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The Straits Times
Forum Page
18 July 2014
I APPLAUD the Government for launching the national Jobs Bank (“Jobs Bank kicks off with 16,000 positions”; Tuesday), which is among a slew of measures to protect the interests of Singaporean job seekers.
The 16,000 positions on offer seem to suggest that there are many jobs out there, but employers are somehow unable to find suitable candidates. There could be a variety of reasons for this, ranging from job seekers not possessing the right skill sets to employers offering remuneration packages that are not consistent with market practices.
Most of the posted jobs appear to be mid- to low-level ones that technically should be relatively easy to fill. The question that needs to be answered is: Why aren’t they? Could it be because of age discrimination?
What I would like to see are more postings for senior-level jobs. Take the listings for “Logistics/Supply Chain” as an example. I took a random look at the 400 or so posted jobs, and only a handful were at the executive level. This may not reflect the true state of affairs. Surely there must be employers looking to fill managerial-level positions in this sector?
Much as it has been reported that the national Jobs Bank is supposed to complement other profit-driven job search portals, the reality is that it will surely draw some of the job search traffic.
The challenge then is for the Singapore Workforce Development Agency to know where to draw the line, and for business job portal owners to continue to be innovative in providing value-added support to job seekers.
Most job seekers know how to use the Internet to search for job leads. For those who do not know, now is as good a time as any to learn.
A piece of advice for job seekers: Job portals are just one avenue of finding your next job. Networking and personal referrals are still the most effective means.
Paul Heng
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