When COVID-19 hit, the effects were felt globally. Businesses lost 100% of their traffic overnight and many people lost their jobs as a result, finding themselves unemployed.
While many job seekers can look to online job sites to find a new job in Singapore, the government’s response to the hike in unemployment was to introduce to the job market a wide range of new jobs, traineeships, and opportunities for Singaporeans to upskill. The initiative was given the name SGUnited Jobs and SGUnited Traineeships.
Since its inception in May 2020, nearly 76,000 opportunities have been made available for both job seekers and trainees. There are still plenty of these opportunities available to Singaporeans who might want them.
Furthermore, in February 2021, the Singapore government announced that it would release the second tranche of SGUnited Jobs and Traineeships, dedicating an additional $5.4 billion to it on top of the $3 billion allocated last year. The budget set aside is to support the hiring of 200,00 local people and support up to 35,000 traineeship opportunities. This means more dedicated funding and more wage support. The government is looking to encourage employers to continue hiring more people, and help people upskill while accessing employment opportunities.
Given this recent announcement of a second tranche, if you’re interested in applying for a job or traineeship opportunity, here’s some more about what you need to know.
What Is The Difference Between SGUnited Jobs And SGUnited Traineeships?
SGUnited Jobs
Since the government’s announcement that it wanted to make more jobs available for jobseekers, over 40,000 opportunities have been created for local people. This spans across both the public and the private sector, with around 40% of the jobs being public sector to account for the additional needs caused by COVID-19.
The public sector will also offer two-year positions to local jobseekers. During their tenure, they will be trained in key capability areas with the view of eventually placing them in private sector roles relevant to their training.
The opportunities consist of both long and short-term roles to meet both further and immediate needs. Businesses are also looking at using these jobseekers for manpower in bringing in new capabilities and functions in existing businesses.
The 25,000 jobs in the private sector are being created with the help of agencies. Jobseekers can access long-term, good opportunities. The agencies are working with program partners to scale the capacity of career conversion programs for those looking for a change in direction. For example, the Adapt and Grow Initiative will create more than 14,000 jobs in areas of growth such as Infocomm and Technology Financial Services.
SGUnited Traineeships
The SGUnited Traineeships are a creation of the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) and were initiated as part of the March 2020 resilience budget. The initiative was designed to help recent graduates keep busy during the pandemic if they could not find full-time employment.
The government co-funds the allowance the trainee gets each month by 80%, encouraging the businesses involved to take the graduates on as trainees with a low cost to them.
There are Traineeships available in a wide range of different fields. With opportunities offered in areas such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and food and beverage – no matter what your degree type, there is probably going to be something you will enjoy.
Traineeships were designed to help young, local Singaporeans to gain real-life industry experience that they can then use to gain a foothold in the job market when the economy recovers. The experience will also help graduates make valuable professional connections that may lead to job offers further down the life. The programs are designed to last between 6 and 9 months.
What Are The Pros And Cons Of Applying For SGUnited Jobs And Traineeships?
Pros
As a trainee, the money you earn will be yours
When you are a trainee, you are not technically “employed” for the purposes of the definition.
The money you receive each month for the work you carry out in your position is referred to as an allowance and not a salary. As a result, you will take home everything that you earn because you are not subject to paying any income tax.
It’s an opportunity to get real-world industry experience for when the economy recovers
When you are a trainee, you are not technically “employed” for the purposes of the definition.
The money you receive each month for the work you carry out in your position is referred to as an allowance and not a salary. As a result, you will take home everything that you earn because you are not subject to paying any income tax.
You will receive a training allowance for the duration of your traineeship
You are not expected to work for free. This means that you will be getting some sort of a “salary” each month which will go towards paying your bills and spending money.
Opportunities to take a new career path
If you are further along in your career and looking to take advantage of the SGUnited Jobs initiative, it allows you to look at changing your career or doing something slightly different.
These are newly created opportunities that were not otherwise available. If you have been a job seeker for some time, this is welcome news for you in finding a job in both the public and private sectors that would otherwise have not been available.
Cons
SGUnited Trainees are not technically employed
As touched on above, you are not technically an employee of the organization you are working for.
MOM sets down a definition of what being employed means, and trainee positions do not fall within it. You are working in the same way an intern might be working for a trainee allowance. As a result, you get money each month, but it’s not considered to be a salary.
Further to the above, as you are not employed, you do not have the protection of the employment act in Singapore and are not subject to CPF (central provident fund) rules (see below).
You are not entitled to CPF contributions as a trainee
As mentioned above, you are not entitled to the receipt of CPF contributions from the place you are working due to not being classed as an employee. Your take-home allowance may not be too high, with a maximum allowance of $2,500. The amount you take home will also depend on your level of qualification.
To get more than $1800 a month, you will need to be a university graduate or above. If you have a polytechnic diploma or professional qualification, you will be looking to take home around $1700 to $2100 a month, and anything less than this, you’re probably looking around $1600 to $1800 a month.
If you take into account the fact you may not otherwise be earning, however, the salary doesn’t really look that bad.
Opportunities to take a new career path
This is another downfall of not being covered by the employment act. You’re not technically entitled to sick leave or annual leave.
As an employee, you’re entitled to a minimum of 7 paid annual leave days and 14 paid medical leave days. As a trainee, you don’t get this entitlement. If you have to take time off sick, you might not get paid at all. This will all largely depend on the company you’re working for.
Many recognize the importance of the well-being of their trainees and will still give them an annual leave allowance of 7 days annual and 7 days medical leave. The details and terms of your traineeship will be contained in your contract and you could always try and negotiate what you’re getting if you’re not happy with it.
How do I apply for SGUnited Jobs and Traineeships?
