By Cai Haoxiang

A SCHEME to help companies hire more skilled local workers has been extended to the security industry.

Under the Spur-Jobs scheme - first launched in May this year - employers can receive up to $400,000 per company to defray the costs of hiring and training workers, and re-designing jobs.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday that 66 companies from different sectors were already on the scheme and have committed themselves to recruiting 900 local workers.

Announcing the scheme's extension at a dialogue with security industry representatives, he said the goal is to provide employees such as security guards and supervisors with better skills, more flexible working hours and higher pay.

With the Spur-Jobs for Security scheme - and the changes it will help employers implement - the industry hopes to attract more locals.

This is in the light of some 3,500 new jobs expected over the next three years.

Mr Gan pointed to demand from the development of new attractions like the integrated resorts, and major international events such as the Formula One race and next year's Youth Olympic Games.

'Despite the economic slowdown, the security industry remains resilient and continues to face a shortage of skilled manpower to meet the rising demand and sophistication for security,' he said at the dialogue with 80 industry representatives.

Evtec Management Services, a security firm with 500 employees, is in talks with the Workforce Development Agency to implement the scheme.

'A big component of the scheme is to use technology to enable flexible working hours and increase productivity. That is in line with what we want to do,' said its business development executive Daniel Marc Chow, 25.

Spur-Jobs is an add-on to the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur), which subsidises the training of workers who are Singapore citizens and permanent residents.

Launched last December, Spur will run till the end of next year. To date, around half of the $600 million allotted for the programme has been used, said Mr Gan.

Asked about the job situation, he said that compared with the previous quarter, retrenchments in the third are expected to be 'significantly lower'.

But the unemployment rate, which stands at 3.3 per cent, may remain 'rather high' as retrenched workers have not been absorbed by the economy.

Various steps have been taken by the Government over the last few years to make the security industry, which now employs 42,000 personnel, more attractive to locals.

These include training and upgrading programmes. It was also announced in July that security guards will carry common identity cards. This will help the public identify bona fide officers, and give them assurance that the officers have met national standards of skills qualifications.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.