"Speaking at a tripartism forum on Monday, Minister of State for Manpower, Tan
Chuan-Jin, stressed that discriminatory practices have no place in
Singapore." - CNA Report "Discriminatory practices have no place in S'pore: Tan Chuan-Jin"[Link]
So after telling us that foreigners create jobs for Singaporeans for the longest time, isn't it a big turnaround for the govt to now start talking about discrimination against Singaporeans? There are numerous reasons why employers hire foreigners including the reasons cited by a writer to the Straits Times (see below). Foreigners from developing countries have their families back home are willing to accept a lower pay compared with a financially stressed Singaporean breadwinner - after you hire him, you find that you're under pressure to increase his pay because you know his cost of living is high and escalating every year. For a foreigner, he is paid so much more than back home, you don't have worry about him being unhappy with pay...if he is not happy you simply send him home without burdening your conscience too much. Foreigners coming from poor developing countries are willing to accept all sorts of working conditions and lack of benefits that workers in a 1st world country find ridiculous. American employers like to hire Mexicans, the French employers like workers from poorer European neighbors like Portugal. ....our employers like to hire from Philippines, India and China.
It is a futile for the govt to talk about discrimination after opening the floodgates for foreign workers from developing countries. Tan Chuan-Jin's idea of warning employers not to advertise just for PR and Work Permit holders and to include Singaporeans is a superficial move that will not solve the problem. Employers will just get applications from everyone, select foreigners and toss the resumes of Singaporeans into the waste paper basket. The people who suffer the most due the govt's policy are the older workers who cannot find employment because employers have access to a large pool of young foreign workers. The main reason for employers to hire older workers in the past was a tight labor market when they had no choice but to tap the pool of older workers. By opening the floodgates, the PAP govt created a severe structural unemployment problem and many Singaporeans live with this fear of becoming a unemployed PMET or take deep pay cuts to stay employed when they are older.
I do not expect the situation to improve much soon. A few small changes to restrict the hiring of foreigners implemented by the govt early this year saw much resistance and complaints from employers. Many of them have over time become very dependent on foreign workers. The govt took the short cut to GDP growth by pandering to business demand for cheap foreign labor instead of investing to improve productivity and innovating to move up the value chain . We have walked too far down this road and it is now very difficult to turn back quickly. The high social costs makes this model of growth unsustainable and the price has been paid for mostly by ordinary Singaporeans who have to struggle harder to support their families.
-----------
Employers want foreigners to avoid paying salary increment and CPF [Link]
It is very common for employers to recruit foreigners on a work permit or S-Pass for two years and at the end of the validity period, send them home and recruit a fresh batch of foreigners for the same tasks ('Don't discriminate against Singaporeans'; Tuesday).
By doing so, employers do not have to contribute to the Central Provident Fund for the employees, pay a yearly increment or bonus, plan a career path or provide employment benefits.
It is not surprising that Singaporeans are often passed over for such positions. Some employers even promise the foreign worker the maximum salary as indicated by the respective types of employment pass; and once the worker arrives here, he is told that a certain portion of the salary (in the form of a certain allowance and not part of the basic pay) will have to be returned in cash to the employer every month (to avoid leaving any evidence for subsequent investigations if a complaint is lodged).
The foreign worker has no choice but to accept the deal or be sent home. Although the levy and minimum salaries for the various employment passes have been raised, it is still cheaper to recruit foreigners than Singaporeans, and employers will continue to utilise the maximum quota of foreign workers allotted to them.
The average Singaporean worker is pickier about employment because he has more arduous responsibilities. The well-being of his family is at stake, compared with a foreign worker who is usually here alone earning a salary that will let his family back home live far more comfortably.
It is easy for employers to excuse themselves from recruiting Singaporeans by generalising that Singaporeans are not willing to take on low-level jobs.
But as long as employers continue to practice the 'cheaper' option, there is no way a Singaporean worker can compete with a foreigner. It is true that businesses exist to make money, and very few can survive on national pride alone (by recruiting citizens only). However, the Government has a duty to ensure there is fair play in the workplace for Singaporeans, and clearly, we need more bite in the current employment policies to ensure employers do not take advantage of such policies to disadvantage the Singaporean worker.
