A disparity in job expectations?

By Alicia Wong | 05:55 AM Jun 08, 2009

--------------------------------

Minister of Manpower Gan Kim Yong (centre), with Tanjong Pagar GRC MPs, scaling fish during a community visit to Bukit Merah View.
Photo by WEE TECK HIAN

ARE locals really unrealistic in their job hunt?

For restaurateur Amelia Kang, hiring Singapore citizens and permanent residents has not been "that ideal". Out of 10 local workers, mainly in clerical work, it's typical for only two to last more than three months, while out of 15 locals, only three have stayed in the job for more than a year, she shared.

Some Singaporeans do not have industry-specific knowledge, but expect to earn their previous salary. Said Ms Kang: "It doesn't make sense."

But when Mr Andrew Tan applied for a job he was over-qualified for, his interviewer told him: "If you come in, I don't know what I can teach you, but you have a lot to teach me."

Mr Tan, who had used the Manpower Ministry's job matching system, suggested that it be improved.

The expectations of workers and employers was one of the issues at a dialogue session yesterday at the Tanglin-Cairnhill division, and with Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong visiting, it was not long before foreign workers soon became the bogeymen.

Mr Gan reiterated the need for a "calibrated approach" in hiring foreign workers. Reserving jobs for locals during hard times would affect our long-term economic position, he said. Measures such as foreign worker quotas and the Jobs Credit scheme protect Singaporeans, he added.

One participant among the 300 residents and grassroots leaders, however, pointed out that Singaporeans "do not quarrel with the fact that we need foreign talent" but with the marketing of foreign talent as "saviours of Singapore".

"You have to look at things in perspective," he said, as foreign workers come to eke out a living and can survive on less, unlike Singaporeans who have families to support.

Foreign workers in the production line are also more willing to work overtime compared to Singaporeans, added Mr Tan.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Gan said the foreign-local divide "will remain" and is a "stress point that ... is heightened during the recession".

"It's important for Government and community to continue to explain why it's important to do the right thing, rather then to do the favourite things (by keeping jobs for locals)," he said, and added that the Government is working to assimilate foreigners into society.

Other issues raised during the one-hour session at Singapore Management University included feedback on the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience. Mr Gan urged residents to go to the Community Development Councils or their Members of Parliament for assistance.

From TODAY, News – Monday, 08-Jun-2009

Related articles by Zemanta

• Seeking the right balance (myleadingleads.blogspot.com)
• It's time to revisit the dual citizenship issue: MP (myleadingleads.blogspot.com)
• Economy - a fair mix of foreign and local companies (myleadingleads.blogspot.com)
• Patriotism comes from within (myleadingleads.blogspot.com)
• It is not just a childhood illness (beinghealthyhomeandaway.blogspot.com)
• U.S. Limits Foreign Workers Due to American Unemployment (hsh.com)
• Ottawa eyes crackdown on foreign worker program (thestar.com)