Press Releases 2010

Welcome to SHRI Press Release.
SHRI looks to bring our members the most recent news regarding HR matters.

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Past News: Year 2006 | Year 2007 | Year 2008 | Year 2009 | Year 2010

A. Government News

1. Singapore could be in technical recession in H2
(Singapore): Singapore could see a technical recession in the second half of 2010 as the global economic recovery remains subdued and planned drug plant shutdowns could hurt the manufacturing sector, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran said in parliament.

2. Singapore's employment up by 24,000 jobs in Q3
(Singapore): Total employment in Singapore increased by 24,100 in the third quarter of 2010. This is similar to the figures from the previous quarter (24, 900), but lower than the recorded employment increase in the first quarter of the year (36,500).

3. New pay dispute mediation avenue for PMEs proposed
(Singapore): Junior professionals and executives who feel short- changed by their bosses on pay and perks may not have to wait long for a cheap and speedy settlement mechanism to be put in place.

B. Local News

4. Expectations for 2011 pay hikes moderate
(Singapore): Everything seems to be going great for Singapore professionals on the job front, yet they are not looking to a big pay rise next year.

5. Work wherever, whenever you want
(Singapore): Work is going to be more fun, going by what a study of the future of work shows. You can work where you want and at any time you like. And you can work for as many companies as you fancy, without being a slave to one. In fact, the office and factory shop floor will be more democratic. Workers will have a say in how to run the company.

6. Higher expectations for service
(Singapore): Are rising customer expectations here due to a more affluent populace or sliding service standards? Both are possibilities but a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit suggests that greater awareness, online connectivity and increased competition have contributed more to higher expectations.

7. Older workers prefer flexi-work
(Singapore): Older workers in Singapore want flexible working hours, as that would allow them to spend more time with their families and engage in leisure activities, a recent study done by the Employer Alliance has found.

8. 8 in 10 Singaporeans suffer from stress: survey
(Singapore): Nearly eight in 10 young Singaporeans suffer from mild to severe stress, according to a new health survey.

C. Regional News

9. Asia's tight labour market drives up pay, job turnover
(Singapore): In America and Europe, workers are begging for jobs. In Asia, jobs are begging for workers.

10. Good companies offer "bribe" to employees
(Singapore): Companies have to treat their employees as their principle assets and pay attention to each individual if they want to be the top employer of choice among good talent.

11. Google is still most coveted employer: survey
(Global): As the latest in a string of supernormal feats meeting supernormal profits, Google has topped not one but two lists of the world's most attractive employers again this year.

12. 1 in 10 in US depressed
(Washington): Nearly one in 10 Americans suffers from depression and about a third of them have a severe form of the mental disorder, which is often linked to joblessness.
 

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Back to October

Month of September 2010

A. Government News

1. CPF to boost HR practices with help from HCB
(Singapore): The Central Provident Fund Board has signed a memorandum of understanding with Human Capital Singapore (HCS) to enhance its human resource practices. The pact aims to raise the level of HR practices at the CPF Board, and allows it to take part in training and skills upgrading initiatives by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

2. S'pore has role as talent base
(Singapore): Singapore has a vital role to play in Asia's evolution into a base for global talent, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said at the opening the third Singapore Human Capital Summit. Mr Teo said that Singapore's 'strong base of multicultural and cosmopolitan talent' and unique position 'at the confluence of global talent flows between the East and West' make it an ideal location for global organisations to chart Asia-centric people strategies.

B. Local News

3. Fresh grads getting paid higher salaries than in 2009
(Singapore): Fresh graduates are getting paid more this year than last year, says management consulting firm Hay Group. The highest average starting salaries were for legal jobs. The next highest-paid graduates were those employed in the engineering, research and development (R&D) and information technology (IT) & telecommunications industries.

4. Active pace of hiring seen continuing till end of the year
(Singapore): The current hiring spree may not match the peaks in 2007 and early 2008, but it's likely to be more sustainable, says Manpower Singapore country manager Peter Haglund. 'The fourth-quarter outlook indicates an active hiring pace will continue through the end of the year,' he said after Manpower polled 699 employers.


