Rental data to be released on quarterly basis

Rental data to be released on quarterly basis

The move comes on the back of calls from businesses for greater transparency in the rental market. This has led to the Singapore Business Federation introducing the Fair Tenancy Framework, which includes the release of clearer rental data as an initiative.

SINGAPORE: Businesses will get greater clarity on trends in Singapore's rental market. Starting on Thursday (Jan 22), more detailed data on rents for retail, office and industrial space will be released by the Government every quarter.

The move comes on the back of calls from businesses for greater transparency in the rental market. Earlier this week, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) introduced the Fair Tenancy Framework, which includes the release of clearer rental data as an initiative.

Many businesses have complained of soaring rental rates imposed by landlords, which threaten to heighten operating costs. With the new move, the public can now view rental data at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile by floor level and area.

For instance, if one wants to find out the monthly unit rent for retail space at the 25th percentile in District 9, which includes the Orchard area, one can now look at what trends are like for basement units that are 30 square metres and below. Previously, rental data was only released at the 50th percentile and by street name, excluding information by floor level and area.

Ms Cynthia Phua, chairman of the rental practices working group at SBF, said: ”Having the 25th percentile and the 75th percentile - that part in itself will give a very good range for a tenant who is assessing the rental for that unit itself, whether they are transacting at the upper range of the rental range, or the lower range."

The new data can be accessed on the websites of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and industrial landlord JTC Corporation.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry said the additional details covering floor level and unit size will help businesses make more informed decisions before signing a contract.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said: "Feedback from businesses is that we have to be a little bit more specific. Then the question is: How specific we want to go?

"If we want to be too specific, say, for example by every single building, we have a few considerations. Where do you get the data? And whether in obtaining the source of data, whether you actually intrude into the privacy or even ... contravene the data privacy law."

Depending on the response to the new set of data, further adjustments or additional information may be included in the future.

- CNA/ac/dl

- wong chee tat :)

Expect 5% annual transport fare hikes till 2016

Expect 5% annual transport fare hikes till 2016

Before slowing to 2.7% yearly increases.

"With an estimated 8% of accumulated fare revision not implemented in 2012/13, we expect significant fare hikes of 5% p.a. over the next three years, before reverting to a more normalised annual rise of 2.7%," said Maybank Kim Eng in its latest land transport sector report.

"Coupled with our long-term ridership forecasts of 2.3% p.a., we expect sector revenue to be 43% higher in 2018," it added.

The research firm further noted that the Downtown line (DTL) will open in three stages over the next four years.

The resulting traffic cannibalisation once DTL Stage 2 operates in 2016 would have a "significant" negative impact on SMRT, and Maybank believes the market has largely ignored this negative implication and expect growing concern in the years ahead.

"We see the current business models for the PTOs as unsustainable and expect imminent changes. We also expect a transition to the new rail financing (NRF) framework for all existing rail lines over the next few years," reckoned Maybank.

This led the research firm to prefer ComfortDelGro among land transport stocks, given the fact that it is "anchored by stable acquisition-led earnings growth from its overseas units" and that comfortDelGro's valuation remains more attractive than SMRT.


- wong chee tat :)

More cyber-extortion cases involving foreign female suspects

More cyber-extortion cases involving foreign female suspects
By Saifulbahri Ismail | Posted: 13 February 2013 1919 hrs
     
SINGAPORE: The number of cyber-extortion cases involving foreign female suspects has gone up.

Police say last year more than 50 such cases were reported up from the 11 such cases reported for the whole of 2011.

The suspects usually get acquainted with the male victims via social networking websites like Tagged.com or Facebook.

In each case, the suspects attempted to extort money from the victims after threatening to post photographs or videos of the victims online following a cyber-sex session over webcams.

Police advise the public to take preventive measures when interacting online.

These include being wary of messages from strangers who want to be friends.

- CNA/xq

- wong chee tat :)

More Asian companies turning to bond market

More Asian companies turning to bond market
By Thomas Cho | Posted: 20 November 2012 2116 hrs
     
SINGAPORE: More Asian companies are turning to the bond market for a cheaper source of long-term financing.

This following rising liquidity in the region as major central banks in the United States, Europe and Japan undertake quantitative easing measures.

Bonds issued in Asia, excluding Australia and Japan, have increased some 55 percent from US$461 billion in the first 10 months of 2011 to US$706 billion till end of October this year.

Looking ahead, rising investor demand for safe assets will boost the Asian bond market further.

Debt financing through corporate bonds has been mostly popular among companies in South Korea and Japan.