Edwin Lim
55 comments:
That's why I say we have no choice but to vote the PAP out.
"The high social costs makes this model of growth unsustainable and the price has been paid for mostly by ordinary Singaporeans who have to struggle harder to support their families."
Lucky Tan
But the strange thing is 60% are OK with it by voting PAP, and despite Lucky Tan's blog.
Don't tell me they are not affected and therefore happy and satisfied with PAP?
"The high social costs makes this model of growth unsustainable and the price has been paid for mostly by ordinary Singaporeans who have to struggle harder to support their families."
Lucky Tan
But the strange thing is 60% are OK with it by voting PAP, and despite Lucky Tan's blog.
Don't tell me they are not affected and therefore happy and satisfied with PAP?
Don't be surprised, maybe only 40% are affected by it.
And they protested through their votes, and not on the streets.
That's why Singapore is so peaceful and politically so stable. (93% seats by ruling party with 60% votes-GRC is a good thing)
47% voted For WP in the last election. It shows that more people are willing to vote for oppostion if there are strong brand names and good candidates.
47% votes for the opposition in the next election is therefore possible if WP continues to grow and attract more outstanding candidates.
I wonder if my personal decision to hang out with young, sexy and energetic foreigners than with boring, one kind local propects would be considered...discrimitary?
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Discrimination against foreigners?
Have anyone question the manufacturing sector model that the government created in the last few years is a total flaw ?
To create employment immdiately after indepedence, the governmment encouraged MNC to build manufacturing plants in to create employment. In the 1980s the governemnt reversed policy to encourage high value added industries and productivity as well as discourage over-reliance on foreign labour as local employment reached full capacity (good model as it will increase overall income by improving allocation of resource).
Then in the last decade, government reversed policy to create a singificantly larger manufacturing sector by importing lots of foreign labour. It is a flawed model that helped to boost GDP but did not create new or any real employment for locals. Only asset and business owners benefited as land resource is scared in Singaopore and now shared by many many more people. That was why inflation soared, real assets prices escalated, income gap worsened as local labour costs are depressed but profits went up.
The importation of foriegn labour itself is a vicious cycle as more people need more housing and services and hence more foreigners are imported, then more people again need more servers etc.. In the end, owner of assets are the largest beneficiaries; as well as politicians who pegged salaries to these business onwers and GDP.
What is the flawed economic model ? GDP is artificially created with nearly 100% labour imported except land that cannot be imported. It is not natural or wise, espcially in resource scare Singapore. One important component of FDI is creating local employment and raise overall income. But with our flawed economic model, we have created zero or even negative local employment and large income gap aggravated by decline in income of the local income groups.
The natural ecomomic model - country's comparative advantage is more relevant than aboslute advanatge - is moving operations to locations with avaiable and competitive labour or even land. And not importing cost competitive labour ?????
/// Anonymous said...
But the strange thing is 60% are OK with it by voting PAP, and despite Lucky Tan's blog.
4/11/11 12:37 ///
It was 66.6% in the 2006 election. Then it came down to 60.1% in the 2011 election. Let's wait for the 2016 election and see whether you will still sing the same tune.
In 2001 elections, PAP got 75.3%.
In 2006 elections, PAP got 66.6%.
In 2011 elections, PAP got 60.1%.
In 2016 elections, PAP probably will get 54%.
Then PAP running dogs will go around saying 54% very good leh, still peaceful, people still want PAP leh, investors, banksters and MNCs still love S'pore leh... lol.
The quality of the PAP leaders are getting from bad to worse. The team lack diversity and creativity, recruiting mainly from our Armed forces, NTUC and government-linked organisations like the EDB. The type of training, experience and exposure these potential leaders received is sadly wanting in preparing them to govern Singapore in this challenging global environment. Something is wrong with PAP if they are unable to attract more capable people to the team from the more diverse private sector even with their million-dollar pay.
many years ago when i started working, singaporeans are already discriminated. e.g. the malaysia borned finance director only promoted malaysia borned accounts staff to higher posts. if i am right, lky is also malaysia borned. he enjoyed making singaporeans suffered like slaves.
Privatising profits, socialising costs.
