Personal and Organisational Development Report: Singapore Labor Market

This report delves into the challenges and opportunities within Singapore's labor market, analyzing employment trends, graduate training programs, and the impact of political and economic factors. It examines the skills and competencies needed for success, particularly focusing on the importance o...Read More

Running head: PERSONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Personal and Organisational Development
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

Table of Contents
Part A: Challenges in the labor market in Singapore.................................................................2
Employment opportunities.....................................................................................................2
Graduate Training Program....................................................................................................3
The political aspect................................................................................................................3
Certain perspective.................................................................................................................4
Right skills and competencies................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
Part 2: Career and Personal Development Plan.........................................................................6
Importance of skills in the modern world..............................................................................6
Feedback from tests................................................................................................................6
Career as Marketing Executive..............................................................................................7
Career Development Plan As Social Media Marketing Executive in Charles and Keith
Group......................................................................................................................................8
References:...............................................................................................................................10

Part A: Challenges in the labor market in Singapore
The labor market of Singapore is currently facing a shortage of labors in the market. It
is thought to be the biggest challenge of Singapore regarding the labor market. The report
concentrates on the labor market conditions of the Singapore market. The aim of the report is
to concentrate on the problems faced by Singapore regarding the problems of labor. The
objective of the report is to analyze the conditions of the labors in the Singapore markets and
to find out the reason behind that.
Employment opportunities
Singapore transformed itself to a capital-intensive nation. Earlier they were capital-
intensive nation later they transformed themselves to the labor-intensive nation. The hiring
activity in Singapore is modest. The government acts as a linkage between the demands in the
labor market through few agencies who deals with the supply of the labors. The hiring
activity in Singapore is expected to be moderate. The technological revolution proved to be
disruptive in the changing dynamics of business (McKenzie, Theoharides & Yang, 2014).
This is compelling the organizations in Singapore to rethink about their hiring strategy. Apart
from this the factors like the market volatility, uncertainty, ambiguity and the complexities is
making the organizations in Singapore about their hiring strategies. The jobs in the
manufacturing sector and the increasing use of the automation technologies resulted in the
fall of certain jobs. The new challenge faced by the companies (Leung, 2014).
The best example of this is the twelve month Graduate Training Scheme which is
supported by the Economic Development Board in cooperation with an UK-based oilfield
service MNC. It is done in order to consolidate the dominance of the same as the top three
export refining company of the world in the lucrative oil and gas industry namely Singapore
Workforce development agency. Therefore in order to seek employment those industries

should be preferred which are supported by the government as it benefits the Graduate
Training program. This can be done by doing the initial groundwork in case of infrastructure,
labor matching and the increasing industry demand (Gao, Luo & Tang, 2015).
Graduate Training Program
The Graduate Training Program and schemes are offered by many large employers.
The program last just a year in maximum case. In many cases it has been seen that it last for
even two to three years. This includes a defined time frame and defined structure. This
scheme enables the new recruiters to recruit in order to get settled quickly into a professional
field. It is able to receive relevant skills development and get hands on experience either
working in a specific role within a team or through the working on a number of assignments
in different areas of the organization over the duration of the training program. This can
happen while an employer has a large graduate intake (Carr, Nosik & Luke, 2016). This
training process can be well understood through the accountancy and the financial
management services. It helps to improve the skills of finance and the accounts in such
training. The individuals who intend to pursue their career in accountancy it is important for
him to have knowledge regarding accounts. He should be well acquainted with the
calculations regarding the accounts and he should have all knowledge related to such
companies. It includes the specialization of certain calculations, the knowledge of which can
be attained through the training programs (Cochran & Robohm, 2015).
The political aspect
There has been a growth in the GDP in the market of Singapore. It can be terms as a
dramatic increase. The influx of foreigners has created less opportunity in the job fields and
the labor market in Singapore for the natives. The scope set by the Ministry of Education for
them may not necessarily possess skill sets that or prepare them for the professional
qualifications that are coveted by commerce. The best example in such case is a student who

