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Even as Singapore makes steady progress with the vaccination rollout, we are still not out of the woods. Just like how our country is preparing itself to reopen safely and to capitalise on opportunities in a post-COVID-19 world, we too have to stay career resilient by finding ways to upskill and prepare ourselves for a post-pandemic workplace.
As Singaporeans, there are many government support schemes that may be relevant to assist your career or skills development journey, such as the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, the SkillsFuture Series, as well as the multiple benefits under the Budget 2021 Household Support Package to provide financial assistance that can help some of us through this difficult time. However, it can also be confusing to navigate around all these different schemes and to know which we qualify for.
This is where the LifeSG app comes in handy.
Available on both the App Store and Google Play, the LifeSG app was created by the Singapore government and is intended to help citizens navigate the relevant government schemes and services that they can tap on as they journey through life. Due to the employment landscape during the pandemic, the Employment Support Guide for jobseekers was one of the features rolled out in June 2020 to help people who may have lost their jobs or faced difficulties in their job search.
Easily Check Your Eligibility For Budget 2021 Support Schemes
Budget 2021 extended many COVID-19 Support Schemes for Singaporeans and you can easily check your eligibility on the LifeSG app. To do so, I downloaded the LifeSG app.
After that, sign in using Singpass. (Tip: use your Singpass mobile app for faster logins).
Once logged in, I can see a collection of topics suggested to me. One of which is the Budget 2021 eligibility checker. Clicking on it, I can see the list of schemes under Budget 2021 as well as the various eligibility criteria and support provided. To find out more, I can click on the details button and it will bring me to the relevant website.
Read Also: Household Support Package: Here’s What (And When) Singaporean Households Will Be Getting In 2021
Customise Your Interests For Better Experience
One thing I noticed when I first log into the app is that there is a profile setup. Choosing my interests under the app’s preference setting allows LifeSG to curate government benefits, schemes and assistance that are relevant to me.
For example, I selected Finances and Jobs, Business and Economy. Once I did so, information such as financial support for workers, support for job search and even retrenchment benefits and measures are served to me.
Know Your SkillsFuture Credit Balance And Search For Suitable Courses To Attend
A prominent feature on the home page of the LifeSG app is that the balances of my SkillsFuture Credits and SingapoRediscovers Vouchers are clearly displayed.
Clicking in, I can see that I have $966.02 SkillsFuture Credit, of which $466.02 is from the opening credits and $500 is from the one-off top-up which will expire in 2025. If I want to recall where I have spent my SkillsFuture Credit, I can check by clicking “View transaction history”.
From here, I can also search for SkillsFuture courses under “View courses”. This will lead me to the MySkillsFuture website where I can search from the approved courses.
Search For A Job With Guidance
The LifeSG app has employment-related guides for 1. Retrenchment benefits and measures, 2. Support for your job search and 3. Financial support for workers and the self-employed. This is found right under the SkillsFuture Credit balance on the home screen.
For example, Support for Your Job Search starts with an outline of the job search process: which includes discovering your interest, getting coaching advice, the job search itself, career switch, upgrading and training. Depending on the stage you are at, you can choose to go to the section that is most applicable to you, or go through the entire process in accordance with the guide.
As I am primarily interested in searching for a job, I clicked on “Find job opportunities”. This leads to a comprehensive list of jobs, traineeships and career-related activities and resources that can help me with my job search. Clicking on any one of them will bring me to the actual websites of the resource to send in my applications or sign up for the career events.
Other employment-related guides cover retrenchment and financial support.
Read Also: Guide To Government Support Schemes For Singaporeans Who Are Retrenched In 2020
While I was navigating the app, I was brought to the SGUnited Midcareer Pathways programme through different articles and resource guides. This is not unexpected given the broad nature of some of the schemes and also based on my interest selection, the app must have concluded that it was a useful programme for me. For people who do not know what they need, this is a pretty useful starting point.
Nonetheless, the LifeSG app is a resource that every Singaporean should tap on as it is a step towards the vision of integrated government services. With this app, we have information on all these government resources, schemes and grants available within our mobile phone. And if you are a parent who is already using the app for the child-related features, the LifeSG app is worth another look for your own employment and career development.
Read Also: 7 Useful Things You Can Do With The LifeSG App (Formerly Moments Of Life)
Here are the features of the LifeSG App in a simple infographic:
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