Singapore MNC placed job ad recruiting Malaysians ONLY (Singaporeans need not apply)
January 16th, 2010 | 
Author: Written by Our Correspondent’
An “International Progressive Company in Agricultural Chemicals” based in Singapore put up a recruitment advertisement on the online portal olx.sg for two positions of laboratory technicians in December last year.
It is stated clearly in the ad that only Malaysians are “required” and not Singaporeans:
[Source: olx.sg]
The job scope includes performing physical and chemical tests on incoming and outgoing, in process raw materials and finished goods, ensuring quality standards of incoming and outgoing raw materials, in-process raw materials and finished goods and assisting in carrying out quality checks on newly developed products.
The pay range lies between S$1,500 – S$1600 which is barely sufficient to survive in Singapore, but can enable one to enjoy a comfortable life when converted to Ringgit in Malaysia where the cost of living is much lower.
According to leaders from the ruling party, companies in Singapore have no choice but to employ foreign workers because locals are not interested in taking up the jobs on offer. They also claim that foreign workers are needed in sectors shunned by Singaporeans such as the construction industry.
However, the above vacancies can be filled by any Singapore diploma holder. Though the pay is not too attractive, some Singaporeans may still accept it in the present economic climate. It is strange that the MNC chose to employ Malaysians instead of Singaporeans.
One reason may be that they have to contribute CPF to Singapore workers which will translate to higher labor costs. Furthermore, Singapore males need to be away for up to 4 weeks yearly for reservist training while Malaysians do not have such obligations.
This is one of the many ads out there which seek foreign workers specifically. Singapore Courts put up a full-page advertisement in the Malaysia paper – The Star today to recruit Malaysians for various positions in Singapore. The interview will be held next Monday in Johor Bahru.
Some companies are more discreet and do not specify the nationality of the workers they are seeking, but phrase it in another way to give the public the wrong impression that locals are welcomed to apply for the vacancies too.
For example, we published an article earlier on a local SME Wang Foong food supplies which put up a job ad containing the following sentence as part of its criteria – “PRs and Malaysians are welcomed”.
Though it did not rule out Singaporeans, when our correspondent called them up this morning, the first question its staff asked was whether he is a Malaysian PR.
One reader who has over 10 years of experience in the HR department of a major company in Singapore told us that if a company wants to recruit Singaporeans the phase on the ad will be – “All are welcomed including PRs” and not “PRs and Malaysians are welcomed” which is a polite way of saying – “Singaporeans need not apply.”
His company employs a large number of foreigners who are preferred over Singaporeans due to their lower cost and willingness to work OT. However as it cannot discriminate openly against Singaporeans, it will accept their applications and even call them up for interviews, but their files will be stamped (ironically) with a “star” – meaning that the interviewers will simply just go through the “motion” without the intention of ever recruiting them.
As a result of the ruling party’s lax immigration and pro-business policies, large numbers of foreigners have flocked to Singapore to find work in recent years.
While some of them are indeed real talents who contribute greatly to the nation’s development, there are many others who are competing directly with Singaporeans for jobs which can be otherwise taken up by them.
The relentless influx of foreigners has depressed the wages of ordinary Singaporeans leading to a widening income gap between the rich and the poor. Singapore has the highest income gap among the thirty most developed economies in the world.
Though there are no official statistics available, the income gap between its political leaders and citizens is probably one of the highest as well. The monthly median wage of an average Singapore worker is only S$2,600 compared to S$180,000 for a minister.
Related articles:
>> Job recruitment by local SME: PRs and Malaysians are “welcomed”
>> Singapore Courts mass recruiting Malaysians in JB next Monday
Posted in Editorial
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Indeed very sad…..what is happening to our Modern Singapore and our so called NTUC and other unions who used to champion the rights of Singaporeans, can anyone tell me. Looks like in no time, our Modern Singapore would be ruled by foreigners turned Singaporeans, and not local born Singaporeans regardless of races (given the rates of new Singaporeans)
Regards
Andrew Chuah
In other countries, we may see job ads that state “citizens/PRs only”, never “foreigners only”. Only in uniquely S’pore do we see such ridiculous ads.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, countries like the US move to protect the livelihoods of their citizens by imposing greater restrictions on employing foreigners, whereas only in this PAP-led country do we spread our arms and legs out even wider, like a prostitute, to invite more foreigners to screw our own citizens over.
