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| A fresh look
at contract employment |
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Imagine this: You have just
graduated and are applying for a job. You find to your
surprise that many government departments are offering
contract appointments to new recruits just like what private
companies are doing. “Oh, so there’s no longer any iron
rice bowl in the Civil Service?” you wonder.
You check with a few ministries and the human resource
(HR) officers explain that contract staff who perform
well will be given a permanent position either before
or when their contract ends. The HR officers assure you
that contract officers get similar leave and medical benefits
and training opportunities as permanent officers.
You think about it and tell your parents: “The contract
job is not bad since I get similar benef ts. I get a chance
to try the job and see if I like the employer before I
decide if I want to stay on after my contract ends.”
Upon starting work, you find that almost all the new entrants
are contract staff. Those in permanent positions were
previously on one- to two-year contracts. In addition,
you meet a couple of officers who are specially employed
for specific projects and will leave the Service once
their project is completed. There is even an
overseas specialist on contract terms who’s rumoured to
be earning highly competitive rates.
After some time on the job, you attend various training
courses, all of which are government-sponsored, and you
even request for some unrecorded leave to study for a
part-time course you are taking up on the side. When you
fall ill, you visit your doctor and get the same subsidy
as your colleagues who are in permanent positions. Compared
to your friends in the private sector, you seem to have
it good.
Time flies and your contract will expire in six months’
time. Your supervisor and director speak to you about
your career plans and appointment to a permanent position
on the expiry of your contract. You think about it and
decide to accept the offer as you know that opportunities
for exposure to different types of work abound in the
Civil Service.
A week later, your junior college friend emails you for
advice on a contract position offered by a ministry. You
can’t wait to share from your own experience… |
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| CONTRACT
EMPLOYMENT IN THE CIVIL SERVICE |
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Contract employment is
increasingly being offered to new entrants
to the Civil Service. It gives ministries
greater flexibility in managing their
manpower needs and allows them to assess
the suitability of new officers for
a long-term career with the organisation.
However, it is a sword that cuts both
ways as contract officers are also more
likely to leave for other organisations
offering them a permanent position if
job security is what they value.
Contract officers in the Civil Service
can be broadly classified into three
groups. The majority of them are tested
for long-term careers. The second group
are those brought in to do specific
projects within a certain timeline.
Their contracts end when their projects
are completed. The last group comprises
those with specialised skills which
the Civil Service needs for a certain
period and hence are brought in for
a fixed term. They draw a much higher
salary because of their special expertise.
Civil Service contract employment is
different from that offered by the private
sector, which generally provides fewer
benefi ts for their contract staff.
Our contract officers enjoy similar
medical, health and leave benefits as
those in permanent positions. They are
also entitled to 100 hours of training
yearly for their personal development
and learning. |
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By Lin Shilie, PSD
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