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The Manpower
Research and Statistics Department of the Ministry of Manpower has
released findings of a joint study with Dr Ho Kong Chong, Associate Professor,
Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore on "Workers
Employment Expectations and Socio-economic Adjustments".
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The study seeks to
examine the attitudes and employment expectations of Singapore workers to
establish the extent to which they have accepted today’s new realities at
the workplace.
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It involved the
conduct of a survey on 2,500 locals in the labour force in August 2003;
supplemented by focus group interview sessions with job seekers of different
skills and education levels and the agencies helping them.
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The study found
that by and large, the messages on the need to stay nimble, adaptable and
competitive have hit home.
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Singapore workers
are aware of the challenges posed by increasing
global competition and are prepared to accept variable wages based on
individual and company
performance. Nevertheless, there are variations among sub-groups with the
less educated and the lower income, less likely to agree to performance-based
wage systems.
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The study also
found that job seekers have moderated their expectations and become more
flexible in their job search. They are generally willing to apply for
different jobs and in different industries as well as jobs requiring them to
work on weekends.
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Amidst the
difficult economic conditions, many have also applied for jobs which require
lower qualifications and are prepared to take pay cuts, suggesting a certain
amount of tenacity present in our workers.
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However, some
specific job conditions are less preferred, such as jobs requiring shift-work,
jobs which are physically demanding and jobs that require waiting on
customers.
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More.....
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Findings of study on workers' employment expectations & socio-economic
adjustments
