The Labour Movement Sets Its Sights on Helping Tomorrow's Leaders

A new taskforce will be set up by NTUC to examine and address the issues faced by younger workers who are about to or have recently entered the workforce.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng revealed the congress’ plans as part of his May Day message on 28 April 2022.

Citing a recent collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design, which included the views of some 1,039 youths, the labour chief shared the top three concerns faced by younger workers were their career opportunities or work prospects, finances and mental well-being.

When faced with workplace challenges, the study found that younger workers currently prefer to resolve the problems on their own, or through the assistance of friends and colleagues.

“We think that there is a space where NTUC can come in to enable our youths better than what is available currently,” said Mr Ng.

The new taskforce will look at supporting young workers’ workplace needs and aspirations and will focus on how it can offer this group of workers better workplace security, as well as education and work placement opportunities.

Mr Ng said that he hopes to be able to reach out to at least 10,000 younger workers, so that the Labour Movement will have a clearer understanding of needs of this group of workers.

More details on the taskforce will be announced soon.

Over the Last Decade

During his media briefing session, Mr Ng recounted NTUC’s more recent achievements in its 61-year history.

He shared that since NTUC first introduced the the Progressive Wage Model back in 2012, it has worked closely with the Government and employers to roll out the wage structure to cover some 250,000 lower-wage workers in Singapore.

For the last three years, together with Tripartite Partners, NTUC has answered the call to extend the runway of which senior workers can remain in the workforce. As a result, the stipulated retirement and re-employment age will be raised progressively to 65 and 70 respectively by 2030 – up from the current 62 and 65.

More recently, Mr Ng also shared that NTUC has also been advocating for better welfare and protection of workers working in the freelance space.

Citing a recent incident where a delivery rider lost his life while on the job, Mr Ng hopes that more can be done in workplace protection, as well as retirement planning for this group of more vulnerable gig workers.

He also shared that NTUC will continue to work hard to have the Government legislate anti-discrimination laws to better protect PMEs, and that it will carry on championing work-life initiatives that would allow more women to return to the workforce.

Managing Cost of Living

As cost of living continues to rise, Mr Ng shared that NTUC’s belief is that the most sustainable way to beat inflation and cope with rising costs is to ensure workers are earning good wages, and that they are equipped with up-to-date skill sets to take on higher-value jobs.

As Singapore enters the post-pandemic phase of the COVID-19 saga, Mr Ng said that NTUC will now cast its attention towards industry transformation and workforce transformation.

“This is so that we can latch on to the new opportunities in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, NTUC social enterprises will continue to do their part to put in place measures to cushion the impact of rising costs, helping members and workers stretch their hard-earned dollar.

Read NTUC President Mary Liew's and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng's 2022 May Day message.