Analysts said the trend has now caught on with Southeast Asian firms.

Bond issuance in local currency has grown 26 per cent in Indonesia and over 18 percent in the Philippines and Singapore in the second quarter of 2012 year-on-year.

And among the big players are companies in the energy, transportation, and real estate sectors.

Big issues include Genting Singapore's S$1.8 billion perpetual bonds at 5.125 percent, as well as several notes by OCBC and DBS.

Adam McCabe, Senior Portfolio Manager, Asian Fixed Income, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia, said: "From an investor's perspective, Southeast Asia has a very mature market relative to some of the more immature and developing markets. If you look at Singapore particularly, the sovereign rating is triple A. That is one of the very few triple A rated sovereign in the world."

With growing economic uncertainty, analysts said more investors are turning to safe assets like bonds.

Rising inflation is also a concern as investments in risky assets may yield negative real returns after adjusting for inflation.

Lenny Feder, Group Head of Wholesale Banking Management Group at Standard Chartered Bank, said: "People are risk-adversity these days. So, they have a lot of money sitting in cash. Cash in the bank account isn't earning very much at all. So, on a relative basis, a bond may be a more attractive investment. But, in addition, if you are going to invest in bonds globally, then will you rather be investing in Asia where there is a lot of growth potential versus the West, where there is less?"

Islamic bonds are now becoming popular as well in the region.

These bonds that do not pay coupon interest are likely to be in hot demand by cash-rich Middle Eastern investors.

Such bonds issued in Asia, excluding Australia and Japan, jumped 17 percent to US$17 billion in the first 10 months of 2012.

Sean Chang, Head of Asian Debt Investment at Baring Asset Management (Asia), said: "The yield differentiate in this region is still attractive and not mentioning currency wise, the outlook is also very positive. With the much better fundamentals in this part of the region, we saw Indonesia got upgraded earlier this year."

Singapore-listed Golden Agri-Resources has recently raised US$490 million from selling five-year Islamic medium-term notes, called sukuk.

- CNA/de


- wong chee tat :)

Unemployment 30m higher than before crisis: ILO

Unemployment 30m higher than before crisis: ILO
Posted: 12 October 2012 1249 hrs

TOKYO: There are now 30 million more people without jobs around the world than before the global financial crisis began, the head of the International Labour Organization said in remarks published Friday.

The figures come amid a growing debate over the merits of austerity, especially in Europe, where painful budget-cutting has pushed jobless levels as high as 25 percent in some countries, including debt-hit Greece and Spain.

"Global unemployment is still more than 30 million higher than before the crisis," said Director-General Guy Ryder. "And nearly 40 million more women and men have stopped looking for work."

He said around a third of the more than 200 million unemployed around the world are under 25.

"With the world's workforce growing by around 40 million a year, we face large and growing decent-work deficits stretching out years ahead.

"Of those employed, 900 million women and men are unable to earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the $2 a day poverty line."

Ryder said that figure would be 55 percent lower if the poverty reduction trend seen before the crisis had been maintained.

"This means that the damage of austerity measures has been more profound than previously thought.

"There is now an urgent need to revisit the timelines for fiscal balances, taking a much longer view of the time it will take to repair the damage done by the financial excesses of the pre-crisis period."

On Thursday, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said too much austerity too quickly could cause difficulties, particularly if a number of economies were chasing targets at the same time.

In a news conference, Lagarde said the IMF was happy for debt-addled Greece to have an extra two years to get its fiscal house in order, as new figures showed that one in four Greeks is unemployed.

"Instead of frontloading heavily, it is sometimes better -- given the circumstances and the fact that many countries at the same time go through that same set of policies with the view of reducing their deficits -- it is sometimes better to have a bit more time," she said.

"This is what we've advocated for Portugal, this is what we've advocated for Spain and this is what we are advocating for Greece.

"I have said repeatedly that an additional two years was necessary for the country to actually face the fiscal consolidation programme."

Lagarde also warned that while the world economy was still expanding "it's certainly not growing as it should to create jobs around the world", adding that it was crucial "to make sure there are jobs available for young people".

Greece is going through a painful round of austerity and spending cuts imposed on the country in return for promised loans and debt relief worth a total of about 347 billion euros ($448 billion) since 2010.

This week the OECD said unemployment in advanced countries stood at 7.9 percent, or around 47.8 million people, 13.1 million more than at the onset of the financial crisis in 2008.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which provides analysis and policy guidance for 34 leading countries, noted that unemployment rates continued to vary widely in August.

The OECD said unemployment in Spain also stood at around 25 percent, while in Portugal and Ireland it was 15.9 percent and 15 percent respectively.

- AFP/al

- wong chee tat :)

Companies still concerned about rising costs, inflation

Companies still concerned about rising costs, inflation
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 January 2010 0042 hrs

SINGAPORE : Even as the Singapore economy shows signs of recovery, companies have said they are still concerned about rising business costs and inflation.

But economists believe excess capacity around the world may somewhat cushion the impact.

The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) said two key thrusts for the year are manpower training and tapping on opportunities in the services sector. But uncertainties in Western markets remain a threat.

Speaking at a seminar on Friday, Teo Siong Seng, president, SCCCI, said: "We hope there will be fewer surprises like the Dubai credit crunch, and also cost - manpower cost and oil prices firming up. There is a concern whether there will be an inflation pressure in 2010."

But some economists said excess global capacity may keep inflationary pressure in check for now. And companies re-stocking inventories could provide support to world economies.

David Cohen, director of Asian Economic Forecasting, Action Economics, said: "So far, all we have had is just a slowing in the reduction in inventory. We have not seen much rebuilding yet, so that could potentially still remain supportive for at least the near term. I do not think it poses a major threat to the outlook for 2010."

Mr Cohen also expects the MSCI Asia-Pacific Equity Index to grow by about 10 per cent this year, in line with global economic recovery. The index mounted a strong rebound at the end of 2009, gaining some 34 per cent.

Still, observers have warned that there may be some headwinds that could restrain recovery in 2010. They include sluggish G7 growth after the crisis, weak consumer spending in the US and potential foreign exchange pressures.

Industry players also expect central banks to tighten their monetary policy this year.

Speaking at the seminar, UBS said the three-month Singapore Interbank Offered Rate could reach 0.8 per cent by end-2010, from the 0.5 per cent currently.

Going forward, observers expect Asia to lead the global turnaround, partly due to stronger balance sheets and robust rebound in manufacturing and trade. In particular, the prospects for China, India and Indonesia are most promising.

Professor Bernard Yeung, dean, NUS Business School, said: "New growth has to come out from very sharp resource allocation.

"The challenges would be how do we deal with allocation efficiency problem, how do we deal with productivity enhancement issues, how do we deal with cleaning up the environment, giving people good education, good healthcare that we can keep ourselves as a high skill, high productivity, innovative economy."

Experts also warned about asset bubbles which could push prices beyond fundamentals.

- CNA/ms

- wong chee tat :)

Harder to find jobs

Dec 16, 2009
Harder to find jobs

More degree-holders are without jobs and taking longer to find one

By Kor Kian Beng, Political Correspondent

More university graduates are without jobs and taking longer to land a job. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

DESPITE signs of a turnaround in the job market, university graduates are no better off.
In fact, more of them are without jobs and taking longer to land a job, according to revised official figures released on Tuesday.
Part of the reason is that they often tend to seek jobs that pay close to what they used to earn, said MP Josephine Teo, who is also assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress.
However, economists interviewed foresee their lot improving in the new year, when growth is expected to hit 5.5 per cent, according to a recent poll of 20 private-sector economists by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Meanwhile, the labour market in the third quarter, following Singapore's exit from recession, shows 'encouraging signs of a turnaround', said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The revised figures show more jobs were added, fewer people were laid off and there were more vacancies between June and September.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
kianbeng@sph.com.sg


- wong chee tat :)

2008 saw largest number of marriages since 2000

2008 saw largest number of marriages since 2000


By 938LIVE
Posted: 28 September 2009 1839 hrs

SINGAPORE: Last year saw the largest number of marriages since 2000. The Department of Statistics (DOS') latest population trend report said nearly 24,600 marriages were registered last year.

About 75 per cent of these marriages were first marriages compared to 81.5 per cent in 1998.

DOS said this indicated that remarriages were becoming more common, especially among men here.

However, marriage rates fell for both men and women below the age of 30, marking the largest fall since 2000 for men aged 25 to 29 and women aged 20 to 24.

Mirroring the trend of marrying later, the peak age group for marriage among men moved from the 25 to 29 age bracket in 2000 to 30 to 34 in 2008.

However, the peak age group for marriage among women remained the same for the 25 to 29 age group. There was a delay in first marriage across all age groups.

The report also showed that divorce rates were up across all age groups, with the most cases among younger couples in the 20 to 24 age bracket.

More than half of the divorces were of marriages which lasted less than 10 years. A third of divorces occurred within five to nine years of marriage.

