Out of 150 firms the Manpower Ministry (MOM) called in for talks
over the past year, 38 have been identified for closer scrutiny as
they are not doing enough to hire and groom Singaporeans.
These firms will have their Employment Pass (EP) applications
looked at more closely by the ministry, and could even be banned
from hiring foreign professionals if they do not cooperate, said
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say on Thursday, revealing the breakdown
of companies for the first time.
They will be asked to provide details for EP applications such as
the number of Singaporeans who applied and were interviewed for the
posts, and whether existing Singaporean employees were considered
for the posts.
"Should there be 'double weak' firms that are unresponsive or
uncooperative, they will have their EP privileges curtailed," said
Mr Lim, in a post on the MOM blog.
He was referring to firms that have a low ratio of Singaporeans to
foreigners compared with the industry average, and who are weak in
their commitment to fair consideration of Singaporeans when it
comes to hiring and developing staff.
Mr Lim said that this additional scrutiny was part of the
ministry's efforts to enhance the Fair Consideration Framework,
which was introduced last year to get companies to look for
suitable Singaporeans before hiring foreign professionals.
On top of the 150 firms, another 100 firms were also identified for
MOM to work with as they have unusually high proportions of
foreigners for their industries, which include infocomm, finance
and insurance, construction, and wholesale trade.
The ministry will instruct firms on its watchlist to step up their
efforts to train and upgrade Singaporean professionals, managers
and executives, and transfer knowledge from foreign staff to
locals, said Mr Lim.
"Over time, more Singaporeans will be qualfied to take on these
opportunities and challenges," he said.
ST
