Halimah Yacob on the issue of “underemployment” among PMETs in Singapore
December 31st, 2009 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent
Many Singapore workers who were retrenched during the global financial crisis last year are still unable to find a job which commensurate with their skills and qualifications.
Known as “under-employment”, it is becoming a major issue which NTUC will tackle in the coming year. Under-employment is said to be more common among older Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) who are the hardest hit during the economic downturn.
Halimah Yacob, Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC, said:
“He may be very qualified, very skilled, but the jobs that he wants to do and is willing to do is not available. He ends up doing a job that does not make full capacity, productive use of his capabilities. It also involves the case where jobs are not paying them the kind of salary or earning that they feel is commensurate with their qualifications and skills.”
[Source: Channel News Asia, 31 December 2009]
Middle-aged degree-holders are hardest hit with some of them becoming taxi drivers when they lost their jobs during the economic downturn.
Madam Halimah said that this is unavoidable as with slow economic growth, job opportunities are limited.
Though the sluggish growth of the entire economy is a reason for under-employment, a key contributory factor is the relentless influx of cheap foreign workers into Singapore.
In the past, only highly qualified expats or blue collar workers are permitted to work in Singapore. In the past few years, foreign PMETs have flooded the Singapore labor market leading to intense competition with locals for jobs which can otherwise be taken up by them.
For example, IT engineers, assistant engineers and technicians are PMET positions which are now opened to foreigners leading to the stagnation of wages for Singapore workers.
Instead of encouraging companies to think of ways to increase their productivity and reduce their perennial reliance on cheap foreign labor, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say exhorted Singapore workers to be “cheaper, faster and better.”
With the cost of living going up, especially that of public housing, transport and utility bills, many ordinary Singaporeans are feeling the squee.
There are no independent trade unions in Singapore to fight for the rights and interests of Singapore workers.
The largest umbrella trade union NTUC is a pseudo-government organization which is always headed by a PAP minister. Mr Lim Swee Say is a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office while Madam Halimah Yacob is a PAP MP.
Neither is there any opposition in parliament to check on the ruling party’s pro-foreigner policy either. Singapore PMETs have no choice but to put up with the current situation.
Even taxi-drivers are now facing stiff competition from cheaper workers from China and Vietnam.
EDITORS’ NOTE:
Madam Halimah Yacob has written a reply to our article here
Posted in Editorial
“The price of chicken may be rising fast, but we can encourage Singaporeans to turn to alternative sources of protein, such as fish.”
(The Straits Times, 10 Nov 07)
- Halimah Yacob, MP
I am one of thoes middle age degree holders who do not have a stable income. I don’t want to taxi driver. I want to re-invent myself. Can Halimah Yacob help me find a stall with cheap rental where I can sell mee rebus and nasi padang?
hi A.M.
did she mean goldfish? or the luo han fish?
If you hold a double degree but cant find a respectable job. then be a bus driver or taxi driver. Dont expect lky team to help you.
turn to prawn or lobster better still .
Maybe she should be in the list of MPs to be dropped… but please MIW, drop Mah Bow Tan, Lim Swee Say and Lee Bee Wah first because they really makes my hair stand whenever I hear them speak and on top of it, they do not even make sense!
Halimah Yacob,
I challenge you and your fellow PAP colleagues to suggest why the People should NOT blame the PAP government for this broken situation of structural unemployment.
1. Singapore must move up the value chain, NOT down. There should have been concerted efforts to develop jobs which 10,000 or fewer other people can do. Instead the government goes about enabling just the opposite. Can you tell me which of the jobs MOM has produced cannot be done by a billion other people? Really, your immediate boss, Lim Swee Say’s mantra of “cheaper, better, faster” serves to crystallize the solution to the wrong problem. I think you get the point.