- 938LIVE/vm

- wong chee tat :)

Job seekers in their 30s need reality check

Jos seekers in their 30s need reality check (Sunday Times 27 Sep)

Job seekers in their 30s need reality check
Experts advise lowering pay expectations as jobless rate for those in 30-39 age group goes up
By Shuli Sudderuddin

When Ms Cindy Lim was retrenched from her job in logistics in April, she realised that she had to lower her expectations if she were to get a new job quickly.
Rising unemployment
The labour market report for the second quarter of this year shows that the jobless rate for the 30 to 39 age group rose to 4.7 per cent, from 2.9 per cent last year. About 24,000 people were out of work, compared to 14,600 for the same period last year.
… more
Initially, the 34-year-old, who has a degree in logistics and supply chain management from the University of South Australia, expected to be paid close to what she got in her old job.
But this was a downturn and she did not get many responses despite sending resumes to many would-be employers.
She eventually landed a job in customer service last month. It was recommended by a friend and she took a $1,000 pay cut.
‘We can’t afford to be fussy,’ she said, referring to those in her age group.
Indeed, a readjustment of expectations is in order as statistics from the Ministry of Manpower show that those in the 30 to 39 age group have been hit hard by unemployment.
The labour market report for the second quarter this year shows that the jobless rate for this group rose to 4.7 per cent, from 2.9 per cent last year.
About 24,000 people in that age group were out of work, compared to 14,600 for the same period last year.
This represents an increase of 62.1 per cent, versus 39.4 per cent (for those below 30) and 48.5 per cent (for those aged 40 and over).
The jobless ranks among the 30 to 39 age group were across all educational groups, in particular those with degrees, polytechnic diplomas and below secondary school education.
HR experts said they could be shut out of new jobs because of pay expectations – even as the economy has hit a rough patch.
Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resource Institute, said they ask for higher pay as they are at the stage of their lives when they may need to care for young children and finance a home purchase.
‘They may only accept lower-paying jobs for a period because of this,’ he said.
Professor Richard Arvey, head of the department of management and organisation at NUS Business School, noted that employers are now cost-conscious and there might be a ’sensitivity to hiring older employees as they’re more expensive’.
Some in their 30s may also be reluctant to consider venturing into new careers, observed human resource firms.
But Mr Dhirendra Shantilal, senior vice-president (Asia-Pacific) at Kelly Services, feels that the jobless figures may be rooted in structural unemployment from the loss of jobs in certain sectors, which did not recover quickly enough and bore the brunt of the global crisis.
‘It is not an issue of employer attitude towards a certain age group or demographic segment,’ he said, noting that business clusters like finance, retail and manufacturing have suffered in the economic slowdown.
A spokesman for the Workforce Development Agency said that as of end-August, 19,000 job seekers were registered at the career centres at the community development councils.
About 4,600, or slightly above 20 per cent, were aged between 30 and 40.
The spokesman added that there are problems unique to this age group, such as childcare, which can hinder their ability to go for training, for instance.
‘There can also be mismatches in pay expectations between them and employers,’ she added, noting that some also lack the skills, such as resume writing and interview techniques, to secure a new job.
From December last year to last month, the career centres assisted and placed about 13,000 job seekers, of whom about 20 per cent were in their 30s.
Experts reassure those in this age group that they are a valuable asset to any company.
Said Mr David Wee, managing director of Lee Hecht Harrison, which helps clients recruit staff: ‘Companies know that it is important to retain high performers in their 30s – especially those who may have spent several years within an organisation and have gained considerable experience and expertise.’
He advised 30-somethings to make themselves more marketable by upgrading themselves with new skills and being more open to fresh opportunities.
For those out of work, he said: ‘In these formulative years, working on a contract or temporary basis for a while may also be a way back into the workforce.’
shulis@sph.com.sg


Changing dynamics.

- wong chee tat :)

H1N1 cases rise to 701 in Singapore

H1N1 cases rise to 701 in Singapore
Posted: 30 June 2009 1951 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed 72 new H1N1 flu cases, bringing the tally to 701 so far.

The Health Ministry says most cases are mild and to date, 281 patients have fully recovered and the rest are recuperating.

Singaporeans should carry on with their usual activities whilst observing good personal hygiene at all times. If unwell, they should see a doctor, stay away from work, school or crowded places, and rest at home.

Investigations are on-going for the 72 new cases. Of the 64 cases investigated on Tuesday, there were 42 local cases and 22 imported ones.

Of the latest cases investigated, the largest number of new cases were linked to the Republic Polytechnic, bringing the total number of cases there to 77.

