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Sharp rise in hiring expectations among firms: recruitment survey Channel NewsAsia - Friday, October 23 SINGAPORE: Hiring expectations among Singapore companies have increased. A survey by recruitment firm Hudson, found that 34 per cent of firms polled expect to increase headcount in the last three months of this year. But it also warned that companies may turn cautious again when economic stimulus packages end. More jobs are expected as employers start to hire aggressively again, all thanks to Singapore’s economic engine which is chugging again. Initiatives like Jobs Credit have helped. However, the government has announced that the wage subsidy scheme designed to stem unemployment will end in June next year. Hudson said companies might become cautious again then. Gina Mclellan, country manager, Hudson Singapore, said: "That would be a concern towards the end of next year when the package comes to completion. This also happens internationally where a number of stimulus packages will actually come to an end. "Some as early as quarter one and then it would take a period for the market to self—adjust, to come to terms to the fact that they don’t have the savings anymore. So, I think there will be a period of uncertainty to see how the global economy works with these new constraints." According to the Hudson Report, the higher hiring expectations cuts across key business sectors. Banking and Financial Services is the most bullish, with confidence returning to the sector, after being battered by the financial meltdown. Going forward, Hudson said the top HR priorities are talent development and retention. HR practitioners said reinstating cutbacks during the recession would be an important incentive. David Ang, executive director, Singapore Human Resources Institute, said: "If companies are doing well and are making profits and they’ve been able to manage cost and reduce their cost because of sacrifices from the employee, then in addition to all the things which I’ve mentioned earlier in terms of cost management as well as in terms of productivity programmes, I think it’s good to return some of these sacrifices back to the employee, and encourage them to stay on and help with the growth of the organisation." The Hudson Report surveyed some 600 executives in August. CNA/vm

Executive hiring in Asia improves sharply - Hudson Reuters - Thursday, October 22 By Susan Fenton HONG KONG, Oct 22 - Job prospects for executives at multinationals in Greater China and Singapore have improved sharply in the past three months amid growing optimism that Asia's recovery from the global recession will be sustainable, a quarterly survey showed on Thursday. "Asia is the first region to emerge from the global recession, causing employers to revise their hiring expectations sharply upwards," said Mike Game, chief executive of executive recruiters Hudson Asia. In China, hiring prospects picked up for the first time in more than a year. The proportion of employers in China, Hong Kong and Singapore who plan to cut headcounts within three months is less than half that in a similar survey taken in May. The latest survey was taken in August. Hiring expectations have increased most in Hong Kong, where 35 percent of companies say they expect to recruit staff within three months, up from 22 percent in May. In media, public relations and advertising, 69 percent of companies said they would be hiring, compared with 28 percent in the previous survey. In China, 39 percent of employers said they planned to add staff, up from 27 percent in the May survey, with companies in banking and finance most bullish about hiring. Hong Kong and Singapore pulled out of recession in the second quarter while China on Thursday announced an 8.9 percent surge in third-quarter GDP, putting it easily within reach of its 8 percent growth target for this year, economists say. [iD:nSP527740] WAGE GROWTH Salaries are set to accelerate across Asia next year as business conditions improve: a survey by U.S. HR consultants Hewitt Consultants forecasts salaries in China will jump 6.7 percent next year after rising only 4.5 percent this year. Pay rises in Hong Kong and Singapore will be more modest at just under 3 percent. [iD:nHKG252067] In Singapore, 34 percent of companies in the Hudson survey said they would be hiring soon, up from 26 percent in the May survey, and only 5 percent said they would cut staff, compared with 14 percent in May. The healthcare and life sciences sector continues to offer the best hiring opportunities in Singapore with 44 percent of companies preparing to add headcount, while the consumer sector has seen a slight fall in hiring expectations since May. Singapore employers were most willing to hire candidates who had been unemployed for more than a year, or an extended period of time, while employers in China were least willing to do so, according to Hudson, part of Chicago-based Hudson Highland Group Inc <HHGP.O>. Previous experience and specialist skills were cited as the main reasons to hire the long-term unemployed across the region but, in China, stopping work to obtain a higher qualification was also seen as a valid reason. The quarterly survey covered responses from nearly 2,000 managers at multinational companies across industries in the three markets. susan.fenton@thomsonreuters.com; +852 2843 6367; Reuters Messaging: susan.fenton.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

