Our wage levels are fucking pathetic

[bryanlim1972]

i would definitely seek out a country with lower rents. rental costs in singapore are astronomical for this region.

the singapore cabinet has no special skills that we cannot get elsewhere. we should not be paying them more than a living wage which is substantially higher than other governments in the region.

If you had 10 million to invest, would you set up shop in Singapore or would you sink it into some other country where costs are lower?

The Singaporean workforce has no special skills that I cannot get elsewhere. I have no reason to pay them a living wage which is substantially higher than wages in the region.

 

[oli9]

I currently run a company in Singapore and the only reason why I keep it going is for the sake of a small handful of loyal Singapore staff.

If it wasn't for them, I'd save more than 35% in overheads if I moved to Malaysia plus I'd get a ten year tax holiday which would save me another huge chunk of money.

Let's see -
In Msia, corporate tax is 25% for profits exceeding RM500K which Im assuming you would do that well.
Any proceeds out of Msia would guarantee you a 10% witholding tax. You wont want that would you?
Msia staffs are dodgy. You can never know if they'll turn up for work. The best msian workforce are either here or someware else in every part of the world. Msia only employs non descript foreigners like Indons & Burmese.
Foreigners would set up shop in Msia HAS to get a BUMI director if youre into government contracts. If you dont, youre as good as dead.
I dont think i want to emphasize on the safety in Msia from being robbed or gunned down. You already know the answer to that question.
So what's the 35% savings you were blabbering about again?

 

[winnipegjets]

The reason is, Singapore failed to restructure its economy.

I know it's easy to say this, but too many GLCs, connected businesses with RC, whatever C members, made increase in wages difficult as there is a conflict on interest. So if big GLCs and businesses can continue to rely on cheap labours, who is going to improve productivity?

All the stat board initiated R&D, automation and productivity improvement programs are wayang only, (if you got involved before, you will understand). After a few decades of improvement programs, what have we achieved? No follow up, no follow through. Just number games to gain tax incentives.

So today, as a first world country (as they claimed) but relying on cheap labours, they cannot force the locals to accept low wages. So they import FTs. If you want a job, you have to match your asking price with the FTs. Problem solved on their part and we are left to struggle and compete.

The sickening part is, they claim credits (whatever like GDP and so on) and keep increasing their salary.

It is a matter of time before the emperor with no clothes is exposed. Sinkapore doesn't have a long term growth plan. We don't have industries that can create good paying jobs. Instead we have to bottom down wages as our business just don't know how to compete with innovations, branding, marketing etc. And the PAP government is just as clueless.

The low wage game is a dead end one ...there are always going to be countries that can produce cheaper, so is sinkapore going to sink to the wages of African countries?

 

[winnipegjets]

Let's see -
In Msia, corporate tax is 25% for profits exceeding RM500K which Im assuming you would do that well.
Any proceeds out of Msia would guarantee you a 10% witholding tax. You wont want that would you?
Msia staffs are dodgy. You can never know if they'll turn up for work. The best msian workforce are either here or someware else in every part of the world. Msia only employs non descript foreigners like Indons & Burmese.
Foreigners would set up shop in Msia HAS to get a BUMI director if youre into government contracts. If you dont, youre as good as dead.
I dont think i want to emphasize on the safety in Msia from being robbed or gunned down. You already know the answer to that question.
So what's the 35% savings you were blabbering about again?

Shows how clueless you are with your reply.
Look at the incentives the M'sian government dangles at foreign investors.
You have no bloody clue how the bumi system work.
If Malaysians are that useless as you claimed, sinkapore is in deeper shit than we thought because we have lots of the Malaysians here.
In land of opportunity, there are always going to challenges. That's why only the tough can thrive. M'sia is not for sinkees who don't know how to adapt.

 

[chupacabra]

A recent reports puts KL ahead of peesai in spending power...Mudland also has 39 percent of its population under the age of 20...Mudland economy still has more potential than peesai..

 

[winnipegjets]

The jobs have to come from somewhere. They can't just be created out of thin air.

It is through demand ....if sinkees earn dirt pay, there isn't much consumption capability. So the government wants to increase foreign population to boost consumption. Why not just create jobs that sinkees can earn developed country income?

If you had 10 million to invest, would you set up shop in Singapore or would you sink it into some other country where costs are lower?

It depends on the industry. If my business requires stable infrastructure, I won't want to set up in Philippines even though cost is so much lower there. Neither would I do it in Vietnam.
How is sinkapore positioning itself? It wants to play the low cost which we will never win unless we are willing to adopt African-level kind of pay.