Over 1,900 second- and third-year students have signed an online petition calling on the polytechnic to suspend classes, not just for first-year students but for them as well.

The polytechnic said it understands the students' concerns and has also received feedback from them through internal channels although it has not received any petition formally.

The school added that it is monitoring the situation closely and is prepared to take additional measures if required to safeguard the well-being of staff and students.

Another three new H1N1 cases were found linked to an orientation camp at the National University of Singapore, bringing the number of cases in that cluster to seven.

Clementi Camp had two new cases raising the total there to 55, while there was one new case each from the Raffles Institution Boarding School, Butter Factory, Maju Camp and Pulau Tekong Camp clusters.

- CNA/ir

- wong chee tat :)

Household electricity tariff to go up from July 1

Household electricity tariff to go up from July 1
By Lee Siew Hoon, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 June 2009 1604 hrs

SINGAPORE: After two quarters of downward adjustments, household electricity tariff will go up by 6.93 per cent or 1.25 cents per kilo watt hour (kWh) from July 1 to September 30.

Electricity supplier SP Services said the increase is due largely to higher average fuel oil prices from April to June, which hit S$76.24 per barrel.

This is a 26 per cent increase from the S$60.47 per barrel used in setting the previous quarter's tariff.

The tariff is calculated based on a new formula which kicks in next month.

Under the revised formula, the electricity tariff for the next quarter will be based on the average fuel oil prices in the preceding three months instead of the fuel oil price in the first month of the previous quarter.

SP Services said the tariff revision is mitigated by a reduction in the cost recovery fee which it collects to cover the costs of billing and meter reading.

The fee which forms part of the overall tariff will go down from 0.28 cent per kWh to 0.22 cent. SP Services said this reduction is due to its productivity improvements and cost reductions.

- CNA/vm

- wong chee tat :)

Singapore changes tactics to battle H1N1 influenza

Singapore changes tactics to battle H1N1 influenza
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, June 23

SINGAPORE: Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has spelt out measures in the country’s tactics to battle the H1N1 virus as circumstances in the country change.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, he said as the numbers in the country escalate, agencies have to shift their resources to focus on detecting and treating infected cases, paying special attention to high—risk patients.

From now, there will be a shift from alert level of Yellow Containment to Yellow Mitigation, and Singaporeans can expect some adjustments in the next few days.

Firstly, Mr Khaw said the Health Ministry (MOH) will take a much more focused approach on contact tracing. Most of the contact tracing efforts thus far concern flight passengers who sit close to confirmed cases.

But with community spread, the likelihood of infection has now shifted to the local community, instead of only the plane cabin.

Mr Khaw said MOH has started to scale down such contact tracing and it would henceforth decide on a case—by—case basis, taking into account the medical condition of the infected patients while they were on board a flight.

The minister, however, stressed that isolating close family members of confirmed cases remains a useful control measure. Temperature screening is also effective as one in four of those detected were picked up by the scanners.

Secondly, the hospitals have ramped up their laboratory facilities, so they are all capable of testing and confirming H1N1 cases.

Thirdly, the government has geared up all the public hospitals to handle H1N1 cases.

Mr Khaw said the 993 ambulances have begun sending suspect patients to all public hospitals, not just to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.


— CNA/so

- wong chee tat :)

Public hospitals gearing up for possible H1N1 surge

Public hospitals gearing up for possible H1N1 surge
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 19 June 2009 2144 hrs

SINGAPORE: Public hospitals in Singapore are gearing up to take in H1N1 patients.

Currently, H1N1 cases are only seen at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the Communicable Disease Centre and the KK Women's and Children's Hospital's paediatric unit.

But if Singapore moves from the containment to mitigation stage, once there is sustained community transmission, it is very likely that restructured hospitals will have to be roped in to manage H1N1 cases.

The National University Hospital (NUH) told Channel NewsAsia that it has been preparing for a possible surge since the first alert from the Health Ministry about two months ago.

Its spokesperson said measures it has prepared to take include postponing non-urgent elective surgeries to create surge capacity, equipping and converting some beds to create more isolation rooms, expanding a fever facility at the Accident and Emergency department and deploying more staff.

More staff will be deployed to A&E to cope with the increased workload once the fever facility is expanded, for example, to perform nasal swabs and provide explanations to patients and their families.

Posters and materials to educate and remind staff, patients and visitors on the importance of hand hygiene and Personal Protection Equipment will also be put up.

Over at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), staff are also prepared to manage and treat H1N1 patients.

SGH said its response preparedness was ramped up and put in place since the initial stages of the global outbreak.

