Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng to PQ on Workers Displaced from SMEs

NOTICE PAPER NO. 729 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 4 OCTOBER 2021

QUESTION NO. 1806 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Ms Rachel Ong

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many workers have been displaced from the closure of SMEs since March 2020; and (b) how many have found new jobs since their displacement.

Answer:

1. The Government stands ready to support workers who have been displaced from their jobs, including those displaced from the closure of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

2. The number of retrenchments rose to about 26,000 in 2020, although the incidence of retrenchment remained lower than past recessionary years. Retrenchment numbers have improved since the fourth quarter of 2020, and decreased to 2,340 in the second quarter of 2021. This is comparable to levels seen in 2018 and 2019. We also closely monitor post-retrenchment outcomes – amongst all retrenched residents, the six-month re-entry rate was 64.4% in the second quarter of 2021, an improvement from 61.6% in 2020. This is also comparable to pre-COVID re-entry rates in 2018 and 2019.

3. The tripartite Retrenchment Taskforce follows up with every notified retrenchment, by proactively reaching out to the affected workers and offering them employment assistance. This includes providing information kits on career resources, briefings on available employment facilitation, and one-one-one coaching by career coaches from Workforce Singapore and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute.