Daily Archives: March 5, 2020

Your Friday edition of Signal is (mostly) free of the twin plagues of Coronavirus and American politics. Today, we'll follow the trail from Syria through Turkey and Russia into Europe, unlock Guyana's secret stash, spend some "free time" in Iran, play with Venezuelan babies, and unload one slightly used magic orb.

Cheers,

Willis Sparks

Fighting has pushed the Syrian province of Idlib to the breaking point. Russian-backed Syrian forces, Syrian rebels trapped inside the city, and Turkey's military are all directly involved, and the stakes in this conflict have risen dramatically in recent days as the conflict threatens to generate a severe humanitarian crisis that sends shock waves through Turkey toward Europe.

Turkey's President Erdogan and Russia's President Putin reportedly agreed on a ceasefire on Thursday, but previous such deals have fallen apart.

So, what do the big players in this conflict want?

If you're Syria's President Assad, you want your country back. Regaining full control of Syria means forcing the total surrender of rebels in Idlib, the last city your forces don't control. You also want your Russian sponsor to force Turkey's army out of your country.

If you're Turkey's President Erdogan, you want Russia, the big military power in Syria, to stop helping Assad attack Idlib. You want a ceasefire and a deal, because you already have 3.6 million foreign refugees, most of them Syrian, living inside your country, and the fall of Idlib might send a million more scrambling in your direction. You also want financial help from Europe to handle all these refugees and EU political help to get the result you want in Syria. To get this help, you'll threaten to tear up the deal you made with Europe in 2016 to house Syrian refugees in exchange for European cash. To show you're serious, you'll nudge a few thousand of them toward European shores.

If you're Greece's government, you want Erdogan to stop pushing refugees toward your borders. Protests have erupted against the refugees you're already sheltering. You want Europe to send money and troops right now to help keep your borders closed during this time of emergency.

If you're the leadership of the European Union, you desperately want to avoid a repeat of the migrant crisis of 2015-2016, which turned the bloc's politics upside down. You want Erdogan to know that you understand Turkey's problem and are ready to help with more moneybut without appearing to give in to blackmail in ways that would encourage Erdogan to blackmail you some more. You want Greece to know that you're ready to help this frontline member state secure its borders. And you want this problem to go away so you can deal with other pressing problemslike Coronavirus and a slowing European economy.

If you're Vladimir Putin, you want to make the most of the Idlib problem. You want your ally Assad in control in Syria. You want to keep Erdogan in his place. But perhaps most of all, you're happy to see a new wave of refugees further poison relations between NATO member Turkey and the rest of Europe. You want Europe to have to spend more money on this problem, and you want a new migrant crisisor better yet, the continuing threat of oneto poison the political atmosphere among and inside European countries.

Three major energy challenges require immediate attention: climate change, access to energy and population growth. Our next energy system needs to address each of these needs, and Eni knows how to meet that goal: sustainable energy for all.

Learn more at Eni's new website

Guyana rags to riches If you knew your income would triple over the next four years, what would you do? That's the wonderful (and fascinating) problem facing the small South American nation of Guyana after the recent discovery there of one of the world's biggest offshore oil reserves. The country's 780,000 people are currently awaiting the results of the presidential and legislative elections held earlier this week. The winners of that vote will be responsible for guiding this nation through one of the most dramatic increases in national wealth in recent world history. At the moment, Guyana's GDP per person is less than $5,000. As it goes from being one of the Western hemisphere's poorest countries per capita to one of its wealthiest, will Guyana's people prosper? Or will this country fall prey to ethnic divisions as citizens of African and Indian descent fight for the spoils. Will it suffer what political scientists call "the resource curse" as a tidal wave of new money warps the economy and feeds rampant corruption? Stay tuned.

Free Time in Iran Are you stuck in an Iranian prison and want to go home? Good news. You're free to go. If you have tested negative for Coronavirus. And you're serving a sentence of less than five years. To this point, Iran is home to the deadliest Coronavirus outbreak outside China. Afraid that overcrowded prisons help Coronavirus spread, Iranian authorities announced this week that 54,000 prisoners will be freed temporarily. We'll be watching to see how they spend their "free time," and how difficult it might prove to return them all to jail in the future.

