By Goh Chin Lian

DIPLOMA holder Ngan Chin Shia had been jobless for about a year when she approached the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) for help in November last year.

A career consultant suggested she explore jobs outside the financial sector, where she last worked as an operations officer at a stockbroking firm.

She agreed and landed a job last month as an administrative assistant in a hiring agency for private nurses - with a 35 per cent pay cut.

Mayor Zainudin Nordin cited Ms Ngan yesterday as a positive example of someone who has embraced change.

Attitude matters, he said, lamenting that 'in the CDC we have seen too many people who don't have a gung-ho spirit'.

The ranks of job seekers at the CDC doubled from an average of 400 a month from January to October last year, to 800 last month. But at least 75 people a month refuse to take up good jobs, Mr Zainudin noted.

He reeled off a list of their excuses: 'I don't want to work shifts', 'too far from my home', 'I don't want to serve people' and 'I only want to work in an office'.

He said some ask for unrealistic salaries, while others who once held middle or senior managerial positions also insist on a similar job with similar pay.

Mr Zainudin added that many people still want to work in manufacturing, even though there are vacancies in service-oriented jobs.

'There is no shame in providing service,' he said. 'Surely, the greatest dignity is in earning your own keep.'

At least five MPs also talked about the problems facing professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), as well as middle-income families.

Mr Zainudin and Dr Amy Khor (Hong Kah GRC), also a mayor, said their CDCs are seeing an increase in the number of this group seeking job assistance.

'The anxiety of the middle-income wage earner, especially the older ones, is palpable in this economic climate,' said Dr Khor, who heads Southwest CDC.

She echoed the views of the MPs in arguing that not enough is being done to help this group.

For instance, those laid off, but whose household income is still above $1,500 a month, will not qualify for most government help schemes on the national level.

She suggested raising the cut-off point for these schemes to the lowest 35th percentile household income, from the lowest 20th percentile.

Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC) also asked for the waiving of the personal income tax for income earned last year, subject to a cap. This is because many middle-income workers pay income tax.

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines GRC) wanted a more comprehensive safety net for middle-income Singaporeans, in the form of unemployment insurance that could compensate retrenched workers for their loss in pay.

Turning to training, Dr Khor noted shortcomings in a government-sponsored scheme that pays part of workers' wages while they are on training and subsidises their training fees.

Although it has been expanded to cover more courses for PMETs, she felt this group may not see a need for them as many already have the qualifications and professional experience.

More effort should therefore be spent on drawing up re-skilling programmes that will be suitable for PMETs, she said.

Touching on the softer aspects of the problem, Mr Zainudin said his CDC will hold meetings for retrenched professionals at which they can share their experiences and encourage one another.

It is also looking at tapping on headhunters and recruitment agencies to find jobs for PMETs, he said.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (Aljunied GRC) had cautioned against giving out handouts to PMETs blindly.

He suggested surveying their needs and checking if they have sufficient savings to tide them through the downturn.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 05, 2009.