ALMOST 2,000 people flocked to a job fair in Pasir Ris yesterday, bombarding companies with resumes, amid news that job losses had risen sharply in the third quarter.
The event, organised by the North East Community Development Council, attracted everyone from foreign nationals to housewives vying for 800 positions in the service industry.
The competition for jobs was at times fierce, with 400 people applying for 30 positions at the soon-to-be- opened Ibis hotel in Bencoolen.
A spokesman for the 500-room unit, scheduled to open its doors in February next year, called the response 'overwhelming'.
It comes amid new job data for the third quarter which paints a grim picture for Singapore's economy.
The Manpower Ministry said more than 3,100 people lost their jobs between July and September, a 70 per cent jump over the previous quarter.
The many job seekers at the fair yesterday included Madam Noorhisa Taib, a 48-year-old housewife with four children.
Her husband, a container handler at PSA, is the family's sole breadwinner.
Madam Noorhisa said she was looking for a job in case her husband was laid off or forced to take a pay cut.
'Times are getting harder, so a job may help my family out financially,' she said.
Madam Jenny Tay, 45, who has just finished a course in service skills, is hoping to re-enter the workforce.
'It can be quite difficult to find a job due to my age,' she said.
A growing number of people in the North East are in the same situation. Since the recession took hold in November, about 25 per cent more people have approached the Community Development Council (CDC) looking for help finding work.
The job seekers run the gamut from cleaners to corporate executives, a spokesman said.
The number of white-collar workers - executives and managers - seeking help has gone up by 25 per cent.
Some may have been victims of layoffs, while others were concerned about losing their jobs 'soon', said the spokesman.
The CDC is organising two more large-scale job fairs in the first quarter of next year.
'This is a global financial crisis and everyone has a part to play,' said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
'What the North East CDC is doing is important. It's providing an exchange where people with job openings can meet up with people who are looking for jobs,' he said.
The CDC helps match Singaporeans and permanent residents on its database with jobs.
Yesterday's fair, which was open to all, saw a number of foreigners, such as Malaysians, Filipinos and Indians, turning up looking for job opportunities.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on December 17, 2008.
