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PMEs Want a Safety Net to Avoid Underemployment

PMEs Want a Safety Net to Avoid Underemployment

03 NOV 2022

By Shukry Rashid



Thirty-seven-year-old Heah Min An has been working in his current job as a
business process manager for the last 10 years.

Having been at a single company for a decade, at his age, he is beginning to
wonder what his chances would be like if he decided to get another job.

He said: “I’m now at a stage where I think about what is next. If I go out to
the real [employment] market right now, am I able to continue to provide the
value, or is there currently a mismatch between what I think is out there and
what is happening?”





Evolving Roles and Disruptions



As a business process manager in an investment company, Min An’s work involves
engaging stakeholders on their automation requirements. He also consults
stakeholders on how automation can help them.

As a middleman for tech adoption, he knows companies’ hesitance, especially
SMEs.

He said: “For SME owners, they are constantly firefighting. But when it comes to
disruption and technology, it needs time to see the benefits and the return on
investment.”

Min An is also concerned about how quickly job roles evolve for PMEs.

He explained that when he started his job as an operations executive, much of
his role involved manual input.

But now, he said that the job landscape has changed.

He said: “Today, they are looking for more intellectual things – for example,
data and data insights. My company and clients want to make business decisions
based on data.

“Those skills, if I were to place myself back as an operations executive,
wouldn’t fit what my company wants.”





#EveryWorkerMatters Conversations



These concerns are just some of the topics Min An discussed during a focus group
discussion organised by NTUC on 25 October 2022.

The event was part of the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations organised for PMEs
to hear their feedback on employment challenges.

Another topic widely discussed during the event was unemployment support.

The Labour Movement has recently renewed this call, which was first recommended
to the Government a year ago.

Min An said that besides providing a safety net to cope with daily expenses,
unemployment support also enables PMEs to secure a job best suited for the
worker.

He explained: “If that financial support is available, I’m able to make a
conscious decision that this is the role that my skills can fit. As compared to
the other situation where if there is no such financial support, my mind will
just be thinking, okay, just get any job.”

He is glad he attended the focus group discussion, which validated some of his
concerns.

He said: “The conversation is like an outlet to make a conscious decision and
say, hey, let’s voice it out. You’ll never know that there are other people with
the same experience in that particular conversation.

“If there is such feedback in the working class, it means that issue is valid
and needs to be addressed.”

The focus group discussion was part of the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations, a
larger-scale series of engagements by the Labour Movement to engage all workers
across various life stages.

To participate in the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations, visit
conversations.ntuc.sg.



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The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade
unions as well as a network of professional associations and partners across all
sectors in Singapore.

NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain
employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of our members
and working people; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour
movement. NTUC’s vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars,
ages and nationalities. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement, which
comprises 58 affiliated unions, seven affiliated associations, 12 social
enterprises, six related organisations as well as a growing ecosystem of U
Associates and enterprise partners.

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