Latest news with #e2i
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
NTUC's e2i trialling one-stop portal with AI tools to help jobseekers
Since April 2024, more than 7,000 jobseekers have used artificial intelligence tools through the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to build resumes and practise for interviews. A new one-stop portal, called the AI Career Coach, is being trialled to help users better understand the job market and apply for suitable roles. e2i said these tools seek to boost employability, especially for first-time jobseekers. Nadirah Zaidi reports.
CNA
6 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Jalan Besar GRC MP Wan Rizal to join NTUC
SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament (MP) for Jalan Besar GRC Wan Rizal will join the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as a director and labour MP, the labour movement announced on Wednesday (Aug 13). His appointment as its Employment and Employability Institute's (e2i) director of stakeholder management, career services and partnership group takes effect on Aug 18. As a labour MP, NTUC said Dr Rizal will speak up for workers' interests in parliament and champion the organisation's key advocacy areas. The focus will be on supporting lower-wage workers and strengthening engagement with the Malay-Muslim community. "Building on his parliamentary experience and active grassroots engagement with workers across different sectors, Dr Rizal would bring his valuable insights into their aspirations and concerns," said NTUC. "His appointment reflects NTUC's ongoing efforts to stay closely connected with the community and deepen its understanding of workers' needs to improve their wages, welfare, and work prospects." MP for Jalan Besar GRC since 2020, Dr Rizal is a senior lecturer at Republic Polytechnic. NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said his presence "further strengthens NTUC's ability to understand, represent and advocate for all workers". As director of stakeholder management at NTUC's e2i, Dr Rizal will work closely with community partners, union leaders, grassroots advisers and other stakeholders to strengthen relationships and organise career fairs and events that connect job seekers with work opportunities, said NTUC. He will also lead the development of strategies and programmes that support workers' innovation, employability and long-term career growth. Dr Rizal's grassroots connections and understanding of the challenges faced by lower-wage and mature workers, particularly within the Malay-Muslim community, will be invaluable, said Caryn Lim, CEO of e2i. She added that his experience will help e2i sharpen its focus on reaching underserved groups and design career services and programmes that meet their specific needs. 'I am honoured to join NTUC and NTUC's e2i in this new capacity. In my years as an educator, community leader and Member of Parliament," said Dr Rizal. "I've met workers who felt left behind - whether it's because of age, income, or background. I hope to be a strong bridge between workers and policy, and to champion the interests of lower-wage workers, mature workers - including those within our Malay-Muslim community.' According to the Singapore parliament website, Dr Rizal currently serves on the Punggol East Citizen Consultative Committee for Punggol East SMC. He was previously chairman of the mosque management board for Al-Islah Mosque and a member of the inter-racial and religious confidence circles for Punggol North and Punggol West. In its statement, NTUC also expressed its appreciation for Mr Fahmi Aliman, former director of operations and mobilisation division secretariat, who stepped down on Jun 30.
Independent Singapore
10-08-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
'I don't know how to help anymore': Woman opens up about nearly three years of job hunt support and financial aid for best friend
SINGAPORE: After nearly three years of helping her best friend with both money and job hunting, a woman shared on Reddit that she's now unsure how to support her any further. Opening up on the r/askSingapore forum on Saturday (Aug 9), the woman explained that when her best friend lost her job, she stepped in to help. She assisted with the job search, went through her resume to improve it, and even offered to speak to her own bosses to see if there were any suitable openings. Working in the public sector herself, she also encouraged her best friend to take advantage of government initiatives like SkillsFuture and e2i. Unfortunately, despite her efforts, nothing worked out. Her best friend also brushed off her suggestion about taking steps to upgrade her skills, choosing instead to 'complain about how tough the job market is' and 'blame the companies who didn't hire her.' She also noticed that in nearly three years of unemployment, her best friend had only submitted about '100 applications and attended 10 interviews.' Over time, another issue began to weigh on her. The woman revealed that she, along with two other close friends, has been quietly covering her best friend's expenses whenever they go out. 'When we go out, my best friend rarely pays for anything. In the beginning, she would still insist on paying her share, but we would always convince her to let us cover it.' 'After a while, she stopped offering altogether. When we travelled together last year, we paid for her hotel, transport, and meals too,' she wrote, adding that while these gestures were meant to help, they have now become an unspoken expectation. The woman admitted she is beginning to question whether her friend is genuinely putting in the effort to find work or is simply in denial about her situation. 