Record jobs to be lost this year and foreigners still
flocking to Singapore to compete with locals for jobs
In my previous article, I wrote about the recent
reports published by the media giving an erroneous impression of
the abundance of jobs in the labor market for Singaporeans.
CNA reported today that this year’s retrenchment figures are
likely to bust the record of 29,000 jobs lost in 1998 during the
Asian financial crisis, according to Singapore National Employers
Federation’s (SNEF’s) president, Stephen Lee. (source: CNA)
Mr Lee was commenting on a survey finding by HR firm Manpower
Staffing Services where 636 employers across seven industry sectors
were polled.
The survey found that 50 per cent of employers anticipate a cut
in headcount, 29 per cent expect no change, while only seven per
cent expect to increase staff strength in the second quarter.
I believe that the figure of 29,000 is an underestimate and the
real figure is much higher. Many SMEs and MNCs are already
retrenching workers and freezing their recruitment drives. Measures
such as wage cuts and forcing workers to take no-pay leave are
introduced to reduce the overheads.
In this dire economic situation, welfare of workers is
least on the minds of employers who are desperately trying to keep
their companies afloat by trimming operating expenses. Without
tighter legislation to regulate the hiring of foreigners, many will
take the easy way out by replacing locals with cheaper foreign
labor.
At a job fair organized recently by Resorts World
Sentosa, a significant number of applicants were also
foreigners who flew here just to look for a job. (source: Straits
Times)
Filipina Elahn Grace, 28, an English graduate, who arrived two
weeks ago, said she chose Singapore because ‘it is a safe place and
there are many opportunities here’. Another Filipina, Ms Candy
Lopez, 24, lost her job back home as an accountant recently, and
decided to come here to try and find employment. She said: ‘I’m
just taking a chance to be employed.’
While we cannot prevent these foreigners from coming to our
shores, a strong message must be sent out to them that jobs in
Singapore are reserved for locals only.
We need not look too far away for examples. The Malaysian
government yesterday cancelled work visas issued to more than
55,000 Bangladeshi workers after demands from unions, as the
country faces layoffs and the threat of recession. (source:
Straits
Times)
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Bangladeshi workers who had
visas approved in 2007 but who had not yet arrived in Malaysia
would not be allowed to take up employment here.
Foreigners should be allowed only in certain sectors and where
vacancies are not filled up by Singaporeans. There are other ways
to reduce business costs and employing foreigners at the expense of
locals is definitely not one of them.
I sincerely hope the Ministry of Manpower can consider doing
more to safeguard the jobs of Singaporeans.
Sending unemployed workers for retraining is not a bad move, but
they still need to bring the bread home at the end of the day.
Unless the government pay the last salary received by workers going
for retraining, it will do very little to help them tide through
this difficult period.
It is no joke to lose one’s job the midst of the nation’s worst
ever recession. I was retrenched once before and was out of job for
almost a year. With housing mortages, bank loans, credit card bills
to pay and few savings in the bank to count on, how long can a
Singapore worker survive without a job?
http://wayangparty.com/?p=6155
By Jeremy Koh
