Singaporeans just need to vote wisely during the next election. There is nothing that we can do here as power is in the hands of those who decide.

The power of the vote is decisive and hopefully this will work in favour of Singaporeans.

All the best Singapore.

Gan Kim Yong: “I will never bow to Singaporean.”
As such, the signal from him is clear, foreigners are first class citizen whereas Singaporeans are now 2nd class tools for this country. For those who can afford to emigrate, you have done the right things. And those who can’t, you can make a change for Singapore thru your votes. There is no third option.

We should allow the Immigration and Manpower officials to investigate Mr de Souza’s allegations about Levi’s employment of Filipinos here on social visit passes, before jumping to any conclusions.
That said, regulations regarding employment of foreign labour should be strictly enforced. There will always be employers who are willing to take the risk of employing lower-waged foreign labour.

To be fair to those foreigners who are working at Macs, or Levi’s or whatever: I don’t think any Sinagporean today, who is willing to work in Macs, or Levi’s or at a coffeeshop, is jobless because of foreginers ’stealing’ those jobs from them. A good example is nursing: I think that every qualified S’pore nurse who wants to work here already has a nursing job, but yet the shortage means that hospitals still have to hire foreigners for the shortfall.

And as for the existing levels of service in Macs, or Levis, or Giordano, I’ll vote for a sincere, courteous Filipina any day over a glum, robotic S’porean.

Sources suggest that the allegation is true and that the parent company is not doing too well. Levi’s is being brought in by the Melwani Group – http://www.jaygee.com.sg/html/brand.html

Interesting to see what action MOM will take and/or how this will be ‘resolved’ without incident.

[...] take place here in S’pore to serve as a form of ‘punishment’ for the PAP government! Source: Why’re foreigners on social visit passes allowed to work in S’pore? : The Online Citizen… __________________ Gaming Rig: Intel Q6600@3600 | Scythe Infinity | ASUS P5K3 Deluxe | 8GB [...]

Singaporean, Let Vote in an GRC during the Next Elections!

Things can’t remain as Status quo while our Economy is Down in the Drained!

This NMP scheme is not an representative of Alternative Singaporean Views!

Judging from the comments, it seems like Singaporeans are pretty oblivious to how easy it is for foreigners to seek employment here.

Visitor Seeking Employment in Singapore (Long Term)
Foreigners seeking employment in Singapore may apply for a one-year (non-renewable) Visit Pass

http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=172&secid=171

Shadow,
If the salary of a worker in Macs, or Levi’s or at a coffee shop is enough to feed a family for 3 or 4, with the current economic outlook, more Singaporeans will be willing to work there.
Come on, Singapore is an expensive place to live in. It is worse still if people have kids. Do not blame Singaporeans who do not want that kind of job. Blame on the policy makers who intend to suppress wages.

The government always say that singaporeans shun these jobs, whereas foreigners are willing, but have they wonder why that is so…

Foreigners, mostly singles, will rent a flat with a few of their compatriots just to share the rental burden, and with no children/parents in high-cost singapore to support, the pay is more than enough for them when converted to their local currencies…

I feel that the only way to change this state of affairs is via our votes, and this is the only way for the ruling party to take singaporeans’ concerns seriously..

IMO, it is about paying correct amount of wages for the job scope. We can’t have a situation where the boss says he is not making $ when he is driving around in a brand new BMW. The cue word here is that is he making enough money? and the answer would probably be yes but in this country the buzz word is make more and more money year after year aka More good years. Just look at PSA in 2006, made bad biz decision yet did not make a loss only a drop in profit from $600 to $500 million but who got layed off, ordinary folks. Question is that why the need to lay off when still making good money? Jack Neo’s movie is very apt” Money no enough”. It certainly applies to the rich, who always grumble that they can’t make profit when actually it is that they can’t make MORE profits. No wonder people queue for hours for 4-D!

People who disagree that the endless import of cheap foreign workers are drastically affecting the lives of the average Singaporean are mostly employers. If they are not employers, then they must be stupid Singaporeans who can’t see the bigger picture.

For employers, cheap foreign workers allow them an easy way out. They do not have to improve their productivity nor efficiency (the productivity drives we have in the 90s seem to disappeared). The cost of an extra foreign worker is probably lower.

Employers do not need to improve working conditions, pay and benefits. If the “fussy and choosy” Singaporean don’t want to work for $1000, 7 days a week, without medical and leave benefits, simply replace him with a foreign worker. Better yet, in some cases the employer gets a cut from the job agent’s commission when he hires a foreign worker.

These employers live in private property, drive and spend their time in central areas. They do not need to suffer the packed MRT trains, foreign workers swarming their living space. Heartland neighborhoods which used to be peaceful, clean and quiet now have to deal with overcrowding, littering and noise. The average Singaporean have nothing to gain and everything to lose from the influx of cheap foreign workers.

It’s a vicious cycle, lowly paid jobs that most S’poreans cannot feed a family on. No takers except for foreigners from 3rd world countries who will glady accept it. Employers blame choosy locals and praise migrant workers. Jobless S’poreans get pissed off but feels helpless at the same time. Only remedy is to bring our costs of living down to 3rd world standard or bring the government down at the next elections. While migrants are happily employed here, our local boys protect the country and provide a safe domain for these temporary rats. Whatever, it is losing battle for the S’porean family with 1st world expenses and having to accept 3rd world pay. In times of uncertainty and bad economic situations, most will look inward and protect self and family, not this country. This a big employment centre, shape up or ship out. That’s the mantra to reflect on this coming Nat Day, it is not nation building anymore. I feel that it is not my country amymore.

Real life example:

My aunt got a job as a childcare centre assistant. 45 hours per week for $650 per month. With this kind of salary, she can only live a subsistence living i.e. live for the sake of living.

Can a lowly paid demoralised childcare worker take care of your child properly? Yet I read that childcare centre fees have been increasing.

13) Sean

Not only do Singaporeans have to cope with 1st world expenses and 3rd world pay, the standard of living is also becoming 3rd world.

3rd world immigrants prepare our local food using 3rd world hygiene levels, and giving 3rd world service.

Singaporeans are also forced to buy cheaper products like housebrands and items from dollar shops. The brands may be the same but these are essentially products produced for the 3rd world countries using inferior ingredients.

Yet we have to pay 1st world prices for these items.

Wonderful letter. Rightly addressed the issues that many of have have been thinking about. Maybe we can start a petition or something to reflect this to MOM.

alternatively, VOTE WISELY during the next election=)!

BEfore people rant off, in Sydney, immigrants also face problems here.

They have lesser opportunities in Sydney as Aussies tend to take care of their own people first.

This is so unlike us who tend to give jobs to foreigners as they are cheaper to hire.

This wont happen here due to the minimum wage policy. Any employee now has to be paid at least $550 per week or else workers can report them to the Labour Court. That is why Aussie companeis prefer to hire back their own people – there is no advantage in hiring a foreigner here.

Thus, the minum wage policy needs to be implemented before employers have any advantage when hiring a foreigner.

This issue is not new. The hundreds of thousands of foreign labour do indeed lower the wages of the bottom 30% of Singaporeans workers. MC Donalds, 7-11 and many services companies are still paying $4-5 per hour wage. Furthermore, MOM still refuses to disclose the real numbers of Singaporeans who are jobless. But I can sense the tide is turning against this government. You can just feel the rumble on the ground. PAP at the interim, is oblivious to their impending demise.

Sadly, in S’pore, we have an unwritten MAXIMUM wage policy….yes, maximum wage policy as opposed to minimum wage policy. How?? By the govt opening the floodgate to any foreigner to work here…thereby depressing wages of S’poreans to the level of far less developed countries such as China and India.

S’porean workers suffer from the double whammy of low wages and very high cost of living. Our multi-millionaire ruling elite will never be able to empathize with us Lesser Mortals. They live in their good class bungalows and dine at luxurious restaurants….only walk around hawker centres near election time.

Foreginers are smart. They saw through our govt weakness and start sending their children here to recky for jobs. Once their childrens are settled, they send back signal to their countries that Singapore labour laws can be fooled. Their whole generation of families lines will than come in school to conquer our land, steal our jobs and cram up our public spaces.. So much for sacrificing all our NS men to protect this country only to allow Singapore sovereignty to lost thru the hands of PAP.

Enough said of this govt, no amount of sorry state we are in can change their mind. They are always as uncompassionate, unmoved and unwilling to listen to their voters. I am not the only one saying this, there were people across the board in this island who feel and think the same. Worst of all, these “high mortal” are equally capable of lying thru their teeth and still able to sing, dance and act kungfu. If this is not the greatest mockery of The republic of Singapore citizens, what is?

Singaporean graduates and PMETs are feeling the hardest pinch. Singapore pillars are shifting away and diluting in great numbers. Many are forced to retire before their prime. All these wrong directions & policies seem to contradict with what GCT and pap want for Singaporean next generation. Or seriously do they?

The fanciful national rally speech by LHL, the unconvincing political desk from 154th, the silly tripartite system & JCS scheme that worsened the jobless rate, the wasteful town billboards showing superficial smiles at the people and, last but not the least, drama from our president’s speech that echoed PAP into nothingness. Wayang has indeed no boundary for pap to exploit us.

Since speeches coming from the invory tower are cheap, let’s show them what true actions from the gound means in the coming election.

Remember, we were told and are still being told, to HELP ourselves.

So, in the NEXT coming elections – WE must REALLY help ourselves.

From here onwards, they will have to fix the elections to stay… no sane sober and straight thinking local will vote for them anymore.

I have witnessed numerous jobless people competing for jobs at job fairs recently. Many I have seen hailed somewhere around the indian ocean. There were so many of them, i went there as minority competing for jobs with them. While queueing up, a few of them were asking where you from and i heard one said she was from the indian ocean region. And then they looked at me. They seem to be enjoying the job fairs organised to help them. I wonder if these originated from indian ocean and are now citizens or PRs? Singapore is indeed a place supporting people who are looking for jobs regardless your origination. wow, i citizen wor. and ….. also get to come to job fair wor…..citizen…..PRs…..(foreigners??? I wonder).

I will not be surprised even if there are visit pass workers working here.

Hello S’porean, no need to complain. Just remember to vote them out this election. Simple as that. Show them that our vote is mightly. ” Yes We Can” to change it.

Singapore has no minimum wage, and does not protect workers. Singapore has a high cost of living. Singaporeans of today are used to a certain living standard.

Foreigners don’t care about their living standards because whatever they’re paid here is worth more back home. Are foreigners exploiting this? Sure, why not? It’s self-preservation.

If a Singaporean could work in Malaysia or other Asian countries, earn more than enough to send the money home, wouldn’t you?

Singapore created this situation, everyone else is just trying to survive.

23) Yang on July 7th, 2009 2.05 pm
/// Show them that our vote is mightly. ” Yes We Can” to change it.///

I am glad to know that my vote is what i have control of.

competition and job wise , its an open market where unlike many countries, foreigners are enjoying equal opportunity with locals.

Very excellent country.

Those still holding a job now may not understand this and it is understandable.

regards
Oblivea In a Well

9) tiredman on July 7th, 2009 10.38 am

Shadow,
If the salary of a worker in Macs, or Levi’s or at a coffee shop is enough to feed a family for 3 or 4, with the current economic outlook, more Singaporeans will be willing to work there.
Come on, Singapore is an expensive place to live in. It is worse still if people have kids. Do not blame Singaporeans who do not want that kind of job. Blame on the policy makers who intend to suppress wages.

You echo my thoughts…I always feel that if the standard of living in Singapore is sustainable like it was like in the early 90s…Back then, my dad could support the whole family with his salary. Of course, he did struggle a little, but if it is now, I think my dad would have been driven up the wall and perhaps that is why nowadays our birthrate have decline so much!

Anyhow, I really think more Singaporean will take up low paying jobs that they shun nowadays if our standard of living is acceptable.

It is so hard to make ends meet these days, so of course people have to find a better paying job, aspire for better things in life. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Anyhow, I do fear for the future generations of Singaporean..my kid included. At the rate, we are going, I think we will be in trouble sooner or later.

24) Ray on July 7th, 2009 2.08 pm

” Are foreigners exploiting this”

Its not the employees fault. The hiring is determined by employers. Many singaporeans are employers.

“Singapore has no minimum wage”
I heard that there are min $1 million per month wages for CEOs.

CJ @ #21:
“So, in the NEXT coming elections – WE must REALLY help ourselves. ”

The status quo contributed by the Majority.
The majority determined and shall determine our future in one way or another.
Its in their hands. We have no choice.

Errata: I mean min wage of 1 million for SOME CEOs.