Are there qualifying criteria for SGUnited Jobs and Traineeships?
For a traineeship, each one will last up to 9 months with the following requirements.
You must be:
- A Singapore Citizen or Permanent resident
- A graduate from 2019 or 2020 from ITE, Polytechnics, universities, or other educational institutions (private or overseas)
- Completed national service in 2019 or 2020
As for jobseekers under the SGUnited Jobs initiative, there are not the same specific requirements as the above, but you will likely need to demonstrate the experience you have in your field when you are applying for opportunities (especially those that are high level).
How do I find and apply for SGUnited Jobs and Traineeships?
SGUnited Traineeships
SGUnited Jobs
What are the Top 8 SGUnited Jobs to apply for?
- Singapore Press Holdings Limited– Database Administrator ($6,000 – $7,200 monthly). In this role, you’ll be “supporting technology-enabled business strategies and operations to drive increased agility, scalability, fault tolerance and improve the service quality of the Technology Operations, Infrastructure, and Cloud Team”. You’re responsible for the performance, integrity, and security of a database in this role, so if you’re experienced in this area this job might be for you.
- Heraeus Materials Singapore PTE Ltd. – Regional Head Of Sales ($9,000 to $11,000 monthly). If you have significant sales experience, this role is a great opportunity. The position requires a degree in Engineering and at least 10 years of sales account management experience so it is definitely for the more experienced sales candidates.
- Renaissance Projects PTE Ltd– Project Coordinator ($1,800 – $2,800 monthly). As Project Coordinator, you can expect to be working on-site making sure sub-contractors are working to timescales and general site supervision. If you have some experience in project management in building and construction – this job may be of interest to you.
- Bachmann Japanese Restaurant PTE Ltd– Outlet Manager ($2,500 to $3,000 monthly). If you have managerial experience in the food and beverage area, this job might be the one for you. You will be managing and overseeing operations, such as opening and closing duties, recruitment, and achieving sales targets, while ensuring the smooth running of the restaurant.
- TSM Food Services PTE Ltd– Delivery Driver ($2,800 to $3,000 monthly). As a driver, you’ll be responsible for delivering orders to food services customers, such as restaurants and hotels.
- ITCAN PTE Ltd– Automation Infrastructure Lead ($5,000 to $9,000 monthly). You’ll be an IT specialist, leading a team of engineers in supporting and maintaining the technology stack comprising the automation solution and infrastructure.
- AD-EVO PTE Ltd.Interior Designer ($3,000 monthly). This is advertised as a mid-career traineeship, so slightly higher level. An interior design and architecture company in Singapore is offering this role with responsibilities being to take an interior design project from start to finish. You will be outlining client design objectives, sourcing materials, and planning costs.
- ARCLAB PTE Ltd.– Digital Marketer ($2,500 to $3,150 monthly). If you’re a Digital Marketer, this is your chance to work in an exciting position creating content, monitor the impact of marketing plans, and analyze customer experience. If you’re a Media, Communications, or Marketing graduate – this is an interesting role.
What are the Top 8 SGUnited Jobs to apply for?
- Mattherns PTE. Ltd.– Videographer, Content Production ($2,500 – $3,000 monthly). The business is looking for someone who has experience in all aspects of videography. They want someone who has experience shooting videos, handling and operating a camera. If you have a portfolio of work to share and enjoy meeting client needs, this sounds like a great opportunity.
- Ninja Logistics PTE. Ltd– Research Associate ($2,700 monthly). The company’s Regional Operations is looking for someone to handle operations in Singapore. They want someone with exceptional analytical skills who is prepared to handle challenges and present information clearly.
- Kent Ridge Laboratories PTE. Ltd– Trainee Biomedical Processing Engineer ($2500 monthly). This is a wonderful opportunity for someone with a degree in Life Sciences, Biomedical, or Chemical Engineering and is passionate about scientific research in a laboratory setting. The advert states that the trainee will be trained in tissue engineering concepts and cell culture techniques.
- Elite Advisory Services PTE. Ltd– Financial Services Consultant ($2,500 to $5,000 monthly). This is a traineeship program for people who are mid-career (hence the pay increase). You will learn all aspects of financial planning from wealth accumulation to retirement planning, and providing financial advice.
- FUJI Xerox Singapore PTE. Ltd– HR Associate ($2,500 monthly). If you’re looking for a position in HR, this is a great position for you. You’ll be dealing with all employee-based issues and administration, with the chance to assist in recruitment.
- Gifted and Talented Education PTE. Ltd– Management Trainee ($2,000 to $2,500 monthly). This position reports to the CEO and COO of the company with real-world opportunities to work in an organization that teaches special children (gifted, high ability with or without special needs).
- Alice– Writer ($2,500 monthly). As a trainee, you’ll be involved in writing scripts, developing ideas, and researching topic areas. You’ll learn how to write Audio Visual Scripts, carry out research, and more.
- Bank Of Singapore– Data Management Assistant ($2,500 monthly). In this role, you’ll assist with the Data Management practices at the bank. You’ll learn how to engage with stakeholders and learn various banking Data Domains while working for one of the largest banks in Singapore.
Conclusion
Singapore has really led the way in creating job opportunities for its people during the economic downturn of the pandemic.
While other economies are halting their hiring, Singapore is offering jobs to both graduates and jobseekers alike – offering people the chance to change their career path and supporting them throughout the process.
Most of the opportunities are for private companies, as mentioned above. For any job seekers who are interested in a Singapore Government job, more information can be found both here, and here, about doing that.
With the recent announcement of more SGUnited jobs and SGUnited Traineeships being made available just last month, now is the best time to start looking for a new job, or opportunity, in Singapore.
