The Ministry of Manpower has released its job statistics for 2016
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released its report on last year’s job vacancies today (7 February).
The report revealed that while the proportion of vacancies unfilled for at least six months declined from 39% in 2015 to 36% last year, one in two non-PMET vacancies such as service and sales workers, cleaners and labourers, clerical support workers, machine operators, and craftsmen and related trade workers remained hardest to fill.
“Employers indicated low pay, long workweek and shift work as characteristics that made non-PMET openings unattractive to locals,” they said.
The report also revealed that nearly half of all job openings were intended for professionals, managers, executives, and technicians (PMET).
They said that the increase from 39% (24,300) in 2013 to 48% (25,800) in 2016 for PMET work was reflective of the current restructuring of the economy and the workforce, adding that the increase in job vacancies came mainly from the financial and insurance services, professional services, and information and communications.
MOM further advised employers to “review their requirements for work experience so as to widen their pool of prospective candidates”.
“This will provide more opportunities for young job entrants and mid-career PMETs to build up their domain knowledge and experience on the job,” they said in their statement.
“Looking ahead, one key priority is to maximise matching between jobseekers and job vacancies. The government has ramped up SkillsFuture and Adapt and Grow initiatives, and will continue to strengthen employment and employability support for our people,” they added.