It is no surprise Manpower Minister, Mr Gan Kim Yong did not reply. THE TRUTH speak for itself. PAP will never reply negative news on them.

Even during recession period, what is the point of S’pore govt keep emphasis on re-training but jobs go to foreigners?

NTUC, Town Council will try to get the unemployed a job BUT the salary remain low while the cost of inflation shoot up.

Spore govt use the excuse of singaporeans avoiding these jobs as to bring in foreign workers.

Those on employment pass, The FOREIGN WOKERS LEVY, MAID LEVY etc are easy money for the govt.

How much $$$$ can s’pore govt extract from the singaporeans beside CPF? Nothing much. The govt still have to subside the singaporeans…….”No Way”.

Foreign wokers are still better choice.

SHAME ON YOU, PAP

28) Oblivea In a Well on July 7th, 2009 3.00 pm

Errata: I mean min wage of 1 million for SOME CEOs.

Do yew mean some mini-stars?

27) Oblivea In a Well

“The status quo contributed by the Majority.
The majority determined and shall determine our future in one way or another.
Its in their hands. We have no choice.”

We sure as hell would like to know WHO and WHERE are these ‘majority’.
And then to begin with, WHO collects & counts the ballots?
… NOBODY knows.

This country isn’t what they say it is – so far, how many times have Obama mentioned (..did he ever at all) or acknowledged Singapore for what they say it is?

They overpay themselves, suppresses local wages, tells us all we’re on our own, and forces their administration on us term after term….

… I tell you, it is only a matter time that SOMETHING will give.

the holland village cold storage has ALL philipino cashiers.

tell me how is that possible if there is supposedly a 10 local to 1 MOM foreigner policy?

mr gan, pse take some time from your ivory tower and walk the streets of singapore to see for yourself instead of spending time going on tv programs to make a fool of yourself and insulting singaporean’s intelligence.

Singaporeans assume they are living in 1st world country with many 1st world facilities. I do not agree to many of them but I DO AGREE that SG ministers and upwards are getting 1ST WORLD SALARY.

will somebody tell me when is the next GE?

let our votes do the talking!

Hi 2) David ,

“the signal from him is clear, foreigners are first class citizen whereas Singaporeans are now 2nd class tools for this country. ”

Rightly stated! Do you know why this is happening?

Judging from the current trend now to fill the top and bottom job positions with foreigners, we can see that sporeans are being squeezed out of jobs or out of sg.

which part of YOUR ears needs a hearin aids?
the government prefer foreign talents
simply because foreign talents contribute a gangster fees in the name of LEVY
which is more expensive than a limited levi jean
singaporean workers?
in the eyes of leekuanyew
are just a liabilities
kapish?
imagined this scenerio
if EVERY foreign workers raked the government of a min sum of $300/month in terms of levies
how much is the government earnin/month?
now you know why every ministers can be paid over $100,000/month…

Hi 8) Terence,
“Judging from the comments, it seems like Singaporeans are pretty oblivious to how easy it is for foreigners to seek employment here.”

Thanks for the info.

It seems that the reason for this to happen is so that the govt can collect more revenue (fees and security deposits) at the expense of s’poreans having less jobs.
source – http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=172&secid=171

14) Terence,
“My aunt got a job as a childcare centre assistant. 45 hours per week for $650 per month. With this kind of salary, she can only live a subsistence living i.e. live for the sake of living.
Can a lowly paid demoralised childcare worker take care of your child properly? Yet I read that childcare centre fees have been increasing.”

For your info, do you know that a local diploma trained childcare teacher is only earning between $1300 to $1500 (and most of them have many years of working exp before switching to childcare line). Their salary would rarely exceed $2000/mth even if they have a deg in early childhood edu, if they were to work as a childcare teacher.

To make matter worse, now MOE and MCYS has made it a rule that all kindergarten & childcare teacher must have min 5 O levels and have English O level with min B4 grade. This has affected all early childhood operators since better qualified staff would mean higher pay. However, the govt is not going to subsidize to help in paying these better qualified staff. So the end result would be more childcare centres have to close or they have to cut cost in some other ways, which may affect the quality of care and edu for the kids.

For your info, according to MCYS statistics on childcare centres, you can see that every year, 7 or 8 childcare centres will close for every 10 that open.

Yishun bus interchange all china drivers.
Major telco service centers all manned by pinoy
Massage parlor all china workers
TC contractors – indian
All the above tried to get PR to look for better jobs to compete with PMETs

National Service – all Singaporean
Can/Cardboard collectors – Singaporean

The rights and power to vote and choose our fate – Singaporean
Thus use your vote wisely.

Hi 17) Gilbert,

Who say there is no “minimum wage policy” in sg? There is, but only for foreign workers in sg. Please see “Employment Pass & S Pass for foreign talents and skilled workers” below:

“P Pass – for foreigners with acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills and are seeking professional, administrative, executive or managerial jobs.

A P1 Pass will be issued if the applicant’s monthly basic salary is more than S$7,000.

A P2 Pass will be issued if the applicant’s monthly basic salary is more than S$3,500 and up to S$7,000.

Q1 Pass – for foreigners with monthly basic salary of S$2,501 and above and possess acceptable degrees, professional qualifications or specialist skills.

S Pass (is a new category of Work Pass which replaces the Q2 Pass with effect from 1 July 2004) – For foreigners whose monthly basic salary is at least S$1,800. ”
Source –
http://www.filmo.com/whyepass.htm and
http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/communities/work_pass/overview_of_work_passes.html

Even the foreign domestic maids also enjoy minimum pay scheme and rest days, but not our local nannies or coffee shop aunties and uncles.

for the numerous social & economic problems the true blue S’poreans are facing its so obvious what the root of the problem is.

we know the root, & there is only 1 way to address the issue once & for all. the window of opportunity is not too far away, appointment letters are out already.

staff working in postal services can vouch for that! :)

#22

Why don’t u call a spade and spade….Orginate from Indian Ocean? What a laugh! So, how about those whom orginate from the North of the South China Sea. i guess they don’t take away your job, eh?

aiyoyo

own people no take care own people, how can?

very blur leh why like that huh? (in this red dot)

sad story

aiyoyo

Was at the library and saw a PRC library assistant. Job scope is to arrange the books in aircon environment. Yes, must be fussy and choosy Singaporeans don’t want this super tough job so no choice have to hire foreign talent.

It still boils down to this point..can a singaporean live off 1200 bucks/month…when he have to cope with life, pay for his housing utilities, etc…seriously, I think it is an uphill task for that to happen, hence needless to say they will shunt low paying jobs because they already can’t make ends meet already…

Singapore PR who illegally partitioned condominiums and sublets them for great profits.

PRs who illegally run massage parlors, and hawker halls.

Foreigners who fake their qualifications to get well paying jobs and PR status.

Foreigners who receive free education and monthly allowance running off after completing their degrees.

Legalised snakeheads run by PRs which cheated workers out of their salaries resulting in protests at MOM.

Seems like the law is very lenient towards foreigners who flout our laws. These foreigners get rich very quickly and are praised by the government for being enterprising. They buy numerous properties and jack up our housing prices until HDB flats costs $500k to 700k.

Singaporeans who abide by the laws all these years and struggle to earn a honest living are taken for fools.

“Your party have lost interest in our people’s well-being while in pursuit of even more greedy economic development” This quote nailed it right on the spot!

The government has insatiable thirst for economic gains & doesn’t give a rat’s ass about locals who are having it harder & harder.

What can you expect from an smart scholar like Mr Gan? Do you expect him to serve Singaporean whole heartedly by implementing neutral policies, or licking his boss boot by spreading lies and misled information. ICA also open one eyes close one eyes, as long as these foreigner generate income, they are much much better off (in the eye of PAP) than Singaporean who dun work and only complain.

Don’t like PAP just vote against them. GE is coming soon end of the year. Some friends already receive the election notice to standby. Let’s see if PAP popular vote will get past 50% this time round.

“With this note, I end by hoping that a political tsunami like March 8th 2008 in Malaysia would take place here in S’pore to serve as a form of ‘punishment’ for the PAP government!”

Sporean WILL never be that gutsy… sorry but thats how i feel.

Istly.. The government has already successfully instill in us that any deviation from the society’s norm will be punished.

2nd.. Kudos to PAP. they have all structure in place to ensure that they will never be sucessfully challange in years to come. Note that how the town council is a function of the party and if they don’t get elected then the residents can forget about maintainance and upgrading of their district.

3rd… any mainstream media report has to oblige with the government’s properganda.

Lastly, is been very clear that citizen can always be readily replaced by migrants.

So it will take a miracle for the day where the citizens will unite and make a final stand for their right to overturn the government. trust me… i have migrated for years and every time i come back to visit i keep hearing the same complains again… nothing will or can ever change…

Change WILL come. NO empire, no kingdom, no Dynasty, has ever lasted forever.

TIME is good teacher, however, it kills all its students…

To Shadow on July 7th, 2009 9.45 am

You wrote “I’ll vote for a sincere, courteous Filipina any day over a glum, robotic S’porean.”

May I ask have you ever experience a reckless foreign national bus driver who nearly got the passengers into an accident when he drove from the Woodsland into the city. Have you ever tasted local food cooked by these foreign nationals at our food courts – the food doesn’t taste local at all, it had no taste !

We prefer safety and quality over courtesy anytime !!!

MOM issues EPEC. These EPEC holders walked around SIN like a king for one full year without having to find a job. They do part-time job here there. Freelanch everywhere. Some companies employ them quietly without having to declare to MOM nor having to conform to any citeria. It is private arrangement whereas companies are put on MOM spotlights.

Companies needed staff to work – MOM play tough ball and reject applications. While MOM is happy to give out EPEC to foreigners for them to walk around town, but rejexct those who seriously are looking for work. What the game MOM?

MOM happier to see them walking around town vs them seeking meaningful work? I think EPEC holder living more than 3 months in SIN and cannot find work – ought go home.

What the game? MOM

These foreigners as pointed out are just the tip of an iceberg. You can see them at 7 eleven, Subways and now in all hawker and fruit stalls in heartland malls.
Yet nothing is done to eridicate them, and the end result is that they become bolder. We do not see anymore of MOM/ICA officers going round and checking on these stalls, even though the Immigration Regulation, section 11(7) tells clearly that when one is on a social visit pass, it is an offence to work.

I guess none of the people who wrote here were actually employers. Let me share with you the reality as someone who employs and I’m in the retail trade.

The bulk of the business cost comes from 2: Rental and Salary. Nowadays expect to pay at least $25 psf for decent retail space. So for a 500sf retail space, it will cost you $12.5k a month. But wait, that’s not all, landlord will also want to take a small cut like 3% on your gross turnover. I work in the shop and I employ 3 other staff as retail assistant, so that we can work on the 2 shifts retail hours which include weekends. Their basic pay is $900 a month, but if you include CPF and 13th month, that will be close to $1100 a month. On an average my turnover is about $100k a month and my gross profit margin is about 25%. After paying landlord and staff salary, every month I have about 6k to pay for other miscellaneous like PUB, banking (you didn’t think the credit cards and NETS that you happily swipe were for free did you?), accounting, packaging/stationery etc. and MYSELF. Not great but enough to live.

Now my point is: is $900 monthly salary too low for Singaporeans? Most Singaporeans that I had tried to employ would say so. A lot of them also had issues with working weekends and on shifts – they said not pro-family. More importantly they had a lot of ‘pride’, they would not tolerate the way Singaporeans treat retail staff – they think they are god. Most importantly, they didn’t stay long on the job, every 2 or 3 months I had to look for replacement.

A foreigner would give me none of these problems.

For you smart alec out there who said we should send all these foreigners home or impose a minimum wage, do you know what will happen next? I will have to close down because it just doesn’t make any more sense to continue – I run a business not charity. You might say who cares? But don’t forget my business is currently generating a monthly $100k worth of economic activity and there are many others who will be affected just like me.

So if you think a complex problem can be solved by sending the foreigners home or with your vote, think again.

Well that’s because you’re talking about the existing system are you not? You’re working within this system and saying that the complex system can’t be solved. Of course it can’t be solved. The system itself is NOT set up to be solved, it maintains the status quo or ‘improves’ it to the detriment of empployees and employers.

#54

Sure whatever it is I’m not saying it’s good or perfect system. What I’m saying is if you want to abandon the current system, make sure you have something to replace it.

You don’t quit your job unless you are pretty sure you can find a better one right?

53) Lop

If you think that getting cheap foreign workers is the solution, let me ask will your profits increase if you can get free workers, or will your landlord increase your rent by the same amount you save? I believe you already know the answer.

In fact, it is bad for businesses like yours when many Singaporeans are earning a pittance and they don’t have extra money to spend. The foreign workers are going to save up the bulk of their salary and send them home.

