The COVID-19 situation accelerated the need for all businesses to focus on redesigning jobs and reskilling their workforce to help prepare and build a future-ready workforce. To support employers in their job transformation efforts, Workforce Singapore (WSG) has worked with government agencies and the industry to develop Jobs Transformation Maps (JTMs) to provide detailed insights into the impact of technology and automation industry and workforce.

The Jobs Transformation Maps provide job-level analysis of how jobs and skills will be changed by technology and other forces, such as automation, in the medium term.

As we head into a more technologically intensive and innovation-driven economy, businesses must understand the importance of having a skilled human capital in Singapore’s next phase of transformation. At the firm level, workforce transformation and business transformation have to go hand in hand to serve a purpose to create better jobs, better skills, and better pay and better prospects.

To help with businesses, close to $10 million will be set aside over the next two years to create blueprints for job transformation in companies, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo on Wednesday (March 3). The Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) has been expanded to support job redesign initiatives. The grant provides companies with job-redesign consultancy support to complement and drive business and workforce transformation. 

• • Eligible firms can receive enhanced funding of up to 80 per cent for consultancy services, capped at $30,000 per enterprise, till March 31 next year.

• • Thereafter, the funding rate for job redesign under the Productivity Solutions Grant will revert to up to 70 per cent of the consultancy cost, still capped at $30,000 per enterprise.

Measures were also taken to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attract talent. Approximately 31,000 SME employers have benefited through the Jobs Growth Incentive and SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package launched last year to tackle the anticipated labour market fallout from the pandemic. 

Businesses in the logistics and supply chain sector can now tap on the PSG for Job Redesign, then leverage on the Place-and-Train and Supply Chain & Logistics Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) to help mid-career professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) reskill and take on the new logistics-related roles.

A webinar organised by Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and SCALA is complimentary for anyone who wish to know about the PSG-JR and schemes that support workforce transformation.