More than 270,000 locals hired under Job Growth Incentive: MOM
More than 270,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents have been hired with support from the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) as of February, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng on Tuesday (Jul 14).
He added that half of the 270,000 JGI-supported hires were not employed at the point of hire, and about one-third had been out of work for more than six months.
About six in 10 were previously employed in a different sector, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Older workers were also being hired, with workers aged 40 and above making up close to half of JGI-supported hires. One-third were aged 50 and above, said MOM.
Dr Tan added that six in 10 of the workers hired earned the same or a higher wage compared to their previous jobs.
"It is very clear that this group of employers ... were willing to look beyond the 'plug-and-play' type of workers," said Dr Tan, who spoke to reporters in a virtual press conference while on a visit to The Social Kitchen, a food and beverage social enterprise.
"They were more open to hiring workers from different sectors who may not have the obvious perfect fit, the obvious relevant experience, but upon further inspection, upon further review and consideration, they find that these workers actually possess very valuable, very precious, transferable skill sets."
The JGI wage subsidy scheme was introduced in August last year to encourage employers to expand local hiring. The Government subsidises up to 25 per cent of the first S$5,000 of an eligible employee's salary for up to 12 months.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