2. Local enterprises is integral to the strength of the economy. Besides Singapore, I know of no example of a developed country which is so heavily dependent on government-linked companies (GLCs). Even China is actively divesting its state-owned enterprises. Had Singapore this kind of industrial environment with strong local enterprises, we would have been much more resilient. In business, we strive to own both the products and the customers, if not, at least either the products or the customers. In Singapore, we own NEITHER.
3. The recent global recession merely exposes the structural weakness in Singapore; it is definitely NOT the cause. Much as the PAP wants to use it as the scapegoat.
It is very worrying that the PAP government is merely managing the expectation of the People without actually solving the underlying problems. The same problems have been around for many years/decades, except now they have become much more severe.
First foreigners steal our PMET’s jobs and they become Taxi drivers.
Next, foreigners taxi drivers come and steal their passengers when the PMETs slogged as taxi drivers.
Then the PMET become toilet cleaners, even this job also can be stolen by foreigners.
Finally, all Singaporean PMET can just rot at home and die.
This is PAP’s Singaporeans DIE first policy.
Here we go again, to mislead. Explain how “Even taxi-drivers are now facing stiff competition from cheaper workers from China and Vietnam.”
One may perceive that it is cos of economics that foreigners are allowed here.
The truth is: it is more political cos the incumbent party (PAP) is losing ground and support and they know if they don’t act and find a way to stay in power – they are history.
So this lie(s) about foreigners creating jobs for us (directly/indirectly) is going to go on till Singaporeans realize that they have been betrayed for reasons that need no elaboration.
The solution is to vote this party (gov’t) OUT that has lost touch with the realities of the common man.
Any country that is faced with a one-party system will do antying to stay in power.
Singaporeans, i hope can see this and vote wisely when the time comes.
PS – To rely on the local media – all forms is living an illusion!
Toratoratora, try opening your noodle stall near Parliament House, and advertise to the whole world that your specialty is mee siam mai hum. You’ll be a millionaire hawker in no time, because PM Lee himself will patronize your stall for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh yes, and sell mee siam with hum too, so that his father will also patronize your stall for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hey, how else did PM Lee come to think that mee siam is normally served with hum if he never ate it at home all the time, right?
Oh, and don’t forget the bak chor mee for SM Goh (and maybe James Gomez) as well. Does anyone else here have any other ideas what other type of noodles our friend can sell?
That is the price for voting pap as government.
If all of us still remain the same mentality ” No PAP No Future ”
Next choice of job left will not be taxi driver.
It is likely to be Casket Car Driver.
What qualification is Madam Halimah having to advise PMET?
Some Harvard guys also find it difficult to be re-employed so how about the rest?
It is the problem with the govt.
So what if they created the best housing , best roads , best universities , best education systems , best envirnoment in Singapore .. They failed to create the single most important thing which is Quality JOBS .
1 Jan 2006, remarks by Madam Halimah Yacob: QUOTE “Despite employment creation at a four-year high (78,000 in September last year, as per the Ministry of Manpower’s Labour Report for 3Q 2005), older workers aged 55 to 59 comprise only 55% of labour force, and dips to 35% for those aged 60 to 65. Further, 47,900 workers above the age of 40 (half the total unemployment figure) were jobless as of June 2005. This number could be even higher in reality, as some may have given up their job search and hence are not included in the statistics.”Unquote.
As reported, since June 2005, PMET was already under unemployed (at high jobless rate) and yet nothing has been done till todate for this group of workers.
Keep talking and talking is useless. N.A.T.O.= No Action Talk Only. Wait until the cow comes home, it is still the same.
IF the govt cannot help this group now, do you think they can help other PMET in the future? Good luck!
If the govt resort to opening casinos, it clearly indicates that this govt is running out of ideas on the job front. Simply, they can’t create new jobs for Singaporeans.
So, don’t expect anything extra from this govt anymore. I have given up hope long ago.
The unemployment rate was high at over 6% in Q1 2004, and NTUC introduces job re-creation and re-employments like taxi drivers, bus drivers, security guards, postmen, hawker table cleaners, airport trolley helpers and toilet caretakers. Then NTUC changes those daily 3 shifts(8hrs) jobs to 2 shifts (12hrs including O/T) a day which they proudly classified as a success in job re-creation.
