My point: Ease plight of jobless PMEs

SINGAPORE - The plight of senior professionals, managers and executives who were retrenched or want to return to the workforce deserves immediate attention ("MPs want more protection, support for local PMEs", Tuesday; and "Degree holders 'most vulnerable' to retrenchment", Monday).

Employers and human resource practitioners need to rethink their hiring policies for senior PMEs, so as not to marginalise them because of their age, experience and higher qualifications.

Many senior PMEs do not mind taking lower salaries for lower-level jobs. They should at least be given the chance of a face-to-face interview. Most do not even make it to this stage as their applications are rejected from the outset.

If this trend continues, we will see more senior PMEs ending up as taxi drivers, cashiers, security guards and cleaners.

I hope our Government and related agencies will look for ways to tap this precious resource pool to ease our labour shortage.

This article was first published on May 29, 2014.
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