The real solution is a minimum wage. Your salary expenses may go up, but because you cannot price your goods higher, the landlords will have no choice but to lower their rent. If they don’t lower their rent, no one will rent their stores because no one can make a profit. The book “The Undercover Economist” has explained this effect.

The real beneficiaries of the influx of cheap foreign workers are landlords and big employers.

Some thoughts:

1. Wages are indeed depressed in the service sector, especially in retail outlets. The lack of a minimum wage definitely is a factor that makes it harder for employers to feel compelled to pay higher salaries. Singaporeans won’t take the jobs because they don’t pay enough, so foreigners naturally fill this gap.

2. That said, even if employers did want to pay higher salaries, they can’t. Why?

3. The main issue are rental costs of running a retail shop. In suntec, or any prime downtown location, rental rates per square foot can range from (if you’re lucky) $38 to $60 or $70. In a typical 1000 sq foot shop, that would be $60,000 a MONTH just in rental. Add the negligible salaries of 3 employees, let’s say it turns up to $65,000 cost per month, not including utilities, loss of stock, other incidentals, etc

4. In order just to justify the shops existence, a shop must earn around $2000 a day. Can our consumption as Singaporeans justify that?

5. We are not a consumption based society. We like to save. Private Consumption makes up around 39% of our GDP, and in other nations such as Hong Kong it is 60%
(See here http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2009/SIN.pdf — I am not sure about the actual magnitudes of figures, but the fact is that we consume much less than our counterparts in Hong Kong. This has been exacerbated by the recession and loss of wealth people have felt since property prices have dropped)

6. No shop or company is in business just to “get by”. They want to make money. This is itself is not bad, and I think the argument that employers are chiefly responsible for this situation is wrong.

7. Employers keep people employed, and that’s how wealth gets distributed to the people, through jobs an salaries. How well or efficiently this distribution happens depends on business conditions, which is largely determined by the government and what they do.

7. Can rental rates be lowered? Well, Capitaland owns much of the land shopping centres are built on. Who owns Capitaland? Ah, it’s government-linked, and Temasek has a share.

So now the picture is clearer. A large extent of the situation is due to government interference in the private sector. This drives up business costs, and coupled with our already-low private consumption and lack of labour protection laws makes it unattrative to hire locals, EVEN IF businesses wanted to.

How to solve it?

1. Get the government out of owning and profiting of land in Singapore. GLCs running land plots artificially inflate the prices beyond its worth, and create a bubble. They also have the staying power to keep prices high without cutting them. If the govt should be involved, their mandate should be to keep prices LOWER to aid businesses, NOT to enrich themselves from it.

2. Have minimum wage laws to equalise the playing field. This allows Singaporeans to be hired, AND doesn’t exploit foreigners for cheap labour. Everyone wins.

3. Increase consumption. This is by far the hardest. How? I have no clue.

Just some random thoughts. Again, I think to place the blame squarely at the feet of employers isn’t really looking at the whole picture. The entire situation is far more complex.

tsunami in sg? i think, better dream on.

#56 Terence

I don’t know which is the correct solution, since I’m no economist. But I do know foreign labour is a part of the current equation, you can’t just take them away and expect the equation to just balance itself. It doesn’t work that way.

I think your scenario that landlord will lower rental is a bit simplistic. Firstly, do you know that the shopping malls in Singapore are owned and managed by just a ‘few’ landlords? Fewer than the fingers on my hand. Secondly, look at those cleaners in the shopping malls, are they local? Imposing a minimum wage also increases the landlord operating cost. It may come to a point where the landlords will just say the same thing: “this business isn’t worth my trouble”. The problem is Singapore has too small a domestic market, unlike Australia or even Malaysia. In my years I saw many establised brands just pulled out of Singapore market because “it’s not worth the trouble”. Do you notice that one Singapore shopping mall doesn’t look so different from another in terms of the tenant mix? Why? A lot of overseas big players don’t want to come in for the same reason: “it’s not worth the trouble”.

Also what makes you think that as a retailer I cannot use the opportunity to ‘price my goods higher’, after all like I say I’m running a business not charity. Even if I can’t the big boy who has the big market share sure can and surely will. In addition, you have also forgetten, what about my suppliers? Imposing a minimum wage will affect them too, as a result the cost of my goods will go up.

An even more tricky question is, how much should we set the minimum wage?

My point is: the current situation cannot be resolved by a simplistic approach – just impose minimum wage.

Any vacancy for Prime Minister? If yes, please ask a foreigner to fill it.

The reason I raised this issue is not to belittle the foreign workers nor unwelcome them but I am a socialist at heart and feel very frustrated, aggrieved when I see contradicting statements being made by ministries (expatriates sent back due to current economic crisis but recent statics show population increase due to foreign labour), a fellow S’porean (regardless of race, language or religion) being at a disadvantage when it comes to supposedly equal employment or even educational opportunities and last but not least, a government aggrasively in pursuit of even more greedier economic gains (with such nations whose foreign labour are here and not forgetting DBS which made payouts to hongkies whose investments failed but not to S’poreans), at the expense of S’poreans in a display of what I call ‘arrogance of power’ (as S’poreans are only suckers who’re enslaved by PAP). Is this the kind of society we want? Where we’re 2nd class citizens? (I’m very sure one would have met foreign workers who were once upon a time ‘humble’ when they arrived but has since become arrogant towards us) Otherwise then show the PAP who’s really the boss, educate your peers, parents and grandparents who love you and be like fellow residents in Potong Pasir and Hougang who constantly remind PAP who’s the real boss!

Hi 60) liesbuster,

I like your proposal: “Any vacancy for Prime Minister? If yes, please ask a foreigner to fill it.”

Maybe we need another Obama to solve sg problems.

43) Terence
///////// Was at the library and saw a PRC library assistant. Job scope is to arrange the books in aircon environment. Yes, must be fussy and choosy Singaporeans don’t want this super tough job so no choice have to hire foreign talent.///////

The Library Board recently retrenched a group of staff in this job scope decription you mentioned and outsourced it to a pte co.. As far as I know, those retrenched were long serving loyal singaporean staff.

We all understand most of Singapore Rental Price are controlled by CapitalLand which is controlled by Temasek Holdings!

Why there is no competition on Top to bring down the rental cost and force the employer to employ FT plus worker levy!

foreigners? oh yeah they may raise economic activity increase our GDP and make my pay $500 higher than otherwise.

but they make that hdb $200k more expensive.

i’ll give you back the pay n take a cheaper flat anytime!

CHANGE !!!
REFORMOSI !!!!

GE coming very soon. Once the economy started to recover, they will start the poll.

salary of locals have been suppressed by the extreme import of foreign labour, and yet cost of living continue to increase.

we are becoming poorer and poorer every year. where are the more good years ahead?

Even Batam has a minimum wage.

Yes, I’m sure everyone here realized the NEED to vote wisely, if there is no walkover in the first place.

However, I’m sad to say that all of us here are probably the MINORITY, or the 33% of Singaporeans who turned to alternative news media.

The 66% educated but ignorant Singaporeans WILL allow history to repeat itself again.

Get ready and bend over for the PAP!

any party that focuses on the “singaporean first” theme will likely shine in the next GE; any party that still focuses on myanmar and foreign policies related themes must be really out of this world.

No matter Good or Bad Time!

Everything must come under competition!

Without competition there will be monopoly!

When we all next vote, we need to ask ourselves, what kind of Singapore would we want to pass on to our children? A Singapore which they are proud to call home, a Singapore with a soul and an attachment which they will lay down their lives to defend our way of living and its people whom we care for.

For the past 50 years of nation building, we have focused on building our economic pillars and ensuring that we have a good standard of living. What do we want for our children in the next 50 years?

Do I want to leave behind a Singapore for my son who would have to go through Singapore’s myopic educational system, spend 2 years of his life serving the nation and to only find out that in terms of his career, he would always be 2 years behind his peers from other countries, that he would pay through his nose for a small pigeon hole to live in and little social security when he is old.

Mr Gan has had a smooth sailing public service career. He is a typical scholar cum civil servant. He passed his O & A levels with stunning grades, took a scholarship and was set for life. Do you think he or any our elite leaders understand what the common man go through on a day-to-day basis. Is this kind of leadership still suitable to lead us for the next 50 years?

What kind of Singapore do we want to leave our children with?

I see a lot of complaints about foreigners taking away jobs from Singaporeans. The fact is employers (bossess) like to employ foreigners over Singaporeans because they are more hardworking and cheaper and the Govt did not bother about this situation. One way to solve this is to stop patroning or buying from any establishment that employs foreigners.

During the 1980’s, I wined and dined four or five days in a week on quality sharksfin soup and drank XO brandy or Chivers Regal whisky. Gone are those days ! Now, I ate more often at Kopi Tiam and Hawker Çentres and my budget is never more than ten dollars. Why ? Inflation and retired with CPF savings bringing in no more than one percent interest from the banks. And Govt. hospital are charging more and more if unfortunately you are a patient.
In the older days of the 1960’s, when you retire, you are loaded but today, you are broke like hell.

Matilahosamasama

There is only one solution:

VOTE FOR OPPOSITION!

I just got a job recently (quit my old one a few months ago). Poly grad, almost 4 years relevant experience, yet my salary is the same as a fresh uni-grad foreign employee with no experience. Lesser money than my old job minus all allowances and incentives, though I don’t have to work shifts anymore.

(Can Singapore employers just stop offering salaries based on previous employment records? Is it actually illegal to ask? It is in the U.S. I think, so why not here? Where is MOM in this equation?)

How to survive like this? Employment agencies tell me that local uni grads are accepting ridiculously lowly paid jobs, and although I’m studying part-time now for a degree, I doubt I would get more pay or opportunities when I graduate because of the kind of competition I face from foreigners.

I’m 24 and I’m tired of being a Singaporean. I used to think I’d work overseas and keep my citizenship. Now I’m not so sure anymore.

59) Lop on July 7th, 2009 10.11 pm
Hello… are you a Singaporean businessman/woman? I shall not blame you of being pro-foreigner and I shall not blame your workers for being choosy. Anyway, I believe your target age group of employees is 20-25. I am not surprise they are not loyal. Why not try to employ some local aunties and uncles? I believe they form the biggest unemployed group and they should not be choosy.
If you have the heart to employ local and you are a businessman, you should not start thinking on how to solve the problem. Remember, you are a businessman. You are the clever one that thinks of how to save your employee’s rice bowl.

By the way, how can the solution be to vote for the opposition?

THEY should be at blame to for the situation we are facing right now. Why aren’t issues raised by them at parliament? Are they for show? Are they not doing their job at all? Do they live in landed property and pretend to be interested in the everyday lives of Singaporeans as well?

My dad was telling me that during his time, the opposition parties were not of meek submission but of fiery passion and constantly challenging the views of the leading party. We need more people like this, not another random group of people to lead us nowhere again.

Didn’t you all get the msg last GE when the P@P campaigned under the slogan “Staying Together, Moving Ahead”. What does it really mean? Here goes: “Staying Together” is for S’poreans who are unemployed in this current economic situation to undergo ‘re-training’ and still remain unemployed and ’stay together’ while they (the foreign workers, the P@P & comrades) are “Moving Ahead”! Get it?

I wonder what ‘wonderful’ slogans would they come up with for the next GE?

We are facing problems with unemployed locals right now. Even if having a minimum wage is not the ultimate solution, it is the most practical in solving our INTERNAL problems before sourcing overseas for cheaper labour.

If we have more employed locals, it would lead to more spending and the cycle can only get better. Not worse. If everyone in my family have jobs that pay decently, we would not only save more, we would spend more.

#77

“By the way, how can the solution be to vote for the opposition?

THEY should be at blame to for the situation we are facing right now. Why aren’t issues raised by them at parliament? Are they for show? Are they not doing their job at all?”

this brother has caught the drift just rite, i cud see ONLY 1 person who can get things done…. tan kin lian

I agree with #62, maybe we need a obama to solve sg problems.

And this obama foreign talent will cost sg tax payers only USD 400,000 per year compared to our current PM who cost a whooping world class record of SGD 3,700,000 a year (excluding 8 months bonus & other perks) !

And if we replace all our million dollar sg Ministers with foreign talent, sg can save billions of tax payers’ money and also compensate for some of the 58 billions dollars of reserves lost by temaSICK & GIC !

So MOM – can you please start recruiting obama FTs into our gahman asap ?

59) Lop

I don’t think you have asked yourself the question – will you make more money if you can get workers who work for FREE or will your landlord take away your savings by increasing your rent?