Maduro babies "Every woman should have six children for the good of the country." So says Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, president of a country that is home to severe shortages of food and medicine. By having more children, he seems to believe, Venezuela can eventually end its politically driven economic collapse.

The ongoing civil war in Syria, now entering its ninth year, has produced more than 6 million refugees who have fanned out across the region to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and beyond to Europe. The GZERO team recently met Sami, a refugee who fled Aleppo in 2016 and eventually settled in Germany. A lover of tattoos and techno music, he is now studying to be a social worker and adjusting to his new life. He told us the harrowing story of how he escaped his war-torn country, and what life has been like since. The full episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, which focuses on the current crisis in Idlib province and the history of the conflict in Syria, begins airing today on U.S. public television.

Watch the clip now.

10 On Monday March 9, the first working day after International Women's Day, women's rights activists in Mexico will lead a nationwide women's strike to protest misogynist violence that claims the lives of 10 women in Mexico daily. El nueve ninguna se mueve! (On the 9th, no woman will move!)

14 The world has become "less free" for 14 straight years, as democracies wobble and strongmen get stronger. That's according to watchdog Freedom House's latest Freedom in the World report, which ranks countries according to political rights and civil liberties. More than sixty countries are less free than they were last year. Read the whole (depressing) report here, or see how your country stacks up here.

5 billion The United States is set to invest $5 billion in Ethiopia to deepen the already fast-growing country's embrace of free markets, as well as to counter growing Chinese influence in East Africa. The money will be allocated over the next several years by Washington's new International Development Finance Corporation.

Words of Wisdom

"Based on current trends, it would take 257 years to close the [global] gender gap in economic opportunity."

-- From "The Human Development Report's Gender Inequality Index"

This edition of Signal was written by Willis Sparks and Alex Kliment (@saosasha). Spiritual Counsel from Gabrielle Debinski, Kevin Allison (@KevinAllison), and Dr. Jonas Salk.

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Hard Numbers: Mexicanas on strike, freedom falters, and Coronavirus clears the air - GZERO Media

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reportedly cited the current business and political climate in Canada as the reason it has pulled out of Quebec LNG project.Scott Morgan / REUTERS

An ambitious $9-billion liquefied natural gas project in northern Quebec is looking for a new lead investor after Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. pulled out because of the current business and political climate in Canada.

Developer GNL Qubec said Thursday an unidentified investor has chosen not to proceed with a significant financial commitment to the nergie Saguenay project. Though GNL Qubec wouldnt name the firm, Saguenay deputy mayor Michel Potvin identified it as Berkshire.

Potvin, who heads the local investment agency known as Promotion Saguenay, said Berkshire which is run by Buffett, the legendary U.S. investor would have invested about $4 billion.

We did not need this, especially at this stage of the project, Potvin told the Montreal Gazette in a telephone interview. Were not going to find $4 billion tomorrow morning, and we sure arent going to find it in the region. So we have to roll up our sleeves.

The decision is based on the political context that weve seen in Canada over the past month, said Stephanie Fortin, head of community relations for GNL Qubec. Its too early to assess how the pullout will affect the project, she added.

News of the Berkshire pullout comes with Canadas economy still reeling from weeks of solidarity protests over the proposed Coastal Gas Link pipeline in British Columbia. Last month, Teck Resources withdrew its application to build the Frontier oilsands mine in Alberta, citing a growing debate over resource development and climate change that placed the project squarely at the nexus of much broader issues that need to be resolved.

Its a regrettable decision, but it doesnt change anything to the fundamentals of our project, Fortin in a telephone interview. We have a good project, a unique hydro-powered facility that will emit fewer greenhouse gases.

Asked if hes concerned about the fate of the project, Potvin said: Were asking ourselves some questions.

Marc Hamburg, a Berkshire spokesperson in Omaha, Nebraska, didnt immediately return a message Thursday.

GNL Qubec expects to make a final decision on whether to proceed next year. nergie Saguenay would begin operations in 2025.

The project would entail the construction of a natural gas liquefaction complex at Port Saguenay, with a view to exporting about 11 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually. It would also require the construction of a 750-kilometre pipeline to carry western Canadian gas, though GNL Qubec wouldnt be involved in its construction or its operation.

