In the first semester of this year, about 11,500 people have found jobs through the Adapt and Grow initiative, indicating slight drop from 11,600 last year, according to Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo’s official statement on Monday (Oct 30).

From these figures, about half were aged 40 and older, with the number of PMETs helped has risen by 50 percent compared with the first half of last year. Spokesman of Workforce Singapore (WSG) that organised the programme said that more than 6,100 PMETs were successfully placed in new jobs under Adapt and Grow scheme in the first six months of this year, up from about 4,000 in the same period last year.

First launched by Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say in 2016, the Adapt and Grow scheme aims to provide guidance and match Singaporeans with better opportunities for good careers. On a roadshow held in Chevron House from Oct 30 to Nov 1, visitors can find career guidance and information about WSG’s Adapt and Grow schemes, as well as speaking with career coach.

The schemes include several initiatives, such as professional conversion programmes which help mid-career professionals convert their skills for new jobs; the Career Support Programme for older or long-term unemployed professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs); and also work trials.

See: What to Say and What Not During Face-to-Face Interview?

Speaking to reporters at the roadshow, Mrs Teo said that, “If not for the Adapt and Grow programmes, some jobseekers might have taken a longer time to land a job, or not (land a job) at all, and the employers could also have taken a longer time to fill their vacancies.”

She also said that the programmes are set to be expanded, by adding the number of professional conversion programmes. As of June this year, there were already 87 such schemes across 34 sectors, up from 37 schemes across 18 sectors las year. With all of these helps, more than 1,500 people have gained benefits from the schemes in the first half of this year, up from 600 people in the same period last year.

In total, some 50,000 people have attended WSG’s Adapt and Grow events in the first half of this year, which include roadshows and career fairs. Visitors to the Raffles Place roadshow can obtain professional advice from career coaches, learn about programmes they can use to switch careers or pick up new skills, and find out how to use the national Jobs Bank in their job search.

Latest government statistics suggest that job market is undergoing slow recovery in the third quarter of 2017, with lower unemployment for Singaporeans and slightly fewer retrenchments than in the previous quarter, Straits Times reports.

Read also: More Singaporeans Expect To Be Working Until Age 65