'It's really sad to see her like this. I honestly don't know how to help anymore. She still hasn't found a job, and I know it's affecting her relationships with her family and boyfriend, too. Sometimes I wonder if we should continue supporting her financially, but it feels weird to just stop now,' she wrote. The woman also mentioned that when she brought up the financial issue with her close friends, they agreed that it had indeed 'become a problem.' However, none of them had the heart to confront her. 'When I brought this up with my close friends, they agreed it's a problem, but none of us really feel comfortable talking about it. Honestly, I feel conflicted and feel like a bad friend for posting this.' See also MOM reports decrease in retrenchments, growth in employment for Q3 Seeking advice, she asked the Reddit community, 'How do I help my best friend?? Despite what's happened in the past few years, she's been a really dear friend and has helped me through some difficult heartbreaks.' 'Willingness to change has to come from her.' In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors praised the woman for being such a caring and supportive friend, saying it's rare for someone to stick by another through years of unemployment. At the same time, they cautioned her about the risks of helping too much for too long, pointing out that it could eventually hurt her own finances, mental health, and even the friendship itself. Several suggested that she set clear boundaries and have an open, honest talk with her friend about the situation, even if it feels awkward. One Redditor wrote, 'I suggest you sit her down and give it to her straight – let her know it's not sustainable for y'all to be paying for her and that she needs to woman up and change her mindset or upskill. Sounds harsh but I believe that you have to be honest, because if not, you'll enable this behaviour. If she's worth her salt as your friend, she'll eventually thank you.' Another commented, 'You and your friends have been enabling her lifestyle. Why? If y'all keep helping, your friend won't feel the need to change. The best thing y'all can do is cut her off financially ASAP. Once your friend realises that her lifestyle is no longer subsidised, she will look for opportunities to earn to upkeep the lifestyle.' A third remarked, 'Paying for her is supporting her bad behaviour. Tough love is needed, as others have said. Now it is like she is rewarded for being jobless. Willingness to change has to come from her.' In other news, a fresh graduate took to social media on Monday (Aug 4) to express his frustration with his job search, saying that many of the positions he is aiming for appear to have already been filled by foreigners In an anonymous post on the r/singaporeraw subreddit, he shared that he has followed the conventional path diligently. He enrolled in one of Singapore's top three universities, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), earned an engineering degree, did internships to build up experience, and graduated with Honours with Merit. Read more: 'Really buey tahan': NTU graduate says job opportunities are going to foreigners
Business Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
38 employers with 1,400 vacancies at NTUC-led job-matching exercise for Jetstar Asia workers
[SINGAPORE] The labour movement has brought on 38 employers in a job-matching exercise for the over 500 workers laid off by Jetstar Asia after the low-cost carrier announced its closure last week, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said on Wednesday (Jun 18). The three-day exercise, which began on Tuesday and ends on Jun 19, was carried out on the airline's premises. The employers include Singapore Airlines (SIA) group, Airbus Singapore and its subsidiary Satair, Changi Airport Group, dnata, Sats, SIA Engineering Company, Singapore Aircargo Agent Association and members, SMRT and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. NTUC noted that 14 of these employers were onsite at the exercise, which had a 'focus' on employers from the aerospace and aviation sector because of the 'strong alignment between Jetstar Asia workers' profiles and the variety of synergistic job vacancies available in these companies'. In total, there were 450 job roles across 1,400 job vacancies, NTUC said. They feature a variety of key job functions in positions such as pilots, cabin crew, customer service, air hub operations, engineering, safety and quality assurance, as well as corporate roles. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Last Friday, SIA said it will create new roles for the retrenched employees, including 100 for pilots and 200 for cabin crew members. The job-matching exercise is organised by the NTUC Job Security Council and involved the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation cluster, NTUC's Employment and Employability (e2i) Institute, Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Jetstar Asia. NTUC said the exercise allows affected workers to explore employment opportunities with participating employers onsite and online, receive career guidance from e2i career coaches and tap on NTUC's affiliated unions for support. In a Facebook post, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said he met the affected workers at Terminal 1 on Wednesday, and they shared their concerns and uncertainties. 'I completely understand the anxiety that they feel. I want to assure them that they are not alone,' said Ng, who is NTUC secretary-general. He noted that some workers are also considering a move into other sectors, such as hospitality, and added that e2i will offer support through job matching, career coaching and upskilling guidance.
