30 April 2009 Straits Times

Jobless rate hits 4.8%

THE unemployment rate for Singaporeans and permanent residents hit a five-year high of 4.8 per cent last month, according to the latest Manpower Ministry figures, but this is still below the peak reached during the Sars crisis in 2003.

The jobless rate for locals rose to 6.2 per cent in September that year, as worldwide fear of the infectious respiratory disease affected trade, tourism and business, and led to mounting job losses.

This year's jobless level is expected to worsen, with most analysts agreed that the recession has not bottomed out yet.

The current swine flu outbreak adds to uncertainties over the economy and job market. The Manpower Ministry figures showed a rising trend in job losses over the past year. (See chart)

There were 12,600 redundancies in the first three months of the year, the highest quarterly figure in a decade, surpassing the quarterly peak of 8,890 in 2001 due to the dot.com bust and terrorist attacks in the United States.

Most losses - 9,000 - were from the beleaguered manufacturing sector. Another 2,900 came from the services sector, and 700 from construction. The redundancy numbers are in line with what analysts have predicted.

Barclays economist Leong Wai Ho, for instance, said he had predicted that 12,000 people would lose their jobs in the first quarter. He said this was a relatively low figure despite the severity of the slowdown because of government measures like the Jobs Credit scheme which subsidises the wage bill for local workers, and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) which encourages employers to retrain workers.

MOM figures showed that overall unemployment here rose from 2.5 per cent last December to 3.2 per cent last month, with 95,600 people out of work.

The unemployment rate which excludes foreigners, however, spiked much more, jumping from 3.6 per cent to 4.8 per cent over the same period.

SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Unemployment is defined as a person having the ability to work but is not offered the opportunity to do so. It is one of the major issues in the society that is yet to be solved. It has become a main social problem within Singapore with the increasing rates of unemployment. This is a issue that is worth worrying about as unemployment is closely and proportionally related to our nation’s economic progress. With the occurrence of the recent economic crisis, Singapore’s economy has indeed encountered another downturn. This has caused the gross domestic product to decrease and proportionally, more jobs would be lost and less people will be employed. Unemployment is indeed a social problem which we need to rectify and improve in the society of Singapore.

But why is such a phenomenon worrying? A high employment rate would mean that a significant number of people within the country are without jobs and this will undoubtedly cause the rate of poverty within the country to increase. Families who were once financially dependent would have to now save and scrimp just because the sole breadwinners were all retrenched due to the economic crisis. Children who could attend school would now encounter difficulties managing with the school fees. The elderly who had previously depended on their children would now have to survive with merely their savings. Imagine, if these elderly people required money for treatment of illnesses or an operation. This would be the negative results of a high unemployment rate. Families would not be capable of maintaining a lifestyle which requires a stable occupation. Unemployment will thus indirectly cause the breaking up of families.

Another negative impact of unemployment would be the huge reduction in the efficiency of the economy. Unemployed individuals will grab any job they see and this might cause them to work below their original skill level. All the labour resources of a country with high unemployment rates would not be fully utilized and the economy will not be efficient as before, possibly causing a decline. With the economy of the country greatly affected, foreign people will not be tempted to invest in the country and the revenue will decrease. All these factors will eventually lead to the collapse of the economy in that particular country. This will greatly affect the society as the society relies heavily on the economy to function.

Lastly, the presence of unemployment might cause the loss of valuable skills. Experienced veterans might not be as highly skilled before after a certain period of unemployment. This can be counted as a loss of human capital within the country. This might also possibly instill a mindset into the local workers that the foreign workers are the reason of the unemployment, causing rules and laws to protect the local workers’ interest to come in place. In countries of high unemployment rates, unscrupulous employers might use the situation to their advantage. For instance, this could be a good chance to lower the salaries of the workers due to the high competitiveness in a country with unemployment. This will be another factor that will greatly diminish the economy. It will also cause the country to be branded with such a notorious reputation.

In conclusion, I feel that the subject of unemployment is something that needs to be addressed and solved as soon as possible. Once the issue of unemployment is resolved, this will ensure that a healthy economy continues and the prosperity of the country.

Animal Cruelty in Singapore

Animal cruelty is one of the most major problems in the world currently. It is one of the many problems that still remain not resolved in the world. Many animals’ lives have been taken but still, nothing much has been done to solve this problem. The most appealing of this problem is that animals that are being abused are domestic animals that are emotionally close towards us. There have been common cases of people torturing their own domestic pets. It will be always be one of the most serious problems that Singapore would have experienced and not completely resolved. Common domestic pets such as dogs and cats are often regarded as a burden and this is the reason behind all their actions of abuse.