About 15 private investors from Canada, the U.S. and Asia have so far committed to nergie Saguenay, Fortin said. They include former Bechtel Corp. general manager James Illich and U.S. venture capitalist Jim Breyer, an early investor in Facebook.

Environmental hearings on nergie Saguenay are scheduled to begin March 16.

A group of 40 Quebec economists expressed serious doubts last fall over nergie Saguenays proposed economic and environmental benefits. Far from reducing pollution, they said, the project would increase emissions while replacing cleaner, conventional natural gas or renewable source electricity.

The economists also questioned the pledge that 6,000 jobs would be created directly or indirectly by the construction of the project and of 1,100 more once the processing plant is operational.

Environmental group Equiterre has said the project could potentially cancel out most of Quebecs emissions reductions since 1990 in a single year.

Some doctors are also worried. In an open letter published this week, 250 physicians and health professionals urged Premier Franois Legault not to forget the health of Quebecers while his government evaluates the project.

With files from Canadian Press

ftomesco@postmedia.com

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Saguenay LNG project financing in doubt as Buffett pulls out - The Province

Image Credit: Gulf News

The progress and development of a nation or any society is inconceivable without capable and qualified individuals in various fields. Therefore, advanced countries have prioritised the human being, ensuring freedom and providing the means to qualify and empower individuals in all sciences, knowledge and skills to make them a key building block in the countrys progress. In this way the public are an active element in building civilisation and achieving a nations aspirations.

An Early Vision of the Role of Individuals in the Development Process

The UAE has, since its establishment, paid great attention to its people. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had a clear vision in this regard when he established the Union. His famous sayings: men are the ones who build factories and the true wealth is that of men are the best expression of his inspiring vision.

It remains the cornerstone of the countrys efforts to enhance the knowledge, skills and qualifications of the people. Sheikh Zayeds vision has become an everlasting priority. Investing in people has been the core goal of the development phase under the reign of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. Human progress is not only a target of the development process, but is in fact the key element in creating it.

Therefore, all the UAEs goals have historically focused on steadily improving the living standards for the individual, providing convenience and welfare for citizens and expatriates alike. At the same time, the country, at all levels, is working towards developing its human capital on sound scientific bases. From the establishment of the UAE, it focused on education and made schools, universities and other education institutions available.

Out of its belief in the role of science in achieving comprehensive development and facilitating progress and advancement at all levels, the UAE has given many citizens the opportunity to continue their studies at some of the best and most prestigious universities and institutes around the world.

The UAE also recruited the best international minds and expertise to develop its domestic academic sector and expanded this field to an unprecedented extent in the region. Therefore, training initiatives and programs have been an essential element in the work of various sectors, governmental and non-governmental alike.

As part of the UAEs endeavour to benefit from its human capital, it worked through its various strategies to empower all segments of society with no exception. It paid special attention to segments that may not have otherwise been significantly involved in the development process, especially young people who have been nurtured by the UAEs wise leadership. Therefore, several programs have been put in place to qualify the youth and utilise their creative energy. In addition, the country has established a ministry responsible for youth affairs

The same applies to women who have entered several important sectors, owing to the wise vision and progressive governmental policies. They now hold 50% of the seats in the Federal National Council, something that is unparalleled in the region and rare on the world stage.

Moreover, there has been a greater focus ensuring that people of determination are empowered, as demonstrated by the UAEs achievements, which have become a role model in this regard.

Importance of Investing in Human Capital

Essential for the country

Investing in and qualifying citizens is not a luxury, it is essential for any country that seeks to be among the most advanced globally, and a role model of development, as is the case in the UAE. There are many considerations in this regard:

First, creating academically qualified and specialised professionals in all fields has become an urgent developmental imperative that compliments the unprecedented renaissance the UAE is witnessing in all areas. It requires competent citizens capable of dealing with the accelerating challenges and developments that todays world witnesses, especially in the area of technology and the information revolution.

Through this, IT and technology can be utilised for the sustainable development process the country seeks to achieve in the service of society involving all aspects of life.

Second, the UAEs move towards a knowledge-based economy, which depends on new vital fields such as nuclear and renewable energies, space science, and other sciences and areas of knowledge, requires the existence of a qualified population adept in these fields. This will enable the UAE to stay abreast of progress in the future as it continues the comprehensive and sustainable development process it is experiencing.

