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Asian leaders urged to give more help to 'vulnerable' workers
Job opportunities for foreign workers, older employees and working women have come under fire in two new reports.
The first, a Singapore government survey on confidence in the country’s future and economy revealed that 33% of those polled were dissatisfied at available job openings for older workers.
About 25% said they were not impressed with government policies regarding foreign workers.
The poll by the official REACH feedback channel asked 1,500 people in Singapore about employment, housing and how well they were governed,
REACH chairman, Amy Khor, said: "Last year, we have seen a fair share of feedback on cost of living, employment and the foreign workers and talent issues, and that's not surprising, given the economic crisis.
"There was, however, more dissatisfaction in several areas, such as cost of living, healthcare affordability, and the employment prospects for older workers.”
Meanwhile an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women Leaders Network Meeting called on regional leaders to recognise that women are suffering more job losses in the recession because they hold less formal and more vulnerable jobs.
The conference proposed 10 policy recommendations to APEC leaders – that includes China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Chinese Taipei:
- Strengthen capacity building programmes, including education and vocational skills training for women.
- Promote employment generation programmes to level-up women particularly those in informal and vulnerable sectors.
- Ensure access to financing especially for micro and small enterprises.
- Secure social safety nets for women.
- Simplify business registration and operational processes.
- Promote the use of science and technology as an enabler and leveller for women.
- Facilitate access to information communication technology, especially for rural and indigenous women, through the provision of services, equipment and technological literacy training.
- Encourage public-private partnerships, including civil society, as a viable approach in furthering the contributions of women to the economy.
- Support social enterprise as a business model for women and sustainable development.
- Recognise the economic and social value of supporting, investing and promoting programmes and measures relating to environmental issues and work-life benefits and initiatives.
Singapore’s Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon noted that these partnerships enable women to leverage on info-communications technology, to harmonise their work and family life, to achieve both their career as well as familial aspirations.
