More Than 9,200 Jobs Available in Food Services: MOM

There were more than 9,200 job openings in the food services sector posted on the MyCareersFuture portal as of end December 2020, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on 22 January 2021.

In its first Jobs Situation Report for the year, MOM stated that 37 per cent of these are in professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles such as food and beverages services managers and sales, marketing and business development managers.

Their salaries ranged from $2,600 to $6,500. 

On the other hand, non-PMET roles include cooks, waiters, bartenders and baristas, with salaries of $1,600 to $3,000.

These non-PMET food services roles have low barriers of entry and companies provide flexible working hours.

The sector is open to employing workers of different profiles, including older workers and students looking for part-time jobs.

In comments to the media, NTUC U SME Director Yeo Wan Ling said: “We are glad to hear that food services companies are hiring a diverse range of roles with flexible work arrangements available.

“These job opportunities and support efforts will go into encouraging workers who have left the workforce or have jobs impacted by COVID-19, be it young or mature, male or female, to help them return and contribute.”

Transforming the Food Services Sector

Amidst the impact of COVID-19, many food services companies have taken the opportunity to digitalise, innovate and diversify into new revenue streams and business models.

“This growth not only requires sustained efforts on the companies’ end but also support from the Government,” said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo.

To support companies’ business transformation efforts and the reskilling of workers, a suite of initiatives has been rolled out. These include:

• Various initiatives under the SMEs Go Digital Programme to help SMEs adopt digital technologies. For example, food services firms can get a bonus payout of up to $10,000 under the Digital Resilience Bonus.
• WSG’s Job Redesign Reskilling Programme for the Food Services industry where existing workers are being trained and redeployed into new or higher-value roles.
• A new Job Redesign Reskilling Programme for Food Services Assistants that will be launched in this first quarter of 2021, to redesign jobs of non-PMET workers.

Update on Take-Up of Jobs Growth Incentive

Last year, the Government had set aside $1 billion for the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) scheme to encourage firms to bring forward their hiring plans and accelerate the hiring of Singaporeans.

For employers that hire mature jobseekers aged 40 and above from September 2020 to February 2021, the Government will support 50 per cent of their salaries, up to the first $5,000, for 12 months. This is double the wage support for younger new local hires.

The 17^th edition of the Jobs Situation Report also released preliminary updates on the take-up of the JGI.

In September 2020, the first month of the scheme’s implementation, around 14,000 companies were eligible. Collectively, they hired over 50,000 local jobseekers.

• About 50 per cent were aged 40 and over.
• Top hiring sectors include food services (7,700 local hires), wholesale trade (4,600), professional services (4,000), construction (3,300), and education (3,000).