Enhance productivity and skills to protect jobs: Tharman Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, October 20 SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament on Monday that when the Jobs Credit Scheme ends, the focus will be on building skills and thus wages, across all levels. He has also indicated that there will be no major shift from the expansionary fiscal stance of this year’s Budget although it is too early to say what Singapore’s fiscal position will be. The Jobs Credit Scheme, introduced as part of the government’s Resilience Package earlier this year has helped to mitigate the scale of Singapore’s economic decline and job losses. Despite the sharp fall in the country’s GDP, unemployment went up moderately and local employment actually increased by 7,000. A Manpower Ministry survey conducted from May to July 2009 also showed that some three in four companies had postponed or reduced layoffs. Under the scheme, employers receive a 12 per cent cash grant on the first S$2,500 of each month’s wages for each employee on their CPF payroll, up till December 2009. After that, two additional Jobs Credit payments will be based on six per cent and four per cent of the salary. Even though the scheme has been extended another six months, MPs were concerned about the impact it will have on workers — especially those 45 years and above — when it does end. MP for West Coast GRC, Ho Geok Choo, said: "Would the eventual cessation of Jobs Credit scheme cause employers to stop making new hires? And would it also lead to less emphasis on training and productivity?" Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam noted that the focus has shifted from broad relief measures to those targeted at restructuring, and preparing for longer term growth. He said: "This means measures that all companies can enjoy if they are putting into place productivity—enhancing measures or measures that increase innovative capacity, as well as measures some companies will enjoy more than others — because they are the ones that are growing fastest, investing more and are likely to lead the economy not just out of recession but are likely to lead the economy and for growth over the next five years. So we’ll be more discriminating, we’ll be more targeted." But he added it is not just helping companies to create high—end jobs. Mr Tharman said: "It means improving our worker’s capabilities up and down the line — from the simplest jobs to the most complex jobs. Every worker can improve, every job can yield higher productivity and therefore higher pay. So whether it’s a mature worker or younger worker, we’ve got to address this across the board." The Economic Strategies Committee, formed in May this year to look at how to position Singapore for sustained growth in the long term, is looking into this issue of enhancing workers’ productivity to increase wages. The committee will release its key recommendations in January and its full report by mid—2010. CNA/vm

How to Be a MILLIONAIRE ??? Retire With S$1 Million – even if you haven’t started to save By Stephanie Thng, Funds Supermart Start saving early and it could make a world of difference to your retirement plans. Time is your best friend as you will find in this story. Here, we assume five individuals at different stages of their life, from those earning at entry-level, to those close to retirement age. All aim to achieve a monthly income of S$2,500 during their retirement years from age 62 to 82. We also taken into account that the inflation rate stands at 3% per annum, meaning that the general cost of goods and services rises by that amount each year. Further, we assume that whatever the investors save during their pre-retirement days will earn 8% annually. After they hit the age of 62, we assume that the return on their savings drops to 4% per annum as they take less risk in their investments. This simple illustration does not take into account your other financial needs, such as whether you have planned for your insurance needs (life or term insurance, mortgage insurance, health and hospitalization plans). If You're 25 Savings: S$0 Monthly Salary: S$2,500 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months Housing Loan: Not Required What You Need to Save per Month for the next 37 years: S$158.30 Planning for your retirement when you are 25 years old may seem a bit far-fetched. But the benefits of starting early cannot be underestimated. Assuming that a person starts working at 25 with a salary of S$2,500, you would need to save S$158.30 per month to ensure that your retirement income can stand at S$2,500 per month during your retirement days, which we assume will run from the age of 62 all the way to 82. Even with no savings to start with, having a regular savings plan (RSP) may be a good way to start planning. An RSP would ensure that you have the discipline to force yourself to invest – there is little room for excuses! Very often, we may be tempted to use up our savings for a travel trip or to purchase that dream car. And even for those who believe in the merits of investing, they may not have the discipline of investing regularly because they feel it is not the "right" time to invest. This could be especially true when markets are going through a bull run and some may feel that it is too expensive to go into markets. An RSP is a disciplined way to ensure that you will invest no matter markets are up, down or sideways. If You're 35 Scenario 1 Savings: S$0 Monthly Salary: S$6,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months Housing Loan: S$800 per month over 30 years What You Need to Save per Month for the next 27 years: S$666.57 Scenario 2 Savings: S$40,000 (earning 1% p.a.) Monthly Salary: S$6,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months Housing Loan: S$800 per month over 30 years What You Need to Save per Month for the next 27 years: S$620.73 At the age of 35, the monthly salary is assumed to have risen to S$6,000. But being able to afford an expensive lifestyle has meant that there are no savings in the bank account, and now you have a housing loan to deal with. While things do not look very bright, it is not too late. Save S$666.57 per month and you could ensure that you have S$2,500 every month during your retirement days. If You're 45 Scenario 1 Savings: S$0 Monthly Salary: S$8,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months Housing Loan: S$800 per month over 20 years What You Need to Save per Month for the next 17 years: S$1692.34 Scenerio 2 Savings: S$40,000 (earning 1% p.a.) Monthly Salary: S$8,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months Housing Loan: S$800 per month over 20 years What You Need to Save per Month for the next 17 years: S$1582.63 At the age of 45, things will get tougher if no plans have been made yet for retirement. After all, the time horizon till the retirement age of 62 is less than 20 years. Assuming that there are no savings in the savings account, you would need to save S$1692.34 per month. And even with savings of S$40,000, you would still need to save S$1,582.63 per month. If You're 55 Scenario 1 Savings: S$0 Monthly Salary: S$10,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months What You Need to Save per Month for the next 7 years: S$5319.54 Scenario 2 Savings: S$40,000 (earning 1% p.a.) Monthly Salary: S$10,000 Rate of Increase in Wages: 3% p.a. Number of Months in Bonus: 2 months What You Need to Save per Month for the next 7 years: S$4937.02 The lesson is to start early. The later you drag your retirement planning, the higher the cost. You would need to save over S$5,000 per month (over half your salary) from the age of 55 to 62 to ensure that you have S$2,500 per month during your retirement days.

