Anyone who has searched for a job knows the feeling of disappointment when a potential employer doesn’t call. Magnify that disappointment tenfold over, and then you can begin to understand what it feels like for individuals who are disadvantaged in anyway.
Low Qualification is generally equivalent to low wage and limited career prospects
” Half of the resident working population, or 52 per cent, have earning power natinally constrained by limited education.” (Singapore – The Straits Times, May 3, 2007)
“…Income gaps are widening. This is a problem for those at the bottom, but it is also a problem for the rest of the society if those at the bottom feel left out.” (Singpaore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Budget Speech 2007)
“Low wage workers face many challenges, both present and future, to their employability and income security. They are at risk for retrenchments and structural unemployment. With low wages, they find it difficult to meet daily expenses for household needs including housing, food and transport. They are unlikely to put aside enough for their medical and retirement needs. (Singapore – MOM Press Release 2005, Ministrial Committee Study on Ways to Help Low Wage Workers)
“Rising income and wealth inequalities, if not matched by a corresponding rise of incomes across the nation, can lead to social unrest.” (India – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh)
Ex-Offenders, People recovering from mental illness, the Middle-aged and Senior Citizens etc.
Every year 11,000 ex-offenders walk out of the prison gates, to face the uncertainty of survival in a cynical and often unforgiving society. (Singapore)
“It is difficult for an ex-offender to become a law abiding, tax-paying citizen without a job. Unless society wants to continue to spend its tax dollars on building more and more jails, prisons, ex-offenders need the opportunity to rejoin the workforce.” (Les Rosen, September 2003, Criminal Records and Getting Back into the Workforce: Six Critical Steps for Ex-offenders – Trying to Get Back into the Workforce)
“Retrenched middle-aged workers face difficulty in seeking employment…” (Singpaore – Zaobao, May, 3, 07)
“Work has been shown to have a beneficial effect on mental health (Becker, Meisler, Stormer, & Brondino, 1999), while unemployment has been found to adversely affect mental health (Howarth, Kenway, Palmer, & Street, 1998). People with mental illness who are employed have significantly higher levels of self-esteem and also value work more highly than unemployed people with mental illness (Van Dongen, 1996). Employed individuals reported that work was both a distraction from symptoms and a means of managing them. Yet it remains the case that mental illness can be a tremendous obstacle to an individual’s attempts to find and hold employment.” (Silver Ribbon Singapore)