Singapore launches efforts to groom carpenters as they gradually disappear

The labor movement and authorities of Singapore launched Thursday a voluntary wage ladder and a training funding program for carpenters, which is considered part of the "traditional skills sector" where local workers are at the risk of disappearing. The voluntary wage ladder introduced by the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) came with a minimum starting monthly basic pay of 1,500 Singapore dollars (1,181 U.S. dollars). When they become more skilled, the minimum monthly basic pay will increase to at least 3,000 Singapore dollars (2,362 U.S. dollars). It was the first wage ladder that the labour movement has introduced in what it calls "traditional skills sector" where Singapore workers are at risk of disappearing. The pro-government labor organization also said it was drawing up new wage ladders for plumbers and electricians. They will be voluntary, but the details were not immediately available, labor chief Lim Swee Say said. The NTUC, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and the Singapore Furniture Industries Council, also jointly launched a 3. 5 million dollar (2.8 million U.S. dollars) program to train 180 local carpenters in the next two years. The funding will cover their training and salary subsidies for employers. They are also considering efforts to rebrand carpenters as creative craftsmen to woo the young people.