has completed his graduation with a diploma or degree in accountancy and a similar foreign
tourist with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualifications applying for
the role of accountant (Rohde, et al., 2016). However this is a matter of fact that the certain
disciplines do offer an exemption on the professional qualifications which can includes the
personal experience and the fact that the crux of the hiring triggers which is now extremely
high and well-equipped (Teklu, et al., 2014). The actual social and economic outcomes
appear to go the way of foreign talent. It has appeared that the economic and social outcomes
have been replaced by the opportunities for the lifelong learning which appeared to be a poor
replacement. The foreign talent is a concept which is ahead of everything. It is because of the
fact that they are capable of meeting the new market needs. Compared to the local natives of
Singapore the foreign talents are able to get hold of the market needs. The local are slowly
playing the catch-up through their upgrading efforts (Crépon & Van den Berg, 2016).
Certain perspective
It is a matter of fact that having a job is considered to be the most important thing. It
is prior to everything. It is the priority of everyman. The greatest demand in the Singapore
regarding the labor market is the tackling of the FT competition from which the retirement
age has been from 62 to 65 and 67 for the civil servants. It is same in case of the graduate
peers. The graduate peers include the native graduates as well as the graduates who have
completed their graduation from the foreign universities (Siegel, Pyun & Cheon, 2014). The
obtaining of the GEO is in demand. The employees in Singapore are seen by the foreign
MNCs as having a good reputation which are based on the competency and the values. This
are proved to be advantageous for the graduates that come from around all region (Boz, durdu
& li, 2015). It has been studied that the international education hub attracted many foreign
students. The only resource of Singapore is the human capital. Therefore, the graduates of
Singapore will have to accept the fact that the Foreigners will always be entertained and they

will never be eradicated from the opportunities that are provided to them. They play an active
role in increasing the economy of Singapore. This will take the nation to an advanced
position in the world. The labor market trend in Singapore therefore depends upon the skills
of the graduates. The skills include the soft-skills as well as the hard-skills. The hard skills
consist of qualifications and the soft skills consist of interpersonal and political skills
(Bertrand, et al., 2016).
Right skills and competencies
The society of Singapore is multicultural. It encourages the employers to look for the
open minded employees. It is important to have an open minded employees and the most
important aspect to survive in the labor market is the educational background and the
communication skills. It is important to have a positive attitude and a desire to work. The
strong communication skill and the negotiation skill are of extreme importance. Apart from
that qualities like honesty and respectfulness are immensely important for a job (Åslund,
Hensvik & Skans, 2014).
Conclusion
Therefore, to conclude the report this can be stated based on the above study this can
be mentioned that the growth of the employment has been noticed in few sectors like the
community sector and the social sector. It also includes the financial and the insurance sector.
The condition of the labor declined in the present situation in Singapore. The seasonally
adjusted ratio of the job vacancies to the unemployed improved in the present years. However
there are many chances for the foreign entries in the region.

Part 2: Career and Personal Development Plan
Importance of skills in the modern world
A research conducted by the Institute For Adult Learning highlighted the necessity of
42 generic skills that are of exceeding importance for the Singapore employment market. The
most important skills are paying attention to the minute details, working in a team and
listening carefully so that the problems can be solved easily (Strasburger et al., 2013)
Interpersonal related skills are of significant importance for the development of one’s career
and one can have a successful career growth of one has these important attributes.
Harbouring positive interpersonal skills is of singular importance for the corporate
world in today’s world. Working in different industries can help in sharpening interpersonal
skills to the maximum extent. Interpersonal skills can help in avoiding problems in the
workplace and foster co-operation among the members of an organization (Parveen, Jaafar &
Ainin, 2015). Working in different cultures can make one highly adaptable which is another
important quality that is required for the professional world. Willing to take charge of
situation and having an open mind are important qualities that a person should have for a
successful career. Understanding the rationale of other people is important and this is an
important aspect that adds to the value of the organization.
Feedback from tests
A numerical test was conducted that focused on my abilities and aptitudes as
compared that of the other graduates. A 94 percentile score suggested that I had superior
skills and aptitudes as compared to the other people in the group. The work personality
questionnaire brought out that neither was I overly critical nor I favour myself all the time
that was a good indicator of my competency. A balance in relation to my position involving
whether I am an introvert or extrovert, easy going or conscientiousness, emotional stability,