Sometimes regime chance is necessary for a new beginning. It can be extremely difficult for such a event to take place if the hearts and the minds are tightly controlled by a whole array of powerful mechanisms. The ruling elites are very clever and the time has not yet arrive for anyting revolutionary.

A case in point, the election of Obama to office is not regime chance. It is just a chance of actors on stage. Obama is actually a puppet, a figure head. The people who elected on the basis of that he will initiate are simply too naive. There is an ‘invisible govt’ that rules the USA and the world and they comprise the banking and financial institutions that control virtually everything on earth. Virtually every nation on earth is beholden to this phantomic power base. Those who deny them are obstracised and face constant harassment.

Gorbarchev initiated a regime chance by his sheer ignorance and led to the collaspe of an entire social order. The Chinese are smarter and got the better of the West’s desire to destroy China.

As in history, those who hold the reins of power never give it up, the only exception is that the stupid Gorbachev who instigated his country’s own destruction. The USSR was an exception in history because Gorbachev was a honest communist and believed that man is by nature good. Thank goodess, the Chinese learned the lesson.

Those who think that the current ruling class in S’pore will be voted out of office are only dreaming. It’s universal for people in power to hope to rule FOREVER.

Singapore employers are paying peanuts that locals, if they took up the job, are not able to feed their family with while that peanuts could feed an entire village elsewhere.

to Lop #53

I also manage a business. the problem is the rental is too high – much too high. it takes up almost 50% of your gross profit.that is the achilles’ heel in the business model.

so, what does our govt do to balance the equation? it chooses to be “pro-business” and helps to lower the salary component by allowing foreigners to come in. as a businessman, you think that’s great?

sure, in the short term, your books balance and you bring in profit. but the society is dealt with a destabilizing force – Singaporeans find it harder to find jobs, less likely to spend, more competition with foreigners over housing, more living stress etc etc. in the end, all of us will be losers. perhaps not for you immediately, but certainly in the long run.

Oz has a minimum wage set at $15 to $16 per hour. many other developed countries also have minimum wages. the govt likes to brandish the scarcity of land to explain the high rental costs. but it conveniently leaves out the fact that the property market is actually under its tight control, via temasek-linked companies and hdb.

#31 CJ
” I tell you, it is only a matter time that SOMETHING will give.”

But we must not under-estimate the Uniqueness of singaporeans. ;)

Which hand is the largest that feed ?

85) Jonah on July 8th, 2009 9.43 am

Not having min wage and allowing locals to compete at FW level salaries with basically no official limit appears good and valid for employers.

In the long run, I suspect this could in some possibility lead to the made in chainah syndrome.

IF you know what the …. i mean. ;) ;) ;)

1st world lah! high standard lah.

to Lop 53,
Most will understand what difficulties employers like you faced. But you cannot deny that the rampant employing of foreigners has been abused by employers these recent years. Sure, you are running a business not a charity. Try putting yourself at the other end of the equation, don’t forget you might end up like them in fine day. everybody is milked dry by the high cost of business for which we have no control, other than the government. The detrimental effect of our situation now leads to people putting off marriage and family, contributing to the population problem and making worse, the foreigners effect on our daily lives. As I have said, it is all a vicious cycle which will break one fine day.

77) Ryvyan on July 8th, 2009 12.55 am

You have to ask why the state of Opposition in Singapore is as it is now. Maybe PAP gov can give you the answer.

government wants us to die

I thinkinstead of depending on other to make the change, as Ghandi says ‘be the chang u want to be.’ If we can make a small differenace whether in contributing to blogs like these or recommending more unemployed locals to jobs in our comapnies, we can start a small movement on our own.

The Opposition can only do so much. Their hands and feet are tied most of the time without the proper support or funds. Instead of just voting at the GE, make a start to support the opposition now in setting up a solid base which will help bring about the change you desire.

I still support the govt on some of its policies and disagree with others. But i think for those who clamoour for chnage, do something about it.

After reading all the comments i am kinda confused over what to do. If we vote for someone else to run the country, will it really become better? Are they experience enough to make sure the changes are not just for short term results leading to more unforeseen problems. I guess my concern is who else out there has enough foresight for the country to get my vote. On hind sight, i guess thats what my national service was and still is, to protect the interests of those who posses more than me, and for those who are willing to work for these ppl for lower wages .

If De Souza felt indeed a social visit pass tourist working as he claim then he should have called the MOM/ICA hotlines or the Police for the matter as a responsible caring citizen rather then bicker thru a letter to Mr.Gan. If De Souza’s claims were true that LEVI and other outlets employ social visit pass holders, which is a serious charge, holding the govt. or the Minister of Manpower accountable is far fetch! If De souza lacked the initiative to nip the problem when he could have called the authorities on the spot. People like De Souza should play his part as a royal citizen alerting/assisting authorities to nap these offenders rather than chat up these philipino gals!
To bring the matter to rest, there is NO credible OPPOSITION! There is none exisiting responsibly or credibly to shoulder the responsibility nor the burden of good governance. People like De Souza must realise this and start working/co-operate/assist our government to make Singapore a better place to live!

“If we vote for someone else to run the country, will it really become better?”

Then vote them out next election. As simple as that

‘Small Time Businessman’ – raises a vital question.

Any reasonable, wise-hearted, sensible, sincere and an average man in the street KNOW that we have no CREDIBLE opposition. We will fare worst in hands of opposition who are themselves lost in the woods. They mask as as caring, responsible and experienced oppostions but they lacked very essence of governing anything incuding their own political party and for the matter our country.

Voting is just like mortaging our fate and fate of our family for five years and in the hands of the so called opposition we currently have – NO, NO and NO!

“Any reasonable, wise-hearted, sensible, sincere and an average man in the street KNOW that we have no CREDIBLE opposition. ”

Since you say so, PAP will have no worries in the coming election. Good time to abolish GRC system

Hello folks, just remember Times has change! We need to focus what we want in the future. Vote wisely in the next election.

95) VSRAAJ on July 8th, 2009 12.49 pm

I don’t think we also want 5 more good years of the same… Salary stagnant, GST goes up, reserves lost, increasing health costs..

I don’t think that even if another party comes into power, singapore will collapse, simply because the entire civil service will still be intact, and likely the scholars in the various ministries/stat boards will still be holding on to their jobs (except the ministers, MPs)..

The changes that we are looking for are basically for policy makers to have more empathy, more in touch with the ground… so, the scholars when solving problem will have to take a broader view, be more creative, instead of the usual way of doing things.. e.g. scarce resource -> make it more expensive -> price people out of it -> problem goes away.. If they take the easy way out, at least the new ministers can throw it back and say work on it some more…

Talking about jobs, it seems that even those petrol station attendant jobs are going to foreigners..

#95 VSRAAJ,

The government was given the mandate and the pay that they asked for to do their job. What did we get for the last 5 yrs? They have overcompensated themselves, did only a satisfactory job and gave loads for excuses for lapses in a lot of issues (MSK, GIC investment etc). Sad to say our opposition has not been up to mark but there is no need for the ruling party to feel that we cannot do anything without them. Since their pay adjustment, our government shd be viewed as a transactional government, results/performance oriented. There shd be no excuses (external factors, blah blah) for being the first in recession. There shd not be any iron rice bowl mentality for the top if the average S’porean is asked to scarifice along.

Wow… can sense election is coming.

Nothing new to say. Use your vote wisely and be responsible for the outcome.

To Borderless

Virtually every nation on earth is beholden to this phantomic power base. Those who deny them are obstracised and face constant harassment.

Interesting point. Please give some examples on how this happens.

because government is not working. look like need more pay rises for our ministers.

“an average man in the street KNOW that we have no CREDIBLE opposition.”

Ours is not a culture which promotes (you may well say discourage) the knowledge / involvement on any political matters or any discourse (e.g join political party if you want to talk politics).

“They mask as as caring, responsible and experienced oppostions but they lacked very essence of governing anything incuding their own political party and for the matter our country.”

That we know bcos it is your job and your fellow kakis (including mainstream media which is so controlled) to keep on painting this picture. Even kids need to go through the process of walking before they know how to run.

The oppo and incumbent are in names only and given time without deliberate forward inertia of self-renewal (not in name only but in essence, to borrow your term), sometimes being experienced means unhealthy stasis and being new (as in oppo) means the negation of stasis.

That is why in our country, we have the special unique feature of encouraging the great inflow of FTs to give our local singaporeans the feel of fresh foreign blood. If this is good enough for lesser common people, this infusion of fresh blood should equally apply to the higher elites of the nation.

“Voting is just like mortaging our fate and fate of our family for five years and in the hands of the so called opposition we currently have – NO, NO and NO!”

We have done (mortgaging) that with the same party since the day of independence (1965) and we even got chided for being complacent even for the mistake of others and here you are saying NO, NO and NO.

Voting for the opposition does not mean they will replace PAP entirely and run the country. Having more opposition provides competition for PAP, so that they will be pressured to implement policies that favour Singaporeans.

Just like SMRT and SBS, because there is no competition for their services, they can pack us like cattle and increase fares every year but you can do nothing about it.

Imagine if there are no Sheng Siong, Giant, Carrefour, Cold Storage supermarkets. Do you still think NTUC will still keep their prices low?

to 93) VSRAAJ on July 8th, 2009 12.17 pm

what De Souza had encountered is COMMON knowledge in Singapore. I’m surprised that you’re attacking him instead of commenting on the substance. even our 154th had touched on it in an oblique way. i remember one article about a filipino flying over for an interview while touring the country at the same time. on what sort of visa do you think she came here?

what De Souza had done is the most direct and efficient method, cutting across all red tape. going to the police??? man, the police have their hands full with catching loan sharks, violent criminals, political dissidents etc etc.

I say, if you are a responsible citizen, let’s help each other to amplify this issue to ALL members of the parliament!

on the issue of ‘credible opposition”… what is “credible”? what is credible to you may not be credible to me. and credibility is not the same as academic qualifications or high ranks in a TEMASEK-linked company.

we may not know how new alternative (or oppo) members would perform. but we sure know what existing party stands for:

1. raised gst to help the poor
2. abolished estate tax to help the rich
3. allowed structured notes to be sold to the unwitted
4. increased to $330 monthly assistance for the desperate
5. increased their own pay to retain their talents
6. massive influx of foreigners for world-class competition against citizens
7. means testing for the middle-class
8. affordable housing based on market rates
etc etc etc

take your pick. remain in this boiling pot or try to jump out into the unknown?

terence #43..knew a 49year old local housewife, wanted to be a library assistant, checked with nlb about library asisistant courses, told there was no courses opened to the public, no opening available..young PRC versus 49 year local..no need to be a rocket scientist, 49 year old local sure to lose lah!

de souza jose at 61..knew a few laid off white collared locals, in their late 40s and early 50s..during interviews, one was told he was over qualified, even though he was willing to settle for less pay, one was told he was too old for the job, even though he was willing to settle for less pay.. yet we have moe employing teaching n admin/support staff from overseas (indonesia, malaysia, uk, australia, middle east) some in their late 40s…40 something FT versus 40 something local..no need to be a rocket scientist!

i think our gah should train n give every opportunity available to our laid off white collared professionals first, efforts should be made earnestly to give jobs to our laid off professionals..why not train our laid off white collared professionals, then place them in the jobs in these teaching institutions (teaching/admin/support)? it may take a few years to train our laid off professionals, but they are still healthy and fit and be most willing to work ,and should be able to contribute for another 10 more years..and if there r still openings available in these institutions, then consider the FTs..singaporeans who had worked long and hard for this country, who would not hesitate to defend this country when the need arises (i sometimes wish a catastrophe would happen to this country, then maybe gahmen would realise who is the stayer and who is the quitter!), those who had served their national service with pride, those who are real patriots of this nation..laid off singaporeans first!

steven @72 is correct..our ministers these days, primed and groomed, on a fast track path, from scholar background..they do not really feel the real pulse of the common man. i think if these ministers really take the time and make an effort to go to the kopitiams and talk to the common man/woman on a daily basis, he would be so very enlightened as to how unhappy the common populace is!

who would vote in the PAP?..the FTs turned citizens! i knew of one who proudly said he would gladly vote PAP cos they have been so very good to him! I live in an estate where half the residents here are from overseas, and the majority are employment pass holders holding good high paying jobs in teaching institutions/hospitals..and this particularly one had even proudly said should things start to go sour for him here..well, he’s on the next plane back to his own country!