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In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence is the first university of its kind worldwide. This stresses that the UAE is keen to advance education to cope with new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Third, qualifying citizens by giving them access to different sciences and areas of knowledge and equipping them with modern skills in various fields that serve the goals of Emiratization, the successful implementation of which has become a priority for authorities in the country.

Undoubtedly, equipping Emiratis with in-demand labour-market skills and specialisations would help achieve the objectives of this policy by providing different UAE entities with citizens capable of running them effectively and efficiently. This highly skilled workforce would also spearhead the development of these organisations, improving their services and the tasks they are entrusted with, in order to achieve their goals.

Fourth, there are exceptional human resource challenges globally. Many studies, including one by the World Economic Forum, highlight the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Half of all the current occupations in the world are expected to be automated by 2030, which intensifies the need for qualified human resources able to keep pace with, and adapt to, these rapid developments in the labour market.

In light of the wise leaderships awareness of the importance of investment in human resources, the UAE has made it a top priority within the holistic development strategy, in line with the requirements of the time. This underscores the significance of plans and programs pursued by various government and private sectors focusing on the human element as the most important pillar of holistic and sustainable development.

Since investing in people requires a solid and transparent plan that takes into account the scale of needs and expectations, huge draft budgets have been allocated in recent years to meet development needs, focus on human resources, and achieve self-reliance in all areas.

Allocating the largest part of the budget to sectors directly concerned with human welfare and qualification, as well as the provision of all requirements of human life, such as education, health and infrastructure, reflects the UAEs focus on investing in Emirati human capital. This has been shown in the 2020 budget, which is the largest in the UAEs history, amounting to 61 billion dirhams, with one third (nearly 31%) being allocated to social development, and the other two thirds to government affairs, infrastructure, economic resources, and life benefits.

More effort needed

The UAEs progress in the field of Emiratisation and the qualification of its people is undoubtedly exceptional, particularly when set against the many challenges that face this task and the rewarding outcomes that have been achieved. There is also a clear commitment from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and other authorities concerned with Emiratisation in all emirates, to meet Emiratisation targets, whether in the federal government or local governments.

The aim is to ensure they are aligned with the mechanisms and plans in place to achieve the aspirations and directives of the wise leadership that has made Emiratisation a top priority. This is a result of the wise leaderships goal to create job opportunities for UAE citizens in various sectors, and enable them to contribute to the holistic, sustainable development of the country. There are already positive indicators, as reported by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and other concerned entities.

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UAEs strategic vision

However, more effort is needed on the part of the country, including various entities in government and the private sector. The success of the UAEs strategic vision, which aims to raise Emiratization rates, with the current target of increasing the number of UAE nationals who work in the private sector ten-fold by 2021, will not be achieved without the engagement and effective involvement of all stakeholders.

It is the responsibility of these entities to make the UAEs vision for qualifying human personnel a special priority, and proper preparation and qualification of citizens should be one of their main goals. In doing so, entities should not only focus on the quantitative aspect; seeking high Emiratization rates, without solid scientific and practical principles and foundations, as this poses serious threats.

There are multiple challenges on the way to achieving the aspirational vision of the UAE to become the best nation in the world in all areas by its centennial. We cannot effectively respond to these challenges without qualified human personnel who have the necessary expertise and skills to continue the UAEs holistic development process.

Therefore, we should look at qualifying human personnel, not only from the prevailing perspective of Emiratization, but also from the perspective of real qualification. First and foremost, we should ensure that educational institutions produce competent personnel in all fields and disciplines, and more focus should be placed on practical aspects. Students should only graduate from universities after successfully completing a mandatory six-month practical training course.

In this context, I suggest that the country should cover up to half of the costs of practical training, with the other half borne by the university or company. This would benefit companies and organisations and promote the countrys vision for qualifying human personnel.

Second, it is necessary to provide advanced training programs in various fields to hone the skills of UAE nationals with different educational levels. These organisations should exchange expertise in this field so that everyone plays a part in the advancement of our great nation, which is moving toward a bright future.

Dr Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi is a UAE author and director-general of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research.

