Retrenched SIA Group staff offered more than 200 jobs by EtonHouse, Jumbo Group and Commonwealth Capital

SINGAPORE: Singapore investment firm Commonwealth Capital and seafood restaurant Jumbo Group have come forward to offer jobs to recently retrenched employees from the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group, said Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Sep 14).

The two companies join EtonHouse International Education Group, who recently also pledged jobs to those affected by SIA Group's retrenchment exercise. Together, the three firms are offering more than 200 positions.

Battered by the impact of COVID-19, SIA Group announced last week that it needed to cut about 4,300 positions across its three airlines in Singapore and overseas.

The number of employees affected may be reduced to about 2,400, the group said on Thursday, "mitigated" by measures such as a recruitment freeze in March, an early retirement scheme for ground staff and pilots and a voluntary release scheme for cabin crew.

READ: More job losses expected for Singapore Airlines, say industry watchers

3 COMPANIES OFFERING MORE THAN 200 JOBS

TODAY reported on Friday that international school group EtonHouse is offering more than 100 positions in teaching and administration to recently retrenched SIA staff.

The group said in response to CNA queries on Monday that the recruitment programme is available only to Singaporeans, with salaries ranging between S$2,000 and S$3,000 a month.

"I have always admired the professionalism of the SIA staff, the high standards of customer service and relationship building that they represent," said EtonHouse founder and group managing director Ng Gim Choo.

"They also have a wealth of international experience and cultural understanding that they bring to their roles," added Mrs Ng.

Those recruited under the two-year teaching track will work part-time in schools as a teaching assistant while pursuing an early childhood qualification, said EtonHouse. The non-teaching track will involve on-the-job training in schools or the company's head office.

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On Monday, Mr Chan said that Commonwealth Capital and Jumbo will join EtonHouse in offering positions to displaced SIA Group employees.

"I’m also happy to share that on the back of this, Commonwealth Capital and Jumbo are also ready to offer 50 positions each to these SIA staff," said Mr Chan on Monday.

In response to queries by CNA, Jumbo said it has pledged to hire 50 retrenched SIA employees, with priority going to Singaporeans.

"Our HR team is still evaluating suitable positions, with a priority going towards Singaporeans," said Jumbo CEO Ang Kiam Meng.

Commonwealth Capital, a Singapore-based investment firm with a food and beverage portfolio from manufacturing to logistics and retail services, said it has placements for 50 SIA personnel in its various portfolio companies.

Some of the brands in its portfolio include PastaMania, The Soup Spoon, Kraftwich and Udders, according to Commonwealth Capital's website.

Specifically for the food services group, the selected candidates will be placed on a restaurant manager training programme for nine months and be paid S$2,500 a month, said Commonwealth Capital.

Following the training programme, suitable candidates will manage restaurants with a starting salary of S$2,700 a month, it added.

"Singaporeans will be prioritised for these positions. Given the diverse portfolio of the group, there may also be other positions available at the headquarters for qualified candidates," said Commonwealth Capital.

READ: Companies under Scale-up SG programme to receive ‘one-off’ boost in support for a year

1,000 JOBS WITH MEMBERS OF RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE

Meanwhile, the Restaurant Association of Singapore is also working with its members to offer more than 1,000 positions to retrenched SIA Group staff, said Mr Chan.

"So this is how we intend to help one another through this very difficult time, with the Government partnering our companies, and also our companies partnering the unions to see how we can place the displaced workers from one company or one sector to adjacent companies, adjacent sectors," said Mr Chan.

He added that this was so workers could "continue to preserve the hard-won capabilities that they have built up over the years".

Mr Chan was speaking to the media during a visit to chipmaker AEM on Monday, as the Government gave an update on how it was supporting job opportunities in the precision engineering sector.

Editor's note: This story has been updated after the Ministry of Trade and Industry clarified that the number of jobs to be offered to retrenched SIA Group employees by members of the Restaurant Association of Singapore is 1,000, not 6,000, which was the number mentioned by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing at Monday's event.