By Leong Sze Hian –
I refer to the article “More people finding jobs through CDC career centres” (Straits Times, Aug 17).
It states that “More job seekers are finding employment through the career centres of their local community development councils (CDCs), with 3,300 people placed in the second quarter of this year.
More or less people get jobs?
This is a 14 per cent rise from the 2,900 placed in the first quarter of this year, and a 23 per cent increase compared with the corresponding quarter last year”.
At the current increased job placement number of 6,200 for the first two quarters of this year, does it mean that the total for the year may be around 12,400?
This may appear to be lower than last year's job placement statistics, as according to the Department of Statistics’ Monthly Digest of Statistics Singapore June 2012, job seekers attended to by the CDCs and e2i, was 99,608 and 100,504, in 2010 and 2011, respectively, and job seekers placed in employment was 17,732 and 14,223, respectively.
This works out to a declining placement rate of 18 and 14 per cent, respectively.
Job placement rate matters?
So, what is the job placement rate for the first half of this year? We should not just look at the increase in the number of people placed in jobs, but also the placement rate over the number of job seekers.
How many seek assistance?
Since the five CDCs received some 15,000 applications for social assistance from April to June this year, which is a nearly six per cent increase compared to the same quarter last year, does it mean that the total applications in a year may be around 60,000?
How many needy in total?
As these are new applications, if we add to them those who are already receiving assistance, how many needy families are there in total?
Assistance approval rate
Also, what is the percentage of applications that get approved?
No. on assistance increased 81%?
In this connection, the number of households on short and medium term assistance has increased by a whopping 81% from 5,471 a year ago to 9,911 now.