The document provides a summary of RPD Bites, a monthly report by MENDAKI's Research and Planning Department (RPD) that scans local media for issues relevant to the Malay/Muslim community. It summarizes coverage in October 2020 on topics like the economy, employment, education, governance, and social issues. Emerging themes discussed employment trends, support for businesses and jobseekers, and training opportunities. Coverage of the Malay/Muslim community included the launch of MENDAKI's focus area on workforce preparedness and events like Raikan Ilmu and the Anugerah MENDAKI awards.

1. OCTOBER 2020

2. About RPD Bites
RPD Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various local
mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim community. It is
produced by the Research and Planning Department (RPD) of Yayasan MENDAKI.
RPD Bites begins with an article count across different media sources which are
categorised into these main areas: education, economy, employment and employability, social
and community, and Malay/Muslim affairs. Other salient areas for the month are also
highlighted. It then delves into emerging themes and trends observed.
We hope you find this month’s RPD Bites insightful and useful for your needs. We
look forward to your continued partnership and support, and welcome any suggestions you
might have. You can reach us at RPD@mendaki.org.sg to feedback.
RESEARCH &
PLANNING
DEPARTMENT
2

3. Overall Coverage
• With a total of 222 articles, Employment (48), Social (42) and Economy (41) news
were widely reported in October 2020. This reflects Singapore’s growing concerns
over the economic and employment situation arising from COVID-19.
22
34
23
17 15 16
2
26
8
18
12 11 9 9
48
42 41
29 26 25
11
Employment Social Economy Tech &
Digitalisation
Governance Education Malay Muslim
Affairs
No. of Articles
ST BH/BM Total
3

4. Emerging Themes & Trends
4

5. Economy
Economic Outlook
• Singapore's revenue position will continue to be weak as effects
of COVID-19 on global and domestic economy linger (ST, 6 Oct).
• A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported that resident
unemployment rate rose to 4.5 per cent in August (ST, 8 Oct).
• Singapore's economy rebounded in the third quarter but the
outlook next year remains uncertain (ST, 15 Oct).
Support for Businesses
• $2 million is committed to the SME Suppliers Support and
Development Programme (SSDP) to support small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) (ST, 3 Oct).
• The Temporary Bridging Loan Programme will be extended until
Sep 2021 to support businesses with cash flows (ST, 6 Oct).
• Firms looking to internationalise can have costs covered under
the Market Readiness Assistance Grant (ST, 13 Oct).
Source: ST
Source: ST
5

6. Employment
Employment Trends
• Many job seekers are willing to accept lower salaries due
to the difficult economic conditions, according to a poll
conducted by FastJobs with 373 respondents (ST, 5 Oct).
• The latest Jobs Situation Report reported that only 33,100
out of 117,500 jobs and training opportunities were filled
(ST, 8 Oct).
• A poll by United Overseas Bank (UOB) found that older
employees ages between 56 and 65 are more concerned
about being retrenched or becoming irrelevant (ST, 23
Oct).
• Before implementing wage cuts, employers should
consider and implement other cost-saving measures,
according to tripartite advisory guidelines on responsible
retrenchment practices (ST, 18 Oct).
6

7. Employment
Support for Jobseekers
• Centre for Seniors (CFS) partnered with FastJobs to make it
easier for seniors to find work (ST, 2 Oct).
• Technology firm “Sea” will hire and train 500 Singaporeans in
coding and data analytics (ST, 3 Oct).
• About 2,500 jobs are on offer in the retail sector as stores re-
open and more businesses turn to e-commerce (ST, 13 Oct).
• Jobseekers can turn to 24 satellite career centres set up in the
heartlands (ST, 15 Oct).
• More than 450 jobs in retail, healthcare, education and
logistics were offered at the North West SkillsFuture
Marketplace (ST, 25 Oct).
• About 1,300 jobs are on offer in the logistics sector, with
about one in three for professionals, managers, executives and
technicians (PMETs) (ST, 28 Oct).
Source: ST
Source: ST
7

8. Employment
Support for Vulnerable Workers
• Over 140 organisations have signed the President's Challenge
Enabling Employment Pledge to support the employment of
people with disabilities (PWDs) (ST, 8 Oct).
• The Tripartite Workgroup on Lower Wage Workers will study
how to raise the wages of low-income workers and push
productivity growth (ST, 12 Oct).
• The incomes of Singapore's workers at the 10th percentile
increased by more than 50 per cent over the past decade to
$1,517 last year (ST, 16 Oct).
• 470,000 lower-income Singaporean workers on the Workfare
Income Supplement (WIS) scheme will get $810 million in
Workfare Special Payment (WSP) (ST, 24 Oct).
Source ST
Source: ST
8