The hospital has also set aside adequate isolation and intensive care facilities to manage the increase in H1N1 cases, especially in light of potential community spread.

- CNA/i

- wong chee tat :)

Swine Flu Update: WHO Declares Pandemic In Response To Ongoing Global Spread Of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus

Swine Flu Update: WHO Declares Pandemic In Response To Ongoing Global Spread Of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus

ScienceDaily (June 12, 2009) — On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, which causes swine flu. A Phase 6 designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway.

More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu. This number has been increasing over the past few weeks, but many of the cases reportedly had links to travel or were localized outbreaks without community spread. The WHO designation of a pandemic alert Phase 6 reflects the fact that there are now ongoing community level outbreaks in multiple parts of world.

WHO’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus. It’s uncertain at this time how serious or severe this novel H1N1 pandemic will be in terms of how many people infected will develop serious complications or die from novel H1N1 infection. Experience with this virus so far is limited and influenza is unpredictable. However, because novel H1N1 is a new virus, many people may have little or no immunity against it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against novel H1N1 virus.

In the United States, most people who have become ill with the newly declared pandemic virus have recovered without requiring medical treatment, however, CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this pandemic in the coming days and weeks. In addition, this virus could cause significant illness with associated hospitalizations and deaths in the fall and winter during the U.S. influenza season.

Background

Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April, 2009. It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus, but it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching your nose or mouth. Novel H1N1 infection has been reported to cause a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

The first novel H1N1 patient in the United States was confirmed by laboratory testing at CDC on April 15, 2009. The second patient was confirmed on April 17, 2009. It was quickly determined that the virus was spreading from person-to-person. On April 22, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate the public health response. On April 26, 2009, the United States Government declared a public health emergency and has been actively and aggressively implementing the nation’s pandemic response plan.

Since the outbreak was first detected, an increasing number of U.S. states have reported cases of novel H1N1 influenza with associated hospitalizations and deaths. By June 3, 2009, all 50 states in the United States and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were reporting cases of novel H1N1 infection. While nationwide U.S. influenza surveillance systems indicate that overall influenza activity is decreasing in the country at this time, novel H1N1 outbreaks are ongoing in parts of the U.S., in some cases with intense activity.

CDC is continuing to watch the situation carefully, to support the public health response and to gather information about this virus and its characteristics. The Southern Hemisphere is just beginning its influenza season and the experience there may provide valuable clues about what may occur in the Northern Hemisphere this fall and winter.

CDC Response

CDC continues to take aggressive action to respond to the outbreak. CDC’s response goals are to reduce the spread and severity of illness, and to provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this new public health threat.

CDC is issuing updated interim guidance in response to the rapidly evolving situation (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htm).

Clinician Guidance

CDC has issued interim guidance for clinicians on identifying and caring for patients with novel H1N1 (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/identifyingpatients.htm), in addition to providing interim guidance on the use of antiviral drugs (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/recommendations.htm). Influenza antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) with activity against influenza viruses, including novel influenza H1N1 viruses. The priority use for influenza antiviral drugs during this outbreak is to treat people hospitalized with influenza illness, and to treat people at increased risk of severe illness, including pregnant women, young children, and people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, heart or lung disease, kidney disease, weakened immune systems, and persons with neurologic or neuromuscular disease.

Public Guidance

CDC has provided guidance for the public on what to do if they become sick with flu-like symptoms, including infection with novel H1N1 (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm). CDC also has issued instructions on taking care of a sick person at home (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm) and the use of facemasks and respirators to reduce novel influenza A (H1n1) transmission (see: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/masks.htm). Everyone should take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, including frequent hand washing and people who are sick should stay home and avoid contact with others in order to limit further spread of the disease.

Testing

CDC has developed a PCR diagnostic test kit to detect this novel H1N1 virus and has now distributed test kits to all states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The test kits are being shipped internationally as well. This will allow states and other countries to test for this new virus.

Vaccine

Vaccines are a very important part of a response to pandemic influenza and the U.S. Government is aggressively taking early steps in the process to manufacture a novel H1N1 vaccine, working closely with manufacturers. CDC has isolated the new H1N1 virus, made a candidate vaccine virus that can be used to create vaccine, and has provided this virus to industry so they can begin scaling up for production of a vaccine, if necessary. Making vaccine is a long multi-step process requiring several months to complete.

Stockpile Deployment

CDC has deployed 25 percent of the supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to all states in the continental United States and U.S. territories. This included antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices. The influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. These supplies and medicines will help states and U.S. territories respond to novel H1N1 virus.

Surveillance

Novel influenza A (H1N1) activity is now being detected through CDC’s routine influenza surveillance systems and reported weekly in FluView. CDC tracks U.S. influenza activity through multiple systems across five categories. While our influenza surveillance systems indicate that overall influenza activity is decreasing in the United States, novel H1N1 outbreaks are ongoing in different parts of the U.S., in some cases with intense influenza-like activity. Most of the influenza viruses being detected now are novel H1N1 viruses.

Shared Responsibility

Individuals have an important role in protecting themselves and their families.

* Stay informed. Health officials will provide additional information as it becomes available.
* Everyone should take these everyday steps to protect your health and lessen the spread of this new virus:
o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
o Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
o Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
o If you are sick with a flu-like illness, stay home for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
o Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social
distancing measures.

- wong chee tat :)

Singapore confirms first case of swine flu

Singapore confirms first case of swine flu

SINGAPORE (AFP) – A 22-year-old Singaporean woman who returned from New York has tested positive for swine flu, in the city-state's first confirmed case, the Ministry of Health said.
"Singapore has confirmed its first case of influenza A(H1N1)," the ministry said in a statement.
It said the patient was being treated at a communicable disease centre and was in a stable condition.
The woman was in New York from May 14-24, returning on a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday, during which she developed a cough.
The ministry said all her "close contacts" will be quarantined and provided with antiviral medication.

-Many thanks to all who share the news!

- http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090527/wl_asia_afp/singaporehealthflu_20090527032810

- wong chee tat :)

CDCs see more people seeking help for jobs

CDCs see more people seeking help for jobs
By Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: The number of people seeking job help from Singapore's five Community Development Councils (CDCs) is rising fast.

In January, there were about 14,000. The number rose past 17,000 in February.

According to Central Singapore CDC, retrenched workers make up about 10 to 20 per cent of those seeking help at its career centre.

To meet demand, CDC career centres have been beefing up their services over the past few months.

More staff have also been hired to cope with the workload, and new initiatives started to give applicants training in jobseeking skills.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong was briefed on these measures at the Central Singapore CDC on Tuesday.

He said that the CDCs are also provided with job counsellors who work with the professionals, managers, executives and technicians or PMETs to assess their employment and training needs so as to better prepare them for job placements.

The CDCs are collaborating with other agencies as well as self-help groups to coordinate job placement efforts.

To help the PMETs, the CDCs have come up with new initiatives such as workshops and seminars. The first such programme was started in January. 50 people took part, and 80 per cent of them have found jobs.

- CNA/ir

- wong chee tat :)

Unemployment rate for Q1 likely to be higher than Q4 2008

Unemployment rate for Q1 likely to be higher than Q4 2008
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: With the first three months of 2009 just over, Singapore’s Manpower Minister, Gan Kim Yong, said the unemployment rate for the first quarter of this year is likely to be higher than the last three months of 2008.

Speaking to reporters at a community event on Sunday, he said while his ministry is seeing more retrenchment notices being issued, schemes like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) is helping companies cut costs to save jobs.

Detailed statistics about the job market in the first quarter of this year will be released shortly, said the manpower minister.

But as the economy has yet to recover, the ministry’s immediate focus is the unemployment situation and it will continue pressing on with the various schemes like SPUR and Jobs Credit Scheme to tackle the downturn.

Mr Gan said: "SPUR, Jobs Credit Scheme and the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme — so many programmes have been put in place, and we will continue to work hard with the tripartite partners to help our workers cope with the downturn.

"But we cannot just focus on the downturn. We still have to focus on the longer term fundamental issues, such as re—employment, employment of older workers and women. This is because when the economy recovers, the labour market will tighten again and so we must ensure we have this source of workers to support our economic growth in future."

Mr Gan believes SPUR has been very successful in the last four months. He said it has helped many companies reduce the number of workers who could have ended up being retrenched. With SPUR in place, some companies have decided to defer retrenchment and make a decision later.

But how quickly the Singapore economy recovers depends much on external factors like the global economy’s performance.

Mr Gan said: "We must prepare ourselves for another few quarters of downturn. What is more important now is to focus on managing the downturn and managing costs so that we can save more jobs.

"Sometimes during a downturn, restructuring is inevitable and some retrenchments are unavoidable. If employees are retrenched, we want to reach out to them to help them to upgrade themselves and increase their employability so that they can find jobs faster."

Mr Gan added that there are several sectors in Singapore which have job openings and his message to job seekers is to be flexible and consider sectors they may not have worked in before.