Now singaporeans go do your NS and reservist and don't complain!
the GDP model is totally flawed. it is an insane model to use to measure the success and well being of a country. anyone know that by increasing population thru importing cheaper foreigners can increase GDP but at the expense of locals. government that uses GDP model is greedy, selfish and crazy.
When PAP keep saying must increase GDP growth --- GDP will benefit the people.
But nobody ever tell PAP --- wait a minute; what exactly is the breakdown of GDP? How much portion of GDP go to the people??
In Singapore, most of the GDP goes to companies and the govt. A smaller portion goes to the people.
Even for that smaller portion, most of it goes to the top 20% elites such as CEOs, CFOs, Directors, Ministers, lawyers, doctors, and their families etc.
The bottom 30% of people get probably 1% or 2% of the GDP.
The gov have lots of think-tanks and advisers to formulate policies.
It is impossible that the gov do not know what harm they are doing to the citizens of this country.
It is intentional.
Good luck to the dumb people of Singapore.
Since the Suzhou Industrial Park bad investments, we couldn't take out our CPF at 55 and the minimum sum is increasing every 3-4 years.
In fact, when Ho Ching lost more investments in Temasek Holdings, the minimum sum to withdraw went up.
More bad investments in the recent subprime cisis in the US, and withdrawal age is being discussed. They want to increase your withdrawal age.
It seems that there is no money to return back to the Singaporean when she comes of age 'cos they've been lost in bad investments. The chairman of Temasek Holdings had to step down for Goodman and then return back to the same position; thereafter your withdrawal limit went up again 3 months ago.
Now, you are told to work longer till post-retirement. That's because there is no CPF left for you 'cos the money is gone through bad investment.
At this period, they commercialise your public housing and then all of a sudden housing becomes unaffordable!
They owe you $100k in CPF, for example. BUt they couldn't pay you. So, they artificially inflate the housing. Now, you pay them 200 to 400k for your flat.
Now, YOU owe them the money.
Get it?
That's why Mah was applauded. This is all intentional.
Until we know what good reasons are there to prevent the SIngapore from accessing his hard earned CPF, and mind you Malaysians can take out their epf at 55!,...
Enough said.
Advantages to have more Jobs for more Foreigners
Businesses pay low salary to foreigners
=> With lower cost, Businesses have higher profit.
=> With higher profit, Business owners and directors pay themselves higher salaries, higher bonus and higher director fees.
=> With higher income, Business owners and directors buy more real estates and private properties.
=> Higher property prices increase the wealth of Business owners and directors.
Disadvantages to have more Jobs for more Foreigners
1) More Singaporeans have difficulties to secure meaningful jobs as the meaningful jobs are taken over by foreigners.
2) More Singaporeans are in long term unemployment as unemployment rate does not capture long term unemployment.
3) Desperate Singaporeans take up any low paying jobs that do not make use of their skills. This led to more Singaporeans in under employment.
4) Singaporeans salaries and bonus are depressed by lowly paid foreigners. This led to Singaporeans not able to live decent lives for not able to cope with high inflation rate.
5) As Singaporeans are discriminated, Singaporeans wonder why jobs are given to inexperienced diploma foreigners but the same jobs are not given to experienced degree Singaporean holders?
Singaporeans wonder why are they studying so hard for what?
Singaporean wonder is there anything wrong with Singapore educational system which produce graduates who are discriminated?
6) With more foreigners, GDP growth rate is higher. However, a large group of Singaporeans do not benefit from high GDP growth rate. This led to wide inequality in income. This led to further resentment.
7) More displaced Singaporeans, who are discriminated in the job application, wonder what is the purpose of serving national service. Is the purpose of Singaporean servicing national service is to defend foreigners and foreigners jobs?
As a result of discrimination against Singaporeans,
Business owners and directors are clearly the ones who have greatly benefit from the discrimination,
whereas
Singaporeans end up
with no jobs,
or low-paying meaningless jobs,
or the need to take up 2 or more miserable jobs to make up for not having a good paying job,
or to be torture mentally due to the preparation for the next Singaporean to be discriminated.
My first job (which is a temporary assignment) started way back in 2009 where open foreign policies took effect. It took me 2 years looking for a permanent appointment.