UPzzz !!!

UPzzz

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Universal Studios theme—park at Sentosa to offer 18 unique rides and attractions Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, October 21 Singapore: Island resort Sentosa will soon be home to the world’s tallest duel roller—coaster ride and movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Shrek and the motley mob of Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria last spotted in Madagascar,the movie. The Universal Studios theme—park which will be housed on the 49 hectares Resorts World at Sentosa, revealed Tuesday its two dozen attractions, including 18 rides and attractions specially created or adapted for Singapore. “Universal Studios Singapore will be its own unique experience and family destination with many new rides, shows and themes that can’t be found at other Universal Studios parks around the world,†said Tom Williams, chairman and CEO, Universal Parks & Resorts. Speaking at Tuesday’s unveiling of some of the theme—park’s attractions, Williams said attention was paid to location—specific creatives and designs so as to offer both first—time and devoted Universal Studios visitors, an exciting, different and memorable experience. The theme—park will feature seven zones, each with its own iconic food outlets and entertainment attractions. Tied—in to movie favourites, are the Madagascar and Far Far Away zones, featuring attractions for both young and old. Visitors can explore Shrek’s swamp home, a castle and party at a Knight Club, or ’move it, move it’ with wacky King Julien at a beach party after outwitting the Foosa in an original, one—of—a—kind immersive river ride that should be as wild as the lemur tribe of Madagascar. Sci—fi buffs will have a city of their own and be able to join in the Human vs Cylons battle on the Battlestar Galactica dueling coasters, the tallest of its kind in the world. Another battle in this zone is the highly—anticipated Transformers ride which debuts at Universal Studios Singapore before heading out to the US theme—park. As for adventure—seekers, they can trip to the 1930’s Golden Age of Egyptian Exploration to discover the Sphinx, Pharaoh’s tombs and mummies in the Revenge of the Mummy attraction, or take on the Lost World zone inhabited by dinosaurs at the redesigned Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and Waterworld, with death defying stunts. At the Hollywood zone, visitors can expect Broadway—style theatre modelled after the famous Hollywood Pantages Theatre and walk down Hollywood Boulevard complete with the famous Walk of Fame. Without hopping on a jet, visitors will be transported to New York for a slice of the Big Apple, from NY—style pizza to movie—set scenes, including a special effects stage with Steven Spielberg who offers behind—the—scenes peeks and Stage 28 for star wannabes who get a chance to be part of a movie production. “Asians love movies and we are proud to introduce the region’s first and only Universal Studios theme park" said Tan Hee Teck, CEO of Resorts World Sentosa. According to Tan, the project is in the final stages of construction, and Universal Studios Singapore will be one of the biggest and most exciting theme—parks in the world. Apart from Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park which will have 30 restaurants and food carts, as well as 20 retail stores and carts supporting the various attractions, Resorts World boasts the world’s largest Marine Life Park, a destination spa — ESPA and a designer casino. Resorts World at Sentosa is slated to have its soft opening in early 2010. CNA/sf

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PICs of the Beauties.

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OK will try to post some pics later.

