Opening Address at HR Learning Festival 2024

Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Manpower and Education, Singapore Polytechnic

Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal & CEO, Singapore Polytechnic

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Good morning. I am delighted to join you today at the HR Learning Festival 2024, held in conjunction with the SkillsFuture Festival 2024.

2. First, I would like to thank Singapore Polytechnic for organising this event. It brings businesses, the HR community, and students together today to discuss emerging trends in HR and strengthen industry links. The series of events lined up for the SkillsFuture Festival 2024 reflects the Government’s efforts to level up the SkillsFuture initiative, a key pillar of our social compact. I am glad that the HR Learning Festival organised by SP today draws our attention to how HR can play a critical role in supporting the nation-wide movement of embedding a culture of lifelong learning. 

Role of FWA in Managing the Impact of our Demographic Constraints

3. As all of you would know, Singapore has a tight labour market and many businesses face manpower constraints. As we welcome new entrants into our workforce, we should also continue to harness the experience and wisdom of our older employees as long as they are able and willing to continue working. By 2030, almost 1 in 4 Singaporeans will be aged 65 years old and above. If we do nothing, Singapore will lose centuries of collective wisdom and experience in just a decade. As Mr Soh mentioned in his welcome address earlier, a multigenerational workforce is emerging – this presents challenges, but also opportunities for us to evolve our workplace norms to tap into a wider pool of talents.

4. Promoting flexible work arrangements (FWA) helps us better manage the impact of our demographic trends. With an ageing population, Singapore will face the twin challenges of slowing resident workforce growth and growing caregiving needs. We can expect more Singaporeans to need to juggle both caregiving and work responsibilities in the years to come. FWAs are therefore increasingly important in helping working caregivers manage their dual responsibilities, attracting caregivers who have left the workforce to return. This will help sustain our labour force participation, and help businesses better attract and retain talent amidst a tight labour market. On this note, we are already seeing that job posts offering FWAs tend to attract two to three times more applications from jobseekers today. Clearly, it is in the interest of businesses and HR practitioners to better leverage FWAs.

5. To catalyse the benefits of FWAs, while making it sustainable for all parties, we introduced the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests in April this year. I remember launching it at McDonald’s with some of our partners here today. McDonald’s has a large workforce, many on different types of FWAs - flexi-load, flexi-time, flexi-place. It is a very good example and array of creative FWAs that help both employees, as well as McDonald’s, meet their needs for labour.

Role of HR Professionals in Building an Inclusive and Trusted Workplace

6. Our engagements with various stakeholders have reinforced that communication and trust between employers and employees are crucial. This is where HR plays a critical role in identifying and connecting issues relating to the “heart” of your employee with that of business needs. That brings me to the theme of today’s event, ‘Heart of Business: How HR Weaves Skills and People Together’. For example, in the area of mental well-being, another area that I am very passionate about, given the significant amount of time spent at work and the impact of work stressors on mental well-being, employees can benefit from access to mental well-being support and resources at the workplace. This will help build a more caring and inclusive workplace where every worker believes that they are valued and be able contribute to the best of their potential. This in turn strengthens a company’s workforce and benefits businesses. As they say, it is good for People, Profit, and the Planet.

Resources available to support HR

7. There are readily available resources which can help to support companies in adopting progressive HR practices and strengthening their corporate wellness. For example, the Tripartite Partners NTUC and SNEF have worked with the HR community to develop the Playbook on Workplace Mental Well-being, where you can refer to plug-and-play templates to implement mental well-being initiatives such as how to create a safe space for conversations and a peer support system.

Role of HR training partners in supporting HR competencies for the future

8. Our HR training partners like Singapore Polytechnic play an important role to ensure that HR practitioners continue to build up the competencies for the future. I am heartened that we have a HR sector coordinating team with our Institutes of Higher Learning in Singapore, and SP as the lead. They are committed to strengthening HR practices and spearheading initiatives that support Singapore’s strategic goals for the sector. SP’s efforts in co-creating CET workshops and courses with its corporate partners demonstrate their dedication to delivering industry-relevant education and in fostering a culture of lifelong learning.

9. Today, I am happy to witness the launch of the second iteration of Singapore Polytechnic’s HR Learning Journey (HRLJ): Building Companies of Good. Supported by TAFEP, HRLJ2 will demonstrate practical solutions on how companies may leverage Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) as a strategic business approach. Additionally, HRLJ2 will also equip people leaders and First Line Managers (FLMs) with skills such as mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and using AI in communication to manage the diverse needs of an age-diverse workforce. I hope that our businesses will tap on these resources and find them useful, and give us feedback so that we can continue to make the training relevant and realistic.

10. I am also heartened to witness that Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) is partnering Singapore Polytechnic to further strengthen their commitment to helping organisations adopt fair and progressive employment practices.

• TAFEP and SP will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together on efforts to equip HR practitioners and SP students with fundamental knowledge and best practices to promote the adoption of fair and progressive employment. This will equip the HR community and our aspiring HR practitioners with the skills and knowledge to meet the evolving needs of businesses and our workforce.

Conclusion

11. In closing, the Government, along with partners like the Institute for Human Resource Professionals, Institutes of Higher Learning, and industry partners, will continue to support Singapore’s economy to strengthen organisational agility and productivity.

12.  I wish all of you a fruitful festival. Have a good day. Thank you.