So, who is the quitter here..locals or FTs?

the thing with our oppo parties is they do not have the funds to prime and groom the next leader..so we got no choice but to vote PAP lor! gahmen knows that what!

hindsight @73..not possible not to patronise establishments employing foreigners lah! every shop/supermarket/mall/library/kopitiam/hawkerstall/pharmacy/hospital/clinic/schools n the list goes on I patronise, there r at least two or three foreigners working in these places! they are everywhere liao! the floodgates have been opened..welcome welcome all foreigners with ur families! singapore’s roads are paved with gold, welcome welcome! a friend of mine says in her office (in a teaching institution), the foreign employees outnumbered the local ones.

and there is absolutely nothing we common singaporeans can do!

i m not anti-foreigners..i m just not happy with this opening of floodgate so readily, and jobs so given to foreigners (blue and white collared) in these times of hardship, with unemployment hitting the locals from all walks of professions.

we have made sacrifices for this country, we should be next in line for that job opening, not an FT!

i don’t understand the posts that keep calling for employers / Lop to care for and hire locals. Such people have zero concept of business costs and planning.

Hiring of cheap foreigners is the symptom. Expensive rentals is the root cause! For him/her to hire more expensive locals, rentals must come down OR business must go up.

Don’t let PAP Pte Ltd think that they are undispensable while Employers and Employees are suffering! Foreigners are also no at fault and they had the right to earn a living as well as Singaporean!

The real shareholders of Singapore are Singaporeans and don’t let 5% of elites to milk 80% Singaporean. With an vibrancy and competitive political scene will help to lessen our pains and not unstability as mentioned!

Top will be accountable for all actions taken and find solutions to the economic crises! Don’t let LKY believe he is the only one that build up Singapore and not a team effort!

To: VSRAAJ,

Are you 1 of those who manage to exploit loopholes and emigrate here or is the government paying you well to be their ballscarrier? I find your remarks rather distasteful & plain sucking up like what most ‘ballscarrier’ of this system would do!

What I feel is that we should NOT be going to the small fries like the police or MOM/ICA officers like what Jonah rightly pointed out but we should be gunning for the highly paid ones at the top instead eg. Ministers & Perm Secs to hold them accountable for allowing these to take place in the first place and to prevent future recurrences of it, we should again like what Terence rightly pointed out is to VOTE ENOUGH OPPOSITION not for them to take over the country but to increase their representation (eg. 1 third + 1 = 29 seats) to pressure the P@P into working much harder in order to secure better living for ourselves, I’m sure such simple logic you would not find difficult to understand right VSRAAJ?

And this is just the Tip of the Iceberg, I hope that 1 day when you wake up VSRAAJ, your CPF or local bank account (if you have 1) is left with nothing after you find that Ms Ho of Temasek has lost it all in investments and further more you find that there’s an order ready for your parents to be shipped over to Batam to retire or better still to a nursing home in JB and I see how you can still balls carry and suck up to this system!

108) lucky777

You are right. Without the legislation (foreigner quota and minimum wage) in place to create a level playing field, businesses which pay more to hire locals will go out of business because his competitors are still using cheap foreign labour.

The real beneficiaries of cheap foreign workers is the landlords, government and the people they employ. The rest of us have to deal with overcrowding, competition for resources, depressed wages, underemployment, increased cost of living.

#108 lucky777

Thank you. You are one of the rare few who look at the issue from the business perspective.

I think a lot of people have allowed emotions (eg. unhappiness with either PAP or foreigners) to cloud their perception on this complex issue. For me, my concern is the impact on Singapore’s economy if we do impose a minimum wage or send all the foreigners home. As of now, what I’m getting from my business is really not better than what I used to get when I was an employee. Since I have a professional qualification, going back to being an employee shouldn’t be that hard assuming the economy isn’t badly hit then.

Like I say my training is not in economy, so I hope someone with that background can help to shed some light. As mentioned before, my worry is the small domestic market that Singapore has. To do business, you either go on margins or volume. Volume is out since Singapore only has 4.5m compared to Australia which has more than 20m. Imposing a minimum wage will definitely hurt margins thus making business not worthwhile. Although it’s purely anecdotal, I do notice a trend in the retail scene that fewer overseas players want to come in and more players bowing out. Please don’t tell me foreign investment is not important.

Perhaps that’s why it’s the gahmen’s focus in recent years to move locals away from manual work with the various skills upgrade programmes. The manual and labour work are supposed to be filled up by the foreigner – imagine all the foreign construction workers are being sent back or imposed a minimum wage, you think the IR construction can still go on a 24/7 schedule?

Anyway, as some of the readers here have rightly pointed out, the root of the problem is the rocket high rental. But then again, rental ties back to land value, you can’t reduce rental without devaluing the land in Singapore. What’s the impact on making our land and property cheaper? How does that affect foreign investments? I’ll leave it to someone who’s more knowledgeable to comment on it.

As for me, I have seen enough ballcarriers for this system so nothing amuses nor amazes me what the Papies can stoop to in order to secure for themselves mandates, election after election!

But I think this will end soon and the days are numbered where the Papies can be arrogant and stoop to manipulative ways to gain their mandate, no one knows this better than the old man himself who personally heard what Ven. Hong Chuan prophecise to him 24 years ago, that his party’s mandate would come to an end 25 years from then! Let’s hope that this comes true!

Basic Principles of Everything is Competition that drive down the price!

Singapore need to follow WorldWide Competition Principle not only in political, business and social arena to survived in this period of time!

“And this is just the tip of the iceberg as Levis is not the only company to have this pratice. Guardian Pharmacy, Watsons, Tenchi Digital Lifestyle and countless other deparmental stores also have large foreign labour on their ranks..”

Tip of the iceberg, it must be. Without proper stats and checks, one can assume that this is likely the norm islandwide. This is not entirely bad though, more foreigners mean more GST.

Looks like the minister is not responding to this eh? Looks like our much grumbling is not making any difference or carrying any weight either, wonder what else can be done?

like Jackie Chan said,

Singaporeans have no self-respect

Any tom dick and harry can walk onshore with a social visit pass and take jobs from the locals.

and the locals just bend over and allow themselves to be bullied

Singaporeans have no self-respect

Singapore likes to import cheap labour because the rich and the powerful want to make super normal profits. They like to exploit people and work them to the bones. That’s why there is no minimum wage. If there is min wage, there s dignity for human beings. But no, they want everything whilst they lead a good life.

Singapore should nor hire any blue worker in the SE Asia and South Asia but instead should get blue collared workers from OZ, USA, NZ, Japan,UK France and Western Europe. Like road sweepers from France or plumbers from USA.

If they can hire the best white collar workers from the West, whey can’t they hire the best road sweepers there as well? Huh, What’s wrong with that? What wrong with forking out more money for the labouring class?? Why must only CEOs be paid so much??? HUH??

ALL BLUE COLLAR WORKERS LIKE CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, ROAD SWEEPERS, ETC MUST GET THE SAME PAY AS DOCTORS, ACCOUNTANTS AND LAWYERS!!

Only that way, can Singapore be seen as a “Developed Nation”, hiring only blue collar workers from developed Countries, not cheap labour from Burma, Indonesia, India, China and others.

The rich and powerful are alway the buddies of our money face govt. u scratch my back I scratch yours.

I’m running a small business. My staff most of them are above 50 except one. They are hard at work and worthtrustly. Of course you need luck to manage to find someone of this kind of work attiude. Oh! All of them are S’porean.

“local bank account (if you have 1) is left with nothing after you find that Ms Ho of Temasek has lost it all in investments.”

This will not likely to happen lah as there are ample local assets under its holding which can give them the revenue stream. As for pricing on the services from these sacred local assets, I leave it to your imagination and how this is likely going to affect the cost of living here………..

#111 – Dan Dan

Dan is all about ‘balls’ – probably he lost his! Vulgarity is his essence of the day! See alot of frustration and anger …seek help before it is too late. Its pretty pointless explaining to non-sensical guy like Dan on how we have vastly improve to this day on so many issues.
You cannot change a street dog – no matter if u give it a soap-bath or a home – it goes back to the street..Some people are like that…they just bicker to bicker! We are a small nation growing fast to keep with the flow with other parts of world. We make rules/decisions/laws – not all of which will go well with all the poeple all the times, there bound to qualms…we will have to work it out and iron an average
rules/decisions/laws which represent large part of the people and it seems it lacks Dan’s understanding or expectations!
‘Powerballs’ guy Dan should meet his MP and raise his qualms for some ‘effect’ and not hide behind his PC and blasts at every opportunity against the govt. Like it or not Dan, vulgarity or bickering is not going to move/change anything!
I reiterate that we have no sensible/credible opposition for good governance!

To: VSRaaj

Can you name a few good policies recently implemented?

As age is catching up, I seems to only able to remember the “lousy” ones, e.g. public order act, film act, import more foreign “talent”, “mini” bond saga, more scholarship for “foreign” students than locals, CPF minimum sum increase, etc. I can list another few, but I seriously don’t think you would want to know those.

As for good opposition, I don’t know if they’re really that good in “governing” the country (cos there is no track record to compare to). But I can tell “lousy” ones. Just look at STTA boss.

After comparing, I think the opposition candidates are still pretty “good”. Care to set a benchmark for your ideal candidate and see how many current MPs (for both PAP and opposition) meet them? That’s my challenge to you on your statement “I reiterate that we have no sensible/credible opposition for good governance!”

76) Ryvyan on July 8th, 2009 12.50 am ,

hi, go ahead and work oversea if you have opportunity out there. afterall, there is no hope in sg. this is what i told my kids, the future in sg with influx of FTs, you guys going to have a damn hard time.

my brother and family is in china so as brother in law. it is a problem in sg as far as work is concerned.

how the hell you expect to find job decently when hundred of thousands FTs compete with you. not only for employee, set up business by them are getting too competitive too. the influence of Fts coming in esp the chinese is hugh and crazy.

i suggest the government do the same thing by getting FTs elites restrictely base on cutting cost like what most businesses are doing. then i say…you are doing your fair job and see what local elites react into it when they get as pissed as us otherwise, what you are doing all along is fake not truth and only benefit for themselves.

#53 Lop,

just my humble opinion.

I think you can still hire Singaporeans and keep them. First – it starts with good interviews to find the right staff. Next, why not have a “profitsharing” element for your staff? Tell them – if your business increase, they will get a share – perhaps on a quarterly or half-yearly basis? It pushes them to work harder, and treat customers better. Also, train them about what good service is, about building relationships with customers. Give them the right motivation at work? If a customer offers compliments to certain staff – they get a bonus.

You can also promote yourself as a “We Hire Singaporeans only…” Other supportive Singaporeans then wouldnt mind coming to your store, and perhaps even prepared to pay a slightly higher price – when they know they are giving Singaporeans some jobs.

On the larger picture at hand – unfortunately, Singapore govt is pro-BIG BUSINESS. SMBs are not really cared after, the various chamber of businesses and SME organisations are toothless in protecting SMBs, and MPs cant be bothered actually.

Why we want to attract to so many people to Singapore and come up to the 6.5million magic number? Its because of BIG BUSINESS. MNCs see Singapore as too small now – 4m, to invest here. at least, at 6.5m, we can be seen as a viable market, akin to HK, KL, Jakarta, Bangkok.

The 1st world prices and 3rd world wages is unfortunate – but its also similar here in HK. Except there are policies to keep things in check – as well as civil organisations, NGOs and MPs making sure the govt is kept in check. There’s also social service, and the govt is very quick to distribute budget surpluses back to the people.

i think the main reason is that we’re spoilt. We’ve been given too much of the “You dont worry, we take care of you.” since the formation of our nation. and now, when the s**t is hitting the fan, emotions take over.

And also, i’m just guessing here, that the problems highlighted in this post, it tells me that the govt bodies dont work hand in hand – i.e. MOM doesnt really work closely with MHA (immigration), and other various bodies. They dont do research and make decisions for long-term solutions, for the betterment. Decisions are made knee-jerk, or to keep status quo.

Why? Accountability. Most senior positions within govt, i think, people change hands too quickly 3-5 years term. So what happens? When a new person comes in, he either doesnt want to rock the boat, or only solve the short-term problems. He wont take into account the bigger picture, and wont pull in other elements in the govt to look at the bigger picture/problem. Quite possibly, his KPIs and objectives are only set for his own dept.

If there’s need for change, it has to start with the way ministries and govt depts are structured, their rewards/bonuses, their planning methods, their hiring and contract terms, etc etc. include KPIs beyond economic devt and monetary growth – include more socialist elements – like reducing the poverty line, jobs creation for Singaporean citizens, etc etc.

Since Singapore is so run like a business, then the Excutive Committee should also think like a business – they cant be filled with civil servant types. Need people with big picture mentality – an LKY in the 60s-70s. A man with bigger picture, able to bring ministries and depts together to plan, etc.

Right now, it seems likes like “I cover my backside first” type of leaders, and it goes down the command chain.

