Firms must show they tried to recruit Singaporeans first
<time class="entry-date" datetime="2013-09-24T10:15:20+00:00" pubdate="">September 24, 2013</time> by sgfactblog
<!-- .entry-meta --><!-- .entry-header -->- Only then can they hire foreign PMEs; ads have to be run in new jobs bank
COMPANIES will soon have to prove they tried to hire Singaporeans first before they are allowed to recruit foreign professionals.
They will also have to pay the foreigners more, as part of a new move by the Government to prod companies to consider Singaporeans for vacancies instead of hiring non-citizens.
Central to these measures is a new government-run jobs bank which takes effect next August.
All companies with more than 25 employees must advertise professional, manager and executive (PME) posts that pay less than $12,000 a month, at the jobs bank.
The advertisements have to run for at least 14 days before they can apply to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for an Employment Pass (EP) for a foreigner. Those who fail to use the jobs bank will have their EP applications rejected.
The jobs bank will be established and run by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency in the middle of next year. It will be free for use by companies and job seekers.
Another change is that EP holders hired from January next year must be given a higher starting pay of $3,300 a month, up from $3,000 now.
This increase is to keep it in line with rising salaries.
The MOM also made clear that older and more experienced applicants must earn even more to get an EP, but it gave no details on these higher thresholds.
These various moves, part of what the ministry calls the Fair Consideration Framework, will ensure that Singaporeans get a fair chance at landing a PME job, said Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
But it is not a “Hire Singaporeans first” policy, he stressed, saying: “Singaporeans must still prove themselves able and competitive to take on the higher jobs that they aspire to.”
The latest changes come in the wake of complaints from Singaporeans that foreigners take up good-paying PME jobs.
Fair employment watchdog Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices reported 303 workplace discrimination complaints last year, up from 277 in 2011.
The MOM also warned yesterday that it will keep a close watch on companies with few Singaporeans in PME jobs and those with repeated complaints of unfair hiring practices.
Companies that fail to improve may face delays in their EP applications, or lose their privileges for hiring foreigners, it said.
Both the Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress welcomed the national jobs bank.
It will give companies access to a wider pool of local PMEs, said the SNEF.
NTUC’s leader for PME issues Patrick Tay, who is also an MP, said: “(It) should ensure foreign manpower complements rather than undercuts the skills of the local workforce.”
By Toh Yong Chuan Manpower Correspondent
The Straits Times Published on Sep 24, 2013
<time class="entry-date" datetime="2013-09-24T10:15:20+00:00" pubdate="">September 24, 2013</time> by sgfactblog
<!-- .entry-meta --><!-- .entry-header -->- Only then can they hire foreign PMEs; ads have to be run in new jobs bank
COMPANIES will soon have to prove they tried to hire Singaporeans first before they are allowed to recruit foreign professionals.
They will also have to pay the foreigners more, as part of a new move by the Government to prod companies to consider Singaporeans for vacancies instead of hiring non-citizens.
Central to these measures is a new government-run jobs bank which takes effect next August.
All companies with more than 25 employees must advertise professional, manager and executive (PME) posts that pay less than $12,000 a month, at the jobs bank.
The advertisements have to run for at least 14 days before they can apply to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for an Employment Pass (EP) for a foreigner. Those who fail to use the jobs bank will have their EP applications rejected.
The jobs bank will be established and run by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency in the middle of next year. It will be free for use by companies and job seekers.
Another change is that EP holders hired from January next year must be given a higher starting pay of $3,300 a month, up from $3,000 now.
This increase is to keep it in line with rising salaries.
The MOM also made clear that older and more experienced applicants must earn even more to get an EP, but it gave no details on these higher thresholds.
These various moves, part of what the ministry calls the Fair Consideration Framework, will ensure that Singaporeans get a fair chance at landing a PME job, said Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
But it is not a “Hire Singaporeans first” policy, he stressed, saying: “Singaporeans must still prove themselves able and competitive to take on the higher jobs that they aspire to.”
The latest changes come in the wake of complaints from Singaporeans that foreigners take up good-paying PME jobs.
Fair employment watchdog Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices reported 303 workplace discrimination complaints last year, up from 277 in 2011.
The MOM also warned yesterday that it will keep a close watch on companies with few Singaporeans in PME jobs and those with repeated complaints of unfair hiring practices.
Companies that fail to improve may face delays in their EP applications, or lose their privileges for hiring foreigners, it said.
Both the Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress welcomed the national jobs bank.
It will give companies access to a wider pool of local PMEs, said the SNEF.
NTUC’s leader for PME issues Patrick Tay, who is also an MP, said: “(It) should ensure foreign manpower complements rather than undercuts the skills of the local workforce.”
By Toh Yong Chuan Manpower Correspondent
The Straits Times Published on Sep 24, 2013
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