Job updates from Mediacorp, Jewel Changi Airport, and Marina Bay Sands

Mediacorp announced, on Wednesday (20 February), it will be integrating two of its English language channels - Channel 5 and okto into one definitive family viewing channel.

In a media release, it said: "From 1 May 2019, Channel 5 will combine the best of both channels with new content and fresh formats to cater to every member of the family."

Responding to queries from Human Resources on whether jobs will be affected by this move, a Karen Yew, Head of Corporate Marketing & Communications at Mediacorp, confirmed that "staff working on okto will be redeployed to other roles supporting our family offerings across platforms."

Jewel Changi Airport is hiring for over 2,000 jobs

Separately, in preparation for its opening, Jewel Changi Airport and its partners are hiring for more than 2,000 jobs across various sectors including food and beverage services, retail, and cleaning.

In line with that, Careers @ Jewel Changi Airport was launched yesterday (21 February) at Our Tampines Hub by Desmond Choo, Mayor of North East District.

The two-day job fair showcased more than 2,000 jobs from some 50 participating tenants and agencies at the upcoming tourist destination that will comprise offerings including gardens and play attractions, retail & dining options, a hotel and aviation facilities for travellers.

It was co-organised by North East Community Development Council (CDC) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), with support from Jewel Changi Airport Devt. and its partners.

Hung Jean, Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Changi Airport Devt., said: "We are excited to collaborate with both North East CDC and WSG in Jewel's first recruitment fair for our partners. This is a very meaningful initiative that our partners can leverage to fulfil their manpower requirements, and we look forward to the partnership with both of these government agencies."

Apart from on-site interviews with employers, through the job fair, visitors had the opportunity to learn about WSG’s suite of Adapt and Grow programmes. These programmes include the Career Trial, which allows jobseekers to try out a job over a short timeframe to gain work experience and assess their fit before committing to it full-time.

SkillsFuture Advice Workshops were also conducted during the event, providing useful information on how jobseekers can tap on SkillsFuture and Adapt & Grow programmes for their career planning and skills upgrading needs.

To supplement Careers @ Jewel Changi Airport, a one-day “Make Service Your Career Brand” workshop was organised prior to the event to provide jobseekers keen on joining the services sector with useful tips, such as creating their own service brand and handling interview questions to profile their key attributes.

The job fair was held over a span of two days - from 21 February to 22 February. Beyond this, jobseekers can explore opportunities at Jewel Changi Airport via WSG’s Virtual Career Fair (VCF). Through the VCF, jobseekers will also be able to interact with employers virtually, and access career related resources and insights to assist them in their job search.

Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG, said: "WSG's collaboration with North East CDC and Jewel Changi Airport reflects our strong commitment to connect employers and jobseekers, and bring them together for successful job-matching whilst equipped with funding support under Adapt and Grow to eligible jobseekers and employers. We encourage more employers and the business community to come forward and work with us to create more opportunities for Singaporeans to find jobs closer to home."

Marina Bay Sands to fill 700 jobs across the integrated resort

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has just announced (22 February) its biggest job fair so far - to hire for 700 positions across the property - as it continues to grow its 10,000-strong workforce.

According to a media release, MBS is seeking to have a workforce of 11,000 team members by the end of 2019.

Through the job fair, taking place from 24 to 25 February at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, MBS is looking to hire passionate and self-driven individuals with a hunger to excel in a variety of guest-facing and back-end roles.

Roles include bartenders to sous chefs, security guards to butlers, and slot attendants.

New schemes to addresses the needs of a dynamic workforce

As an inclusive employer, the integrated resort is also committed to hiring special groups keen to join or return to the workforce – e.g. home-makers, senior workers, retrenched personnel, students and people with disabilities.

In line with that, it will be rolling out a scheme that addresses the needs of a dynamic workforce this year.

Under this programme, MBS will offer flexible work arrangements to Singaporean job-seekers. Employees can work a minimum of 12 hours a week, up to 22 hours a week. This means staff can choose to work for six hours twice a week, or four hours for three days. The usual benefits, such as medical coverage, uniform laundry service and free duty meals on property, apply to them.

Chan Yit Foon, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Marina Bay Sands, said: "We think dynamic work arrangements make a lot of business sense, especially in an industry as scalable as ours. It allows us to tap into groups who are looking for jobs but unable to commit to the full 8 hours every day. We’re talking about retirees who have years of experience behind them, the home-makers whose kids are still schooling, and the young millennials who want time to explore other areas of their lives."

The integrated resort, saw its historical lowest attrition rate of 12% in 2018. This is against the industry benchmark of a 29.4% in the same period, based on publicly available figures. More than half of MBS’ workforce has also been with the 9-year-old company for over five years.

New Cross-Deployment Scheme to build a strong pipeline of hospitality talent

To multi-skill its workforce and to build a strong pipeline of hospitality talent, MBS has also recently launched its Cross-Deployment Scheme, starting with its hotel operations arm.

This programme allows staff to spend time in different job functions in the Hotel, training and learning new skills in front office, F&B, guest services, valet and housekeeping. Staff on this programme will also enjoy a minimum of S$300 allowance with every successful rotation. By the end of the programme, the hotel executives would have gained skills to become specialists across five different departments.

Pek Chin Siong, Vice President, Hotel Operations, Marina Bay Sands, said: "A successful hotelier is a master of all trades. He can be a butler to our VIP guests, control the movement of vehicular traffic, while ensuring our hotel rooms are quickly turned over in time for check in. These skill sets are even more acutely needed in a hotel as dynamic and fast-moving as MBS. The Cross-Deployment Scheme allows us to identify talents and immerse them deeply in a variety of functions, in a fast-track and rewarding manner."

This programme is in addition to other innovative schemes launched by the integrated resort – such as a two-day learning leave for staff to enrol in SkillsFuture courses related to language and communication, service excellence and information technology.

Photo / Jewel Changi Airport Devt. Image caption: Seamlessly connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3, Jewel Changi Airport will offer aviation and travel facilities, unique attractions and exciting retail offerings all under one roof – just a few steps away from Changi’s departure gates.