Successful Job Applications via MyCareersFuture Broken Down by Low-Wage Workers and PMETs
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the volume and success rate of job applications on the MyCareersFuture (MCF) portal, categorized by worker profile and residency status. Ms He Ting Ru requested data on successful applications for low-wage workers and PMETs, broken down by Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng explained that while application success rates are not tracked, half of the 170,000 annual active MCF users found jobs. He noted that 75% of these users were PMETs and 84% were Singapore Citizens, though the portal does not require users to report their last-drawn wages. Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng added that the Ministry supports both Citizens and Permanent Residents holistically to allow them to provide for their families.
Transcript
31 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower for each year since the start of the MyCareersFuture initiative (a) how many job applications have been received through the portal; (b) how many job applications have been successful; and (c) what is the percentage of jobs that went to (i) low-wage workers and (ii) PMETs, with each category broken down by Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
Dr Tan See Leng: Employers and jobseekers adopt multiple strategies simultaneously, and do not rely on any single portal, including MyCareersFuture (MCF). To find suitable candidates, employers advertise job openings through a variety of channels, including print advertisements, online job portals and recruitment agencies.
Likewise, the sensible strategy for jobseekers is to apply for many job openings, across various platforms, in order to maximise their chances of success. For each successful jobseeker, there can only be one match. But this does not mean that the jobseeker did not benefit from having more options through various platforms. That is why it is not meaningful to compare the number of job applications received on MCF, to the number of such job applications that are successful.
We instead look more holistically at the proportion of active MCF users who have found jobs. This better reflects the results of their job search across all channels. From the launch of the MCF portal in 2018 to 2020, on average, there have been about 170,000 active local MCF users each year, of which half found new jobs.
The Member has asked for the profile of MCF users who have found new jobs. We do not ask MCF users to report their last-drawn wages. Of the MCF users who found new jobs, around three in four were formerly PMETs.
In our efforts to support locals in their job search, we do not draw lines between Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs). PRs may have spouses or dependants who are SCs and providing employment facilitation support allows them to continue supporting these SC family members. However, in response to the Member’s question, the proportion of SCs among MCF users who found new jobs (84%) is comparable to that in our resident labour force (85%).