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Why we must invest in human capital in the UAE - Gulf News

SINGAPORE:At 49, Jeff (not his real name) has been written off by potential employers as too old, too expensive and too experienced.

Since he lost his job in October last year, Jeff, who was retrenched from a multinational manufacturing firm, has sent out more than 500 job applications to numerous companies but has so far received only one response.

This is even after he began applying for jobs that offered about S$2,000 a month, which is less than half of his S$5,900 monthly paycheck prior to being laid off.

The company which replied told him that it was concerned his prior experience and past salary would mean that he would leave for greener pastures should he receive a better offer down the road.

But Jeff, who has to support his wife, two children and his parents, said he has no such aspirations.

I have worked for 26 years and so far Ive only joined three companies. Im not a job hopper, Im not the kind to leave for higher pay Its very simple, I just need a job to move on with my life, said Jeff, who is awaiting a second interview with the company which got back to him.

Like Jeff, workers in their 40s and 50s today face greater job insecurity than ever before due to Singapores ongoing economic restructuring efforts to raise skills and productivity, as well as disruptioncaused by rapid technological changes.

Traditionally, those in this age range would be entering the prime of their careers.

But alas, times are different now. Some of them, in fact, find that they have been displaced because their skills are no longer relevant in a knowledge-based economy.

And that is not the only reason. The experiences of mid-career or middle-age workers like Jeff as well as several others interviewedsuggest that there are other factors at play, causing some of these workers to struggle to hold on to their jobs or seek new ones. These include ageism and a seniority-based wage system that has left them being deemed as too expensive for employers to hire.

This group was singled out in the Budget statement delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat earlier this month.

Born in the 1960s or 1970s, they grew up in a time when our economy was just starting to take off. When they started work, it was normal, even celebrated, to stay with onejob, in one company, for life, Mr Heng said on Feb 18.

Noting the changing nature of jobs as companies restructure, Mr Heng added: Some workers in their 40s and 50s have not seen any job or career changes since leaving school, or had the chance to upskill earlier. But they are now facing greater competition, from younger workers and workers overseas. I understand their anxiety.

To help these workers, Mr Heng announced a SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package.

The package includes:

The package aims to double the annual job placements of older Singaporean workers to around 5,500 by the year 2025.

More details are expected in the Ministry of Manpowers (MOM) Committee of Supply debate in Parliament in the coming week.

DBS senior economist Irvin Seah expects these new measures to largely benefit the group of older professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) who make up a large percentage of the workforce, and are more vulnerable to economic disruptions.

On the need to lend this group of workers a helping hand, Mr Seah noted that the retrenchment rate for this group of workers is relatively higher than other segments. Middle-age PMETs also typically have higher financial burdens, he said.

This is unlike younger workers or lower-skilled workers who would not experience such a drastic cut in their salaries or confront as steep a learning curve should they need to switch to a different industry, he added.

THE THREAT OF IRRELEVANCE

Being laid off has become increasingly common among older workers and this is largely due to skills redundancy, labour economists and human resource experts said.

The skills in demand have changed drastically since workers who are now in their 40s and 50s entered the workforce. Unlike in the past, workers could no longer get by with little IT skills and education, so older employees often have to play catch-up in a rapidly evolving economy, the experts said.

The rise of computers and greater automation have also replaced many of the routine and manual tasks historically performed by low-skilled workers, said Dr Kelvin Seah, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapores Department of Economics.This means that those whose jobs are routine or which rely on manual labour are now at greater risk of being displaced by automation, he added.

This phenomenon is certainly not unique to Singapore. Across the globe, middle-age workers are increasingly being displaced as digitisation and mechanisation gradually render many skills redundant.

It is therefore unsurprising that so much emphasis has been placed in Singapore on skills upgrading and retraining as, according to career strategist Adrian Choo, it is the only way to ensure that workers remain ahead of the curve.

The biggest worry is that because of the global nature of talent mobility, someone else cheaper or better can come in to do our job Theres always going to be someone cheaper, better or faster than you. So thats why all we can do is to continue sharpening the saw, he said.

That being said, labour experts acknowledged that there could be some element of ageism that hinders middle-age workers from finding new employment after they have been retrenched.