Aiyo..NTUC Union dun care la..NTUC head is in the PM Office, given a Minister post without portfolio and get super high salary…what for get involved…
govt welcome FT wat…he meddle after no Minister post..then how?
During the hey days you will find job advert stating only Singaporean need to apply. The good old days are gone..Gone with the wind. We are finished. So Sad.
i must say that.. other countries also have this foreigner stealing jobs issue, in europe, US.. etc…
but Singapore’s problem seems to be magnified due to the CPF conundrum.
Account Executive
Location Singapore
Malaysian welcome
http://match.st701.com/employee/c.asp?action=employee.jobDescription.init&NoBackground=undefined&userId=&AlreadyMatched=0&withImage=0&AffiliateID=3000&isValidSubscription=&CompanyId=¶m=357615
Many companies have so many foreigners of a certain country that it doesn’t make sense to hire a Singaporean anymore. In fact these companies will even pay a higher salary to get a foreigner because he will blend in and work better with his fellow countrymen.
I don’t know about you but I already know who to vote for in next election and nothing is going to change my mind. I am going to vote for my future and the future of my children.
What injustice! NS for citizens, jobs for foreigners! They charged that citizens are choosy, lazy and not hard striving. Fact is, citizens are not even considered for hiring. Thanks TR for digging up all these. Really open our eyes.
NS for singaporeans to keep the country safe for businesses to employ foreigners for jobs. What a joke!
To those who still insist on voting for the MIW blindly, when your job is replaced by cheaper foreigners in the near future it will be too late to regret.
Singaporean Workers, we are going to be extinct soon.
What are you going to do in the next election?
It’s ok.
There should have more such job ads. So that Singaporeans will think twice when intending to have any baby.
aren’t these cos. breaking the quota rules? looks like the govt is turning a blind eye to these violations?
it will be a sad day when public sector also decides to advertise likewise.
What a damn government that allow its citizens not to be hired in its own country?
Let’s ask Lim Swee Say his views about this or who is the minister of labour.
Vote OUT the PAP
The solution is to peg ministerial salary to the median salary of S’porean workers.
But first, we have to wake PAP up by making them lose a few GRCs at the next election.
Lim Swee Say only knows how to come up with completely useless slogans……and he draws a few million dollars for doing just that…..what a dream job.
Just being a devil’s advocate;
So, what’s our opposition party going to say about it now?
Or are they gonna ’shut-up’ and ‘put-up’ with this sick joke being played on us?
And what about you complainers? I don’t see anyone suggesting or starting to stand outside and protesting the companies that so blatantly do it. I’ll join you if you do!!
No use complaining if no one is going to do anything about it.
I am surprised no one felt insulted enough and sue the PAP for defaming us as not hard-working as the FTs and FWs. And where the heck you get the statistics that an average income of a Singapore worker is $2,600/-???
I worked close to 14hours, 6days a week as an IT systems engineer and my pay barely scratch $1,800/- before CPF, thanks to my FT colleagues. However, I do not blame them because they do not know their full rights and to them $1800/- is a huge sum of money when they convert it back home.
Sometimes I wish, if the ruling elite keeps turning a blind eye to our plight, they should really go blind.
MM going to die soon, let him not rest in peace in his grave by ousting the PAP from power. So, please….no more lip service, and vote the PAP out!!! Please, I beg all of you.
I have already started the word out. I asked my friends who their parents would be voting for and some of them said that obviously the PAP. I told them that their parents have nothing to lose by voting against the PAP. I narrated all the unfortunate things that is happening around us. Finally i added that at least for the younger generation, they should think of our future and vote for the opposition. Especially, this year.
But you see, not many of them are English educated. They do not even know who are the oppositions. The only one they recognised is CSJ & our late JBJ. Nevertheless, i said a white lie by telling them that if they don’t vote for the opposition, very soon, we will not be able to afford a HDB and may be classified as no longer middle income but poor.
I’m sorry but i think when you want to do something good, it is okay to lie at times. Not to the govt as they will prosecute you for it but to the people who are ruining the country by voting for them. So today onwards, i will try to convince as many people to vote against the PAP & if i have to lie to achieve my task, so be it.
So what has LSS and his “faster, cheaper, better” brilliant idea got to say about this incident?So far TR has uncovered two such companies doing this, I shudder at the unofficial processes that are below the radar.
it used to be “malay need not apply”, well now i guess its to all true blue singaporean in general…welcome to the club friends
So to balance things out, PAP must pay us at least 40,000 a month during our NSF/ICT. Just tax it out from these FTs.
