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SINGAPORE : The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has said that more retrenchments are expected at the end of the month, and it will be white-collar workers or PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) who will take the biggest hit.

But the government hopes to minimise further lay-offs, by expanding the skills programme known as Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR).

45-year-old Celeste Liu works in a security company, but her heart has always been in the hospitality business.

She said: "They always state that their preference is experience, and maybe age, and maybe your height. And they go into your eyesight problem. So we can't get into it! But I thought this time, (I should) get into training first."

So Celeste is giving herself another chance, while enjoying a 90 per cent fee subsidy under a national skills programme called SPUR.

Celeste added: "This is a good time, since the government is supporting us. We should go right ahead. The training helps. Once you train, at least you have more confidence, and you know a little bit of the job. And they might give you a chance."

And from this month, funding will cover a wider range of industries and occupations.

The subsidies will also cover courses with longer training periods.

Companies can now send workers for diploma courses at polytechnics, and Nitec and Higher Nitec programmes for adults at the Institute of Technical Education.

Funding has also been expanded to cover all Workforce Skills Qualifications courses offered by the Workforce Development Agency.

This brings the total to 800 courses - a five-fold increase from last month.

MOM said the changes will help workers and companies deal with a bleak economic outlook, especially with more retrenchments expected after the Lunar New Year at the end of the month.

Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "Most of the export-oriented industries, especially in the manufacturing, electronics sectors for example, are likely to be more severely affected. Workers affected will cut across different levels, but compared to the previous recessions, this recession we will see more PMET workers affected."

The government hopes the SPUR programme will motivate companies to send workers for upgrading instead of retrenching them.

So far, over 120 companies have committed 4,200 workers to the upgrading programme. Given that MOM hopes to cater for over 200,000 training places over the next two years, the take-up rate might strike some as a little on the low side. But Mr Gan said response among companies has been encouraging, and his ministry will continue to refine the programme to cater to the needs of workers.

He added: "I think some of the companies need time to understand the programme better, and also to make adjustments within their company processes, so that they can make available workers for the training programme."

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Source: CNA/yb/ms