5. Singapore tops Asia in corporate governance
(Singapore): Singapore has come out tops in Asia this year for corporate governance, despite stiff competition from its counterparts, Hong Kong and Japan, which came in second and third respectively. The findings were in the Corporate Governance Watch 2010 report, prepared by the Asian Corporate Governance Association (Acga) and investment group CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets.

6. Singaporeans ready for mobile marketing: survey
(Singapore): Singaporean companies are missing out on the opportunity to engage their customers via their mobiles, a study has found. Around 49 per cent of Singaporeans surveyed indicated they were interested in receiving notifications from service providers, although only 9 per cent said they had received such messages.

C. Regional News

7. 45% of Expat's pay top $265K
(Global): Singapore has the largest proportion of expatriate high earners compared to 24 countries around the world, says a HSBC survey. A large proportion (29 per cent) work in the financial sector. The report carried a quote from a Singapore expat, "OK for [the] short term 24 months to accumulate wealth."

8. Travel safety not a corporate priority
(Global): Asia-Pacific companies do not do enough to protect their employees on work-related travel, according to a survey. A key finding was that companies care more about managing their travel budgets than spending on travel safety and security.

9. X-men with multiple skills seen as winners on job market
(Taiwan): A new breed of workers dubbed as "X-men" will have the best chance for success on the job market in the coming years, according to human resources experts. But "X-men" with multiple skills will be most needed on the market since they possess multitudes of expertise covering professional skills, connections, a wide range of knowledge, and creative integration of all resources and abilities.

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Back to September

Month of August 2010

A. THE SINGAPORE ECONOMY

1. S'pore Q3 GDP to grow 11.6%: MAS
(Singapore) - Singapore's economy is expected to grow 11.6 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier, slowing from an 18.8 per cent rise in the second quarter, a Monetary Authority of Singapore survey showed.

2. S'pore population tops 5 million. 36% foreigners
(Singapore) - Singapore's population crossed five million this year and more than a third of the total are foreigners. The city-state's total population stood at 5.08 million people at the end of June.
 

B. WORKPLACE & PEOPLE

3. Active pace of hiring seen continuing till end of the year
(Singapore) - THE current hiring spree may not match the peaks in 2007 and early 2008, but it's likely to be more sustainable, All seven industry sectors in the latest poll forecast a higher headcount in the next three months, with the public administration and education (net employment outlook 29 per cent) and the wholesale and retail trade (outlook 27 per cent) sectors tipped to take in the biggest number of people.

4. Want to boost output? Give workers profit sharing
(Singapore) - More than three quarters of about 2,700 Singaporean employees surveyed said they would be more productive if they had a share in their employer's profits or an ownership stake in their employer's business.

5. S'poreans ill-equipped for retirement
(Singapore) - Singaporeans are not savvy enough when it comes to planning their long-term finances and are, thus, generally unprepared for retirement, a study by HSBC has revealed.

6. Chatty workers are most distracting
(Singapore) - A month-long global online poll conducted in July by international recruitment specialists Robert Walters found that chatty colleagues pose the biggest distraction at work, far worse than smoke breaks or surfing social-networking websites.

7. What helps SME retain talent?
(Singapore) - Providing attractive compensation packages may attract talent to small medium sized enterprises (SMEs) but it's giving them opportunities for a long-term career growth that will retain them. Training and development remains an important factor in boosting productivity, revealed the survey findings.
 

C. ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

8. Bosses have to be 'extra-careful' now with new M'sian employment act
(Malaysia) - Bosses will have to be "extra careful" in the way they handle their employees with impending amendments to the Employment Act. And the first principle they should adopt, according to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), is to "keep their doors open at all times".

9. Malaysia to have own minimum wage model
(Shah Alam) - Malaysia will have a minimum wage model that is tailored to fit the country's economic situation and the needs of its working force. It would be unique and unlike other countries', although it might not include all sectors.

