Number of PMET job seekers rises 123% in South West District
By Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 June 2009 1649 hrs
SINGAPORE: The number of Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) seeking jobs has gone up by 123 per cent to about 1,000 in the South West District between last October and April this year.
To meet the demand, its Community Development Council (CDC) is planning more job-matching opportunities for residents.
CDC’s job fair on Monday had over 300 job openings and focused on the public sector, which the council said is particularly relevant in these difficult economic times.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor, who is also the mayor of South West District, said: “There is a perception now in the market that being in a government job is actually a lot more secure in such uncertain times.
“I think the demand for government jobs has increased because of this perception. Also, the government has announced that over the next five years, there will be more than 10,000 jobs available.”
The CDC also held networking sessions with government agencies to enable PMET applicants to present themselves in a more personal light.
Thirty-six of the applicants were also given name cards by the CDC, with additional information about themselves, to give prospective employers a snapshot of what the job seekers have to offer.
PMETs at the fair said that given the difficult times, they were willing to be less picky.
Jeremy Yap Choon Hock, a job applicant, said: “Across the board in the private sector, the pay has dropped 20 per cent, 30 per cent. So I am actually prepared to face that in any job that I apply for.”
The CDC intends to increase the number of job fairs it hosts from three to eight per month.
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