What rubbish is that?
Businessman alway look to maximize profit and will alway look for cheaper resources. Even when the middle-aged professional can do the job at the acceptable wage level for the company, he will still not being employed if the government keeps importing large number of foreign workers who can work at a lower wage. PAP should be voted out because it is not doing enough to help citizen, except wayanging and talking cock!!!
PAP is expecting the citizen to compete at the salary that is only good for third world countries while they keep increasing their salary to the unacceptable level even to rich countries like USA, Europe, Japan !!! PAP is very interested to enrich themselves by setting their salary as they likes but 100% not interested to do the job they supposed to do for the citizen. Why should we continue to let PAP to screw-up our life when we have a choice to vote them out ? Singaporean should be aware of the fact that PAP is not air and water that we cannot live without!!!
Since these PMET have good education, why can’t they become housing agent, stock broker, insurance agent, teacher, policiant, policeman, etc. They should not just become taxi drivers.
Temasek and GIC have to buy into citi, UBS, Merrill Lynch, Chartered and Barclays to retain their presence in Singapore otherwise Singapore can also close down the financial market.
Many banks employees were retrenched in the last 2 years, and never return again to this sector.
One day, taxi drivers need be graduates.
Now is PMET become taxi drivers. Very it would our doctors, dentist, lawyer, etc would be taxi drivers. But for MB and ministers will not become taxi drivers even though they are better foreign who could do their job better and cheaper.
one day, taxi drivers must have a degree.
” NO ONE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND ”
http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html
They import so many ‘Ah Tiong’ tt the ‘Ah Tiongs’ ARE DEMANDING tt customers speak to them in Chinese, or sorry, no service since ‘Ah Tiong’ dont understasnd the customer.
” NO ONE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND ” – http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html
we should not continue to find excuses for our wrong doings especially when we are paid the world’s top salaries.
we can at least apologise and sincerely find honest solutiuons going forward.
first,you snide us,now you want to take us for a ride?
it is unreasonable and foolish to retrench native workers and
replace them with foreigners in a world-wide economic downturn.
this is inconsiderate and a diplay of irrational attitude by the gahmen…the gahmen must make amends by striving hard to
CREATE JOBS FOR THE CITIZENS…IT’S YOUR SOLEMN DUTY.
THIS IS AN OUTRUGHT BETRAYAL OF THE FAITH THE VOTERS PUT IN THE
INCUMBENTS…A NATIONAL DISFAVOUR!
The funny thing is these people who became cab driver are servicing the ft who took over their jobs.
The idea is not so much Ft making the money… it is retaining control for the PAP.
if a ft tries to challenge them, they can always change the ft.
They are afraid that those locals who succeed will challenge the pap eventually.
We have to put in a lot more opposition to change this milking behavior from the PAP.
They are cutting short people’s cpf contribution so that they cannot take it out.
very sly
This woman is another example of the untalented talent that the PAP has in its ranks. What qualifications does she have in the first place to become an MP when she is cerebrally dull and would be better suited selling food in a food court.
actually,there is already a degree holder-a Phd in fact becoming a taxi driver. goto taxidiary.blogpot.com and enjoy his humourous take of singapore
Taxi driving a job or a self-employed occupation. Maybe Madam Halimah could tell all that increasing the employment age beyond 62 law to be enacted is just a bad joke of low taste.
If middle age degree holders must drive taxi for living, then why not be explicit and instruct that all retrenched middle age profession goes to drive taxi or even provide rickshaw ride for tourists for a living.