Those 2 years of permanent job hunt was an unpleasant experience. Most employers offered a very low salary. I.e. $1200 per month for a poly graduate
Most employers attitude were, take it if you want, else leave it. Employers can even comment that if you do not want the job, there are many foreign talents willing to do for this salary. I am shocked; talent is needed for a very junior role!!!
I took on temporary role as it pays more as compared. I moved around 5 companies to work during those two years. During that period, as I observed, the foreign population in those companies that I work for convinced me that foreign talents are indeed more preferred than the local ones in Singapore.
Foreign talents took on the job of account assistant, administrative clerk, and executive role and so on. I am so disappointed that I cannot even find a permanent role in a company as an account assistant for a fair salary. I question myself on why these foreign talents are taking over a junior role.
Employers discriminate locals for a cheaper alternative. That alternative is surprisingly branded by PAP as talent in the media.
What took the incredibly talented elite PAP MPs to take many years to notice this? Has the million dollar salary making them sleep in their work? What next… Housing price explosion… what can I say… Impressive GDP growth, so what.
PAP govt is responsible for this predicament of jobless Singaporeans. Bet PAP will lose the GE2016 big......serve them right!!!
PAP govt is responsible for this predicament of jobless Singaporeans.
Anon 5/11/11 03:20
But as long as jobless Singaporeans are 40% or less, this should not be a political issue.
And if you consider now is the worst of times (because anti PAP vote % is the worst), so therefore things will only get better in future.
Hence PAP will get more than 60% votes in GE 2016, if this is the case, and which most likely will be.
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4Z9WVZddH9w
The truth is out foreigners are preferred not for their talent but for the cheaper price !
Pls don't abuse the term foreign talents ! It's a sham !
"The truth is out foreigners are preferred not for their talent but for the cheaper price !"
Anon 5/11/11 09:51
Who are you to say they are not talents?
And of course they are cheaper, no doubt about it.
What ever happen to:
-meeting the minimum number of SG workers before foreigners can be employed? If employers have to follow this, they cannot only employ foreigners. Has the rule been quietly taken out?
-foreigners bring in jobs for Singaporeans. Where is the statistics to show that? ie on average, for every foreigner that is brought in, how many jobs are created for locals? Or conversely, for every Foreigner brought in, how many jobs are lost for locals?
"Where is the statistics to show that? ie on average, for every foreigner that is brought in, how many jobs are created for locals? Or conversely, for every Foreigner brought in, how many jobs are lost for locals?"
Anon 5/11/11 12:37
Frankly, if I were the PAP govt, why would I bother or care about these statistics?
The statistics I care most are the 60% mandate in elections and 93% seats in Parliament.
And some more it's you people who made this possible.
"Frankly, if I were the PAP govt, why would I bother or care about these statistics?"
It is because they do not care they had lost Aljunied GRC.
I think the ISA should be abolished; otherwise the social paralysis will continue in Singapore and Singaporeans are sick of being bullied.
To remove discrimination against Singaporean in job application, the following must be implemented with immediate effect on existing and future foreigners employed in Singapore.
Impose a quota for foreigners under employment pass.
In every companies, for every 10 Singapore Citizens that are employed full-time on permanent basis (exclude contract basis), only maximum of 1 foreigner under employment pass can be employed.
Quota for foreigners under S-pass and work permit pass must further be tightened.
In every companies, for every 20 Singapore Citizens that are employed full-time on permanent basis (exclude contract basis), only maximum of 1 foreigner under S-pass and work permit pass can be employed.
Do not use "local" to compute the dependency ratio and the quota
because "local" include permanent residents who are foreigners and therefore these permanent residents are citizens of foreign countries.
Minimum salary for employment pass holders must be raised from $3000 to $3900.
Minimum salary for S-pass holders must be raised from $2000 to $2600.
Imposed a minimum salary of $1500 for work permit pass holders.
Imposed a levy of $1000 for every foreigner employed under employment pass.
Levy for foreigner employed under S-pass must be raised to $700.
Levy for foreigner employed under work permit pass must be raised to $500.
"47% voted For WP in the last election. It shows that more people are willing to vote for oppostion if there are strong brand names and good candidates."
