- Joined
- Jan 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,177
- Points
- 48
At yesterday’s (6 Mar) Parliamentary sitting, even PAP MPs are admitting that local PMETs continue to face unfair competition from foreign workers.
This is despite measures announced in Budget 2013 to curb the entry of foreign workers. For example, it was announced that foreign worker quotas for service industries will be further reduced.
MOM has also announced that from 1 July this year, the qualifying salary for S pass holders will be raised from $2,000 to $2,200 per month. There will also be a new tiered system which means that older and more experienced S pass applicants will have to qualify at higher salaries.
MOM will continue to tighten eligibility requirements for the Employment Pass workforce, especially Q1 pass holders. In the longer term, it will put in place a framework to ensure that firms give fair consideration to Singaporeans in their hiring practices.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said, “There are clearly still a number of firms that visibly hire a large proportion of foreigners particularly in the managerial level. You can’t help but think whether it is really that difficult to find Singaporeans to fill those managerial positions. These include job roles like HR, finance, compliance, auditing or general admin.”
“Or is it a case where some employers or hirers may already have a pre-determined mindset that foreigners with international experience can do a better job? More engagements with such employers are necessary so that they give Singaporeans a fair chance.”
“Hence I agree with my colleagues in this House that some form of market sensing practice, when companies apply for EPs, is necessary. While it may not always lead to a Singaporean hire, at least it makes the employers more conscious in their hiring process and gives our local PMETs a chance.”
Even the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) in an interview with Zaobao on 4 March 2013, admitted that some financial institutions are discriminating Singaporeans in their hiring (‘TAFEP admits some financial institutions hire own FTs rather than SGs‘).
TAFEP told reporters that last year, it received feedback that foreign managers at some financial institutions were in favor of hiring their own countrymen, rather than Singaporeans.
TAFEP contacted these financial institutions. Senior management at these institutions agreed that certain departments did have many employees from a single country but gave the assurance that henceforth they would hire more Singaporeans. The country was not named but it is understood to be India.
This is despite measures announced in Budget 2013 to curb the entry of foreign workers. For example, it was announced that foreign worker quotas for service industries will be further reduced.
MOM has also announced that from 1 July this year, the qualifying salary for S pass holders will be raised from $2,000 to $2,200 per month. There will also be a new tiered system which means that older and more experienced S pass applicants will have to qualify at higher salaries.
MOM will continue to tighten eligibility requirements for the Employment Pass workforce, especially Q1 pass holders. In the longer term, it will put in place a framework to ensure that firms give fair consideration to Singaporeans in their hiring practices.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said, “There are clearly still a number of firms that visibly hire a large proportion of foreigners particularly in the managerial level. You can’t help but think whether it is really that difficult to find Singaporeans to fill those managerial positions. These include job roles like HR, finance, compliance, auditing or general admin.”
“Or is it a case where some employers or hirers may already have a pre-determined mindset that foreigners with international experience can do a better job? More engagements with such employers are necessary so that they give Singaporeans a fair chance.”
“Hence I agree with my colleagues in this House that some form of market sensing practice, when companies apply for EPs, is necessary. While it may not always lead to a Singaporean hire, at least it makes the employers more conscious in their hiring process and gives our local PMETs a chance.”
Even the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) in an interview with Zaobao on 4 March 2013, admitted that some financial institutions are discriminating Singaporeans in their hiring (‘TAFEP admits some financial institutions hire own FTs rather than SGs‘).
TAFEP told reporters that last year, it received feedback that foreign managers at some financial institutions were in favor of hiring their own countrymen, rather than Singaporeans.
TAFEP contacted these financial institutions. Senior management at these institutions agreed that certain departments did have many employees from a single country but gave the assurance that henceforth they would hire more Singaporeans. The country was not named but it is understood to be India.
