Singapore, 25 November 2021 – Tapping on technology to accelerate business transformation has given many enterprises a competitive advantage, particularly those who have focused on data and talent as the primary drivers. As with other business operations, an organisation’s Human Resource (HR) functions can also be digitalised and transformed for improved productivity and enhanced employee experience, and it is therefore critical for HR professionals to have the knowledge and tools to make that transformation.

2 To this end, Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have launched the  HR Tech Transformation Programme (HRTTP), which targets to benefit 50 enterprises and over 250 local HR professionals from SMEs and non-SMEs. The aim of the programme is to support enterprises in implementing HR technology through HR process re-engineering, redesigning of impacted HR job(s) and managing HR job transitions arising from the HR technology adoption. Participating enterprises have up to one year to complete their job redesign project.

3 With strengthened HR processes and redesigned HR roles, HR professionals could spend more time addressing strategic HR issues to meet organisation’s business objectives while leveraging HR technology to enable a positive employee experience and enhanced connectivity through online delivery of HR services.

4 The programme launch follows a pilot that started in March 2020 where 10 enterprises, of which five were SMEs, participated and implemented HR tech solutions. This programme enabled HR to implement various technology solutions such as mobile learning, digitised employee data collection, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). These resulted in higher productivity, time and cost savings and allowed close to 70 local HR professionals, of which 25 percent were mature workers, to take on higher-value job roles, like data analytics and designing employee experience strategies. Participants were from diverse backgrounds, including those who did not hold formal HR qualifications or individuals who have been working in the HR field for many years. Please refer to Annex B for a full write-up of how Fei Siong Food Management and LS 2 Services, two of the companies on board the pilot programme, benefitted from it.

5 In conjunction with HRTTP, a HR Job Redesign Toolkit has been developed to enable enterprises to self-help at scale for HR job roles to enable digital transformation and job redesign implementation at their workplace. This toolkit is a broad-based interactive tool to support HR in job redesign methodology and change management with downloadable templates, and will help HR professionals apply HR technology to different HR practices, understand its benefits and potential.

6 Mr Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG, said, “Technology has been a critical enabler in business transformation as it raises work efficiency and creates a more agile workforce. WSG is pleased to support the transformation of the HR workforce by harnessing HR technology to redesign jobs to more strategic HR roles, thereby transforming HR from a cost-centre to a business-enabler.”

7 Mr Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director of SNEF, said, “By leveraging HR technology, employers, in particular SMEs, can achieve significant benefits. First, much of the HR processes that are currently done manually can be automated. Through greater productivity, HR professionals will have more time to focus on strategic issues, such as transforming their workforce and workplace practices to support business transformation. HR professionals can be better skilled, and the reduction of time-consuming manual tasks will also improve job satisfaction.  Through the use of HR technology, HR planning and decision-making can also be better supported. Overall, I strongly encourage employers to embark on their HR tech transformation journey now.”

8 The HRTTP and HR Job Redesign Toolkit are part of the recommendations under the Ministry of Manpower’s HR Industry Transformation Manpower Plan and HR Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) to help HR play a strategic role in driving business and workforce transformation.

About Workforce Singapore

Workforce Singapore promotes the development, competitiveness, inclusiveness, and employability of all levels of the workforce. Its key mission is to enable Singaporeans to meet their career aspirations, take on quality jobs at different stages of life, and help enterprises be competitive and manpower lean. Workforce Singapore’s focus is on strengthening the Singaporean core and ensuring that Singaporeans are able to have better jobs and careers. Workforce Singapore, in partnership with key stakeholders, also provides support to business owners and companies to enable them to transform and grow, while building a future-ready workforce. Visit  www.wsg.gov.sg for more information.

About Singapore National Employers Federation
The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) is a trade union of employers. Our mission is to advance tripartism and enhance labour market flexibility to enable employers to implement responsible employment practices for sustainable growth. SNEF has a membership of over 3,300 companies with a combined workforce of over 800,000. For more information, please visit  www.snef.org.sg

Annex A: Media Factsheet on HR Tech Transformation Programme

Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have introduced the HR Tech Transformation Programme (HRTTP) to support enterprises in implementing HR technology through HR process re-engineering, redesigning of impacted HR job(s) and managing HR job transitions arising from the HR technology adoption. With strengthened processes and job redesign, the aim is to allow HR professionals to spend more time on strategic HR to meet the organisation’s business objectives while leveraging HR technology to enable a positive employee experience through online delivery of HR services.

Under the HRTTP programme, the appointed consultant will support enterprises in job redesign and deliver programme outcomes which include enhancing job value and attractiveness through job enrichment and enlargement. Work processes will also be reviewed to streamline administrative or transactional tasks to improve productivity. Enterprises will receive support on their implementation of new HR technology solutions.

There are four phases in the HRTTP. Upon receiving project approval (Phase A), enterprises will complete Phase B and C with support from Job Redesign consultants for the various job redesign services and HR technology implementation. At Phase D, enterprises will submit project report that is required for funding claims.

Enterprises will be supported through following milestones and services:

a.     Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT) – Diagnose HR gaps and identify priority areas for improvement

b.     Consultancy for Human Capital Development (HCD) – Enable HR professionals with the skills required to redesign jobs and manage change.

c.     Tech Demonstration Workshop – Help enterprises understand the advantages of adopting HR technology solutions for different HR functions and select relevant HR technology solutions

d.     Consultancy for HR Tech¹ – Recommend HR technology solutions to streamline or automate transactional and administrative HR tasks for improved productivity and delivery of employee experience

e.     Consultancy for HR Process Re-engineering – Redesign HR processes with HR Experts to embed HR technology solutions

f.     Consultancy for HR Job Redesign – Recommend how impacted HR job roles can be enriched or enlarged to enable business objectives

Funding Rates

Enterprises will receive funding under the Support for Job Redesign under Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG-JR) for job redesign related consultancy costs incurred in their projects. Eligible enterprises will receive the following for approved projects:

• Enhanced funding for PSG-JR at 80% of JR consultancy cost, capped at $30,000 per enterprise till 31 March 2022. Thereafter, the PSG-JR funding rate will revert to 70% of the JR consultancy cost, capped at $30,000 per enterprise.

On top of the above funding support for PSG-JR, eligible enterprises can also tap on the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC) to defray out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses for supportable programmes and components. Eligible enterprises will receive a one-off $10,000 credit per firm to cover up to 90% of OOP expenses.

Eligibility Criteria

All participating enterprises must fulfil the following criteria in order to qualify:

• Registered or incorporated and operating in Singapore; and

• Must have at least three local employees² at the point of application

In addition to the criteria above, at the point of application, applicant must not have:

• Made any payment to the JR consultant or third party in relation to the engagement of JR-related consultancy service; and

• Signed or confirmed any contract or purchase order with the JR consultant or third party in relation to the engagement of JR-related consultancy service.

All applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Contact Details

Enterprises that are interested to find out more about the HRTTP can fill up this form. Alternatively, enterprises may contact Ms Ong Jie Min from SNEF at jmong@snef.org.sg. For more information on the PSG-JR grant, you may visit  https://snef.org.sg/incentives/psgjr or contact SNEF at psgjr@snef.org.sg.

¹The programme does not fund procurement of technology solutions. Enterprises can consider tapping on the SMEs Go Digital programme concurrently to support the costs of equipment/IT solutions.

²Local employees comprises Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents.