We would like to bash the foreigners who steal our jobs, which I will do too & the fact is, they do steal yours or mine. But,it had been a very long time coming & still hear all these "cry mother, cry father' stories of not able tp find out. I do not like to praise the PAP government, but a spade is spade. They have done enough "help" out there for unemployed Stinkerporeans, there are more help now, than say, 20-25 years ago. Yet, many locals here are still unemployable, why it is so?
Has any done a real survey on this problem? not those surveys conducted by " you know who", who wants to hear the good news only, but right to the ground, right to the 'root of the grasses' type of surveys?
I will give a few example, which may sum up in part the PMET problem, there are many other there may face other problems, which I have not encountered: ( these were times, years ago, when one very barren period, being a PMET had to seek work, due to company's lost money & have to close down here)
On the employee side : ( of the story)
1. Have sat through dozens of interviews, send in more than hundred applications, list in every part-time employment agencies I can find, listed in NTUC, even back then SAFRA, call up every 'guanxi', like "friends, country...'
2. Had approach banks, Supermarket chains, Fast food chains ( no mention of names), mini mart chains, SMRT, SBS Transit, Comfort Delgro etc..logistics companies etc.. can't find any work.
3. Gets called for interview, found out that those companies, favoured Malaysians, Malaysians PR, PR of any countries, women only...excuse, you are of a 'certain age', this is a 'women only place' ( I volunteer to 'potong'), this is a certain race majority workplace,like mostly Indians, mostly Malays, too experienced, last drawn salary too high ( I asked for anything less than $1,200 or even 'below the belt' of $800 or less), just to work part-time.
4. At that time, the foreigners flood, were beginning to flow in, they could get wives & husbands of those foreigners cheaper than me ( this was before MOM amended the dependency pass thing). So, I asking for $6 a hour, could not even, land work....
5. In order to survive, I volunteered for work for friends etc..just to move on, get meals on the table & transportation money & money to top up the mobile, in order to receive opportunity & to contribute to 'charity' ( Singapore pools) hoping to make it big ( which never) can dream, can't I ?
On the employer side: ( of the story)
1. Applicants, wants air condition work place, were surprised to see me turn up, in a dusty, dirty, workshop or office, not to mention noisy too.
1. Applicants, wants near to their homes, I have been to places, where then there was no MRT Stations, where you have to change at least two bus services to get there & walk at least 1 km to the place from the bus stop...what we term as "ulu".
2. Applicants, does not like the enivironment, I have been to job interview in the 'bowels' , 'nook & crannies' of some industrial areas, some monstrosity of a warehouse building.
3. Were surprised that an applicant like me, bothered to answer & Ad & walked all the way from the main road to the office. A site project at Attap Valley Road. The Japanese were very impressed, unfortunately , they were scaling down the work & is to move on to the Middle East..did offer me, a middle east job. ( which I didn't take up).
These are just a few experiences of being a PMET out of work for a period of time. I have to 'bite the bullet', live & eat like a pauper, with fire in the eyes, hunger in the belly...take on anything that came my way to SURVIVE. Sometimes, living on a $600 salary a month not deducted CPF yet...& curse the foreigners that were here that stole the opportunities I had & a government, in some part, put me where I was. Anyway...I survived, without any help from CDAC, CDC, NTUC, & any of the listed governmental help to look for work agencies...by the way, those government agencies, I registered with, I still update..till this day, though I don't need them...from then to now, none has called me up for job opportunities...even I list the lowest possible salary range. One more thing, in order to get jobs...I had to lie about my qualifications, work experience & give a long list of creative excuses I can think of...but you can't do this,with MNC etc.. who require you to submit Resume etc.
What then is the problem now, still with the PMET...crying, unable to find work? A serious study need to be done & others, may add to what I have experienced & perhaps we all could learn from it.
