According to MOM’s Labour Market Report 2020, citizen unemployment rate peaked at 4.2%, the highest it has been in the last decade.
In his Budget 2021 speech, DPM Heng Swee Keat also noted that many businesses have shared the various difficulties they face when it comes to hiring locals. This is despite the slack in the current labour market.
In the Jobs Situation Report (19th Edition), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recommends 3 recruitment strategies to help employers overcome their hiring challenges and to potentially look at the problem in a different light.
#1 Train New Employees To Fit Into Roles; Rather Than Hold Out For Best Suited Candidates
When hiring, employers tend to prefer candidates who are “plug-and-play”, i.e. those already equipped with the full set of requisite skills to hit the ground running.
While experienced jobseekers will always be favoured, businesses that are facing difficulties in filling their roles can look to acquire jobseekers who can be trained to fit into roles. This can be especially relevant for emerging areas where the shortage of skills is a prevalent issue. And despite offering a larger pay packet, businesses find it hard to land the right employee.
By relooking your hiring approach, a fresh graduate or a mid-career jobseeker could be trained to become equally effective. What they lack in instant “plug-and-play” capabilities, may be made up for in being able to bring new and fresh perspectives or diverse and transferrable skills from other roles.
Read Also: Top 6 Transferrable Skills That Employers Are Looking For, According To MOM
With the many government schemes in place to help employers, training and upskilling of these individuals might not be that difficult after all.
Initiatives in place to help employers include:
Career Conversion Programmes: Provide employers with access a wider talent pool; defray the costs of hiring and reskilling; and receive support through on-the-job training programmes when hiring a mid-career jobseeker.
SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathway Programme: Allow employers to assess the trainee’s or mid-career hires fit with the new job role or sector. Employers receive substantial salary support while they train new hires.
Read Also: Guide To What Businesses Should Know Before Hiring On SGUnited Traineeships and Mid-Career Pathways
Capability Transfer Programme (CTP): Help businesses build deep capabilities within their local workforce by speeding up the transfer of new skills from foreign specialists; defrays the cost of bringing in foreign specialists for a limited duration to facilitate capability development.
Career Trial: Allows employers to provide jobseekers with short-term trial to assess their fit with the job requirements and company culture.
#2 Think About A Potential Employee’s Career, Rather Than Fixate On Your Job Requirements
A study by service-provider Kisi revealed that Singapore ranked second among the hardest-working cities in the world. According to MOM’s Labour Market Report 2020, Singaporeans clocked up an average of 44 working hours per week.
While salary may be an important consideration, jobseekers often look beyond just renumeration when it comes to securing a job. They take into consideration other factors as clear progression pathways; work-life balance and other measures which allow them to build a meaningful career with positive impact on society.
Employers who are able to adapt to these aspirations put themselves in a favourable position to attract the talent they need; and enjoy higher recruitment and retention rates.
To better attract jobseekers, MOM recommends that employers can consider:
- Redesigning job roles and emphasising their impact to society
- Articulating their plans to achieve business success
- Highlighting how they share gains and invest in people
Initiatives in place to help employers include:
Enhanced support for Job Redesign (JR) under Productivity Solutions Grant: Provides businesses with funding support for engage pre-approved JR consultants who will help redesign work processes, tasks and responsibilities.
Read Also: Guide To Understanding The Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG)
Job Redesign Reskilling Programmes: Helps businesses equip their existing workforce with new skillsets that complement redesigned jobs.
Industry 4.0 Human Capital Initiative (IHCI) Enabler Programme: Targeted at the manufacturing and logistics sector, this 8-week long programme helps businesses learn and trial i4.0 technologies; develop accompanying job redesign roadmap; and enhance HR’s capabilities to support the company’s efforts.
Services Industry Transformation Programme: Provides businesses in the service sector with capability building, onsite training and workplace mentorship to enhance workforce productivity and service delivery.
Job Transformation Maps (JTM): Helps businesses prepare themselves for the future of work as technology adoption becomes more pervasive in their sectors.
#3 Put Up Effective Job Ads, By Rethinking Job Descriptions
When applying for jobs, applicants often make decisions based on information they see in the job description. A comprehensive description of the job scope and a lower entry barrier would more often than not, attract a larger pool of applicants as compared to a job posting with little information or high entry barriers.
To get better responses from job applicants, employers can consider:
- Welcoming applicants from other sectors or occupations
- Stating upfront training provision to bridge skills gaps
- Appropriating years of experience required, especially for entry-level roles
- Articulating the responsibilities and impact of the role on the company (or society at large)
- Highlighting the company’s culture (including any flexible working arrangements) as well as long-term vision and goals
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