Why shouldn’t animals be abused? Firstly, animals are often recognized as one of man’s closest friends. Animals can be part of our family and can be our loyal companions. Animals can help man in many ways. Take for instance, dogs can help us guard homes and keep us company. There have been cases where people treat animals of higher priority and importance as compared to their wealth and assets. All pet owners need not reach this extent, but however at least treat their pets with proper care and not acts of abuse.

Secondly, animals are living organisms just like humans. They have the similar ability to feel pain just like us. Animals are similar to us; perhaps the only characteristic that differentiates humans from animals is the level of intelligence. However, this is no reason to abuse your own pets. Animals do not cause us pain, why should we? We should in fact treat animals properly and give them a respect that a basic living organism should deserve.

In conclusion, we should prevent animal cruelty. Animals might not speak like us, but perhaps they have a lot of words to say to us within their hearts. Animal cruelty is indeed a pressing issue and we must do all in our power to stop it. Stop animal cruelty today!

SANTOKH SINGH
FATHER FIGURES
santokh@sph.com.sg

HOW would I have reacted as a father if my sons had been caught streaking on campus?

Reading about some male students getting punished for running naked from one building to another at the National University of Singapore set me thinking, and two other reports on youth provided some background.

I think I would have sat my boys down and lectured them on respecting themselves, respecting the rights of others to their space (and views) and so on.

Then I would have knocked them on their heads for getting caught.(vivid concrete language (Pathos)) (That is something I learnt in the Army (appeal to authority (Logos))) – if you pull a prank, make sure you don't get caught.)

After which I would have gone to the Hall, and the University, to appeal on their behalf, if it came to that.

Too protective? Too relaxed? Excuse for poor upbringing? (Emotionally loaded language(Pathos))

Perhaps, but the other reports in the same three days would have put some of this in perspective.

First, there was the story of a 17-year-old who was an average student, from an average family, with average grades in school.

He was believed to be socially well-adjusted and did not display any signs of violence.

But he went on a shooting rampage at his school, killing 10 schoolmates, three teachers and three passers-by before being gunned down by the police. (Factual data and statistics(Logos))

That was in Germany on Wednesday.

Average students

Then there was the report of 13 average students, from average schools, and believed to be from average family backgrounds.

They, too, were understood to be socially well-adjusted, until they were caught carrying dangerous weapons to school. Their intention, we are told, was to hurt people in their schools.

That was in Singapore.

So the story of a group of 20-year-olds streaking in their Hall pales in comparison.

Yes, they too were all average students, from average families, and with average grades that helped them qualify for university.

They are also understood to be socially well-adjusted, active sportsmen who did not display any sign of sexually maladjusted behaviour.

Yes, this "group of misfits" went on a streaking rampage, running naked from one hostel block to another in the middle of the night before they were reported to the authorities by some female students.

But all they did was to give some students a view they were not comfortable with. They did not kill, or threaten to kill, anyone. (Analysing cause and effect(Logos))

While no one can tell the future, I do live with some confidence that my sons are not likely to turn out killers or likely to take choppers to school.

But I'm not too sure about the streaking, especially if it is done as part of a Hall tradition or an Officer's Mess ragging session in the Army.

Yes, I do have some confidence in the value systems of my children, and their ability to tell right from wrong.

But I would find it difficult to moralise, let alone punish them with a clear conscience, for something like streaking. (Appeal to personal ethics and character(Ethos))

After all, I too had gone skinny-dipping with some friends, though not on our shores, when I was in university. (Denotative meanings/reasons(Logos))

It was not to celebrate any sporting victory nor to drown any sorrow.

It was also not part of a dare.

It was just for the fun of it.

And we didn't get caught or thrown out of university.

I grade it A.

What is an exposition?

An exposition is a rhetorical discourse that provides information about or an explanation of difficult material. An analytical one interprets subtle meanings, imagery, allegories, or other symbolism in a literary or artistic work. To expose to the sun in this meaning means to make something known. In a play, for instance, the transfer of information occurs from playwright to actor to audience through information being conveyed. In recent years exposition has become a dirty word and the reason for this is that people generally use very clumsy exposition in their work. This is the case even in major motion pictures such as the dire Day After Tomorrow, when the zoo keepers say 'The Wolves have escaped!', they might as well say 'There are wolves later in this film, just in case you wonder where they have come from'.