Independent Singapore
23-04-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
‘Ageism is real': Man in his late 30s says employers prioritise young applicants over qualifications
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man in his late 30s took to social media to share that switching careers feels like a lost cause at his age, since employers seem to care more about his birthdate than the skills and certifications he's worked hard for. In a lengthy post on the r/askSingapore forum, he explained that for the past few years, he had dedicated his time and energy to completing postgraduate courses, taking up PMP and project management certifications, slogging through project management modules, studying data analytics, and becoming 'knowledgeable in all the buzzword skills like Tableau'. He added that on top of his academic and technical pursuits, he made a concerted effort to strengthen his employability in every way possible. He actively engaged in networking, took on freelance projects to gain hands-on experience, and emphasised his transferable skills in every application. Yet despite his dedication, he said employers seemed to overlook all his efforts and qualifications, focusing instead on one thing: his age. 'I've sent out hundreds of customised resumes and tailored cover letters in the past eight months. What did I get in return? Rejection after rejection—or worse, absolute silence,' he wrote. 'Everyone says 'never too old to learn' and 'mid-career switches are possible if you work hard enough.' But the reality is, once you hit your late 30s or 40s, the job market looks at you differently. Ageism is real, even if nobody admits it. Employers say they want experience, but when you try to pivot, your experience is suddenly 'not relevant.' You're competing with younger applicants who are cheaper and seen as more 'mouldable.'' 'Certifications and new skills are nice on paper, but they don't erase the years you spent in a different industry or the fact that you're not 25 anymore. Every application vanishes into a black hole. It's hard not to feel like upskilling at this age is just a way to keep hope alive, not to actually get hired,' he said. The man clarified that he's not against learning later in life, but in his opinion, upskilling in your late 30s often feels futile because the system is stacked against older candidates. 'The Singapore government and NTUC/e2i career coaches keep pushing courses, but what we really need is for employers to give mature workers a fair chance, not just lip service,' he argued. 'If you're in the same boat, just know you're not alone. I'm tired, demoralised, and questioning if all this effort is worth it. Maybe it's time we talk honestly about the limits of 'lifelong learning' in Singapore, instead of pretending that another certificate will magically fix things,' he concluded. 'Paper qualifications are just half the game' In the comments section, many echoed the man's sentiment, expressing just how hard it is to get a job these days. Even a fresh graduate with a degree in business analytics from SUSS chimed in, saying, 'Similarly, [I have] zero calls or interviews for data analytics roles. It feels horrible after four years of effort and sleepless nights with no results.' Another commented, 'It's rough out there, man… The idea of upskilling just spawned an industry of courses and certificates, but I am not convinced it benefits anyone outside those providing the courses. I took some NUS courses and honestly, the level was embarrassingly low, total cringe… But we are expected to constantly stack on those courses.' A third shared, 'I don't disagree with you; ageism is real. When I switched industries, I really started from ground zero at an associate pay of S$2,400, and then in two years, I got the fresh grad pay with a postgraduate certificate. Four years later, the fresh grads' new salary matched my current salary.' However, some commenters disagreed, pointing out that while upskilling is admirable, employers are not obligated to hire someone simply because they've completed additional courses. One individual bluntly stated, 'Nobody owes you a job just because you took some 'upskill' courses. At your age, the value you bring is to be experienced and knowledgeable in a field, to go for an experienced hire role, and not compete with fresh grads for junior roles. 'Ask yourself, what hard or soft skills do you really have that differentiate you from a younger candidate? Any sane hiring manager will choose a fresh grad over a late-30s uncle for the same skillset.' Another added, 'You can be a Harvard grad and not find a job. Paper qualifications are just half the game; the hiring manager has to like you and see you as someone whom they can groom. The latter part is much harder to nail, and especially so when you have more years on you.' In other news, a man shared on social media that his girlfriend called him 'heartless' for refusing to cover the full cost of her dental procedure. In an anonymous post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, the man explained that the dental procedure she needed was priced at around S$1,200 in Singapore. Wanting to be financially sensible, he suggested that they look into getting the treatment done in Johor Bahru, where it would cost only about S$400. However, his girlfriend rejected the idea outright, saying it was 'beneath her' to go across the border for medical treatment. Read more: Man says his GF called him 'heartless' for refusing to pay the full S$1.2k for her dental treatment Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