“Like I say my training is not in economy, so I hope someone with that background can help to shed some light. As mentioned before, my worry is the small domestic market that Singapore has. To do business, you either go on margins or volume.”

Read plenty of Joseph Stiglitz , not those conventional economic lessons that are commonly fed to most which explain only one side of the picture, which you will have plenty of it here in this country.

As for your margin or volume, do you think it is more manageable / liveable to have 1m people in this country or cramp 6, 7, 8 or 9 million people in this country.

#128 aygee

Thanks for the input. But I’m no newbie in managing HR. I do have a sales incentive scheme in place. Also I do have Singaporeans mature workers in their late 40’s and 50’s. Previous experiences have taught me that I shouldn’t need to bother with applicants who are younger than 30yo, there’s no way that they will accept a monthly pay of $900. Even if they do, it’s only for like a month or two. Mature workers are much more dependable and have the sense of responsibilty.

However mature workers tend to pick up things slower and are much less motivated. Those who take up a $900 job are likely to have little financial committment and work just to pass time. If you ever talk to them about skill upgrade or attending courses conducted by WDA, the typical responses are “I’m so old already still need to go back to school and stress ah?” “So what if they give me a certificate, you think I can become manager?”

Contrast them with a foreign employee who is hungry for job and hungry for knowledge.

But the fact remains, the $900 job is there and no local wants to bite. Meanwhile the foreigners are begging for it. Employers like me cannot wait forever for a willing local to come along, business must go on.

I read that many here are saying foreigners are competing with them for a job. I can’t help but feel that our government has failed because it overestimated the ability of Singaporeans. Singaporeans are supposed to be one notch above these foreign labour and therefore shouldn’t be competing for the same job. Honestly speaking, in my case do you think it’s a case of foreigner competing with the local, or more like foreigners taking up a job that no local wants?

#129 Read Joseph Stiglitz

I’m a practitioner, not an academic. I’m more interested in what’s happening in terms of dollars and cents than what they say in a textbook.

Do a reality check. If Singapore has only 1m people, what do you use to support this 1m people? Agriculture? No natural resources = no economy, No people also = no economy. Unless we are perfectly happy to go back to the kampung way of life.

“I’m a practitioner, not an academic. I’m more interested in what’s happening in terms of dollars and cents than what they say in a textbook.”

Perhaps and if that is the case, why the need to be much educated (on higher education) when a lot of things that we know academically may not fully apply when reality or production of real brick-and-mortar work is concerned and yet we have placed (misplaced) so much value in it over more importantant practical work (as in practitioner ??).

“Do a reality check. If Singapore has only 1m people, what do you use to support this 1m people? Agriculture? No natural resources = no economy, No people also = no economy.”

In our country, we still do not have natural resources whether we have 1m, 6m, 7m or 8m people. No people = zero people. Im people means 1 million people and 1 million people will naturally have their own economic lever (niche)determined, albeit on a smaller scale and more space & cleaner air. You may not be an academic but surely as a down-to-earth practitioner, surely you know what it means.

“Unless we are perfectly happy to go back to the kampung way of life.”

Itself (kampung way of life) is not a bad idea afterall if the whole environment is clean and is not polluted from the externalities created by our modern way of life.

“122) Yang on July 9th, 2009 12.33 pm

I’m running a small business. My staff most of them are above 50 except one. They are hard at work and worthtrustly. Of course you need luck to manage to find someone of this kind of work attiude. Oh! All of them are S’porean.”

good for you, yang!
a true son of singapore unlike the ministers we have who say one thing and do another.
pse keep it up.

#131 hello practitioner

I was about to brush away what you said as non-relevant, then it suddenly dawned on me that there’s wisdom in the point that you raised about education. Perhaps you are right, the education system here emphasises too much on knowledge and too little on life skills or what I call survival skills. Previously in my work I dealt with many young graduates, my impression is that although many are brilliant, not many are ’street smart’. Most like to be told what to do and very good at following instructions, however in situations not covered by the instructions given, most would rather not do anything until further instructions are given for fear of making mistakes. If we put this in the light of the current situation, no wonder our people find it hard to compete with foreigners! These foreigners are hungry! They will take care of themselves if their governments don’t! If they can’t find job in their country, the look else where! They will endure hardship in foreign countries just to feed their families back home! Seriously, how many of us here actually considered the option that if I can’t find work here I will look outside Singapore? Most of us would just take it for granted that we are privileged, the government must take care of us, if it doesn’t then we’ll just complain.

As for the other point, I’m glad that you agreed that we don’t have natural resources and people are our only resources. So I’m surprised you actually implied that the fewer people we have the better. I didn’t learn econmics in school, but I do know how the economy of scale matters. If you want to make 1 million dollars, you have to make $1 from everyone of the 1 million population. Whereas, you only have to make $0.20 from everyone in a 5m population, either that or $1 from 20% of the 5m population. Every business has a threshold, my operation costs maybe the same whether I set it up in a 1m or 5m country.

I don’t know, I certainly don’t think a kampung way of life includes typing away in front of a computer like what we are doing now. Anyway, I don’t think there’s a going back on that.

Acute shortage of HDB flats? The many new citizens & PRs.

Singapore only building 8000+ new HDB flats in one year to cater to all newly wed couples (around 20,000 couples a year?), down-grader/upgraders and the 100,000 new citizens and PRs.

Heard from property agent that Singaporean are now fighting with the new citizens and PRs to secure a roof over the head and at sky high price. Some resale flat can attract over 20 groups of buyers queuing and who ever make the highest bid, secure. Pitiful scenes played over days after days.

Heard of new couple PRs buying a resale HDB flat, rent out the unit legally and go back to China? Both husband & wife then work in China.

Heard of richer Singaporeans buying HDB flat, the parents buy one and their children buying another one, take bank loan and can rent out whole flat after a short time. Parents and children are living at private properties and are smiling with the rental collected and can sell when prices are high. The average Singaporeans cannot do that, as they sell high buy high and sell low buy low because they need a roof over their head.

Welcome to the real world. Only the fittest (riches) survives while the weak (poorer) die.

It appears that the Levis has flouted the labour laws by hiring people on social visit pass. Seems like a case of irresponsible employer that deserves to be severely punished as an example to other employers.

# 134 Wah Bian Ah

One of my ex-colleagues who is a Indian FT bought a HDB flat in Bedok, he lived there with his wife for a short while. Later he jumped ship to US when he got a job. He is now renting out his HDB flat to other FTs and collecting rent.

135) SotongBall

You are really sotong :) Nobody is flouting any labour laws here.

Visitor Seeking Employment in Singapore (Long Term)
Foreigners seeking employment in Singapore may apply for a one-year (non-renewable) Visit Pass

http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=172&secid=171

In what way VSRaaj, is balls a vulgar language? I suggest you better go and seek help from an english language teacher first before even coming online to criticise plp. Your knowledge of Eng is so shallow that you need help preferably from a PCF kindergarden teacher, the organisation whose balls you carry!

Defination of balls: A ball is a spherical or ovoid object typically used in games.
Other uses may include:
Games
Mathematics and science
Objects
Places
Organizations
People
Music
And of course not forgetting; Testicles! Which in itself is not a bad word and further more I said you were balls carrying, not testicle carrying! Goes to show the capablity of our Papies in locating stray dogs who can’t even carry their balls properly! Know what you are at the end of the day, VSRaaj? Just one of LKY’s dog but can be banished to become stray once no longer needed! Eg includes: Devan Nair, Francis Seow, Tan Kin Lian, Tan Liang Hong etc and the list goes on… At least I still have dignity that dogs like you don’t!

to CK #136

that explains why the hdb resale market is so buoyant. even when the pr has left for greener pastures, he is still keeping the flat to generate cash (presumably since his cpf is locked up anyway).

very insidious. one side of the equation:

lock cpf -> so buy flat to partially unlock value -> property market propped up -> economy stabilized

#125 – Dumb & dumber : Challenge you say – set your benchmark and lets see how any opposition meet up! For now, since you mentioned it, current MPs/Ministers fare well largely but not to few short-minded individuals expectations, will or wishes – this is expected! Perhaps your name speaks better of you!
#138 – Lunatic Dan Dan – probably has too much time shaking ‘balls’ to give definitions. It all boils down to the text to define ‘hard’ or ‘vulgar’ language. You might not understand this – cause you are blinded with one vendetta only – spite current govt. – that is all matters to you. For the matter, you are blind, lost and hopeless to any hope – hence one cannot have constructive discussion with you! Find your lost life rather than flying your vendetta loosely around!
#140 – It is indeed sad, hurting and mind-boggling such large investments have gone ‘lost’ in name of investments and very difficult to believe that no one saw it coming! It is all ’suspicious’ that all related to Lees are in several govt. bodies/in investment arms/hospitals/public transport etc etc but alas! the govt. has heart of our singapore’s well-being and would have considered all factors appointing rightful person all around – Everyone is caught in this economic downtrend and it bit us too – pretty hard I must say! Yes our wallet has not gotten thicker, no matter how much the govt. put into our wallets, it would not matter if our cost of living shooting sky wards – this the govt. seriously need to into!
It is frustrating we keep paying higher and higher fees for almost everything because of our high level of achievements or achievements heading skywards!
There are issues our govt. has to look into especially at base levels/grassroots that is affecting/disturbing/sadenning citizens who worked for the betterment of Singapore. The Govt. must know and should realise they are not indispensable seeing powerful govt. fall worldwide. The fact remains – we do not have credible/sensible/positive opposition for good governance!

to VSRAAJ

“current MPs/Ministers fare well largely but not to few short-minded individuals expectations”…

says who?

sure, only if you look at the GDP.

try median real income level. or how about the number of unemployed SINGAPOREANS? how about the income level of bottom 20% SINGAPOREANS? cost of living vs standard of living? etc

“It is frustrating we keep paying higher and higher fees for almost everything because of our high level of achievements or achievements heading skywards!”

huh?

improved versions don’t necessarily cost more over the time. think computer, compliments from the free market and technological advancement.

on the other hand, certain things that don’t change much in costs, can be priced much more over the time. think hdb flats, compliments from the pap government.

Arent you guys going to pick up this story?:

Heat On ST Aerospace Building Up Over Foreign Workers In US Unit
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/immigration/1396

What Singapore gahmen is doing here, their companies are doing the same in other countries. If the story is true, then we’d all be better off not flying on any American airline.

Just see Singapore as a public toilet and you will understand the situation there better.

138) Dan Dan on July 10th, 2009 4.21 am
‘In what way VSRaaj, is balls a vulgar language? ‘

I agree that ‘balls’ can have many meanings.

eg.

give-ball in singlish is commonly used in soccer betting.

Who’s the real lunatic here, VSRaaj? I think most here would agree it’s you! Anyway, no use wasting time with you as you will need to get your foundations in Eng right first before taking us on, well I should say see you in 8 years time after you finish Pri 6 level of Eng (incl your favourite PCF 2 yrs).

As for the rest of us, we should continue to take the govt on various issues and debate with them in order to show them our displeasure of policies and not give in to their every whimps and fancies! Just like a PRC who once laughed at me saying that in communist china, they have more freedom than us to assemble and even demonstrate to demand that their govt listen to them and assist them in their various prob and they have many a times, gotten their way! (even here in S’pore, eg. MOM and Parliament Hse Demo). We should ask ourselves as S’poreans, how long more are we going to be the laughing stock of plp worldwide (PRC, Taiwan) and be at the beck, calling and swaying of the PAP or do we really want a change? Take for example, Malaysia, our closest neighbour, they are still moving on well & fine despite a massive change, some say a political Tsunami and did they think so much and be swayed by ballscarrier of the system like VSSraj? No, they did not! They just voted and exacted a change! Let’s hope the tide carries and spills over here, Kudos to the WP, RP & SDA, they will make it 1 day!

I would like to see the government respond to #57……………

Just yesterday at a supermart in Shanghai, a Chinese girl excitedly proclaim she got “SINGAPOREAN PR” and will going there to live and work. She spoke in halting English:” Sin-ka-por very clean and good. People belly belly friendly. I go there and get more money! More money than here. Maybe find a good husband and become citizen!!”

Another Shanghaiese mother proudly in Mandarin:
“My daughter is SIngapore citizen now! Her condo is worth SG$1.5 million, richer than most Singaporeans She was very smart when she first arrived to S’pore, she only interested in Condo not the cheap HDB flats. She only go for good areas. At first, she got no money but she was very clever and know how to play the game. Now her own daughter is Singapore citizen!! I am so proud!.”

Another Chinese girl said :
“I like SIngapore. My father like it because the flats bigger than Shanghai ones. Also, we are Chinese and Singapore also Chinese country and Mandarin is the main language (so she thinks).”