9. Employment
Training and Upskilling Opportunities
• The Advanced Manufacturing Training Academy (AMTA) was
launched to bolster the competitiveness of Singapore's
manufacturing sector (ST, 21 Oct).
• Under SGUnited’s Mid-Career Pathways Programme, 2,300 new
training opportunities in advanced manufacturing are available
to help jobseekers (ST, 21 Oct).
• There are 1,000 traineeship opportunities in the maritime
sector. They will be trained in areas such as automation systems
and shipping operations (ST, 23 Oct).
• The Institute of Adult Learning (IAL) launched a five-year plan
to enhance adult training and education sector (ST, 23 Oct).
• A new joint task force comprising union and industry
representatives was set up to look into the employability and
upskilling of professionals, managers and executives (PMEs)
(ST, 28 Oct).
Source: ST
9

10. Education
Pre-school Education
• About 1,300 pre-schoolers from low-income families will
receive additional top-up of up to $500 in their Child
Development Account (CDA) through a partnership between
the Ministry of Education (MOE), EtonHouse Community Fund
and Community Foundation of Singapore (ST, 8 Oct).
• The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will review
the professional development of pre-school educators, with
stronger emphasis on social and emotional well-being (ST, 11
Oct).
• Around 70,000 families are receiving higher pre-school and
childcare subsidies after the income ceiling for subsidies was
increased to $12,000 this year (BH, 16 Oct).
Source: ST
10

11. Education
Strengthening Support for Students
• The Mother Tongue Support Programme weaves more
activities and games into lessons to support pupils weak in
their mother tongue (ST, 19 Oct).
• From 2021, the ills of gambling-like elements in video games,
or loot boxes, will be included in MOE’s cyber wellness
education curriculum (ST, 21 Oct).
• Singapore's 15-year-olds claimed top spot in the Global
Competence Test. The test assessed students’ capacity to
understand and act on intercultural and global issues (ST, 23
Oct).
Strengthening Support for Educators
• Allied educators (AEDs) will have their own development
track when the allied educator scheme is split into distinct
tracks in 2022 (ST, 23 Oct).
Source: ST
Source: ST
11

12. Governance
Post-GE: IPS Post-Election Survey and Online Forum
• Amid the pandemic, jobs and the cost of living were a focus for
voters aged 30 to 54 in low- to middle-income households.
Political diversity was also a key consideration among younger
voters aged 21 to 29 holding professional, managerial, executive
and technician (PMET) jobs (ST, 2 Oct).
GST Hike
• GST increase cannot be deferred indefinitely as the revenues are
needed to support Singapore's spending needs, said Deputy
Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. The government will continue to
study the timing of increasing the GST rate (ST, 16 Oct).
Public Service to Revamp How Officers are Assessed
• The public service will adapt its systems for assessing public
officers, Mr Chan Chun Sing said at the One Public Service
Observance Ceremony (ST, 17 Oct).
Source: LKYSPP, NUS
Source: ST
12

13. Technology and Digitalisation
• The Legal Industry Technology and Innovation Roadmap (TIR)
was launched to support law firms in adopting technology and
innovative solutions (ST, 3 Oct).
• 390ha of land in Lim Chu Kang will be redeveloped to create a
high-tech and resource-efficient agri-food cluster (ST, 3 Oct).
• As part of the Safer Cyberspace Masterplan 2020, businesses
will benefit from free cyber-health screenings to spot
weaknesses in their digital infrastructure (ST, 7 Oct).
• The Heartlands Go Digital programme supports about 20,000
retailers and food and beverage (F&B) enterprises in the
heartland to adopt e-commerce solutions (ST, 9 Oct).
• Singapore came second in the Cyber Risk Literacy and
Education Index, published by management consultancy
Oliver Wyman (ST, 22 Oct).
Source ST
Source: ST
13

14. Social
Family Developments
• Suspension of late payment charges on Housing Development
Board (HDB) mortgage arrears will be extended to March
2021. Families living in public rental flats will have their rent
slashed by half for three months from Oct to Dec (ST, 2 Oct).
• Parents of Singaporean children born between 1 Oct 2020
and 30 Sep 2022 will get a one-off Baby Support Grant worth
$3,000 to help defray cost of raising a child amid the pandemic
(ST, 10 Oct).
• According to ComCare Annual Report, about 78,600
individuals benefitted from various ComCare schemes,
amounting to $151 million in cash assistance (ST, 10 Oct).
• About 150,000 adult Singaporeans living in one-and two-room
flats will each receive $150 worth of grocery vouchers by end
Oct (ST, 11 Oct).
Source: ST
Source: ST
14

