Service, and the Challenges ahead

new opportunities, new challenges

Skills, age and foreigner concerns surface as service sector sees transformation

Monday • February 4, 2008, TODAY

ONG YE KUNG



A MAJOR development in Singapore's economy over the past few years has been the transformation of the service sector, our entertainment scene and nightlife. Singaporeans are looking forward to several major and iconic tourism investment projects.But going through changes, even good changes, can be uncomfortable.


Three concerns have surfaced for discussion.


First, employers are worried that Singaporeans do not have the mindset to fill job vacancies in the service sector. Some argue that Singaporeans simply do not have the DNA for service, unlike the Japanese or Hong Kong people.


But that cannot be true. Many frequent travellers had observed that Hong Kong's service level improved dramatically early this decade. If service attitude is embedded in the culture or DNA of a society, such a rapid transformation would not have been possible.It is true that people have their unique strengths, and some have strengths not in the frontline.


But service is a skill, which can be taught. Of course, the passion to serve and the sincerity in serving take time, and has to be inculcated through experience and working with a good service company.Singaporeans do not shun service jobs. We hear many stories about professionals and executives who quit their jobs to become chefs or run restaurants. In the polytechnics, tourism-related disciplines are one of the most popular amongst students.Ultimately, workers are attracted to jobs that provide career advancement, give them a sense of professionalism and provide reasonable pay and working conditions.


The second worry, based on feedback from workers, is that some employers are not giving them a chance to take up service jobs. The older ones, especially, feel they are often rejected because of their age.


Rejecting a worker based on age is a moribund practice. Unfortunately, some companies still practise this, sometimes for purposes of administrative convenience — so many applications to go through, so, let's put away the older ones as a first cut. It is in employers' interest to abolish this practice because more than 50 per cent of our local workforce is now 40 years old or above. Can any business afford to turn away half their job applicants without any objective reason?


Workers will have to play their part, though. Service jobs are demanding and require skills and expertise. Perhaps we should have a training programme that puts tens of thousands of non-service sector workers through boot camps to train them in fundamental service skills.This will be a good start to enhance the skill profile of our workforce to better match the demands of the economy.


The third concern is a general one among Singaporeans. With a tight labour market, we will need to supplement the local workforce with foreign workers. Singaporeans are seeing more foreign workers at service touch points — in restaurants, department stores, buses and hotels.What would the impact of such a situation be on our service level?


Will we lose our "Singaporeanness" with foreign workers manning these touch points?Having foreign workers at the service frontline can, but does not necessarily, lower service standards or change our service identity. I used to hear numerous complaints that many Singaporean front desk receptionists are not well-versed in Mandarin and thus cannot serve tourists from China well.Now, some hotels in Singapore have Chinese from the mainland at the front desk. But recently, an acquaintance from Europe said that when he arrived at his hotel, he was disappointed because the receptionist, who was from China, could hardly speak English.


So, good service is perhaps not about whether we have local or foreign workers. It is the company that needs to uphold its good service brand. It needs to select suitable candidates, local or foreign, with the right attributes and skills.Singapore Airlines (SIA) is a good example. An SIA steward or stewardess can be a local or a foreigner. All go through stringent training based on the airline's standards. Many are bilingual, know how to carry themselves well and are able to uphold the image of the airline.The blend of Singaporeans and foreigners donning the sarong kebaya projects the image of a multicultural and cosmopolitan city very effectively.


The advent of big and new tourism- related projects in the next few years will affect employers and workers tremendously. It will be a new competitive landscape in the service sector. Those who can tackle these three challenges will be most likely able to tap an unprecedented range of new opportunities.


The writer is chief executive of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.