The Jobs-Skills Integrator for Wholesale Trade (JSIT-WST) was launched today by Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Culture, Community and Youth Mr Alvin Tan, at the inaugural “Workforce Transformation for Wholesale Trade Sector” event. Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) has appointed the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to lead the JSIT-WST, which will promote workforce transformation, employee training, and job matching services for the industry. The initiative is also supported by Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

First announced at Budget 2023, the JSIT-WST initiative aims to support Wholesale Trade small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and mid-career workers as the sector grapples with rapid digital advancement and increasing sustainability requirements. It builds on the Jobs Transformation Map for Wholesale Trade¹ by providing a centralised touchpoint for companies and workers to access training and talent-related resources that would be required by the sector to stay competitive and relevant.

Under the JSIT-WST, SMEs keen to embark on workforce transformation can tap the support of SBF and its industry partners, including training providers and employment agencies, to address existing and future skills gaps as well as benefit from job redesign, reskilling and matching services. SBF will deploy Jobs Skills Advisors (JSAs) to work with companies to provide customised advisory and training recommendations to address their employees’ upskilling and reskilling needs, including:

• Job redesign and reskilling: To enhance workforce productivity and capabilities, and identify higher value-added jobs to enhance revenue growth.
• Job matching and hiring support: To find talent with relevant skills via artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted job matching tools, and implement new jobs and skills initiatives.
• Jobs and skills analysis: To adopt human resources analytics tools to better identify employees’ jobs and skills gaps.

An Advisory Committee has been established to oversee the initiative. Co-chaired by SBF and EnterpriseSG, the Committee comprises public and private sector representatives to provide insights into the talent needs of the Wholesale Trade sector, while ensuring alignment of the JSIT-WST with wider government efforts. Further information on the co-chairs and members of the Committee are included in Annex A.

In addition to the launch of JSIT-WST, WSG has introduced the inaugural Workforce Transformation Awards for the Wholesale Trade sector to recognise exemplary companies in the sector that have demonstrated outstanding efforts in transforming jobs and uplifting the capabilities of its employees. The Award was presented by WSG and SBF to consumer products and commodity trading company Franco-Asian Enterprises, and food and beverage distributor and logistics service provider Lim Siang Huat. Further details on the companies are included in Annex B.

Mr Kok Ping Soon, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Business Federation, said: “As the Jobs-Skills Integrator for the Wholesale Trade sector, SBF will leverage our network of industry partners and pool of Jobs Skills Advisors, to assist companies in strengthening their human capital capabilities. We aim to engage more than 1,700 companies, support more than 1,200 job placements as well as reskill and upskill around 1,600 workers in the industry. The JSIT-WST programme is designed to address this through public-private partnerships to support both strategy and implementation for real output and positive impact.”

Mr Lee Pak Sing, Assistant Managing Director for Trade and Connectivity, Enterprise Singapore, said: “The Wholesale Trade sector is the largest contributor to Singapore’s economy, accounting for more than 20% of our GDP in 2023. As new technologies and opportunities emerge, it is important that the sector keep pace with these developments to remain competitive. Through the JSIT, companies can embark on human capital transformation to upskill their workers. We encourage Wholesale Trade SMEs and individuals who are keen to join sector to tap the JSIT-WST initiative to stay ahead.”

Ms. Dilys Boey, Chief Executive, Workforce Singapore, said: “As Wholesale Trade companies transform in a rapidly evolving trade landscape, the JSIT-WST initiative enables companies in the sector to access industry expertise to redesign jobs, attract new talent and to equip the existing workforce with new capability in digitalisation, trade regulations or sustainability. Through the Workforce Transformation Award, we aim to inspire more Wholesale Trade companies like Lim Siang Huat and Franco-Asian Enterprises to commit to workforce development ultimately boosting productivity, enhancing skillsets and strengthening the career health of the workforce.”

Wholesale Trade sector companies can obtain support for the right jobs and skills for their growth by registering interest in the JSIT-WST. For more information, companies can visit: https://go.gov.sg/jsit-wst and https://www.sbf.org.sg/what-we-do/jobs-and-skills/jobs-skills-integrator-for-wholesale-trade-sector-(jsit-wst).