10. Minimum wage raised throughout China in 2010
(Beijing) - China's remote western province of Qinghai has raised minimum wages, becoming the 27th of the country's 31 provinces and regions to do so this year. Wealthier coastal provinces have steadily lifted minimum wages over the past decade, but this year has seen a bigger push, with larger increases and more jurisdictions following suit.

11. Hong Kong passes minimum wage law
(Hong Kong) - Hong Kong passed its first minimum wage law in July 2010, a controversial issue that has divided the city's business sector and labour groups for more than a decade.

D. GLOBAL NEWS

12. Employees want a greater say: Survey
(Global) - Six in 10 employees globally want a greater say in the companies they work for and they believe profit sharing would motivate them to perform at a higher level. The latest survey results from workforce solutions leader Kelly Services revealed that around 40% of 134,000 respondents globally have compensation tied to individual, group or company performance targets.

13. Australian employees upset with tilted work-life balance
(Australia) - More Australian employees are becoming unhappy with the quality of their work-life balance and most are unwilling to increase their working hours. Over one quarter of respondents are currently working 50 hours or more a week.

14. HR Seeks brand specialists to attract talent
(UK) - HR directors are hiring more specialist managers to run employer branding projects because they believe that a good brand strategy will improve their organisation's ability to attract the right talent.

15. Employers lament hasty firing decisions
(New Zealand) - Employers in New Zealand and Australia may have fired one too many workers during the recession out of panic. According to a Hudson's report, 84% of 605 employers surveyed in New Zealand and Australia said they should not have fired so many workers because the headcount cuts did not help them attain desirable results.

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Back to August

B. EMPLOYMENT AND LABOUR

2. 30% income rise for average Singaporeans over next 10 years
(Singapore) - In a parliament sitting in July, Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Finance whether he could elaborate on his statement on Singapore being an economy with top quality skills that will raise incomes for average Singaporeans by 30% in the next 10 years, from a median wage of $2,400 to $3,100.

3. Government to face out Spur, focus on continuing education
(Singapore) - With the recession receding, the government will phase out the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur). The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will focus on expanding the Continuing Education and Training (CET) system, including new initiatives for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs).

4. Work as long as you can: MM
(Singapore) - Singaporeans should work and learn for as long they can, even in old age, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said at a dialogue on productivity and leadership at the Singapore National Employers Federation 30th Anniversary CEO and Employers Summit at Resorts World Sentosa.. Besides ameliorating the problem of a smaller workforce as the birth rate drops, it will also help Singaporeans lead healthy lives in their later years, he said. "We got to make old people productive. And I don't think there should be a retirement age"

5. Hiring in Asia may slow in H2
(Singapore) - Hiring in Asia may slow in the second half of this year as markets stabilise and companies take stock of recruitment activity vis-a-vis profitability and growth plans, Robert Walters Singapore says in its half-yearly financial services sector market update.

C. WORKPLACE & PEOPLE

6. A peek into changing workplace
(Singapore) - As organisations learn to adapt to the rapidly-changing business environment, HR practitioners too need to anticipate and overcome the various challenges companies will encounter in the new workplace, says Lynda Gratton, a professor of Management Practice from the London Business School.

7. Crux of talent management
(Singapore) - A report about to be published from ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified accountants) and Mercer, the global consulting company, reveals that Generation Y - those born after 1980 - are a demanding group when it comes to their careers in finance.

D. EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

8. Businesses could do more to ensure staff thrive, improve well-being
(Global) - It makes business sense for organisations to consciously and consistently ensure their employees 'thrive', but many are not doing as much as they could, Gallup researchers say.

9. How important is work-life balance to you?
(Global) - Employers might need to look into improving employee work-life balance as eight in ten employees view it as a determinant to whether they want to join or remain with an employer.

10. Top global firms better at engaging staff
(Global) - Top global companies are better than their peers at effectively engaging employees and are thus emerging from the recession with employees more loyal than before, Hay Group's study of the Fortune World's Most Admired Companies 2010 found.

E. ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

11. Companies aim to boost staff numbers
(Asia) - The global employment outlook is improving as companies aim to boost production capacities by hiring cautiously, while more developed nations are hoping to pay less for their talent.

12. The sexual harassment 'weapon'
(Sydney) - The CEO of Australia's largest department store chain David Jones resigned in June over claims of inappropriate behaviour towards a female staff member. Mark McInnes admitted behaving "in a manner unbecoming of a chief executive to a female staff member" at two recent functions, who he hugged and tried to kiss.

F. GLOBAL NEWS

13. Skills gap could hamper business efforts to capitalise on economic recovery
(UK) - Employers fear a massive skills gap in the UK could hamper business efforts to capitalise on the economic recovery. Inadequate training, obsolete skills, and learning and development functions that fail to deliver were cited as obstacles, a study by Capita Learning and Development found.

14. Tweet your way to jobs
(US) - A survey of 825 HR and recruiting professionals by recruiting software manufacturer Jobvite found that 73% currently use online social networks to support their recruiting efforts. Close to eight in 10 uses LinkedIn for recruiting, while 55% use Facebook and 45% use Twitter, an increase from 15% and 32% respectively in 2009.

15. Bosses cite innovation as key to good business
(Global) - More than three in five CEOs believe more innovation is needed to manage businesses as industries become more volatile, according to the biennial IBM 2010 Global CEO survey, conducted with more than 1,500 bosses from 60 countries and 33 industries. However, CEOs in different regions have varying ideas on where innovation should take place in the business structure.

16. Companies aim to boost staff numbers
(Asia) - The global employment outlook is improving as companies aim to boost production capacities by hiring cautiously, while more developed nations are hoping to pay less for their talent.

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Back to July

4. Job growth seen easing, hiring strong
(SINGAPORE) - Jobs growth in Singapore will ease in the third quarter. But employers here - especially in the services sector - remain among the most optimistic worldwide. The latest survey by US-based employment services firm Manpower Inc found that 27 per cent of employers in Singapore expect to raise headcount in Q3.

5. Pay Gender Equality
(Singapore) - A career wage gap between male and female employees "remains a stubborn reality" worldwide and even in Singapore, despite most employers' effort to narrow the gender pay differences.

6. Looking for jobs? ST701's revamp empowers you
(Singapore) - Job -seekers can now land their dream jobs through a customised service offered by Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) online-recruitment portal, ST701. Recruiters can create their own accounts and post their advertisements in just a few minutes, rather than having to do so through an ST701 sales team, which takes at least an hour.

C. EMPLOYEE WELLNESS

7. Working from home is good for employee engagement and good for business: Research
(UK) - New research shows that 73% of managers think that flexible working makes their teams more productive. The research from Opportunity Now, the gender equality campaign at Business in the Community, also shows that remote or home workers are happy workers. They are more likely than their office based counterparts to have a positive view of their organisation and more likely to have a positive view of their manager. It appears that any remote working pattern involving some time away from the office generates a more positive attitude than working permanently in the office.

ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

8. Singapore ranked most efficient bureaucracy
(SINGAPORE) - Regional financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong have the most efficient bureaucracies, according to the survey of expatriate business executives by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).

9. Foxconn to up wages again at suicide-hit China plant
TAIPEI (Reuters) - iPhone maker Foxconn has offered workers at its Shenzhen manufacturing hub in China a 66 percent performance-based pay rise as it tries to deal with the fallout from a spate suicides there.

GLOBAL NEWS

10. Newspapers look for ways to profit in Internet age
(LONDON) - Newspapers worldwide are being forced to reinvent themselves for the Internet age -- and will be watching closely the success of two experiments launched in London, analysts say.

11. Language skills in demand
(UK) - Language skills definitely improve chances of employment according to a survey by specialist language recruiter, Euro London Appointments. Of 228 employers who responded, 86 per cent agreed that languages were an important skill set.

For more on HR NEWs, please email to Ms. Cheryl Wong at cheryl@shri.org.sg

Back to June

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