EDITORIAL-SG: The Straits Times says- Make the most of jobs now on offer

The Straits Times

There are grounds for cautious optimism in news that some companies are looking to hire workers even amid the grave economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The overall job market remains a matter of concern, of course. The extension of the circuit breaker, while critical to contain the spread of the disease, has led economists to declare a new round of downgrades in growth and employment. Company cessations, bankruptcy and job losses will accompany the coronavirus-driven recession, with one estimate suggesting that retrenchments could rise far higher than for any of the past recessions. Already, some workers have had to take cuts in pay or working hours, while others find it difficult to find new jobs.

Yet even in such dismal circumstances, companies are hiring data analysts, IT specialists and infrastructure managers. Several firms have placed job advertisements online and with recruiters, seeking to fill roles in areas such as infrastructure management, legal, finance and technology. A property search portal, on its part, is preparing for times when the real estate market picks up, and is looking to fill positions for both fresh graduates as well as senior managers. Evidently, while the loss of revenue is a common concern, there are companies that take a long-term view of the market and view hiring as an investment in the eventual upturn, no matter how distant it may appear now.

These firms understand that the people whom they employ in difficult times are likely to treat their jobs more as a precious lifeline than as ordinary entitlements. In good times and a buoyant market, confident workers – whether fresh graduates or experienced employees – could demand their due. In labour-starved Singapore, the market often favoured workers, some of whom displayed habits of job-hopping that brought to nought their employers’ attempts to retain them through training. At the same time, some bosses passed up the opportunity to build up a workforce that was Singaporean at its core because of the easy availability of foreign labour. Singapore lost out something by way of productivity.

A work ethic based on changing market conditions cannot last long – because those conditions can and do change. Firms employing workers today are giving economic fighters an opportunity to prove that they are willing to persevere in the long haul. The pandemic is creating its own calculus of jobs that need workers. According to an American online platform that matches hourly job seekers with employers, there is high demand for grocery store clerks, cleaners, delivery drivers, and people working in warehouses and customer service. But even when that pattern evolves, workers who survive downturns would have proved their mettle. Job seekers must make the best of the opportunities available now.