15. Social
Community Developments
• The National Library Board (NLB) launched The Little Book
Box, a subscription service that delivers eight curated English
children's books a month (ST, 2 Oct).
• A second all-women halfway house is expected to open its
doors in 2023. The Singapore Prison Service will work with the
Singapore Muslim Women's Association to set up the facility
(ST, 13 Oct).
• According to the Commissioner of Charities (COC) annual
report, donations to charities rose by 8 per cent from $2.7
billion in 2017 to $2.9 billion in 2018 (ST, 23 Oct).
• More people contributed to their retirement funds in the first
nine months of this year, compared with the same period last
year, said the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board (ST, 22 Oct).
Source: NLB
Source: ST
15

16. Social
Health Developments
• Singapore is ranked 16th among 30 cities in the 2020 Dementia Innovation Readiness Index.
It assessed countries’ readiness to promote novel approaches in combating dementia.
• The COVID-19 Mental Wellness Taskforce was convened by the Ministry of Health and the
Institute of Mental Health to provide a coordinated national response to the mental health
needs of Singaporeans arising from the pandemic (ST, 11 Oct).
Elderly Developments
• The number of centenarians in Singapore has doubled over the past 10 years, from 700 in
June 2010 to 1,500 in June this year, due to advances in medical science and public health
services, and higher standards of living (ST, 1 Oct).
• Singtel’s efforts to support the digitalisation needs of senior citizens will see Senior Activity
Centres transformed into digital hubs to help seniors pick up basic skills like using smart
devices (ST, 1 Oct).
16

17. Malay/Muslim Community
Launch of M3 Focus Area 4 (FA 4)
• M3 FA 4, led by SMS Zaqy Mohamad, aims to prepare the Malay/Muslim
workforce amid changing economic landscape through provision of job
opportunities, skills enhancements and career advisories (BH, 12 Oct).
• It focuses on four segments of employees:
1) Mature Jobseekers (40 years & above)
2) PMET Jobseekers (mid-career switchers)
3) Fresh Graduates & Young Workers
4) General Community (include self-employed, vulnerable workers and low-
wage workers)
• Its flagship programme, JUMP, brings various government and community
agencies to provide support to Malay/Muslim employees. The acronym JUMP
represents the four sub-themes of:
1) Job opportunities
2) Upskilling
3) Mobility
4) Professional development
Source: BH
17

18. Malay/Muslim Community
• 35% of madrasah students pursued tertiary Islamic-related
education in areas such as Islamic jurisprudence and Islamic
theology (ST, 14 Oct).
• 385 families have benefitted from services offered by FITRAH,
which include befriending, referral for financial assistance,
Islamic learning at Mosques and referral to MENDAKI for
employment and tuition for their children (BH, 3 Oct).
• Nomanbhoy & Sons Pte Ltd has contributed $250,000 to the
Education Trust Fund (ETF) to support the education of Muslim
students. The ETF-Nomanbhoy Scholarship will be launched in
January 2021 for students from:
1) Special education schools (SPED)
2) Primary school
3) Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
4) Local polytechnics and universities
Source: ST
Source: BH
18

19. MENDAKI
Raikan Ilmu
• More than 100 programmes are conducted online by MENDAKI
and its partners as the pandemic has affected the annual event
which is often done on a large scale.
• Virtual programmes provide opportunities for MENDAKI to
extend Raikan Ilmu activities to more families who are able to
participate from the comfort of their own homes (BH, 19 Oct).
Anugerah MENDAKI
• The annual event, held virtually this year, celebrates the
achievements of more than 500 students who displayed
exceptional academic performance or excelled in other areas.
• Mr Masagos Zulkifli, applauded the recipients for their
achievements and urged members of the community to stay
connected with MENDAKI to receive information and support
that will help them prepare for the future (ST, 4 Oct; BH, 4 Oct).
Source: MENDAKI (https://raikanilmu.sg/)
Source: MENDAKI
19

20. MENDAKI
MENDAKI-Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Policy Dialogue 2020
• A poll by MENDAKI revealed that:
▪ Youths are likely to join "stable" industries during
economic uncertainties
▪ Skills improvement is important to get a better job
• More efforts will be introduced to encourage Malay youths
to enter growth sectors such as Banking and Finance and
Information and Technology.
• The findings were shared at the MENDAKI-IPS Policy
Dialogue 2020 held online with 100 participants (BH, 16 Oct).
• Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, who was the guest-of-honour,
shared that around 25 per cent or 83,000 members of the
Malay community have used their SkillsFuture credits (BH, 17
Oct).
Source: MENDAKI
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21. Published by
MENDAKI Research and Planning Department
(October 2020)
21