It also shows that 53% are determined to vote for a brand that has gone bad and will stay bad due to refusal to make serious amends.
It is just sad that because the majority has decided to vote foolishly solely for their paranoia or years of being brainwashed that without PAP, Singapore will sink.
So for their stupidity, the rest of us have to suffer with them. But that's democracy. Majority wins.
"The truth is out foreigners are preferred not for their talent but for the cheaper price !"
Not the entire truth.
Foreigners are preferred because they have a greater sense of national pride.
As such, foreign managers often prefer to hire their own kind because of national pride, even if their own kind are less competent and more expensive than Singaporeans.
As I travelled often, I kinda realized that there is very little national pride holding Singapore together. It has nothing to do with our short history as a nation. Countries like India and Israel are also comparatively young. Before the 1950s, both places never existed officially as a country. India is also far more divided within, by its numerous different languagues, caste system, religion, political parties and vast geographical landscape.
I sometimes wonder if all these have anything to do with the kind of leaders we admire or treat as role models.
We have political leaders who removed pensions for the entire civil service but kept pensions for the uppermost elite civil servants. We have top political and civil servants who are paid 10 months performance bonuses, but rank-and-file personnel hardly get anything more than the usual 1-2 months bonus. We admire the character of leaders who willingly served the Kempeitai during WW2, and we totally forget about real patriots who died for the people of Singapore and Malaya during WW2.
What goes around eventually comes around.
Singapore, don't be afraid, just look across causeway where few states are now under opposition parties, some more rich states, so far seems ok, I believe the time will come when opp will be sharing power hopefully with majority votes, its possible this coming 2016, esp if certain man not around anymore
Fast forward ten years from now......Singaporean become slaves to foreigners in their own country. All because of the big screw up from the ruling party.
"I was a Director at Frost & Sullivan (Singapore) Pte Ltd. and I am well aware of our internal slant towards hiring MBAs from India. There was one time when we made 12 offers in one fell swoop to SP Jain (Singapore campus) and IIM MBA graduates. NOT A SINGLE Singaporean was offered a position.
It wasn’t for lack of qualified Singaporean candidates either. Even our campus recruitment was geared towards hiring from Indian universities, instead of NUS, SMU and NTU. Cost was not the factor. We offered many of these graduates between SGD6,000 to SGD10,000 a month."
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/11/system-makes-it-easy-to-hire-foreigners-at-expense-of-locals/
-----------------------------------
In case you guys want to know who is running Frost & Sullivan in Singapore:
Manoj Menon
Partner and MD at Frost & Sullivan
Singapore
Management Consulting
http://sg.linkedin.com/pub/manoj-menon/0/b68/2
Experience
Partner, Managing Director Asia Pacific
Frost & Sullivan
December 2004– Present (7 years)
Director - SE Asia
Frost & Sullivan
March 2001– November 2004 (3 years 9 months)
Education
ICFAI Business School
MBA, CFA, Finance, Computer Engineering
1994 – 1996
Ram Rao Adik Instutute of Engineering
Bachelor of Engineering, Computers
1990 – 1994
Our Lady of Health High School
10th Standard
1980 – 1990
To Kojakbt 6/11/11 01:07
Yes Kojakbt, no doubt such cases or even many such cases happened.
And don't forget, this is just one kind of many others, another being NS, that disadvantaged Singaporeans, especially male Singaporeans.
But overall and as a whole, do it affect the 60% mandate and 93% seats for PAP at elections?
"I sometimes wonder if all these have anything to do with the kind of leaders we admire or treat as role models."
Can you imagine where your leaders keep on harping & praising how important and talented foreigners are and the propaganda in the air that singaporeans are choosy and complacent.
Imagine the subconscious idea that is implanted onto our head & that we hold on the "superiority or greatness" of foreigners and "inferiority" of our own locals.
Aren't we also conveying (whether deliberately or inadvertently) the same message to those foreigners who are here, hence treating us with the same condescending attitude if it comes with loud official saction.
Imagine the unhealthy notion that we may condition ourselves to believe that the above is true. Aren't we slapping our own face and spiting our own nose. How are we going to allevaite our pride, identity and empowerment of being singaoprean / citizen.