That way, it provides a good justification for those unable to drive, for any reason/s, and/or non-professional with no alternative social skills even, to collect card board for a living – NO NEED THE HYPOCRITICAL LAW TO PROTECT OLD AGE EMPLOYMENT 2 YEARS FROM HENCE SINCE THERE WILL BE NO EMPLOYED MIDDLE-AGE WORKERS LEFT. They either died from starvation or suicide and they are “advanced” bravely into self-employment of driving taxi, rickshaw or collecting card boards or soft-drink cans from waste bins for a living.
how many meaningful jobs could sgd 50-100 bio create for the workers?
found guilty on both counts: displaced and replaced us with aliens and squander away hard-earned taxpayers’ money which could have created a lot of employment.
sentence: STOP THE FT CRAP WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT
MUST FIND WAYS TO RETURN JOBS TO THE CITIZENS.
Stdy hard to become taxi driver.
You know ho much to pay to gt a master degree??
You know how much time you spent to get a mster degree???
Then u become a taxi driver.
It may take you another 10 years to earn back what u spent to get a master degree.
And yr taxi driver job can be taken over by cheaper faster and better FTs.
Now they tell you not many ideal jobs, soon they will tell you not enough space for singaporeans. Meaning that we have to make way for the “new citizens” and PR.
But it is all our fault because the ruling party are elected by the people therefore we have to bear with it no matter how insulting it is going to be.
Do you think PMETs ended up as taxi driver is a negative thing? Come on lets hear some frank and honest answer from you?
If it is not, then this is a no news.
However if you think otherwise, how about sharing your thoughts on the issue?
Do the ministers feel shameful that despite collecting million dollars salary, the citizen are left to rot ??? As a stakeholder of the country, why we have to allow the government to implement policy that infringe the basic right of the citizen ?
PAP MP are only good at wayanging without actually challenging the ministers on issues. Everytime when PAP MP brought up an issue with the ministries, the PAP MP were just happily accept the explanation by the ministers without any further queries, even when the explanation do not make sense!
To fair and square on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 7:58 pm,
Totally agreed with you
True pink Singaporeans have been blindly voting those people over the past decades, believing their promises:
1. “Swiss Standard of Living”, whatever that means in those days
2. More good years
3. …
Look where we are now today, and imagine (if this pattern continues) what it would be like in our children’s time
Good political strategy…… for graduates to become taxi drivers, they will stand no more chance to fight against the elites as opposition.
Would you want to vote in a taxi driver as your MP?
I am glad I choose to sell mee rebus and nasi padang. If business is good, I will xtend my dishes to include halal bak ku teh, mee siam without hums and Bak Chor Mee as suggested by Darth Vader (above). Thanks for your suggestion.
As a food stall operator – my status will be “Businessman”.
Come to stand for General Election – it will be businessman vs elites!
Sinkaporeans, ask your this:
IF you are the Boss, will you employ a Sinkaporean masters for $5000 a month or a Chinaman also holding a masters for 50% of the amount?
IF you are a caring Sinkaporean, would you pay $2,000,000 for ONE SINGLE PERSON (Sinkaporean) to do a job when with the same amount of salary, you can employ 10,000 Chinaman to do the same job, 10,000 times faster?
IF you are a really caring Sinkaporeans, the next time BEFORE you tick a Ballot Slip, ask yourself:
Why should I pay $2,000,000 to a SINGLE PERSON to make my life so miserable when with the same amount of money, it would have helped 10,000 families remained gainfully employed.
*** THINK ***
Why doesn’t she become a taxi driver then?!
Singaporean Parent, have you ever notice that Swiss cheese is full of holes? So that’s what a “Swiss standard of living” means to Lee & Son Pte. Ltd. All the good parts, the cheese in other words, goes to the elite and the foreign scum, while all the holes go to local “lesser mortals”.
I think it is quite obvious that the PAP government sees the situation right now as a “perception issue”, and that Singaporeans are too narrow-sighted to accept foreigners into the country.
What’s happening now isn’t going to be a tightening up on the immigration policy: most likely, they will mount a campaign to try and get Singaporeans to accept this policy. The charm offensive has already begun with a token gesture of giving Singaporeans an extra ticket for primary school balloting.
