Orient Magazine Issue 84 - October 2021 | Page 14

NEWS
British businesses show strong signs of recruitment recovery despite local talent crunch ; launch of Information Hub to support skills development and transfer to local workforce
In our second annual Manpower Survey , suppot by Official Future of Work Partner Globalization Partners , members reported a 27 % increase in current or planned recruitment , with 84 % of companies seeking new hires . In June this year , national employment figures were released which reported there were 163 job openings for every 100 unemployed persons and a 10.7 per cent decrease in the non-resident population . With an increased appetite for recruitment , companies are competing in a confined talent pool for Singaporean or Permanent Resident employees . This is seen particularly in senior and line management functions .
To support companies in upskilling and retraining their workforce BritCham launched our Future of Work Information Hub . The Hub will provide clear navigation to recruitment channels , SkillsFuture programmes , employee engagement resources and other development initiatives alongside the latest news , case studies and content relevant through the entire career lifecycle .
The British business community raised concerns with the technical skills of the local workforce within the results , with almost half of all responding companies highlighting this as an obstacle to the successful recruitment of local talent in the past year .
Click here for the full highlights .
BritCham hosts Minister Tan See Leng , Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang in a Manpower Dialogue for members
Held under Chatham House Rules , the virtual dialogue on October 15 th focused on fairness , the local talent crunch , travel , opportunities for skills development and business expansion .
Minister Tan said of the event on his social media : " I enjoyed a recent dialogue with about 70 members of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore ( BritCham ). Senior Minister of State Poh-Koon Koh ( Dr ) and Minister of State Siow Huang Gan joined me on the panel where we discussed strengthening workplace fairness , managing the pandemic , and developing a skilled workforce for our industries of the future ."
" On finding local talent with the right skills mix for international businesses , I encouraged members to explore the many programmes set up to facilitate this such as the Career Conversion Programmes under Workforce Singapore , or NTUC ’ s Company Training Committee . Where there are needs for specialised skills and experience that are not readily available , MOM , MTI and partner agencies will continue to engage our businesses , and refine our support measures ."
" Looking forward to working with BritCham for an even closer partnership in the years ahead , and leadership on the future of work agenda ." In recent news , The British Chamber has announced our signatory of the Tripartite Standards on recruitment practices and flexible work arrangements for our employees .