conventional or openness and self-focussed or focussed on people are the parameters or
yardsticks on the basis of which my competency level will be measured. It was found with
the help of these tests that a balance exists in my nature in relation to the different aspects that
are crucial for my career progression (Scott, 2015). The logical test was conducted in which
my percentile was found to be 57%. It was relatively lower as compared to that of the other
scopes and there was sufficient scope for improvement in this arena. The Verbal reasoning
test tested my ability in English and whether I was knowledgeable regarding the important
words that are frequently used in every day conversation. Reasoning skill is also important in
case of verbal reasoning and this test hence tests both my familiarity with the English
language along with that of my reasoning skill (Moriguchi, 2014).
Career as Marketing Executive
As a marketing executive in a skincare company, I take a lot of care to describe the
products in such a manner that would lure the public to try out the new product. The external
appearance of the products has to be fashioned in such a manner that would compel the
consumers to try out the product. The customers should be illuminated about the positive
aspects of the product so that they will try out the product thus adding to the revenue of the
company. With my superior communication skills and convincing ability, I have managed to
create a good reputation within the skincare company (Ward, 2016).
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has clearly laid bare that I have an ESTP
Personality Type and that I am a trouble shooter which suggests that I will be able to grow in
such an organisation that is active and personal. The psychometric tests proved my capability
in the area of my language skills and my general intelligence and showed that an industry that
is evolving at a rapid pace will prove to be good to prove my skill sets and capability (Kaplan
& Haenlein, 2016). The dynamic industry in relation to marketing is growing and with the
right amount of focus and determination, I will be able to surge ahead in my career. An

environment that is dynamic and a culture of practicality would suit me to a great extent and
enable me to showcase my skill sets and prove my capability.
Career Development Plan As Social Media Marketing Executive in Charles and Keith
Group
Social media is flourishing in the modern age. Most of the people use social media in
the modern age that serves a lot of purposes. The busy schedule of the modern age does not
leave one with sufficient amount of time to go to a physical store to buy clothes. People take
recourse to websites which is extremely convenient because of their busy schedule (Kane,
2015). Social media serves as a great platform to showcase the unique products of a brand.
This sector will grow tremendously and there is enough scope for the long term sustainability
of this sector. A career in this arena will help one to be a part of a rapidly growing industry.
Proficiency in relation to learning the skills of social media marketing is integral for this
profession. I want to find myself in the position of Social Media Marketing Executive at
Charles and Keith Singapore Limited. That is a leading agency in the area of fashion and it
operates more than 600 stores worldwide. It is a pioneer in the field of lifestyle brand that
changes the recent trends into that of accessible fashion. Sales experience is essential for this
position as it involves attracting the consumers with the help of persuasive skills. I am
already working as a marketing executive in a skincare company and the knowledge and
skills that I have accumulated in the course of my professional life would be put to best use in
the position of social media marketing executive. I am a keen follower of fashion trends and
like to surf the internet for the latest styles. I was always a follower of renowned fashion
websites and I like to follow the recent trends that have entered the fashion industry.
My experience in the position of marketing executive has enabled me to learn a lot of
marketing strategies. Working closely with that of the internal stakeholders has helped me to
gain essential knowledge in regard to advertising techniques and on the methods of selling a

product (Rosemann & vom Brocke, 2015). Optimizing the social media channels is important
so that the follower base can increase and it can drive traffic to the travel website. By the
creation of an attractive campaign, the attention of the public can be drawn so that they will
take recourse to the website to book their hotels and plan their travel destination
(Mandviwalla & Watson, 2014). I learnt how to effectively communicate within a group and
the art of co-ordination that is crucial for this profession in my career as marketing executive.
Execute the ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram is an integral part of the job profile of
Social Media Marketing.
Supporting and facilitating the development and right implementation of the
marketing administrative activities is crucial for this profession. Being able to meet the target
of the revenue and analysing the needs of the clients are important aspects that are crucial for
the position of Social Media Marketing Executive (Goetsch & Davis, 2014). I can very
easily identify creative solutions and have a great deal of problem solving skills that can
prove to be effective for this administrative position. I will know how to handle my clients
and how to attract them with the help of innovative offers and services over the platform of
social media. While going about a business, one will experience glitches and it is necessary to
pacify the clients by taking recourse to adequate strategies (Nahavandi, 2016). I have to learn
the art of optimising the revenue gains with the help of creative deals. This is an important
area I have to work on to grow in my profession and for reaching my career goal.
Rationalizing the product catalog, restructuring of rate cards and rethinking the sales
incentives are important strategies that should be learnt in the arena of optimization of
advertising revenue strategy (Kerzner, 2013). These kinds of tasks involve the co-ordination
of efforts of different stakeholder groups and building consensus is integral for the
implementation of a successful social media campaign strategy.

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