This could happen as early as the stage where firms review job applicants resumes, said Associate Professor Walter Theseira, an economist with the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Assoc Prof Theseira added that companies could easily identify whether the job applicant is a mature worker from his length of background experience or the title of his last few jobs even if he chooses not to report his age.

DBS Mr Seah noted that it would be challenging for middle-age workers to accept a job with lower wages, given that their previous salaries have gone up in tandem with their years of experience in the workforce.

These workers also tend to have greater financial obligations than their younger counterparts, he added.

AGE IS NOT JUST A NUMBER FOR THEM

Mr Alan Lim, 52, was retrenched from StarHub two years ago following the telecommunications firms restructuring exercise.

He had been at StarHub for two decades and last held the position of senior account manager, drawing S$10,000 a month.

He has since gone for a handful of interviews but has not found any success. He has been told that he was too old and the salary he wanted was too high even though he was asking for only S$4,000 a month.

Faced with the multiple rejections, Mr Lim chose to become a private hire driver with ride-sharing company Grab instead.

I didnt want to waste too much of my time. I felt that it was better for me to focus on driving Grab because thats the only way for (older workers) like us (to earn a living) and that is the only job that is suitable, he said.

He was making around S$3,500 to S$5,000 a month as a private-hire car driver, driving up to 10 hours a day. Of late, his earnings have fallen by about a third due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

A 54-year-old who wanted to be known only as Mr Low shared a similar experience.

Mr Low, who was a heavy lift specialist at an international logistics firm, was laid off in July last year as the company was not doing well at the time it was the second time he was retrenched in about three years.

He has since gone back to being a private hire driver with Grab. He had previously driven for Uber in 2016 after he was previously retrenched from his job as a regional manager for a foreign logistics company when the oil and gas industry tanked.

Mr Low said he is still on the lookout for new opportunities, though he believes that his age will be an obstacle.

I was almost hired by (another logistics firm) but at the end of the day, they wanted to hire someone new, someone younger. The fact remains that (they think) a younger more energetic person will go the extra mile.

So you may have the experience and you may have the skill sets but age still matters at the end of the day, he said.

OTHER CHALLENGES FOR MIDDLE-AGE WORKERS

For Siew Hua (not her real name), a lack of educational qualifications has left her with limited options as she struggles to find work after being laid off from her job last September.

The 54-year-old had worked as a stagehand at an advertising production house for 10 years, but was let go when business slowed down and the company was able to find ways to cut down on its manpower needs.

She saidin Mandarin that the only work she could secure so far was a temporary job packing food for barbecued meat retailer Bee Cheng Hiang during the Chinese New Year period this year.

For 40-year-old Laura (not her real name), educational qualifications or a lack of relevant skills had nothing to do with her losing her job.

She saidthat she was let go from her job earlier this year at an international finance firm. In an effort to cut costs, the company had combined two roles and chose to replace her with a foreign employee who was brought over from another branch in the region.

When Laura asked her boss why she was not retained, he told her that he had evaluated both their performances and felt the foreign employee was a better fit for the company.

But Laura, who had been with the company as a financial planner for six years, was not convinced.

She said: This is not a skill set issue. I agree that some local workers may need to do some reskilling but that is not the case for me. Its only fair that you look at my credentials, I have a Masters in Accountancy.

She has approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) about her case.

MOM has come down hard on companies which treat Singaporeans unfairly in the workplace.

Last month, the ministry announced that five companies have faced stiffer penalties for discriminatory hiring practices under its updated Fair Consideration Framework.

The heavier punishment includes longer debarment periods when applying for work passes, fines and even imprisonment of key personnel involved in the hiring.

Between 2014 and 2018, TAFEP followed up on about 2,000 complaints. Action was taken against employers in 680 cases, with 280 of them resulting in debarment from hiring new foreign workers.

Apart from cracking down on companies with discriminatory hiring practices, the Government has also tightened the foreign manpower regime in recent years.

For example, in 2011, the salary threshold for S-pass holders the work pass for mid-level skilled staff was raised from S$1,800 to S$2,000 to keep pace with salaries of local workers which had gone up over the years.

At this years Budget, Mr Heng announced that the Government will be reducing the quota for skilled foreign workers in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors over the next three years to encourage firms to hire more Singaporean skilled workers and technicians.