The Singaporean workforce has no special skills that I cannot get elsewhere. I have no reason to pay them a living wage which is substantially higher than wages in the region.

And whose fault is that?
It is time to raise the wages and upgrade the industries. Those companies that want to leave should just go. Sinkapore got to raise its game, instead of trying to play in the little league, yet claiming to be in the top league.

 

[scbccb]

Oi why are you meddling in our internal affairs? Oli has pointed out the inner workings of the jhew hoo system and you talked about incentives given out by the government. :oIo::kma:

Shows how clueless you are with your reply.
Look at the incentives the M'sian government dangles at foreign investors.
You have no bloody clue how the bumi system work.
If Malaysians are that useless as you claimed, sinkapore is in deeper shit than we thought because we have lots of the Malaysians here.
In land of opportunity, there are always going to challenges. That's why only the tough can thrive. M'sia is not for sinkees who don't know how to adapt.

 

[oli9]

Shows how clueless you are with your reply.

I wish you all the best if you know what youre blabbering about. Doing biz in Msia is good? Hahahahahah Been there done that.

 

[scbccb]

How come no more soccer tips lobang from you now?

I wish you all the best if you know what youre blabbering about. Doing biz in Msia is good? Hahahahahah Been there done that.

 

[Leongsam]

So what's the 35% savings you were blabbering about again?

I already have a share in one company operating in the Iskandar zone making test kits for measuring urine iodine levels. The company has experienced none of the problems you mention.

 

[Leongsam]

Shows how clueless you are with your reply.
Look at the incentives the M'sian government dangles at foreign investors.

When I was working in an American Multinational many years ago, we had factories in Singapore, Malacca and Penang. ALL the Malaysian plants beat the Singapore plant in productivity and quality ratings. The only advantage Singapore had at the time was the tax holiday and the fact that American expats found Singaporeans easier to communicate with because they had a good command of the English language.

Fast forward to 2013 and we find the standard of English has deteriorated considerably plus the Malaysians have tax incentives which equal or surpass what Singapore has to offer.

 

[no_faith]

true. sinkaporeans mostly are over contented of wat they are having.
so 1k might be more than enuff for some people.

 

[Leongsam]

A very useful service that I have used in the past http://voffice.com.my/

They do all the leg work for you including lubricating the system to speed things up if necessary.

Sinkies who demand high wages and preferential treatment vs foreigners should know what they are up against before they demand wages higher than the rest of the region.

 

[Leongsam]

the singapore cabinet has no special skills that we cannot get elsewhere. we should not be paying them more than a living wage which is substantially higher than other governments in the region.

While their salaries will always be a bone of contention, you have to acknowledge that they are doing a far better job than the governments in neighboring countries.

 

[winnipegjets]

While their salaries will always be a bone of contention, you have to acknowledge that they are doing a far better job than the governments in neighboring countries.

Only because sinkees are cowed by the PAP. If PAP had to govern M'sians, many of them would have got assassinated.

 

[bryanlim1972]

While their salaries will always be a bone of contention, you have to acknowledge that they are doing a far better job than the governments in neighboring countries.

how about acknowledging that our singaporean workers are doing a far better job than the worker in neighbouring countries?

 

[Leongsam]

how about acknowledging that our singaporean workers are doing a far better job than the worker in neighbouring countries?

I can't acknowledge that simply because nothing could be further from the truth.

Even back in the early days of industrialisation in the 70s and 80s, the best performing employees were invariably Malaysians. The Thais were a close second and limited only by their poor command of the English language.

 

[bryanlim1972]

ok lets get into the dirty details then:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_hour_worked

find me another ASEAN or even SEAn country on the list. Singapore comes in at number 21.

our workers are productive, its the landlords that are killing businesses and dampening our competitiveness.

I can't acknowledge that simply because nothing could be further from the truth.

Even back in the early days of industrialisation in the 70s and 80s, the best performing employees were invariably Malaysians. The Thais were a close second and limited only by their poor command of the English language.

 

[scbccb]

If the output from multiple plants cannot beat one plant, I will worry. Anyway, do you know what's the contribution of the jhew hoo kias to our manufacturing industry since you left. Stolen mass produced components, workplace misconduct and management corruption. Boleh! :oIo::kma:

ALL the Malaysian plants beat the Singapore plant in productivity and quality ratings.

 

[Leongsam]

ok lets get into the dirty details then:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_hour_worked

find me another ASEAN or even SEAn country on the list. Singapore comes in at number 21.

our workers are productive, its the landlords that are killing businesses and dampening our competitiveness.

You have to thank the foreigners for that. They're the ones doing most of the work especially in the high value add industries.