Saved for the recession year of 2008, Singapore has
been growing at a rate between 3 to 7 percent in the last decade.
As GDP figures and the salaries of PAP ministers continue to grow,
one will expect Singaporeans to hold full-time jobs which pay
better, but this is not the case.
This means that one in three poly or varsity graduate in
Singapore is unable to secure a full-time job.
The Straits Times has been trying desperately hard to promote
contract jobs as a form of “flexible workforce” which is becoming
increasingly acceptable in Singapore.
It quoted anonymous “human resource experts” as saying that
“working under such contracts is becoming the norm, especially as
the concept of a ‘flexible workforce’ becomes increasingly in
vogue.”
According to Ms Lynne Ng, regional director of HR Company Adecco
South East Asia, contract jobs are not necessarily bad for both
employees and employers:
“Employers sometimes adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach to
taking on full-time staff and utilising contract and temporary
employees after a time of economic slowdown…. This is an excellent
way of moving forward while still being cautionary,” she told
the Straits Times.
Contract temporary jobs are used to be scorned upon by
Singaporeans as they pay little and do not offer any long-term
career prospects. However, with the labor market tighening, many
young fresh polytechnic and university graduates have no
choice but to take them up.
The situation is further exacerbated by the relentless influx of
cheap foreign workers into Singapore who are willing to accept such
temporary jobs at much lower pay and longer working hours.
Neither MOM or Straits Times offer a possible reason for the
rise in contract jobs.
Local undergraduates are on the losing end as they are burdened
with a student loan right after graduation.
They are also likely to postpone marriage and starting a family
of their own if they are unable to secure a full-time job thereby
compounding the problem of Singapore’s declining birth rates.
The root cause of the problem lies with the ease in which
foreigners are given work permits, E and S passes to work in
Singapore.
Most Singaporeans shun contract jobs but not foreigners whose
presence gives employers another option.
It is the social corporate responsiblity of companies making
money in Singapore to offer Singaporeans a stable job which pays
well enough for them to sustain themselves.
Foreign workers should not be allowed to compete directly with
Singaporeans in jobs which can otherwise be taken up by them.
The onus is on employers to offer attractive terms to recruit
and retain Singapore workers and not by taking the easy way
out via hiring foreign workers.