HOW RETRAINING CAN HELP

Despite the challenges faced by mid-career workers, some have managed to turn their personal situation around by undergoing retraining. This, in turn, has opened new doors for them.

Mr Simon Wee, now 59, found an unexpected lifeline in 2009 when a coffee shop in Chinatown took him in and taught him how to brew coffee.

Before this, he had been drifting from one temporary job to another as the economy was still reeling from the global financial crisis in 2008.

Mr Wee, who now works at Attap House restaurant at Mapletree Business City, said that when he first got the job, he did not think that brewing coffee was something he would be interested in.

I had to wake up at six in the morning to learn how to brew coffee it was not easy but I knew I had to adapt because there were no jobs around at the time, he said in Mandarin.

But after close to a decade of doing it, he has come to enjoy the work, especially when his regular customers compliment him.

For Mr Kenneth Lee, 56, attending Workforce Singapores (WSG) Professional Conversion Programme helped him to advance further his career goals, and ensure that his skills remained relevant for him to stay in the logistics sector.

To be honest, it is not easy for a middle-age man like myself to switch industries, especially in this digital economy Fortunately I have a superior who is willing to mentor, guide and listen (to me), said Mr Lee, who is now an assistant manager in the healthcare division at ST Logistics.

The training that he received also gave him the necessary qualifications and technical skills to take on new job opportunities in areas beyond the logistics sector.

While success stories abound, the path to finding the right training programmes is not always clear-cut for other middle-age workers.

Ms Lily Teo, 55, who was among those retrenched by travel retailer DFS last year, said she would not mind taking up retraining courses to upgrade her skill set.

However, she said she is unsure which courses would be most suitable for her.

A former cleaner at a childcare centre, who wanted to be known only as Ani, also said she had tried to take up SkillsFuture courses around five years ago. However, Ani, who is 60 now, said she did not understand the course content due to her limited grasp of English.

EVOLVING SKILLSFUTURE TO MEET WORKERS NEEDS

Earlier this week, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung acknowledged that more guidance is needed to help individuals find the courses that they need the most.

We started off letting a thousand flowers bloom, so we have many courses but sometimes that also causes some confusion, where an individual may not know where and what to learn, he told reporters on the sidelines of a tour at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) LearningHub.

Mr Ong added that courses offered under SkillsFuture which was launched in 2015 should evolve to offer more variety as well as become targeted at the needs of workers and companies.

Responding to queries on some issues faced by mid-career workers seeking retraining, a SkillsFuture spokesperson said jobseekers can seek in-person advice from its SkillsFuture Advice workshops which are held at selected National Library branches, community centres and company offices islandwide.

These workshops are conducted in the four national languages.

Separately, a WSG spokesperson noted that many of its programmes are conducted in English, since it is the language of business for many jobs in Singapore.

However to reach out to as many Singaporeans as possible we adopt a wide range of different and targeted approaches tailored to each audience segment, including publicity and engagement efforts in all four national languages, the spokesperson added.

The SkillsFuture spokesperson noted that with the additional S$500 SkillsFuture credit for mid-career workers, Singaporeans aged between 40 and 60 can use them for career transition programmes offered by the Continuing Education and Training Centres. Career advisory services will also be available to participants of the programmes.

When it comes to raising awareness and engaging the public on these programmes, the WSG spokesperson said it regularly conducts roadshows in the heartlands to bring its programmes closer to those who need them.

At its career fairs, job seekers can meet and speak with prospective employers face-to-face and discover new job opportunities, the spokesperson said.

Job seekers can also go to WSGs Careers Connect to receive job search assistance and career advisory services, such as resume writing and interview preparation from professionally-certified career coaches.

Labour Member of Parliament Zainal Sapari, who is NTUCs assistant secretary-general, said that both WSG and the Employment and Employability Institute have ramped up their efforts in advertising the services that they offer.

Noting that workers need to take the first steps themselves, Mr Zainal said: The information is all out there, on who they can approach (for help). Im not sure what more can be done other than the mid-career workers approaching these organisations for guidance.

Still, Assoc Prof Theseira said while such retraining programmes may be sound in principle, more research needs to be done to understand whether they successfully help to raise employment rates among mature workers.

Otherwise, theres a good chance we will just be spending more resources on more assistance that may or may not be effective, he said.

