29% of Singaporean companies provided no training to staff

The 71% that did reported improved work productivity, product/services quality and customer satisfaction.

The Ministry of Manpower said, “Generally, employers reaped tangible benefits from training their employees in 2010, leading to improved work productivity (83%), quality of products/services (80%) and customer satisfaction (72%). A large majority of employers also reported that training enhanced the employees’ skills (92%), job responsibilities (79%), work motivation (73%) and flexibility in deployment (60%). The employers were more divided about the impact of training on employees’ wages (49%) and promotion opportunities (54%), with around half indicating that training had positive impact.”

According to the biennial Survey on Employer Supported Training, conducted by the Ministry of Manpower’s Manpower Research and Statistics Department, 71% of private establishments provided structured training to at least some of their employees in 2010. This was a significant improvement from the 65% in 2008, when the proportion declined from the pre-recessionary high of 72% in 2006.

MOM noted: “The improvement in provision of structured training was broad-based, affecting large, medium and small establishments. Small establishments that employed 25-99 employees experienced a larger increase from 57% in 2008 to 65% in 2010, narrowing their gap with larger establishments. Nevertheless, the latter were still more likely to provide structured training for their employees at 85% and 93% for those that employed 100-199 and 200 or more employees respectively.”

The survey showed that on average, the training-providing establishments sent 58% of their staff for structured training during 2010, resuming the uptrend that saw the proportion rise from 51% in 2003 to 58% in 2006, before dipping slightly to 57% in 2008. A higher proportion of professionals, managers, executives and technicians were sent for structured training (63%) than production & transport operators, cleaners & labourers (57%) and clerical, sales & service workers (54%) in 2010.

Covered by the survey were 3,244 private establishments, employing approximately 987,000 employees.

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