The problem lies with us being too obedient & too believing that we do not keep on questioning long-held assumption that the table is now turned against us.
Really great blog lots of interesting stuff.
Hi Lucky
Thank you for writing. I've been following your blog the last four years and it's been very informative.
As for foreign workers, I think it's impt that there's differentiation between admin-tech staff and retail-f&b staff. In white collar jobs, Singaporeans should come first.
However, when it comes to retail-f&b sector, it is almost impossible to recruit (not to mention retain) Singaporeans. I know. Cos I own a thriving f&b outlet. ALL adverts in ST Classified Ads yield nil response. Adverts in the chinese papers averages 2 callers who are Singaporean. Very often these applicants do not even turn up for arranged interviews, wasting much of our resources and time.
It's something many do not understand unless they experience running an outlet themselves.
I want to employ Singaporeans. But they are not willing to try. The situation has been so for many years. So many of our frens who are business owners finds it difficult to carry on - high rentals, high overheads, high COGS. Even with high levies, most cope as it's their passion. Some can't innovate/use machines as it's impossible to have the same authentic flavour.
I do not discriminate against fellow Singaporeans. Our family and relatives are all born in Singapore and my son serves NS.
But which Singaporean wants to work in retail/f&b ? The young pick and choose to work only in large chains located in shopping centres. So what happens to us - the little guys with no brand names ? And yes, weekends and evenings are peak business hours for retail/f&b otherwise food outlets will be closed during weekends or public holidays.
"But which Singaporean wants to work in retail/f&b ?"
Ask your own son, does he want to work in your outlet for the pay you are offering.
Doing NS and reservist cycle have their own opportunity costs (real loss of pay for 2 or 2.5 years and work discruption) and raising a son in singapore is more expensive than raising foreigners who are from countries which have lower cost of living.
While you can't complain about increasing rental (no choice) and other OH (food & other direct or incidental cost), do you sincerely think that the pay of those f&b staff has increased as fast as (to match) your o/h and rental inflation knowing the fact that there are many available from cheaper alternative in foreigners.
While other cost components can increase due to market forces, human labour being the most important production or service factor doing the real value-addition work on the other factors are important non-static social animals which will bite in order to survive. And for all the national sacrifice (be it NS or the other social contractual obligations that locals are expected to fulfill), the minimum that any leader can do devise policies to benefit own locals to match the obligations expected from locals.
Your family and relatives may be all born in Singapore but have you asked yourself whether they have all felt the same way as you or as lucky of being a successful entrepreneur (no reference to you) to be able to capitalize on cheap foreign labour or encounter the frustration of being unfairly discriminated as they are only qualified for some 'lesser' roles in f&b outlets.
"I want to employ Singaporeans. But they are not willing to try. The situation has been so for many years. So many of our frens who are business owners finds it difficult to carry on - high rentals, high overheads, high COGS. Even with high levies, most cope as it's their passion."
high rentals, high overheads. everything high even for home prices.
most cope as perhaps it is the only trade they have a better competency (other than passion) and they also need to survive.
perhaps, your friends if they run out of business can join one of your outlets to experience the other side of passion by being employees.
Hey Mr Lucky
Does this mean that you are no longer endorsing Tan Chuan Jin?
After all his pretty words? Getting fickle Mr Lucky?
Must endorse Chuan Jin lah. He often posts Bible verses to build his "good guy" reputation or to win the Christian votes.
I think we are caught in a vicious cycle here.
Land cost here is guaranteed to be high because gahmen will not sell land below a minimum bid (or else it will be raiding the reserves, according to Mah Bow Tan).
So, land costs will be high, which in turn will lead to higher rental.
High rental and high land cost is a sacred cow that cannot be slaughtered for any reasons. All other costs can be adjusted.
Salaries can always be adjusted downwards to compensate for high rent.
Needless to say, most Singaporeans cannot survive on the F&B job salaries, given that their salaries will always be cut due to high rentals.
If you ain't an entreprenuer, and you want to make some money from F&B, either buy their shares or buy the shares of the F&B landlord.
If you ain't an entreprenuer, and you want to make some money from F&B, either buy their shares or buy the shares of the F&B landlord.
