Record jobs to be lost & foreigners still flocking here
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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 -
Originally posted by 00011000:
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?
credit card bills? after getting retrenched? just asking for it.
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U no job?
Other countries also having retrenchment, so I think other countries also cannot hire singaporeans.
Singaporeans are generally too choosy about jobs... want high pay, want relax relax, want air con... these FTs are very glad to take them if u dont like. This is the real world. Businesses must still function and if they cant hire sg, they hire FT.
Cheaper and value for money.
If u wanna fight back the jobs, all we, all u, can do is to work harder...
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- 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
Just to point out.
There's a 12 months diploma course being run at 3dsense that costs around 18k last i remembered.
Now because of SPUR, it costs 2,200 and students receive an additional 1,000 per month for 6 months as a subsidy.
Just one of the example that i know of currently.
I'm not too sure how much they're giving for the courses of the other industries, though.
But a person that has housing mortgages, bank loans, credit card bills and yet still have few savings in the bank seems to me to be living beyond their means and has a weak sense of responsibility.
Would it be fair then, to use the money for people who live within their means and save alot to pay for the spendthrift habits of people who aren't responsible with their money?
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We can't jump too fast into conclusion. He could have accumulated these bills before he was retrenched.
Anyway, discounted credit card purchase may not necssary be more expensive than undiscounted cash payment. -
The point is that the bills even accumulated in the first place shows a lack of control on spending to me.
That's my opinion at least, i prefer to use a debit card.
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Originally posted by jgho83:
U no job?
Other countries also having retrenchment, so I think other countries also cannot hire singaporeans.
Singaporeans are generally too choosy about jobs... want high pay, want relax relax, want air con... these FTs are very glad to take them if u dont like. This is the real world. Businesses must still function and if they cant hire sg, they hire FT.
Cheaper and value for money.
If u wanna fight back the jobs, all we, all u, can do is to work harder...
Other countries also having retrenchment, so I think other countries also cannot hire singaporeans.
This is not the point here.
Singaporeans are generally too choosy about jobs... want high pay, want relax relax, want air con... these FTs are very glad to take them if u dont like. This is the real world. Businesses must still function and if they cant hire sg, they hire FT.
Cheaper and value for money.
If u wanna fight back the jobs, all we, all u, can do is to work harder...
Have you not read how employers cheat by inflated their employment account with phantom Singaporeans?
As a nation, in time like this, we must be seen to protect our poor and lowly educated.
I can assure you there are many low incomer or unemployed willing to work for peanut and yet can't get a job. -
Originally posted by jgho83:
U no job?
Other countries also having retrenchment, so I think other countries also cannot hire singaporeans.
Singaporeans are generally too choosy about jobs... want high pay, want relax relax, want air con... these FTs are very glad to take them if u dont like. This is the real world. Businesses must still function and if they cant hire sg, they hire FT.
Cheaper and value for money.
If u wanna fight back the jobs, all we, all u, can do is to work harder...
Are you a foreigner worker here?
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Without foreigners coming to work here means no extra money for the money minded despots, so foreigners are still very welcome here. Bravo, PAP!
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It seems a lot of people come as tourists and end up finding a job in singapore.
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if no foreigner here, will singapore be a better place? think before you answer...
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Originally posted by 00011000:
We can't jump too fast into conclusion. He could have accumulated these bills before he was retrenched.
Anyway, discounted credit card purchase may not necssary be more expensive than undiscounted cash payment.jump to conclusion my problem? If it is accumulated before, than it shouldn't be mentioned in the article at all. That is just his daily spendings than.
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Singaporeans prefer Pinoys or PRCs?
Since Singaporeans hate Singaporeans even at their own work place....
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Originally posted by skythewood:
jump to conclusion my problem? If it is accumulated before, than it shouldn't be mentioned in the article at all. That is just his daily spendings than.
I did not said it is your problem, did I?
This thread is not about his spending, it's about helping our ppl in difficult times. -
Originally posted by skythewood:
if no foreigner here, will singapore be a better place? think before you answer…
if no foreigner here, will singapore be a better place? think before you answer…
I did not use the word 'no foreigner' here. Nobody here ever did.
Up to mid 2010, with projected 90,000 workers expecting to be laidoff soon, is it wise to keep the floodgate of foreigners coming unchecked? -
I can attest to the report that many foreigners were at the job fair.
I am not discriminating. It is a FACT.
I also heard from one of the exhibitors at the suntec job fair that she witnessed many foreigners looking for jobs there.
I personally have witnessed many foreigners at HDB job fairs. there is one booth that requires applicants to fill up a form and show their IC, many are blue. This means foreigners. I do not discriminate. But this is a FACT. a PR is a foreigner is also a fact. I have not even considered the foreigners without long term permits.
Many as shown in the news are jobless from their motherland like india and china and the Philipines. Where do they go that is for sure welcoming? They head to sg.
Before the crisis, there were already over 1 million foreigners working here. the SP (work permit pass) was introduced also a few years back. Many of these may have converted to PR. When the crisis suddenly hit, SG was the 1st to go down in whole of Asia. What happen to the 1 million foreigners? Why are so many foreigners looking for job in sg during this crisis?
When jobs are scarce, can singaporeans be given more chance to survive this period. When boom again, whenever that may be, when there is a scarcity of resources, I will be the 1st to welcome them.
