Daily Briefing: Foreign domestic workers contributed $11.1b to GDP in 2018; Deliveroo unveils free online courses for riders

And Air New Zealand is boosting flight frequency from Singapore in the winter.

From Yahoo! News Singapore:

Foreign domestic workers (FDWs) contributed $11.1b (US$8.2b) in 2018 to the Singapore economy, or about 2.4% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to a study by information services firm Experian and Hong Kong charity Enrich which calculated the total economic contribution of 250,000 FDWs by combining their personal expenditure, real value of “paid” domestic work and value of freed-up time.

For instance, freeing mothers to re-enter the labour force added $3.5b to the Singapore economy, including savings of $675 in monthly childcare costs per household.

The study also found that FDWs contributed to the economies in their home countries through remittances. Singapore-based FDWs remitted a total of $1.3b in 2018.

Read more here.

From Human Resources Online:

Deliveroo is offering more than 300 free online learning courses for its riders in growing their business and soft skills covering topics such as building a sales strategy, job search strategy, support in developing a career plan, picking the right job, and working autonomously, amongst others.

This initiative will be an extension of the food delivery service company’s partnership with OpenClassrooms, to provide unlimited free online learning access to Deliveroo riders in and outside of Singapore.

After completing a course, these riders would attain a Certificate of Achievement which can be added to future job applications.

Read more here.

From TTG Asia:

Air New Zealand plans to launch five-times-weekly seasonal flights between Christchurch and Singapore in winter amidst the strong travel demand from South and South-east Asia.

Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines currently offer a 10-times-weekly service between Christchurch and Singapore. The seasonal flights will bring the frequency of the service to 15 times weekly in the December 1, 2019 to February 15, 2020 period.

Singapore is likely to continue serving as Air New Zealand’s South-east Asia hub. On the airline’s strategy in growing outbound markets Indonesia and Malaysia, where it does not fly to directly, Cam Wallace, chief revenue officer, said: “Both are key growth markets for Air New Zealand in South-east Asia as we continue to see strong demand from travellers in the region. At this stage, both markets are being well served through our recently renewed alliance with Singapore Airlines, providing connectivity through Changi Airport.

Read more here.