THERE has been a lot of discussion about the plight of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), along with many ideas on how to support this group of workers ("More help for displaced PMETs" by the Ministry of Manpower, last Thursday; and "Do more to help older PMETs" by Mr Edmund Khoo Kim Hock, April 25).
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Development Agency (WDA) have also emphasised that many PMETs' skills are outdated.
Some PMETs might be aware of which industries or job functions have been hardest hit by the rapidly changing business landscape, but could the MOM and WDA state which sectors these are?
Has there been any research or survey conducted to show the profile of their outdated skill sets?
Is there also some kind of a test that currently employed Singaporeans can take to assess themselves to see if their skills and knowledge are up-to-pace?
Such an assessment might be useful in helping workers learn about themselves and perhaps identify potential blind spots in their career path.
Forecasts, trend identification and predictions are some common initiatives carried out by research houses and consultants, to show what could be potential mega-trends before a fringe industry or practice enters the mainstream.
Based on this, the MOM or WDA could tap on the insights from these experts to develop support programmes to help the Singapore workforce.
Tan Kar Quan
