More jobs promised for Singaporeans

Singapore - Industries such as hospitality and electronic appliances manufacturing, which are going strong despite the recession, are doing their bit to boost Singapore's employment market.

Resorts World at Sentosa, one of two integrated resorts to be built in Singapore, and Natural Cool, an air conditioner and switchgear maker, has offered up more job vacancies to boost Singapore's employment market.

In a report by Channelnews Asia (CNA) yesterday, Natural Cool, an air conditioner and switchgear maker, plans to hire another 30 to 40 more employees on top of its 20 new recruits from last month. This is after it had splashed $30 million out on a new corporate headquarters. The firm will also not retrench any Singaporeans or Permanent Residents this year, Natural Cool's CEO Steven Chen told CNA.

Despite the downturn, Resorts World at Sentosa has also said it is committed to providing 10,000 jobs when it opens early next year. Hiring Singaporeans will remain its priority. This comes after the 800 job openings it offered during a career fair over the weekend were flooded by 20,000 applications. Job applications were also streaming in via its website and snail mail.

Its assistant vice president of communications, Robin Goh told CNA job applicants at the fair offered a good mix of both locals and foreigners. "They ranged from PMETs, fresh graduates, school leavers, as well as sadly some Singaporeans who have been laid off."

While the continuous expansion was definitely helped by the government's Budget measures, Chen said it was also made possible by the firm's $70 million worth of order book and its diversified business strategy. "We do retail, we do servicing also. Definitely the retail side has been affected. But for us, we thought of a way out - to diversify a bit to cover back the losses."