Job ad for KTV performer fluent in Vietnamese & Thai appears on S'pore govt portal, part of fair hiring search for locals to fill role
S$8,000-S$12,000 a month salary, work place at Cuppage Plaza.Belmont Lay |
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Talk about fair hiring practices.
A nightlife entertainment establishment in Singapore located in the Orchard area has put up a recruitment advertisement on the MyCareersFuture.sg portal, a Singapore government agency website listing jobs for Singaporeans and permanent residents.
Based on the listing's description, the joint in Cuppage Plaza at Koek Road is looking for a singer/ dancer, otherwise officially listed as "KTV - Performing artiste" in the job ad's title.
The advertised monthly salary for the position is between S$8,000 and S$12,000.
The listing first appeared on Jan. 7 and will close on Feb. 6.
No applications have been received so far.
Job description
The listing provided a succinct breakdown of the roles and responsibilities of the job.
As per the listing, they include:
As part of the job requirements, the ad articulated clearly what was asked of the applicant:
Why advertise on Singapore government jobs portal?
Even though this particular job listing might appear odd on a Singapore government jobs portal, listing it is a requirement for the employer to abide by as part of fair hiring practices.
MyCareersFuture is a free service provided for Singapore citizens and PRs.
Only in the event the employer cannot find a local to fill the position, it will then be allowed to broaden the search by hiring foreigners.
In order for an employer to submit Employment Pass (EP) or S Pass applications to hire foreigners, they must first advertise on MyCareersFuture and fairly consider all candidates to promote fair employment practices and improve labour market transparency.
As of October 2020, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has required firms to advertise jobs on the MyCareersFuture.sg portal for at least 28 days, up from 14, before they can apply for a new EP or S Pass for a foreign candidate.
The advertising requirement applies to employers with at least 10 employees.
Moreover, this KTV performing artiste job falls squarely under the EP category given its high salary range.
EP application for foreign hires
Since Sep. 1, 2023, the EP qualifying salary requirements for new applications and renewals has been fixed at S$5,000 for all sectors except financial services.
The qualifying salary requirements increase with age.
For example, for foreigners 23 years old and below, the minimum salary drawn to qualify for an EP is S$5,000.
The minimum salary drawn increases progressively with age, with a S$250 increment per year.
For those 45 years old and above, the minimum salary drawn to qualify for an EP is S$10,500.
There are other related ads seeking performing artistes on the MyCareersFuture.sg portal, with lower salary ranges.
These jobs can be filled by S Pass holders, as an S Pass application for those not in financial services requires a minimum S$3,150 salary, which increases progressively with age from age 23, up to $4,650 at age 45 and above.
Likewise with the EP, the qualifying salary requirements for S Pass increase with age.
Not allowed to go through motion
Recognising that attempting to advertise for Singaporeans and PRs to fill the role first is not a foolproof method of preventing the outright discriminatory hiring of foreigners over locals, MOM warned employers they are not allowed to put up a recruitment advertisement just to show they have tried to hire but failed, while having a prospective candidate in mind.
MOM said: "For instance, some employers go through the motion of advertising on MyCareersFuture after pre-selecting a foreigner, and do not review the applicants from MyCareersFuture. Other employers post discriminatory job advertisements."
"These practices breach the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and employers that engage in these practices may be debarred from hiring foreign employees."
Top photo via Google Maps & MyCareersFuture.sg