WORKERS NEED TO COUNT ON THEIR SKILLS: EMPLOYERS

Employers spoken toagreed that retraining programmes can be beneficial for them as well.

Manufacturing company Containers Printers was able to transform its business and help its employees adopt new skills through an eight-week programme jointly conducted by WSG and McKinsey.

The pilot Industry 4.0 Human Capital Initiative helped the company to strengthen its understanding of the technological tools that would help bring it to the next stage of manufacturing, said chief executive officer Amy Chung.

While the employees were initially apprehensive and fearful that their jobs would be at stake as the business evolved, the programme helped to address some of these concerns and the workers eventually enjoyed the training sessions, she added.

At private transport company Woodlands Transport, many of its employees are older workers who have been with the company since its founding in 1974.

As such, retraining its workers has become an imperative.

Pragmatically they may not be able to learn as fast as (the younger ones), but we still recognise that they have been the key contributors to the company all these years, said Mr Bobby Chiew, its head of human resources and workplace safety and health.

Original post:

The Big Read: The job struggles of some middle-aged Singaporeans, as Government sends more help their way - CNA

We arent out of the woods yet even though global markets appear to be finding their feet from the COVID-19 scare.

Central banks are doing their part to revive growth and governments around the world (including ours) are probably days away from unleashing fiscal stimulus to tide businesses over the next few months.

We arent out of the woods yet even though global markets appear to be finding their feet from the COVID-19 scare.

Central banks are doing their part to revive growth and governments around the world (including ours) are probably days away from unleashing fiscal stimulus to tide businesses over the next few months.

If governments can come up with a credible and large enough program, the sell off on the S&P/ASX 200 (Index:^AXJO) (ASX:XJO) index could be over sooner than what sceptics are warning.

In that optimistic scenario, there are some stocks that are better placed to rally than others. The analysts at Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) have put on their thinking caps and have come up with two sectors that they think will lead the recovery.

They based their findings on the SARS outbreak. Even though COVID-19 is worse than SARS, Macquarie thinks it will go by a similar playbook.

Based on Chinas experience, we suspect the growth in US cases peaks within weeks, said the broker.

This is not long, but the markets horizon shortens in a correction. ASX stock returns should rebound with the US, unless Covid-19 cases rise more rapidly here.

There are a few other key worries that investors shouldnt read too much into. Falling bond yields is one even though the 10-year yields on US and Australian government bonds have tumbled to record lows.

During the SARS, the Australian 10-year yield bottomed 95 days after stocks hit a trough, explained Macquarie.

Investors shouldnt also be too concerned about the World Health Organisations (WHO) declaration of pandemic gloom. The broker pointed out that stocks bottomed within days of the WHO declaring SARS a crisis. Using the WHO as a cue would have left investors worse off.

By the time the WHO said the SARS crisis was over, ASX stocks were up 12% and global stocks 20%, added Macquarie.

The two sectors that led the SARS rebound were technology and resources.

Software stocks rose 80% in the year after the SARS low, said the broker.

Given the secular growth story of software eating the economy plus the benefit of a lower discount rate increasing the value of future earnings, we think investors will be drawn back to Tech.

As for resources, these stocks outperformed industrials by 17 percentage points in the year after the SARS low. China stocks are already up 10% in the past month, which indicates that the worst of COVID-19 may be over.

As China has passed the worst, and its economy is coming back online, we think China is in a better position to stimulate, said the broker.

This should support resource stocks, which are still roughly half the valuation of Industrials.

Whats interesting is that Macquarie found that it was price-earnings (P/E) re-rating and not earnings growth that drove the rebound.

From that perspective, the tech stocks that I think could do well in this recovery includes Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA) and Audinate Group Ltd (ASX: AD8).

Resources stocks that are buys in my book include Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) and Rio Tinto Limited (ASX: RIO).

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Motley Fool contributor Brendon Lau owns shares of AUDINATEGL FPO, Macquarie Group Limited, Nearmap Ltd., and Rio Tinto Ltd. Connect with him on Twitter @brenlau.

The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended AUDINATEGL FPO, Macquarie Group Limited, and Nearmap Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Macquarie picks the ASX sectors that will lead the coronavirus rebound - Motley Fool Australia