Incredulous:
I’m in a similiar plight as you. I work in a retail store selling IT products. I first joined this company early last year as a supervisor, leaving my previous company for a so call “better” pay. However, before my first payroll, I got a call from the HR, saying that they quoted me the “wrong” pay and therefore I would now get a salary around the $1800 range before CPF, just like yourself. But what can I do, as it’s so hard to get a job nowadays.
Like you, I also work 6 days a week and almost 14 hours every day. I also have two PRC sales staff, who are on S-Passes and get fixed income $1800 every month, no matter how good or bad their sales figures are. My local sales staff, however, have to achieve more than $120k in sales figures every month in order to get the same $1800 pay. Can you imagine how we feel when we are doing so much more work but they are getting the same pay as us?
Not only that, I have to submit my staffs’ monthly roster to the HR every month. once, I even got a call from her telling me not to put the two FT’s on more than 44 hours a week shifts as its not within MOM guidelines. What about me and my two local salesmen?! No OT pay, plus when stock arrives at different branches, we have to do the delivery and distributions ourselves amongst the other branches. They don’t even bother to hire a deliveryman!
$1800 is barely enough to survive in Singapore. Like you, I’m really suprised and “too lan” that we are being called “lazy”. MY FT staff are only good for doing area cleaning in my store, and they know NOTHING about sales or our products even though they have been here for more than a year. I really find it hard to blame my local staff for not helping out with stock taking and area cleaning when they have to fight for the $120K over sales figures to get the same pay, when my FT are only clocking only 40-50K sales figures per month.
Like many others, it’s easy to say vote them out, but I don’t think it will ever happen. I’ve moved house 3 times in my 30 years, from south to East to West of Singapore, and all my life we have been walk-over’ed.
What’s the point?
Since we are being called lazy, might as well. There’s no more incentive anymore to work hard. I just don’t care any more.
is okay!!! let the Fire continue to burn and even bigger and bigger…….
Please Do NOT Blame PAP Party because that is singaporeans choice during election.
We need to respect decision made by PAP party.
To Liang Chau Wei,
We can only hope that things would change for the better.
As for me, I am having thoughts to be an FT in another country. How ironic isn’t it?
Unless majority of Singaporeans still don’t have the guts to stand up against the ruling elite, we will continue to suffer. For the moment, I am trying to convince people I know, not to vote for the PAP if their wards are up for contest in the next GE.
At least I’m trying to do something other than whine and complain. To stop caring is as good as being dead, our children will have no future, if we don’t do anything at all.
As to your predicament, take advantage of any govt. assistance (eg. SPURS), if they are going to use us, we might as well use them. They certifications/qualifications you earned might prove useful someday….if not in Singapore, may be in another country.
If only 2 opposition members win in the coming GE again, I will migrate!
Well, what happen to NTUC ,the one that we know ?
” national Trade Union Congress ”
Perhaps its now over taken by a NEW NTUC
” No Thank U Citizens “…NTUC.
To TR,
Would you kindly spin an article ” If you want to be the next MP..what you have to know”
In order to fill as many GRC, we need as many New Faces, even Unknowns to fill for Candidate.
A story “educating and providing a background info to filing of a candidatec ” might help “influence” or ” induce” more “interested” Citizen to participate.
Would you consider spinning a story on this ? Thank you.
Our labour union leaders only look after themselves and rub shoulders with govt leaders and employers, instead of sincerely looking after the welfare of the local Singaporean workers. Why? Because they are themselves “Employers” from INCOME, COMFORT, FAIRPRICE, etc. They are only pseudo union leaders, in name not in substance.
That is the reason why local Singaporean workers are being maginalised by so many exploitative employers.
MOM’s foreign workers/talents policy is also one of the main motivating factor for employers to sideline local Singaporean workers.
This sad state of affair can only happen in Singapore because Singaporeans generally do not want to take ownership of their own country, allowing their rights to be trampled and stampeded upon by the power-perpetuating people.
Those who are wise would have moved out of such a sickening situation long ago. And for those who can’t, they must one day rise up to take ownership of their own country. The power is actually in the hands of the people, not the elected “leaders”.
The earlier the ordinary wake up and get united to do something for themselves seriously and concertedly the better. Time and tide wait for no man or woman!
@Liang Chau Wei.
I have only this to say. You are bloody idiot. You vote me. I do what i like. Not happy so what. Dare to challenge.