Trying to reduce bio-load in moi packed tanky. So gotta sell the following healthy & colorful livestocks asap: 1.) Hybrid Black Tang, 4 inch $300 2.) Powder Blue Tang, 4 inch $30 3.) Brilliant Yellow Tang, 4 inch $60 4.) African Longfinned Fairy Wrasse, aka Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis, Males x 2pc, $30 Only interested parties, pl PM moi ya contact details to confirm collection. Prices are fixed & wanna-be 'aeroplane' please stay clear.

WAH !...U didn't top-up some exotic ZOAs from there ?

SingTel charges just S$23 for all EPL games on mio TV Channel NewsAsia - Sunday, October 11 SINGAPORE: SingTel unveiled on Saturday football fans need to pay just S$23 to watch the Barclays English Premier League (EPL) on mio TV starting next year. The telco on October 1 announced it had won the rights to the popular EPL for three years, starting from the 2010 season, after out—bidding rivals StarHub. Fans had earlier expressed reservations it could cost more to switch from the current provider to SingTel. However, the company has slashed the price by some 60 per cent from the current S$53 charged by StarHub. StarHub’s S$53 charge comprises S$24 for a basic package, S$25 for the sports package and S$4 for rental of the set—top box. To catch EPL on mio TV, subscribers will only pay S$23, which covers all 380 Premier League Games, and comes inclusive of a set—top box and without the need for a basic plan. Subscribers who sign up for a year will get the UEFA Champions League for free. Said Allen Lew, chief executive officer of SingTel: "We have a total sports package that will be sold at S$25, again unbundled and that S$25 would include the Barclay’s Premier League, ESPN, Star Sports and ESS News, which is a new 24—hour (sports) news channel." SingTel said it is rolling out the pricing now because of media feedback, and it plans to monetise its huge investment with innovative content on various platforms. Pricing for multi—media channels will be announced later. SingTel also said pricing for non—household users such as pubs and hotels will also be competitive. The telco said technology will also be enhanced to make the connection in homes more user—friendly and seamless with two set—top boxes. This will be done by bringing in audio—visual experts to fine—tune the system. SingTel is confident the lower pricing will attract existing pay—TV customers, and even those who currently do not use such services. SingTel said it was under no pressure from the authorities to come up with its current pricing strategy. However, the prices will be maintained for only one season until May 2011, after which they will be reviewed. The company added that all households will be able to receive the channel by July next year. CNA/yb

Owen braced for facing Reds fans in United shirt By ROBERT MILLWARD,AP Soccer Writer - Tuesday, October 20 LONDON – Michael Owen knows how tough it is trying to convince England coach Fabio Capello he's good enough for the World Cup, especially as it might well be in vain. The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle striker has fought back from persistent hamstring injuries, a knee operation and a foot fracture and emerged still trying to sound positive. Now comes possibly the most difficult task of all. Once the favorite of the Liverpool fans, Owen now has to face them at Anfield wearing a Manchester United shirt. When it comes to soccer, the followers of the two most successful clubs in English league history hate each other. Few players wind up playing for both clubs and, although Owen has taken a round trip via Madrid and Newcastle, the Liverpool fans are likely to forget all the great goals he scored for their team when they see him wearing United's colors. "I would prefer people to sit down and recognize what you did for them and for the team in years gone past," Owen said. "But I am pretty realistic as well and now that I am playing for their arch rivals... I am not holding my breath, put it that way." Owen hopes the Liverpool fans will acknowledge he is a professional player earning a living. After disappointing spells at Madrid and Newcastle, he badly needs a break to get back to the top of English soccer and recapture his England place. With Liverpool seemingly not interested in taking him back, he had to go to a club capable of winning titles. Manchester United appeared to be the ideal choice although not in the eyes of the Liverpool fans. "People talk about loyalty in football. It is easy for a football supporter to preach about that," Owen said. "As a father, brother and son, there is no one more loyal than me. But when you are a player, you are not a fan. I have got to earn a living, provide for my family. It is a job opportunity, just like anyone else's work." Owen has faced Liverpool before. As a Newcastle player last season, he played in both Premier League games that his former club won, 5-1 and 3-0. But this is different. And if Wayne Rooney fails to recover from injury, there is a good chance Owen will start or at least be on the bench at Anfield. The thought doesn't appear to worry him. Neither, it seems, do his so far fruitless efforts to get Capello to select him for England. The Italian coach has guided England impressively to the 2010 World Cup with nine wins in 10 qualifying matches without any help from Owen, a veteran of three such championships and with 40 goals in 89 games for his country. Capello persistently says "the door is still open" when the subject is raised of Owen's inclusion in the England squad although that doesn't sound like much encouragement for the 29-year-old striker. The player's argument is that he won't let Capello down and he has plenty of experience of World Cups, whereas younger players might freeze on the big occasion. "Everyone knows if I play then I am likely to score every other game," he said. "Playing in a World Cup wouldn't bother me. In fact, I would raise my game, as happened before in big games. Naturally I would like to be in the squad, but the last thing I want to be is campaigning." With Sunday's game looming, Owen has plenty to think about as the Man United stars make the long journey to and from their Champions League group game against CSKA Moscow in Russia. Owen, who is in the horse business as a stable owner, can check the racing papers for the odds on his thoroughbreds. He might also note that that the bookmakers rate him a 9-4 shot to play at the World Cup but 1-3 that he won't. If that doesn't worry him, there's always the thought of facing those Liverpool fans.

