MPs raise concerns over jobs, Al disruption and support for caregivers

Youth anxieties about getting a job feature strongly in MPs' speeches during debate

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

Jobs particularly youth anxieties about getting them featured strongly in MPs' speeches on day one of the debate on the President's Address.

Several of the 12 MPs who spoke on Sept 22 raised the issue, which has come to the fore in recent months.

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris Changi GRC), who opened the debate, said Singapore faced a paradox with graduates saying they could not find jobs and businesses lamenting that they could not find workers.

"The mismatch lies not in numbers but in alignment between skills taught and skills and experience demanded, and between expectations and realities," he said.

He suggested scaling up the Graduate Industry Traineeship Programme a newly launched traineeship programme that supports fresh graduates in getting industry experience as they look for a full-time job.

"We need more businesses to come forward, to invest in our graduates, to mentor them, to give them the business context and prepare them for future roles," he added.

Mr Sharael also mooted expanding structured apprenticeships to provide technical training, business context and ready trainees for the workplace. The collaboration between the Government, industry and educational institutions can be strengthened to align efforts and set standards, he added.

Community initiatives to form peer-support groups and link job seekers to professional networks should also be encouraged, he said.

Joining the debate, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said young Singaporeans feel both optimism and unease.

The first-term East Coast GRC MP, who is also Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, acknowledged that there are anxieties over job availability and potential displacements arising from technology and global economic shifts.