Firms Struggle To Hire Local Workers!!

dragg SG

there are about 64,700 unemployed workers in singapore.

foreigner now make up 15% of isetan's workforce.

isetan prefer singaporeans.

from jan next year, foreign workers can make up to 45% of the workforce of the service sector, up from 40%.

from oct this year, the levy for skilled work permit holders will increased from $100 to $150 for each worker.

how did the govt come up with the figure 64,700?

where and who are all these people?

the foreign workers cap will increased from jan next year. why does the levy increase start in oct this year?

what is the purpose of increasing the cap? to allow firms to employ more foreigners? if so, why increase the levy which will in turn increase the overheads making it more difficult for businesses?

Kenashi SG

just an estimate lah.
not working, no money, at home loh Laughing
since the govt end up collecting money, might as well start it earlier

dragg SG

thats where it gets funny.

plenty of sales assistants and cashiers jobs available but no-takers.

so what are all these 64,700 people surviving on?

Kenashi SG

singaporeans don't like to work in service industry, they think that it is too lowly for them, they rather starve Laughing

eat A&W loh
air n water

dragg SG

i dont believe this is the case.

tiggersgd SG

figure from p-package?

Elodan SG

the report is quite spot-on. try advertising for sales asst and cashiers - many calls. but few locals and most are PRs (from m'sia or china). even when scheduled for interviews, many singaporeans do not bother to turn up.

a few weeks ago, i was helping a family fren who advertised for staff in the food industry. when the call is from a singaporean, it typically goes like this : how long is lunch break ? any tea break ? do you provide meals ? can have weekend off ? how about public holidays ? can increase weekend rates ? sigh . . . i feel like I am being interviewed instead. and mind you, they have not even enquired about job scope !

no choice. we ended up employing 2 PRs - and i was told that they were excellent workers.

note : by spot-on - i'm referring to the low take-up rate by singaporeans for these jobs. many see it as beneath them.

rasmond SG

nowaday employer choose worker , they want young, pretty. recently I got 1 guys friends jobless for 1 1/2 yrs in their 40 something went for the WDA recruitment Retail Trial Programmes. During the Breifing It say If selected got to go for 5 days retail training pay by WDA. After the course NO GUARANTEE OF A JOB OFFER. plenty of pples got Fedup go back home. You know what is my friends queue number 150 got to wait don know many hrs. In the end talk rubbish gave U pay $800 sonemore got to be shortlisted.
Is not straightaway got job.

rasmond SG

My Friends even try sale assistant @ Harvey Norman callup they say must had retail experience if not don Hired. Somemore he try security guard, he can speak ,write english very well completed sec 2 , only things he don have NRS cert , The security Firm say Must work 12 hrs shift @ this amount of pay & nowaday NRS cert change already government change another type of cert , very difficult to pass. My friend no problem. He say go back wait for Phoned call until now 1 months no reply.
How to survive in s,pore when you above 40s. that why alot of pple fedup rather gaveup finding job.
Go to Library read newspaper look for job must wait so many pple jobless looking @ classified. After your turns either the job classified is missing or got one holes .
Gov say jobless rate down all rubbish not true. when U went to WDA register for Job after 6 month still no job, U must register again if not they consider U got a Job ,of course u fedup never ask them again. how the Gov got the jobless statics. All are no True.

sgheartland SG

aiyah, working in retail and security guard no need high education lah. The govt keep raising the percentage of workforce who have poly, JC and university education. So now not enough O level and PSLE students in the work force already.

Those people who have tertiary education dont want to work in retail is correct, they follow govt's planning mah. I think govt plan to put everyone through uni is not for them to work in retail or security guard.

So unless these firms willing to accept 40-50 yrs old lor otherwise now youngsters almost everyone has a degree or diploma, how to work there? Their parents want or not?

Ask govt to change the plan, make more people get phD or Masters, then degree holders can work in retail lor.

reyes SG

i believe firms are struggling to hire local workers, but why?. can anyone advice how much a local sales assistant at a dept store are being paid?maybe $1000- $1200/mth. why these sales assistant which has to stand for long hours are being paid such low salary? these salary are set base on what critria? compare to china PRs? malaysians? philippino? i would like to ask the question, if a dept store employ a foreign sales assistant, after paying $150 levy,do they still profit when comparing to hiring a local singaporean?

what kind of stupid levy is $150 gona make a monkey difference to employer? it just enough to pump full tank of petrol in their mercedes and BMW.

stop blaming fellow singaporean for being choosy, can we still be happy and contented when lowly educated singaporean are being paid second class salary living in first world living standard?