Anon 7/11/11 00:25
Exactly lah. Some more this is endorsed by 60% of voters, and some of course bought shares. Really smart.
That's why Lucky Tan's rantings are getting nowhere.
"Exactly lah. Some more this is endorsed by 60% of voters, and some of course bought shares. Really smart.
That's why Lucky Tan's rantings are getting nowhere."
Yes, smart as long as it still hasn't collapsed and as long as the any price increase is matched (within some real yet not easily quantifiable band) by the underlying business fundamental supporting it.
Given minimum bid price (high one needless to say) for land and not market prices, don't you think that it is a very unhealthy and artificial prop.
You are right on money when I recently found my out my co is paying FT 2X my salary for just doing a fraction of what I'm covering. Seriously, a lot is Singaporean are being short change and the main culprit you know who mustn't be named.
I was in an American bank back in 2001.. I have already seen them taking in young "FT" from their own countries.. some are truly talented, but most have skills that Singaporean have. Still these majority still keeps coming in, and other banks are practicing the same.
Wake Up! PAP from your high horses!
One of the most fundamental and well demonstrated results in modern sociology research is that of homophily. In essence, all things equal, social actors prefer to form ties (or relationships) with other actors who are similar. This has been consistently demonstrated across a variety of settings, such as marriage, friendship and employment.
If readers are interested to learn more, Mcpherson et. al. (2001) is probably the best starting point.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2678628
One of the dangers of having an unchecked immigration policy is that employers of foreign origins, all things equal, can be expected to prefer employees of similar foreign origins. This being the case, the natives would inevitably be discriminated against, even if that isn't the intentions. That is why most countries have such strict laws on foreign workers employment.
Even though we always talk about racial harmony, the irony is that we have such racist hiring practices. We pay people according to the colour of their skin/race/nationality. Here's a revolutionary idea; How about equal pay for the same work. All this nonsense about commercial reality is pure bull. It simply about making as much profit as possible.
If an organisation, uses our infrastructure and resources to make a profit, then it's only fair that our citizens have an opportunity for employment in these organisations. Why should employers be able to pay different rates for the same amount of work.
I interviewed someone the other day for a position in my firm. She said she was not able to take up the position cos she was bonded to her employer. When I probed further, she mentioned that her employer (a world famous Jeans label) had sent a recruiment team to the philippines to recruit RETAIL STAFF for their retail stores in Singapore! They had to work with the company for a minimum number of years, otherwise they had to pay a set amount to break the bond.
The most obvious question that came to my mind was why we needed to go all the way across South East Asia to get a girl to sell jeans to people in singapore. There must be people here who can sell jeans, just as well as our regional neighbours.
The answer is quite simple. In Sing, $$ is king. As long as we have laws allowing employers to exploit the poverty of our neighbours to the detriment of our own kind, then we will ALWAYS be on the losing end.
I chanced upon this website.. www.contactsingapore.org.sg
Looks like it was set up to attract foreign talent - it states on their Home page that Contact Singapore is an alliance of EDB & MOM.
If the government does not have proper legislation requiring and ensuring that employers employ locals first, it will be a hopeless cause for sure. Even in countries like UK where there are laws requiring employers to show why a local cannot be found to do an advertised job, there are still many employers who flout the laws cleverly. Imagine our govt is not even willing to adopt laws similar to say UK, you can imagine how useless Tan Chuan Jin's warning will be. If TCJ is reading this, I think the govt has to introduce much more concrete measures for Singaporeans not to be discriminated against.
As long as there is no laws and punishment, its as good as all talk no action.
What can warning and demerit points to a few cases do?
Tan Chuan Jin himself had said in the same breathe that: Anti-discrimination laws would reduce flexibility in the labour market, which is a strength for Singapore.
Meaning, discrimination gave Spore economic 'strength'
Good article and very valuable information. Keep it up!
There is often another form of discrimination often ignored and that is basically by the so called expats. In my own company, a Aussie brough in his under qualified ex staff as a director and within a short few months had several Aussies in the company. In truth they were nowhere compared to the local talent but that's the way things are but now I know what LKY meant by white trash
Este blog é uma representação exata de competências. Eu gosto da sua recomendação. Um grande conceito que reflete os pensamentos do escritor. Consultoria RH
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