Need part-time work? Try
BlockPooling.sg
Pairing a family
that needs a part-time housekeeper with a semi-retiree keen on
housekeeping and looking for flexible work options - that is one of
the possible matches a new online platform is
offering.
Called BlockPooling.sg, it is open to residents across
Singapore who want to earn extra income by providing services to
their neighbours.
The idea is to look beyond town centres and into
neighbours' homes to match those who have local service needs with
those who can more easily and conveniently provide these services
within the neighbourhood.
Since going live on Wednesday, these have already
been more than 50 users offering services from hourly house-keeping
to "Internet fixing", and even local bike tours, said BlockPooling.sg
chief executive Moh Hon Meng.
"There are many services that we require that would
best be provided by people living near us.
"Hourly housekeeping is an excellent example. There
is a huge demand for it from singles and families who do not want
to hire a live-in foreign domestic worker.
"They would love to hire an 'auntie' who lives
nearby to clean their homes for about four hours twice a week,"
said Mr Moh.
"For the auntie, she can make the current market
rate of $12.50 per hour, which is $50 for four hours."
Other neighbourhood services in demand include
baby-sitting, dog-walking, clothes alteration, car caring,
errand-running, confinement care, eldercare, personal training,
cooking services, tuition, beauty services, and various kinds of
instruction.
Ms Foo Mee Har, grassroots adviser and MP for West
Coast GRC, plans to leverage on this to build a local market place
of services for her residents.
She notes that it would cater to "many residents in
the neighbourhood" who have given feedback about wanting
"flexi-work opportunities that help supplement their family
income".
Such matching up of neighbours would also improve
interaction and bonding between them, said Ms Foo.
The website was set up with a $20,000 grant from
the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, said Mr Moh.
News, The New Paper, Friday, November 22 2013, Pg 6