MDA still studying how best to regulate pay—TV market Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, October 20 SINGAPORE: The Media Development Authority is still studying how best to regulate the pay—TV market. For now, it will not intervene in the exclusive sale of football broadcasting rights. The issue was raised in Parliament on Monday, with MPs concerned that competition between service providers StarHub and SingTel would lead to consumers losing out. Free market competition in the pay—TV market has so far led to a wider choice of programmes for consumers. But the sale of exclusive English Premier League broadcasting rights to SingTel has prompted MPs to ask whether the government should step in. They were concerned that consumers would end up paying more. Acting Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts, Lui Tuck Yew, said: "Hypothetically, we can tell whoever it is — service providers — that you can only charge subscribers a certain amount. And so they would bid accordingly. "But bear in mind, that the content owner is not obligated to sell us this. And so the content owner may very well say that, ’I will not sell to Singapore’. And we will be at the greater loss, particularly for the consumers who say they are prepared to pay the price for the package." Mr Lui added that it is too early to tell if the pay—TV market is too small to sustain competition and he said the situation is different from the free—to—air market which tried to introduce competition a few years ago. He said: "In the case of SPH’s MediaWorks and MediaCorp, they decided that the free—to—air television market was not large enough to sustain both players, and hence made a commercial decision to consolidate. For the pay TV market, the competition landscape is still evolving." The Media Development Authority is concerned about the growing number of exclusive arrangements between content owners and service providers which could deter newcomers. Previously when StarHub Cable Vision was the only provider, Mr Lui said there were only about 64 channels locked into these exclusive contract arrangements. Now, that has more than doubled, to 131 channels. Mr Lui said these barriers to entry go against the government’s aim of encouraging more service providers to enter the market when the Next Generation Broadband Network gets off the ground. Replying to MPs, Mr Lui said that regulation will not come easy. Authorities have to bear in mind international rules on commercial agreements for the broadcast of sports and these have to be balanced against the interests of both the market and consumers. CNA/vm

La Liga - Ronaldo set for billionaire status Eurosport - Mon, 19 Oct 11:08:00 2009 Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become football's first billionaire, earning an incredible £16,000 a minute. The former Manchester United ace is to be offered a staggering £1.5 million a game to take part in a series of friendlies in the Middle East, according to a report in the Daily Star. That would see the current world footballer of the year take over from David Beckham as the planet's richest player and send him on his way to becoming the game's first billionaire. Real are considering a tour of the Middle East with oil barons are prepared to shell out megabucks to lure the Spanish club - and main attraction Ronaldo - to Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Real will be offered £3m per game for the tour during Spain's annual winter break, with that amount to be split 50-50 with Ronaldo to ensure the Portuguese is included in the trip. A source told the Daily Star: "Real Madrid are the team of the moment and Ronaldo is the player everyone wants to see. "He is the key to the deal. These wealthy businessmen are willing to break the bank to get him to play at their local stadium. Money really isn't an obstacle for these people. "Real can virtually name their price if they include Ronaldo in the squad." Ronaldo, bought by Real for £80m in the summer, already earns £12m a year at the Bernabeu, while pocketing a small fortune from a number of endorsement deals and his three clothing boutiques. Eurosport

Veri swee leh...hint hint.

Prefer the sweet cutie GALS though...Ooops !

Buy the Wrassey book la & U will know...heh heh

WAH !...time to show & tell ya new exquisite GEMs from GO !

Almost...but it's a C.morrisoni, female. (Source: Fairy & Rainbow Wrasses & their relative, by Rudie H Kuiter, Page 38)

Looks like ya STAGs need some 'pruning'.