Listen to things that are going on in Singapore. **SIgh**
Listen to the conversation of those Chinese who have children now living as S’porean citizens there.. They are having better life than the average SIngapore. **Sigh**
Look at those Filipino mates working in affluent landed property in S’pore’s private estates. They are having a better life than the average Singaporean. **Sigh**

Filipinos now invade Singapore not so much as maids, they come as white-collered workers. **Sigh**

And all the Great Leader, Dear Leader can say of the majority of Singaporeans is that they are “losers” and that his government will have to provide for them with a roof over their heads.

How could those born in Singapore even think of being patriotic? Billions spent on defense. WHO ARE THEY DEFENDING??

the exact same question I ask myself when I get called back every year.

WHO THE F**K AM I DEFENDING?

148)

If it were me, I’d have told the person in the third remark, that Singapore is not a Chinese country, and made my point in Pasar Malay. Haha.

Talk about ignorance of one’s intended emigration destination….

Hi (146)Dan Dan and all who want to see changes,

You may like to see my suggestion for change advocators at http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/07/more-and-more-jobs-available-but-nobody-wants/comment-page-2/#comment-86776

The foreign trash situations is really very bad. It’s like a 10 FT to 2 Local when I am in the streets, taking public transport. I felt oppressed. Tell me fellow friends, don’t you!
PLEASE HELP ME TO VOTE OUT THE PAP…..

what characterises a singaporean nowadays?
what shall characterise a singaporean going forward given the existence of such a big proportion of new citizens, PRs and FTs and FWs?

what will happen to the singaporeans we know of?

Based on the last 50 years and historical evidence, I will be glad to see singaporeans change in mindset, characteristics and attitude towards social and political issues and sense of righteousness and dare to voice up and now kow tow to your pay master and sabo the rest.

I dun mind the extinction (figure of speech) Apathetic singaporeans if the new citizens and PRs can change our mindset for the better even though I do not say so with pleasure but with regret. Seriously, I am sick of apathetic singaporeans. I am sick of you to the core. I feel like i do not belong to current singapore as I am not
apathetic and I feel so ashamed to be associated with singaporeans who are so apathetic.

singapore, pls change , the sooner the better. I dun mind apathetic singaporeans migrating for whatever reasons they may have. I welcome non-apathetic new citizens. Come join us!

Is being a prostitute a dirty job for Singaporeans?

Me a Singaporean, thought of being a prostitute before, but found no vacancies leh.

So i took up a ‘cleaner’ job lor.

“155) Led by a Makapili on July 12th, 2009 11.51 pm
Is being a prostitute a dirty job for Singaporeans?”

No, being a sex worker is not a dirty job. It’s a respectable position because she has to satisfy the needs of men. It’s a noble job. I think sex workers should be accorded th e same status as a surgeon.

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Lauren’s message: “Whatever happens don’t give up on your dreams!”
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When foreigner are here, they should follow the rules and regualtion here and not carry their country’s law here. Government want us to help them. He he he
With the foreigners coming in especially the lower paid job seekers, they turn our country to look like we do not have laws for pedestrians and road regulation.
They just cross the road, when the lights are showing red, they just dash through the moving car, they just sit around at Aljunied Mrt, Lucky Plaza and City Plaza.
This scenario is very common in Geylang road and little india. This does not happen in country like AUstralia, I believe.

I agree, government should have the minimum wage regulation like country such as London, and certain percentage of their work force must be Singaporean.
If we claim that we are the develop country, we should act like one. However, sad to see more foreign workers are flocking in. You go to all telephone help desk, be it Samsung, Nokia, Sony, you can see soo may Philipinos working there, ever wonder. SOme of them are rather arrogant in their behaviour and not helpful.

To VSRaaj:

#125 – Dumb & dumber : Challenge you say – set your benchmark and lets see how any opposition meet up! For now, since you mentioned it, current MPs/Ministers fare well largely but not to few short-minded individuals expectations, will or wishes – this is expected! Perhaps your name speaks better of you!

LOL, so you don’t have anything to backup your claim…, I rest my case.

Yeah, I am dumb, guess who’s dumber…..

#57
“Again, I think to place the blame squarely at the feet of employers isn’t really looking at the whole picture. ”

well, is there anything to stop them from paying the low pay?
I dun blame the employers.
its more than employers.

today i spoke to 1 shopkeeper
she told me the water rates has just gone up
who wages has been increased beside the ministers/civil servants?

“#157) Daisy on July 13th, 2009 10.55 am
This scenario is very common in Geylang road and little india. This does not happen in country like AUstralia, I believe. ”

Why? Because Australia does not take in those from the lower social economic class. Their own white Australians would do all the manual labour because they believe that manual labour is highly respectable jopb. Singapore, on the other hand, loves to use CHEAP labour (to exploit) so they take in the worst of the lot. They because manual labour because they believe that it is a low class, dirty job! They just want it cheap, pay the cheapest workers cheaply so as to maximise super normal profits! CHEAP workers mean lower cost in building projects. How DISGUSTING for a “first world” country to have a third world mentality. All the fault of the ruling elite.

Get all the CHEAP LABOUR (to exploit) from third world countries andthe country becomes a rubbish dump! Look at Geylang (amongst others), it’s FILTHY, full of prostitutes and third world labourers.

borderless,

Fully agreed with you. Geylang/Kallang/Joo Chiat/Little India really is swamped with foreigners not of the high class value added ones. The whole place is a hot bed for all kinds of diseases and neighborhood security and maintenance is generally poor. Dark alleys and filthy drains and horrible smell lingers around. Don think it will ever be better.

#161 & #162

Tell me this is not another form of elitism.

While we whine about the ruling elites could care less about us the lesser mortals, the same kind of tone is spewed from our mouth when we talk about these “third world foreign labour”.

Yeah the Australians have a lot of respect for the manual labour. Ever heard of Singaporean parents warning their kids that they must study hard or else one day they would end up becoming a street sweeper? Somehow this is the ruling elites’ fault. Because they told us what to think and we are compelled to think as we were told?

What an irony.

Another case of FT, Vietnamese women fined for baring breast, see below link. Strange things is that she is married to a Singaporean. Great job ICA!

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_402949.html?vgnmr=1

163) Lop on July 15th, 2009 12.21 am
“Yeah the Australians have a lot of respect for the manual labour. Ever heard of Singaporean parents warning their kids that they must study hard or else one day they would end up becoming a street sweeper?”

When we have some ‘national’ arrangement where we have a toothless union (under some tripartitie hand-holding) with a liberal policies of fully welcoming manual labour from some distant & near places and without minimum wage, you do not need to be super intelligent to know how this is going to translate eventually. Now whose fault ? Surely manual labour here would not want to vote for their own demise. Now do they have any choice in the form of protesting or registering their disagreement.

Now going back to your post 133) Lop on July 9th, 2009 7.30 pm if you are the same Lop.

“So I’m surprised you actually implied that the fewer people we have the better. I didn’t learn econmics in school, but I do know how the economy of scale matters. If you want to make 1 million dollars, you have to make $1 from everyone of the 1 million population. Whereas, you only have to make $0.20 from everyone in a 5m population, either that or $1 from 20% of the 5m population.”

This is provided that all of them can give $0.20. If lives are so simple for you to scale up and down linearly without diffiulty, as a practitioner you would have fed into your own practise (whatever that is) indefinite units of labour and get indefinite returns (after doing the mathematics) which is ain’t true at all in the real world.

While all other factors of production and services are mostly static lifeless commodities (excepting animals) also subjecting to the differing push & pull of supply and demand, human (labour variables) have an emotion & mind to it and feel for how it is going to be treated.

As you know as a practioner, sometimes you may have fixed a higher pay (during recruitment) for someone who came to be not-so-hardworking & but good in boot-licking while fixing a lower pay for someone who later on you learned to be much hard-working and a better value creator than the former.

Humans just cannot be treated like any other commodities and it would be sad for one group (lesser mortals who are conditioned) to feel that another group (higher mortals) has more rights to treat the former how they feel like it.

“163) Lop on July 15th, 2009 12.21 am
Tell me this is not another form of elitism.”

Why not, if it means to protect your own kind first. Charity begins at home.

Well, just like in the Serangoon Garden saga, why not have them live near your home. Action speaks louder than words.

#165 hello practitioner

Strangely during good times nobody argued that their maid’s pay was too low, and government should impose a higher levy or minimum wage on the foreign domestic helpers. Nor did you hear about HDB flats were built for Singaporeans and therefore should be built by Singaporean construction workers with pride!

Now the times are bad and people want to treat these foreign workers like tissue paper, without realising that they are a part of the backbone of the Singapore economy. Cheap foreign labour is like an addictive durg, once you are on it you can’t get rid of it.

As for the latter part of your comment, I sense that there’s a certain disconnection with reality. If your target audience in a bigger market had problem spending $0.20, why would you expect it easeir for a smaller market to spend $1?

Wage, especially in the retail trade, is pretty much limited by business cost, not some fanciful numbers that you pluck from the air. You might want to pay someone a lot more because the person is a star-perfomer, but that depends on whether your bank account agrees with you at the end of the month. Also wage is determined by the free market. A person’s wage is not a measure of his worth, but his work. If a person’s work is worth $900 and you pay $600, he’ll find work somewhere. If a person’s work is worth $900 and you pay $1200, your business will go bust. Simple as that.

#166 charity begins at home

Wow, I’m glad that you approve of elitism. Well, if they don’t like Serangoon Garden anymore they can always move to Bukit Timah can’t they? 6th Avenue is a much nicer place than Serangoon Garden in my opnion. If they can’t afford Bukit Timah then really they and those foreign labour belong together. Why do some people keep whining that they have to compete just to do some lowly jobs? I really feel like asking them to get out of my elite uncaring face!

167) Lop,
“Strangely during good times nobody argued that their maid’s pay was too low, and government should impose a higher levy or minimum wage on the foreign domestic helpers.”

I am not sure if you have hired a maid before, but at least I hope you have done some research on how much it costs the employer to keep a maid, so that both parents can go and work to earn a living to feed and educate their children. There are many hidden costs which people who do not hire maid are unaware. The salary of the of the maid is actually the saving of the maids.

The monthly cost to the employer is about $1300 or more, other than the infrequent costs.

Per contract costs:
agency fee: S$400 – S$600,
Embassy bond: $2000
insurance (for accident and $5000 security bond): $120 – $150
air ticket home every 2 yr: $400 – $500

Regular costs:
6 monthly medical: $45
outpatient: $30
off day in lieu: $20 – $40
monthly salary: S$280 – S$350 (for Indonesian maid); S$320 – S$400 (for Filipino maid)
monthly levy: S$170 and S$265 (used to be $345 per mth before revision, i.e. higher than maids’ salaries)
monthly food: $300 – $600
monthly basic toiletries: $10 – $30
monthly room cost: $200 – $400

reference – http://www.sgmaid.com/faq.asp

#169 Creducator

Thanks for the data and I admit I don’t have a maid. But if you had read through my posts here, you would have realised I’m an employer just like you (I’m assuming you employ a maid) and I disagree that a simplistic approach like impose minimum wage or sending all the foreigners home will help to save jobs for Singaporeans.

And you have brough up an excellent point! I can only afford to pay $900, so not many locals want to bite. In your case, according to your calculation, effectively you are paying $1300 a month – much higher than my $900, how come still no locals want to bite?

Believe it or not, one of my workers (Singaporean) whom I paid $900 a month, actually has a maid at home.

Hi (170) Lop,

“according to your calculation, effectively you are paying $1300 a month – much higher than my $900, how come still no locals want to bite?”

It is not true that local aunties do not want to be a maid, but rather, either:
1. Singaporean families find it ‘too close for comfort’ to hire locals (if stay-in, usually needed)
2. locals have their own family, so it’s not possible for them to stay-in

However, there are families who hire local part-time maid if that arrangement is possible.

when it comes to work, money is just 1 of the deciding factor. other factors that come into play would be in the contract of employment. besides, how does 1 local maid safeguard him/herself from accusations of thief (from petty 1s or major loot)? work in people’s home leh….

-.-”

169) creducator
///monthly room cost: $200 – $400///

I think this is not a cost per se, but a latent opportunity cost if you were to rent out the room

38) David

///m Yishun bus interchange all china drivers.///
all, really?
///Major telco service centers all manned by pinoy///
all, really?
///Massage parlor all china workers////
all, really?
///TC contractors – indian////
you did not say all, so I say its fair staement
///All the above tried to get PR to look for better jobs to compete with PMETs///
I cannot see the logic in your last sentence.

Hello (173) KopitiamApek
“I think this is not a cost per se, but a latent opportunity cost if you were to rent out the room”

a cost is a cost lah, Apek :P

175) creducator

But if that room was always left empty before the maid came, so there is really no cost what?