She should go to the market and eat fish.
Yippee.. At last I know what is happening! The MIW have surrounded themselves with dimwits who repeat exactly what they are saying or what they want to hear. The leaders have also surrounded themselves with people who won’t be a mental threat to them. That’s why WKS, MBT, LBW, LSS and this sorry example of the workers’ representative are so critical to them. They only read the Straits Times so they learn nothing. They appoint their own kind and those who know too much are richly rewarded for their silence. How can an organization, a country or even a city survive where self deception and self adulation is the required behavior?
Singaporeans, we are living on borrowed time. LKY is determined to take us along with him to his grave. His family and friends will be well taken care of with their billions. Serve us right for not recognizing this earlier. He offered us the whole world if we bowed to him. We gave him our soul and the world turned out to be a mirage.
Cannot afford bigger flat, you can always take smaller ones. If cannot afford to buy, you can rent, maybe the new PRs can rent their room to you.
Cannot afford car, take bus, otherwise walk, it’s good for your health. maybe the new PRs can teach with you to ride bicycle.
Cannot afford chicken, take fish, then eat bread, don’t need to take expensive slimming pills.
Why not use recycle paper to clean yourself after toilet ?
Why not eat re-cycle waste food after successful re-cycle water ?
WHY NOT YOU TAKE LOWER PAY ?
………………………………………
” NO ONE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND ” ;
Singaporeans Come First For Govt [ To Be Left Behind ] http://news.asiaone.com/News/NDP+Rally+2007/NDP+Rally+2007.html
“Why doesn’t she become a taxi driver then?!”
They all need a lot of taxi drivers so that they can be where they are.
They need to rent out the taxis that they own and need people to drive – u do not own the taxi.
@ Steve Wu on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:42 pm
Another good post from you as usual.
” Had Singapore this kind of industrial environment with strong local enterprises, we would have been much more resilient. In business, we strive to own both the products and the customers, if not, at least either the products or the customers. In Singapore, we own NEITHER.”
Exactly right.
The home-grown business with our own product and customers stepping out of Singapore in infancy like a todler were sold to the first FOREIGN bidder that appears from the horizon. SPC, NISM, Sembawang Maritime.
The most DIABOLICAL display of lacking in business acumen really shone through when ChinaPetroleum, the world’s largest oil and gas entity gobbled up our smallish SPC (probably the world’s smallest national oil and gas entity) and no smart ones bat an eyelid of how perverted or super intelligent of “rational” commercial logic when the Chinese came knocking at the door bidding. Maybe were “not hungry” enough to think or not smart enough to think.
When the richest man on earth is desperately eating plain bread for survival, the economic logic must have some inexplicable holes in it – virtuous or perversion. We sold SPC with a big smile and our Government today spoke of building our external economic arm.
HOW MORE IRONIC AND DIABOLICAL OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC WISDOM AND LOGIC? And we pride ourselves teaching the Chinese how to do business??
We now depend on our GLCs to venture out but too few and too little. When foreign MNC pulls out, we will have only a few GLCs here and a slim-down public service to employ ALL SINGAPOREANS AND MILLIONS OF PRs desperate for jobs.
And then what happens, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions will die in anguish of starvation, suicide and the queues in the public crematorium might be longer than hospital A & E receiving and treating very sick from diseases aggravated by undernourishment.
CONCRETE AND STEEL JUNGLE IS NICE TO LOOK AT AND TO IMPRESS FOREIGNERS OF THIS FIRST WORLD CITY BUT IN STARVATION, IT IS MEANINGLESS.
Don’t kid yourself this cannot happen and it may be not too far down the horizon.
Another reason why PRs should be kicked out!!!
Go away PRs! We DON’T welcome u!
#Fore on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 3:15 pm
A lot of HR departments are controlled by PRs and foreigners.
Even many of your ministers are not native Singaporean.
