90% have secured interviews or landed jobs in other Singapore firms
The majority of retrenched employees of the now-defunct Jetstar Asia have already secured interviews or landed jobs in other firms, according to union leader Ng Chee Meng.
Ng, Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said on Facebook that 90% of pilots and cabin crew have landed interviews and jobs after being retrenched following a three-day job-matching exercise.
"Of the pilots and cabin crew, 90% have secured interviews or jobs with companies like SIA Group and Marina Bay Sands," the NTUC official said on Facebook.
The job-matching exercise was arranged by the NTUC, with support from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union, aerospace and aviation unions, as well as partners like the Singapore Airlines Group.
Ng said he recently met with some former Jetstar employees, including pilots, cabin crew, and corporate staff, who recently transitioned to Singapore Airlines subsidiary FlyScoot.
"They told me their experiences were a blend of anxiety and joy, particularly for one new father welcoming his second child while facing the challenges of Jetstar's closure," he said.
"As mid-career workers, they also voiced concerns about adapting to new technologies and fitting into a new company culture."
Jetstar shutdown
Jetstar had retrenched more than 500 employees earlier this year as it shut its doors after a "strategic restructuring" by its parent company Qantas.
Vanessa Hudson, Qantas CEO, recently acknowledged these employees in her message in the company's Annual Report.
"All of its employees over that time can be extremely proud of their efforts creating and growing an airline that made such a difference to its customers," she said.
"This strategic restructure, while difficult, enabled us to redeploy aircraft to our core businesses in Australia and recycle up to $500 million in capital to support our fleet renewal programme."