— CNA/yt

- wong chee tat :)

US unemployment rate jumps to 8.5% in March

US unemployment rate jumps to 8.5% in March

WASHINGTON : The US unemployment rate leapt to a new 25-year high of 8.5 per cent in March as recession-battered employers shed another 663,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported on Friday.

The monthly snapshot of the labour market, seen as one of the best indicators of economic momentum, showed widespread losses across most sectors of the economy as the jobless rate rose from 8.1 per cent in February.

The figures failed to provide a clear signal that the US economy has hit bottom after the worst recession in decades, but some analysts said the data did appear to confirm some easing of the pace of economic decline.

Since the recession began in December 2007, a staggering 5.1 million jobs have been lost, with 3.3 million occurring in the past five months, the agency said.

The report was roughly in line with forecasts from private economists, who on average had expected 658,000 job losses and an unemployment rate of 8.5 per cent.

The jobless rate is the highest since November 1983.

The weak labour market offered a clouded outlook for what some analysts say is a "bottom" for an economy ravaged by a housing meltdown that has hammered the banking sector and squeezed credit.

"The losses continue to be severe but we do see, and I think the market sees, some apparent peaking in the rate of decline, and that stabilisation is providing a little bit of cheer to the market," said Peter Kretzmer, senior economist at Bank of America.

"We've moved to a different phase of the business cycle," he said, with consumer spending steadying but companies still cutting investment and inventories.

This suggests "several more months of severe declines before things start to improve," Kretzmer said.

Revised data showed January job losses rose to 741,000, from an earlier estimate of 655,000 lost. The loss for February remained unchanged at 651,000.

Some said the markets were bracing for a potentially worse report.

"We were braced for a reading of 720,000 before expecting the 'freak-out' button to get hit," said Jon Ogg at 24/7 Wall Street.

"All we can hope is that the slowdown in firings starts to come into play if things in the economy start to see drops that are not as bad as the Depression-trade was indicating just a month ago."

The total number of unemployed rose to 13.2 million in March, with the number of long-term unemployed - jobless for 27 weeks or more - rising to 3.2 million.

In March, the goods-producing sector lost 305,000 jobs including 161,000 in manufacturing and 126,000 in construction.

The service sector, which provides the majority of US jobs, shed 358,000 positions including 43,000 in the financial sector.

The only sector to add employment was education and health care, up 8,000, while government employment fell by 5,000.

The average work week contracted to 33.2 hours from 33.3 hours, which analysts said could mean lower production and income, hurting the economy.

The US economy contracted at a steep 6.3 per cent pace in the fourth quarter as the recession deepened. The government will estimate first-quarter gross domestic product later this month.

Julia Coronado, economist at Barclays Capital, called Friday's report "uniformly weak, with sizable job losses across all sectors".

Coronado is forecasting a 5.5 per cent drop in US output in the first quarter of 2009. But she said the latest data shows an 8.7 per cent quarterly drop in total hours worked, which she said offers a good proxy for economic output.

"So there is a risk (first-quarter GDP) could be worse," she said.

- AFP/ms

Job losses this year expected to exceed 29,000, says SNEF

Job losses this year expected to exceed 29,000, says SNEF
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: This year’s retrenchment figures are likely to bust the record of 29,000 jobs lost in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis, according to Singapore National Employers Federation’s (SNEF’s) president, Stephen Lee.

Mr Lee was commenting on a survey finding by HR firm Manpower Staffing Services where 636 employers across seven industry sectors were polled.

The survey found that 50 per cent of employers anticipate a cut in headcount, 29 per cent expect no change, while only seven per cent expect to increase staff strength in the second quarter.

On an industry basis, the survey found that the bleakest prospects are in the transport and utilities sectors, followed by public administration and education.

Hiring prospects are also weak in the trade and retail and services sectors, although quarter—over—quarter, there has been a slight improvement in the outlook for the finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

One emerging trend is more contract hiring, which gives more flexibility to employers.

SNEF has seen such numbers growing from 172,000 in 2006 to 190,000 last year and expects it to strengthen further.

SNEF says the silver lining here are the few sectors that are still hiring like the integrated resorts and start—ups, and encouraging take—up rates for training.

13,000 workers from 30 companies are taking up the national training programme SPUR.

But the job situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

Mr Lee said: "NTUC’s secretary—general Lim Swee Say had already said most likely in the first quarter, retrenchment figures will hit 10,000. So if we work on that sort of figure, then I anticipate that in the second quarter, it (retrenchment figures) will continue to escalate. I don’t think we have seen the worst yet. Hopefully it will peak out in the second quarter of this year."

— CNA/yt

- wong chee tat :)