Lowclassman SG

plus 1..... Mr. Green a salary that is not enough for basic needs then what's the point of work. our govt only know how to talk c o c k. Asking them..are they willing to experience themselves with S$1500 - S$2000 income that have to support two kids schooling and all the basic expenses in livelihood? Fark them!!!

FireIce SG

we are world class
of cos must give staff world class pay

dragg SG

i find their decision contradictory too.

why increase the levy? it will only increase the overheads.

why increase the cap? it will lead to more foreign labours coming in.

all in all they are only interested in making more money from the levy.

ShutterBug SG

Obviously what you said being true, there isn't a need for a DECISION regarding the increase in levy.

Whatever that makes them more money, it will be done. Whether people can survive, doesn't register in their collective minds. We only matter most, during GE.

Chelzea SG

hopefully nt world class prices den Laughing

SilverPal SG

I remember reading in another thread, there is another reason why many locals are unwilling to take up these low paying jobs. No offence but retail jobs that pay less than $700 a month is really low paying, regardless of the hours.

Many foreigners from PRC, India, Malaysia (lesser extent) are willing to work for absurdly low pay because they are here for a fixed period of time. They scrimp and save, and try very hard to earn extra side incomes (legal or otherwise) so that they can take the money they've earn back home.

Imagine converting our SGD into rupees or renminbi, you can imagine how rich they are back home. They can buy a small plot of land or open a small provision stall and live easy the rest of their lives.

How many locals are able to escape to another country to be able to retire there spending in either rupees or renmingbi? Only a few. Furthermore, we have to consider the CPF contribution which we are unable to touch until we retire, and if there isn't enough in the CPF, you still can't touch it even after retirement.

How many of us can say we can survive for at least 1 year after losing our jobs? How many of us are ASSURED of having half a million SGD upon retirement? Not many, hence many of us want higher, and higher and higer pay. Its materialism, granted, but also necessity.

Next thing you'll ask, why sit around jobless when you can earn few hundred a month? Well, being fresh to the workforce, I face a similiar situation. should I accept a low pay while looking for another job? Or should I concentrate on looking for a job that meets my (reasonable) pay demand?

I chose to get a low paying job while looking for another higher paying job. Now I'm facing the problem of employers trying to pay me beneth my expected salary. ie. They are willing to spend up to $2.5k for a new hire, but upon hearing of my previously drawn salary, they will push it down to $2.1k which is a significant increase over my previously drawn salary.

That being said, working also incurs an increased expenditure. Travelling, buying clothes to wear, more expensive food, etc. Many of you can give many suggestions to save money, but implementing those suggestions is really miserable.

In a way, I know the hope these poorer ppl have when looking for a better job and I can understand the fear of "spoiling your own market" when getting a job.

ShutterBug SG

Very well explained indeed.

The problem is with our government; if you can sensibly see our predicament, I am sure many of our ministers and members of the government can too. It's just that they don't view it as a problem, and that their prevailing policies and general scheme of things are in line with their "National Buildling" plans.

Since when, have they ever seen things at our level? From what we can all see, they're only keen in making more money through all of our needs, wants, ills, and troubles.

We're just laying eggs, and they're just collecting them. Term after term.

Elodan SG

we're also sugar cane, every drop to be squeezed and then dumped; preferably in jb, bintan or batam.

oxford mushroom SG

Well, Singaporeans want cheaper services and we don't want to pay higher taxes. So in the civil service for example, the government has successfully cut jobs and make existing staff work harder for the same salary. But Singaporeans complain about the workload and the lack of work-life balance, so these jobs go to foreigner workers who are willing to work harder for less pay.

It is the same the wortld over. In the UK, British workers are losing their jobs to cheaper Polish workers who are willing to accept pay below the minimum wage and work far harder.

The bottom line is: if foreigners can do your job for less pay, you will lose your job to them...period. If we cannot compete, then we should seriously consider spending our retirement in Batam. Sell off the HDB flat and you can live quite comfortably in Bintan or Batam. It is tough message but it's time we face up to the facts: it's survival of the fittest.