May Day Message 2011 by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Manpower, 28 April 2011

1. Last year, Singapore’s economy grew by 14.5%. This came on the back of the worst global recession we had ever seen since independence. The remarkable turnaround was made possible, primarily because our tripartite partners - the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) – worked in close concert with the Government to implement the right policies swiftly.
2. The tripartite partners worked together to help employers save jobs and prepare workers for the recovery by using the downturn to upgrade their skills. As a result, overall unemployment rate improved in 2010 to 2.2%, compared to 3% in 2009. Overall employment increased by 3.9% with 115,900 jobs added. More Singaporeans are employed today than ever before. Our strong tripartite partnership has once again proven to be Singapore’s best strategy for weathering the uncertain economic winds.
3. Singapore’s economy is expected to grow by between 4% and 6% this year. However, there could be significant volatility in the global economy with the crisis in Japan, and the ongoing unrest in the Middle East. Economies are also facing inflationary pressures. We must remain vigilant in monitoring these developments and be ready to respond if global growth falters.
4. Despite these challenges, our strong headstart in the recovery has positioned us well to achieve our vision of transforming our economy through productivity enhancements and creating inclusive growth. Companies will need to proactively drive productivity improvement by innovating and transforming their products and processes. Workers and unions must also play their part by adopting new work methods, re-skilling and up-skilling. In this regard, continuing education and training (CET) plays an important role. In particular, we are working through the unions to reach out to the low-wage workers so that they could benefit from the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme. Encouraging them to come forward and participate in the upgrading programmes under WTS will be fundamental in helping these workers improve their productivity and raise their wages. The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) as well as the Workfare Special Bonus (WSB) will help to encourage these workers to continue working.
5. Our efforts go beyond helping rank-and-file workers. Recently, we also introduced a new comprehensive programme – the Skills Training for Excellence Programme (STEP) – to provide more focused training support to professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). STEP brings together best-in-class institutions and higher quality courses which will help enhance the capabilities and employability of our PMETs.
6. The tripartite partners have also worked together to prepare employers and workers for re-employment. I am heartened to note that most employers, particularly the larger companies and the unionised firms, have adopted the Tripartite Guidelines on the Re-employment of Older Employees. For those who need help and advice, the tripartite partners are providing targeted assistance with the "ACCELERETE" (ACCELErating Re-Employment through Tripartite Efforts) programme. The programme aims to help employers align their HR policies and re-employment practices to the Tripartite Guidelines.
7. NTUC has come a long way in the past fifty years to safeguard and enhance the interests of Singapore workers. As a tripartite partner, NTUC has also made significant contributions towards nation building, and the economic and social progress of Singapore. I congratulate and commend NTUC on its achievements. NTUC’s milestone celebration is also an apt occasion for the tripartite partners to reaffirm our commitment towards maintaining our collaborative spirit which has benefited businesses, workers and the economy. In the next phase of this ongoing journey, we should continue to leverage on our strong tripartite partnership to raise our productivity and achieve inclusive growth for the benefit of all.
8. Happy 50th Anniversary NTUC, and a Happy May Day to one and all!