(176) KopitiamApek

Don’t think anyone will always leave that room empty, unless he/she is very rich lor.

Is there a way for me to downgrade from Spore citizen to PR? I want to be Malaysian citizen and Spore PR too…

I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can’t even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).

I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don’t even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them…to attend a funeral of my uncle…(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here’s an idea, why don’t I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!

I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)

I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!

[i]Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)
[/i]

last night while havin dinner in a local hawker centre
i saw a local man in his 40s
walkin up and down
no he is not a cleaner or a supervisor
i assumed he is the cleaner supervisor
because he wore a clean tees and pants
he was walkin up and down for almost 20 min
munchin an apple
till
i saw my next table was vacated after the diners 1/2 finished their teochew porridges
i thought the same bloke was goin to clean the table
as a matter of fact
he did CLEANED
the table
the dishes as well
he sat down
strech his 1 leg on the empty table/seat
usin the left over dinner chopstick/spoon
and cleaned ever leftover dishes down his throat………
wow!
how is that for an effective cleanin services
our prince the prime minister
must be damn proud
indeed there is no beggars
this bloke didnt begged @ all
he just have to fill his hungry stomach
he bothered no one
just sat down and ate quietly
ole yes
i seen this scenerio before
in cebu phillipines
but that diner was an ole vagabond lady
this bloke is not a vagabond
and he is a singaporean…………………

~sigh~

“this bloke is not a vagabond
and he is a singaporean…………………”

Sad……It seems that the Singapore Dream we all still share is at the TOTO vendor….

Recently, there was a news report about more locals marrying foreigners….No surprise….The spouse’s native country could be a good place where we can escape to or retire in the future…How certain do you feel about our country??

Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to protect Singapore. Afterall, I am not important to my country, I am not foreign talent. Good luck and bye!

Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to win sports medals for Singapore. Afterall, I am not important to my country, I am not foreign talent. I am sure Singapore can win the World Cup or the Olympics once they buy over Ronaldo or Phelps to the Singapore team.

Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to propagate for the next generation (assuming they do not get better opportunities in the US). LKY is worried that we would be the last of the Mohigans, so he says we need to import foreigners. But job-deprived, house deprived locals dare not procreate. PAP is killing my family line. I am afraid I will be the last of the true Singaporean……maybe the PAP will allocate reservations for us to live in the future like the Native American Indians.

Want to smoke a pipe by the totem pole with me brother? We can talk about the good old days when our country was ours.

Here’s a story about a husband and wife:

Husband: Why are you inviting so many men from outside into our house?

Wife: I need them to pump labor into me and give me money.

Husband: But I work hard to do that too.

Wife: That is no good. We need better seeds from more talented people outside. Yours is not good enough. These outside men are smart graduates, strong construction workers, handsome road sweepers, young and vibrant students. They are better than you.

Husband: I am your faithful husband. I love you, lived with you, protect you, stay with you in times of trouble. Doesn’t that count for something? Those men will come and go. Once they see someone better, they will leave you.

Wife: Since some of them will leave eventually, I must invite even more men to our house. I need them. If more men come, maybe, just maybe, if I am lucky, some will stay

Husband: I can fill our house will happy little ones too. Give me a chance.

Wife: You? That will take too long. Even if we have kids, when can they work to give me money. The men from outside are different, they can work and pay me lots and lots of money immediately. When they grow old, they will leave our house and we don’t need to even support them. On the other hand, we need to support our little ones when they age and are too old to be productive.

Husband: Trust me. Life will be better. Don’t invite these men over. I will work hard, and we can afford a nice room in our house if we save for 8-10 years.

Wife: It is no use. By the time you save up, the room prices would be much much higher. Only the men from outside can afford to pay for rooms in our house…you cannot.

Husband: Do you still love me?

Wife: Stay on if you want. It is better you leave. Go to another house. I don’t care. I doubt other houses would even want you. There’s the doorbell……HELLO!!! WELCOME !!! PLS COME INSIDE ME!!

Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?

[i]Look who’s talking on July 19th, 2009 11.27 pm Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?
Look who’s talking on July 19th, 2009 11.27 pm Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?[/i]

nope toa payoh
there is another case in tiong bahru hawker centre as well

Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, S Iswaranv, told INSEAD Knowledge that:

- Most Singaporeans accept the logic why sg needs foreign talents

- Reasons we need foreign talents are,
a) we are unable to find a sufficient number of Singaporeans and permanent residents in Singapore who have the particular skillset that is required.
b) certain types of jobs which Singaporeans perhaps hitherto have been unwilling to get into them for a variety of reasons.
c) businesses make the judgment call.

- We will go out to give as much help as we can to Singaporeans, whether that is in terms of financial assistance, training opportunities and obviously creating as many job opportunities as we can.

source – “Hard times for a talent hub” at http://knowledge.insead.edu/Hardtimesforatalenthub090319.cfm?vid=190

The garment is bringing in LOTS and LOTS of people to do jobs that locals can do. They want to depress the wages.

In doing so, inflation rises, especially housing prices.

As a result, Singaporeans are paid lower and housing is further from reach.

One the other hand, foreigners remit money home at a very favorable exchange rate. They drive nice cars and live in big houses back home while we stay in 3-room flats with bedrooms smaller than their toilets.

“Singapore’s Senior Minister of State”??? Are you sure it is not Foreigner’s Senior Minister of State?

To 184) creducator:

The reasons cited are laughable. “Most Singaporeans accept the logic”….is there even a logic to accept? Who in the right mind believes this spin.
———————————————————–
- Reasons we need foreign talents are,
“a) we are unable to find a sufficient number of Singaporeans and permanent residents in Singapore who have the particular skillset that is required.”
——
-First of all, PRs ARE foreign ahem…talent.
-Secondly, many locals CAN do what these foreign “talents” can.
-Thirdly, if Singapore really want to import more foreign sports talent and pretend Singapore won the medals and pay them million dollars, then I can only shake my head.
-Lastly, I ask this. If your kid cannot do homework, you pay money and ask outside tutor to do for him or you ask the tutor to teach him? When the PAP admits these foreign “talent”, is there even a need for locals to train themselves in the disciplines Singapore lack?
————————————————————-
————————————————————-
b) “certain types of jobs which Singaporeans perhaps hitherto have been unwilling to get into them for a variety of reasons”
-Reason include wage less than even 2k or 1k? Such a small salary is a lot for foreigners in their native countries. But Singaporeans would need to live in the void decks of Jurong on these salaries.
————————————————————-
c) businesses make the judgment call.
If you are an employer, would you hire a cheaper worker from overseas OR would you hire a local who needs to do re-service and costs more? (Given that the administration is willing to allow an endless flood of foreigners into the country)
————————————————————–
I often go to Johor to refill petrol when I am free for my parents’ car. (Sad rite?….1st world citizen can’t afford oil in his own country, need to buy cheap petrol from ‘poorer neighbor’. Even sadder that he needs to drive his parents’ old car).

Yes, their crime rate is high and they have their problems, but the even the poor there live on landed property. Youngsters less than 20 have nice cars, while I could only afford to share a car with my whole family. (Sad rite?) Yet my beloved government and my MP (you can see his face up there) support these Malaysian PRs to Singapore. They enjoy work opportunities here, no NS, same access to ‘public’ flats, with almost none of the obligations Singaporeans have. When they retire, they will have a wonderful life. They can live in Malaysia like a king living off the rent of their HDB flats in Singapore. When Singaporeans retire(bitter laugh), we consider ourselves lucky, because at least we can do that before the day we die.

When I re-enter Singapore by Bus from Malaysia, I queue at the “All Passports” lane instead of the “Singapore Passports” lane of the customs. I feel I will be treated better as a foreigner to Singapore.

Only children will believe his logic.. or maybe not.

“The New Economic Strategy Committee Shares Reform Party Vision”

This the the title of the RP post at http://www.thereformparty.net/?p=272

It looks like the new tactic of the ruling party is starting to surface. I hope they do it genuinely and not just bcos we r complaining and GE is coming.

singapore is one of best country to live in for its cleanliness and
disciplined…in which i knew most people observed and impressed about.
in regards with the filipinas working that site or anywhere in singapore,have you ever ask yourself that singaporean would fit or like that job?have you ever touched by
their approachable smiles and by their character of being hospitable.have you ever touched that they are not only mean for a domestic job?maybe they’ve done the risk,but then i knew and i believed theyve done their part to meet the requirements to work in your country.if ever thats their stepping stone that is part of their dreams DREAMS to have a better life and greener pasture in the future and if they like to have a residency that is because SINGAPORE is a peaceful and beautiful country to stay.SG is not greedy on its economical growth but have open disciplined , strict but caring heart to their neighbor countries.Never greedy.Never selfish.

“in regards with the filipinas working that site or anywhere in singapore,have you ever ask yourself that singaporean would fit or like that job?have you ever touched by
their approachable smiles and by their character of being hospitable.”

cycle of chicken and egg kind of situation. if you keep flooding sg with more so-called FTs (even the kind on social visit pass as per the above story), do you think the smile & touch of our locals can ever be better – maybe better for those who are not at the particular point of the value chain having to compete with those FTs.

if you are a foreigner in a ‘unfamiliar’ foreign land already paved good (with sweat, hard work & money) by locals and offered an opportunity better (perhaps many times over than) in your own country, your smile and touch of course will be better.

I wished i can take care of my children, help them thru school instead of leaving them in childcare and work a whole day to make ends meet.
On top of that, having to compete for jobs as a teacher as many philipino’s are working here as childcare teachers and willing to accept low pay.
Its very frustrating…i feel very alien in singapore…very alien..

borderless on July 9th, 2009 6.23 am

I like your proposal…hahaha! that means I dont need to study anymore…be a street sweeper and earn like a doctor!..wohooo!!!..you are brilliant!…

Is this true?…have you considered filing a complaint?…..or they have all the reason to replace you?…

178) Bitter Singaporean on July 19th, 2009 2.47 pm Is there a way for me to downgrade from Spore citizen to PR? I want to be Malaysian citizen and Spore PR too…

I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can’t even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).

I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don’t even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them…to attend a funeral of my uncle…(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here’s an idea, why don’t I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!

I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)

I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!

Nothing against anyone who wants a better life for themselves, whether to work illegally, using another country as a stepping stone etc.

Now, the criteria of hiring foreigners are spelt out quite clearly in our labour laws.
But let us take the Food and Beverages business as an example. Say, if you are a small bar, and you want to do everything by the book, you are face with many problems. The turnover rate for your local (mostly young) is high. Why so? Well, traditional career opportunities are not very obvious. There is not much of a ladder to climb. So, you start thinking of hiring foreigners who would probably appreciate the job a little bit more, and would definitely be a lot more loyal especially if you were willing to pay them the same as local. And why not? Same hours, same labour, same pay. And what a small bar operator gets in return is stability, loyalty, consistenty and a peace of mind in longer runs.

However, there is a problem, he (small bar owner) would have to hire a number of singaporeans before he can hire one foreigner (and that depends on where they are from as well). And since it is only a small bar/cafe, he is stuck as he doesn’t need more than 2 or 3 staff to run the place effeciently.

But bigger F&B businesses, like those in the hotels, who have deeper pockets can accomodate this law of ratio as they have local employees at different levels which can easily account for any foreign intake. And bigger businesses with better leverages can also benefit from student exchange programmes etc. Now we know that foreigners working at hotel’s restaurants and bars are not getting paid as well as one would as a local. And there is also no need for these employees to be a familiar face like in a small local cafe or bar. So having a turnover of staff is not really a big problem, as they can hire the next badge of low wage workers continually, meeting the local vs foreigner ratio easily. These big restaurants and bars in hotels with deeper pockets are openly given the green light to save even more money than their small local counterparts, while not supporting the local employment issues.

If you are young and you want to join the F&B industry from the bottom up, you might like to join one of these big restaurants or bars within a hotel. But you would have to compete for place with low wage workers who are easily available to the hotels. So your chances diminishes significantly. And you head out to small enterprises to gain experience knowing you will not stay there for long which is in truth a little unfair to the small bar owner.

The small bar owner, who wants to do things by the book, looks around the playing field and knows he is not on the level. Big F&B businesses in hotels that could afford higher wage local workers are taking on lower wage foreigner ones because they can. And many dodgy F&B bars are taking on social visit pass visitors as hotesses are not getting penalised or being thorougly investigated. (think duxton, tanjong pagar, joo chiat, little india, to name the obvious few).

You think those girls working at levi’s store is the real problem? The policy is. And the people who are supposed to uphold the policy are not doing a good job either, even though it is disproportionately an unfair policy to the small players.