Swabbers and swab assistants wanted, pay starts at $3,400 a month

As the fight against Covid-19 in Singapore continues, the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i)is calling for individuals with or without healthcare experience to sign up as swabbers.

e2i, a tripartite initiative of the National Trades Union Congress set up to support nationwide manpower and skills upgrading initiatives, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the swabbers would provide support in Covid-19 operations and in community care.

Swabbers are required to perform nasopharyngeal swab procedures - a method of collecting clinical test samples from the back of the nose and throat by inserting a swab into the nostril.

Successful candidates will start off as swab assistants with a monthly salary of $3,400.

Those who become swabbers after training and assessment will earn $3,800 a month.

On the sign-up sheet for the position, it said training on how to perform swab procedures, including familiarisation with all aspects of the personal protective equipment, will be provided.

It added that for individuals who are unable to be mask-fitted, other roles can be explored.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin talked about the recruitment drive when he said: "The jobs scene will be of concern as the Covid impact on the economy begins to bite. It will begin to get even more serious.

"This is one small slice in a bigger effort to create more new jobs, temporal or for the longer term."

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Other responsibilities of swabbers include checking clients for any respiratory symptoms and coordinating with doctors to swab and attend to isolated clients who have declared positive for respiratory symptoms.

Successful candidates will be posted to places such as community recovery facilities, government quarantine facilities and nursing homes.

Swabbers and swab assistants will rotate six working days a week for six months with the option to extend for another three months.

Those who wish to apply must ensure they are medically fit with no history of chronic diseases and must be proficient in English and one mother tongue.

Applicants must also be able to work in shifts or extended hours and over weekends if required.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.

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