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Originally posted by skythewood:
if no foreigner here, will singapore be a better place? think before you answer…
I am worried about your style of replying.'No Foreigner' is an extreme way to describe.
Does forummers mean they want no foreigners?
Of course not. They are saying "congee is scarce, monks are many".
In the 1st place, why is there a need for foreigners?
Lack of resources.
But in a crisis where retrenchments are happening? You think there is a scarcity of resources? Definitely much much much less than before. But what is the number of foreigners here already? How many are on their way coming in already? Where is the control?
So, I mean the way you reply seems to be a bit sweeping statement. Hope you don't mind my honest comment.
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A good bird find a good place to build nest. Make sense?
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Maybe we can look at it from another angle.
Companies need to reduce their overheads to keep the companies afloat. Now, if hiring foreigners who accept lower pay and can do more is going to achieve that, they will do it.
On the whole, Singapore's government has to keep as many companies alive as possible. If the companies close down, we are also shooting ourselves in the foot as that would mean even more retrenchment.
The government's goal thus is to reduce labor costs, thus reducing company overheads in order keep our economy alive. Hence, foreigners will keep flooding here as long as the government allows, and they will find jobs as long as they are willing to accept lower pay.
So what happens to Singaporeans in this equation? We either choose to accept lower pay... or suck thumb. On the other hand, this is also a good time to upgrade onself, take some time off to study. Hopefully, when you come out, you'd be able to find better jobs while being better qualified and in a more optimistic economic climate. Hopefully.
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
I am worried about your style of replying.'No Foreigner' is an extreme way to describe.
Does forummers mean they want no foreigners?
Of course not. They are saying "congee is scarce, monks are many".
In the 1st place, why is there a need for foreigners?
Lack of resources.
But in a crisis where retrenchments are happening? You think there is a scarcity of resources? Definitely much much much less than before. But what is the number of foreigners here already? How many are on their way coming in already? Where is the control?
So, I mean the way you reply seems to be a bit sweeping statement. Hope you don't mind my honest comment.
why cannot? if i never ask, people won't think. I got you thinking about being moderate about the number of foreigners, didn't I?
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Originally posted by likedatosocan:
I can attest to the report that many foreigners were at the job fair.
I am not discriminating. It is a FACT.
I also heard from one of the exhibitors at the suntec job fair that she witnessed many foreigners looking for jobs there.
I personally have witnessed many foreigners at HDB job fairs. there is one booth that requires applicants to fill up a form and show their IC, many are blue. This means foreigners. I do not discriminate. But this is a FACT. a PR is a foreigner is also a fact. I have not even considered the foreigners without long term permits.
Many as shown in the news are jobless from their motherland like india and china and the Philipines. Where do they go that is for sure welcoming? They head to sg.
Before the crisis, there were already over 1 million foreigners working here. the SP (work permit pass) was introduced also a few years back. Many of these may have converted to PR. When the crisis suddenly hit, SG was the 1st to go down in whole of Asia. What happen to the 1 million foreigners? Why are so many foreigners looking for job in sg during this crisis?
When jobs are scarce, can singaporeans be given more chance to survive this period. When boom again, whenever that may be, when there is a scarcity of resources, I will be the 1st to welcome them.
yes, many people with blue IC at job fair... meaning many people with blue IC got retrenched. Were you expecting them to just vanish after getting retrenched? They worked here don't know how long le, they want to find another job here nothing wrong what. But they cannot find one and have to go to job fair...
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Originally posted by 00011000:
I did not use the word 'no foreigner' here. Nobody here ever did.
Up to mid 2010, with projected 90,000 workers expecting to be laidoff soon, is it wise to keep the floodgate of foreigners coming unchecked?I didn't quote you what. what the hell...
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If Philipines is doing well, we won;t be seeing so many of them here as blue and white collared workers.
We won't be seeing them here applying for jobs in the IRs which our governments says are meant to create jobs for Singaporeans.
Perhaps, our GLC should consider investing in Philipines, so that they won;t need to come over to our shores.
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Originally posted by dotaro:
If Philipines is doing well, we won;t be seeing so many of them here as blue and white collared workers.
We won't be seeing them here applying for jobs in the IRs which our governments says are meant to create jobs for Singaporeans.
Perhaps, our GLC should consider investing in Philipines, so that they won;t need to come over to our shores.
hmmm, so you are saying they come here as visitors, apply for job, and get to stay here?
Or you know how the process of they getting a job here goes?
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Originally posted by skythewood:
yes, many people with blue IC at job fair... meaning many people with blue IC got retrenched. Were you expecting them to just vanish after getting retrenched? They worked here don't know how long le, they want to find another job here nothing wrong what. But they cannot find one and have to go to job fair...
no one said they wish them to vanish.employers certainly dont for profit reasons.
since you are concerned about FT, in addition to your postings, have you ever tried to help them find a job , say in your company? there are so many FTs, certainly 1 of these have the same skills as you ? why not you talk to your HR or give the FTs the email to write in to? or tel no? or your office address? you may also have coffee with them to listen to their stories of job seeking, the challenges and ups and downs? at least you can provide them a shoulder to cry on? or lend a helping hand or useful ear?
singaporeans are used to being told No one owes you a living. and thus.