GE2020: PAP and PSP focus on jobs in broadcast to West Coast GRC residents
SINGAPORE — The People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates for West Coast GRC assured residents on Wednesday (8 July) that they will focus on helping them to find jobs and training opportunities amid the COVID-19-led downturn.
Speaking during a constituency political broadcast ahead of the 10 July General Election, Minister for Information and Communications S Iswaran noted that the pandemic is the “gravest challenge” in Singapore’s history. The National Jobs Council member stressed that the PAP West Coast GRC team will help find jobs and training opportunities for residents including for mid-career workers and fresh graduates.
“We complement that with Jobs@West Coast, our local initiative to bring job opportunities and career advice to your doorstep, at every community centre from Telok Blangah to Nanyang,” the anchor minister for the PAP West Coast team added.
Fellow PAP West Coast GRC candidate, Foo Mee Har, also spoke about the West Coast jobs programme.
“We are working with employers to bring jobs to our areas. We are holding career dialogues, local job fairs, virtual jobs fairs and also deploying 24-hour job stations across West Coast GRC,” said Foo, adding that job seekers can access career advice through coaches.
The other members of the PAP West Coast GRC team are Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee, Ang Wei Neng and Rachel Ong.
Similarly, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) West Coast GRC candidates also spoke about their aim to help residents find jobs amid the downturn. The members of the team are Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Jeffrey Khoo, Nadrajah Loganathan, Hazel Poa and Leong Mun Wai.
Khoo said the PSP team plans to offer Town Council jobs for Singaporeans within West Coast GRC and partner local small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The team also aims to create communities of local startups and SMEs, and help them grow in areas such as government procurement and overseas market development.
Loganathan spoke about boosting jobs at the national level. He proposed steps to reduce the over-dependence of foreign labour in favour of local PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians), such as a review of employment passes.
Dr Tan, the former Member of Parliament for Ayer Rajah who is anchoring the PSP team, said he wants to rekindle the West Coast spirit.
“We must now adapt to new ways of working and living. New solutions, we need to think out of the box, not more of the same top-down approach practised by the PAP, where the government tells you what to do and expects you to follow without questioning.”
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