Do you think foreigners or locals will be more favored for employment.
PRs out? Dream on!
As one of the local stalwart voices for the ‘voiceless’ citizen-workers,i wonder whether Halimah Yacob has searched her own conscience in the silence of her room and pose herself this question: Is it “UNAVOIDABLE” that despite the
workers’ plight,i am still here drawing a gloriously sumptuous
salary that could feed me and my family for ages?
if the answer is NO, i suggest she amend her statement and work
hard to support the singaporean workers and the unions than make a mockery together with the “others” who are now seemingly
so enchanted by the foreigners.
1/1/10
This MP Puan Halimah is insulting us local Singaporeans graduates especially first degree holders who are in their mid 30s…..and let me ask her this ie how many of us can be taxi divers. She is lucky to be chosen and made Deputy Secretary General of NTUC and her boss NTUC Secretary General Mr Yeo Guat Kwang who is also an MP, was only a School Inspector-Chinese languages….both are luck to be spotted and picked by the PAP in the mid 1990s (both are not elites).
Thank God, I cari makan outside Singapore
Regards
Andrew Chuah
Anybody can be chosen to be an MP in Singapore to serve the current govt – just nod your head and be a ‘yes’ man/woman n always don’t forget – qualities like conscience, principles, integrity, honesty must be absent in you.
Then surely u will be chosen – paid a handsome salary.
U think i m blabbering – watch closely, listen to the MPS (oops, wonder if they are still around!) speeches, letters to the press or other forms of …..
It is sad and so very ugly – that these are the kind of leaders we have in our country. The icing on the cake is not the real cake lar!
Can TR publish all Non-Singapore born Ministers & MP for the good of all Singporean to know. Thanks
1/1/10
Looks like our Modern Singapore is following Malaysia Boleh Land now-our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that we local Singaporeans are lazy and unproductive (exactly the same as what Malaysia Boleh Land former PM Dr Mahathir said of his Malays-Bumiputras ie “Malas” and then “ungrateful” and I am sure our Minsiter Mentor Lee Kuan Yew would say the same thing about us local Singaporeans ie “ungrateful”.
Regards
Andrew Chuah
Let us be fair, Temasek Review,
I re-read the Haliman Yacob’s statement
“He may be very qualified, very skilled, but the jobs that he wants to do and is willing to do is not available. He ends up doing a job that does not make full capacity, productive use of his capabilities. It also involves the case where jobs are not paying them the kind of salary or earning that they feel is commensurate with their qualifications and skills.”
Why did you distort the words and highlight the post as saying that she said “unavoidable”. Unavoidable is a negative word, it means some problem which we can’t solve. However Haliman sad “unavailable” and not having read the rest of what she said, i cannot so far detect the negative tone of her speech as might be associated with a word line “unavoidable”. I cannot see this word in her quotation which you pasted. Please clarify?
Short of a clear answer, i think the issue is tantamount to hitting below the belt. We have to be impartial and fair in reporting in order to gain the respect of the online community.
I would be very happy if you could publish this post, at least you get back some points for being fair.
zero
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/cgi-bin/search/search_7days.pl?status=&search=halimah%2520yacob&id=1027780
HY’s response
“I did not say that it is unavoidable that middle aged degree holders end up driving taxis.”
CNA Article Proper:
“She said such under-employment is unavoidable as with slow economic growth, job opportunities are limited.”
I don’t think TR misquoted CNA wrongly on this one…
solve it and make good use of your sky-high pay, halimah.
If you tie a donkey to a tree, and guide it to walk around for a month.
The donkey will learn and walk the circumference once u release the rope.
An important question is, are Singaporeans given a chance at all, to be an A$$, to walk around
a tree? All trees are occupied by FT. There is simply no growth for Singaporeans.
A Supervisor should have the chance and opportunity for growth to be a manager, but all growths are filled by FT.
Worst still, a supervisor working as a low class engineer to be supervised by a FT???