent.
[(proc text) Resolved, \"That progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow.\" − [Mr Ng Chee Meng.] (proc text)]
[(proc text) Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]
Mr Ng Chee Meng:\tDeputy Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2017/2018 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.
Mr Deputy Speaker:\tSo be it. Deputy Leader of the House.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null},{"startPgNo":0,"endPgNo":0,"title":"Adjournment","subTitle":null,"sectionType":"OS","content":"[(proc text) Resolved, \"That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed.\" – [Mr Desmond Lee.] (proc text)]
Adjourned accordingly at \t8.20 pm.
","clarificationText":null,"clarificationTitle":null,"clarificationSubTitle":null,"reportType":null,"questionCount":null,"footNotes":null,"footNoteQuestions":null,"questionNo":null}],"writtenAnswersVOList":[],"writtenAnsNAVOList":[],"annexureList":[],"vernacularList":[{"vernacularID":3201,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Thomas Chua MOM 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Thomas Chua MOM 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":3202,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Desmond Choo","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Desmond Choo MOM 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Desmond Choo MOM 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":3203,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Lim Swee Say","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Lim Swee Say MOM 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Lim Swee Say MOM 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":3204,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Thomas Chua Kee Seng","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Thomas Chua MCI 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Thomas Chua MCI 6 March 2017 -Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":3205,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Mr Chee Hong Tat","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Chee Hong Tat MCI 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Chee Hong Tat MCI 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf"},{"vernacularID":3206,"sittingDate":null,"vernacularTitle":"Vernacular Speech by Ms Tin Pei Ling","filePath":"d:/apps/reports/solr_files/20170306/vernacular-Tin Pei Ling MOE 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf","fileName":"Tin Pei Ling MOE 6 March 2017-Chinese.pdf"}],"onlinePDFFileName":""}