Getting EPs is going to get tougher

ScoobyDoes · Post by **ScoobyDoes** » Tue, 20 May 2014 3:27 pm

Has anybody noticed the increasing proliferation of 'We are Hiring' banners around many of the shops, restaurants and stores in the malls?

Ranging anywhere from S$6/hr to one I saw today at S$12/hr.

Looks like maybe EPs are holding steady, but lesser level passes are being throttled back.

Nice to read a story today about the Mayor of Tokyo, maybe, making changes to taxation and red tape locally in an attempt to lure financial and pharmaceutical FT away, specifically, from Singapore and to Tokyo. Let the fight begin!

Barnsley · Post by **Barnsley** » Tue, 20 May 2014 4:21 pm

ScoobyDoes wrote:Has anybody noticed the increasing proliferation of 'We are Hiring' banners around many of the shops, restaurants and stores in the malls?

Ranging anywhere from S$6/hr to one I saw today at S$12/hr.

They are everywhere in Pasir Ris ........

I hadn't put the two things together regards reducing WP & SP numbers maybe for retail workers.

There does seem to be fewer folks in the fast food joints and the supermarkets.

AndrewV · Post by **AndrewV** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 3:29 pm

the time for the FCF is almost upon us
anyone seeing any change in hiring practices?

the lynx · Post by **the lynx** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 3:32 pm

AndrewV wrote:the time for the FCF is almost upon us
anyone seeing any change in hiring practices?

FCF?

rajagainstthemachine · Post by **rajagainstthemachine** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 3:33 pm

^

sadly not yet, but I see more and more "we are hiring PR's and SC's for part time jobs" for stuff as simple as sales personnel in a gift shop etc

Post by **nakatago** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 3:40 pm

ScoobyDoes wrote:Nice to read a story today about the Mayor of Tokyo, maybe, making changes to taxation and red tape locally in an attempt to lure financial and pharmaceutical FT away, specifically, from Singapore and to Tokyo. Let the fight begin!

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 3:49 pm

the lynx wrote:
AndrewV wrote:the time for the FCF is almost upon us
anyone seeing any change in hiring practices?
FCF?

http://m.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/Pres ... listid=523

FCF or not, many recent offers were shut off when the agents found I am not An EP/Pass holder

once gave a flimsy reply like the employer wants to fill their EP quota ...

rajagainstthemachine · Post by **rajagainstthemachine** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 4:08 pm

is FCF the reason why there's a Malaysian Chinese guy working in Almost every other Indian restaurant? it's a pity they usually give him the most dirty job to do in the restaurant.

ecureilx · Post by **ecureilx** » Wed, 11 Jun 2014 4:18 pm

rajagainstthemachine wrote:is FCF the reason why there's a Malaysian Chinese guy working in Almost every other Indian restaurant? it's a pity they usually give him the most dirty job to do in the restaurant.

FCF is to employ citizens lah

as for Chinese in Indian restaurant, most I know are PRCs, who come cheap, can't recall a Malaysian Chinese doing table cleaning / dish washing .....

AndrewV · Post by **AndrewV** » Thu, 12 Jun 2014 4:10 pm

ecureilx wrote:
the lynx wrote:
AndrewV wrote:the time for the FCF is almost upon us
anyone seeing any change in hiring practices?
FCF?
http://m.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/Pres ... listid=523

FCF or not, many recent offers were shut off when the agents found I am not An EP/Pass holder

once gave a flimsy reply like the employer wants to fill their EP quota ...

you mean they actually preferred to hire you on an EP? strange...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 12 Jun 2014 5:04 pm

AndrewV wrote:
ecureilx wrote:
the lynx wrote: FCF?
http://m.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/Pres ... listid=523

FCF or not, many recent offers were shut off when the agents found I am not An EP/Pass holder

once gave a flimsy reply like the employer wants to fill their EP quota ...
you mean they actually preferred to hire you on an EP? strange...

Not strange at all. Bring in on EP (if the budget is in EP territory anyway) no foreign worker levy and no employer CPF contributions. Win-Win.

AndrewV · Post by **AndrewV** » Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:10 am

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
AndrewV wrote:
ecureilx wrote: http://m.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/Pres ... listid=523

FCF or not, many recent offers were shut off when the agents found I am not An EP/Pass holder

once gave a flimsy reply like the employer wants to fill their EP quota ...
you mean they actually preferred to hire you on an EP? strange...
Not strange at all. Bring in on EP (if the budget is in EP territory anyway) no foreign worker levy and no employer CPF contributions. Win-Win.

correct me if i'm wrong, but even locals/PR's do not incur a foreign worker levy, albeit the CPF contribution thing could definitely sway the decision. No wonder Singaporeans are complaining.

Seems like employers are trying to meet their Quota's ASAP before the august deadline kicks in

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Fri, 13 Jun 2014 1:32 pm

AndrewV wrote:
sundaymorningstaple wrote:
AndrewV wrote: you mean they actually preferred to hire you on an EP? strange...
Not strange at all. Bring in on EP (if the budget is in EP territory anyway) no foreign worker levy and no employer CPF contributions. Win-Win.
correct me if i'm wrong, but even locals/PR's do not incur a foreign worker levy, albeit the CPF contribution thing could definitely sway the decision. No wonder Singaporeans are complaining.

Seems like employers are trying to meet their Quota's ASAP before the august deadline kicks in

True, but opposed to bringing in S pass or WPs which do attract FWL. As I said, If their salaries are in EP levels, better to bring them in, from an employers POV, than hire local OR S/WP (for the record I know S pass holders making in excess of 5K/mo) I also know of Shipyard WP welders making in excess of 4.5K.

Yes, it's no wonder the locals are upset with what has been brought in in the post 10 years as the general quality floor has gone way, way down. The upper levels are still way above the abilities of locals in a lot of areas (actual knowledge, not so much, but working as a team and leadership qualities).

yogaloungeforever · Post by **yogaloungeforever** » Wed, 18 Jun 2014 1:27 am

Well summed up! Back at the last bank I was working at and I could see scores of sub-continentals or Pinoys or PRCs and they were reporting to their own kind. I am amazed at how they got their EPs. Frankly they really have no skills at all aside from their lousy English. I still remember a particular PM (a subcontinental) who walked around with an air of arrogance about him because of his title and yet he could not even produce a decent project plan / schedule. He had to literally copy the project schedule and plan from another PM (who was based in Europe)! And this chap had the cheek to tell me he was earning more than $8k / month and had already obtained his PR! Personal opinion is that all these cutting down on EPs and PRs now is also partly the fault of the Singapore government.

AndrewV wrote:
This is exactly what the government is trying to avoid. I have seen situations in certain companies where practically all the people in the team were from the same batch from the manager's university days. I was able to see first hand the capabilities of these individuals and I was able to ascertain with a high degree of certainty that they were not hired for their skills. The roles were further for a very commoditized skill for which there would have been several locals who would have been readily signed up. Mind you these are not low paying jobs, they were in the 7K+ range per month (ok, possibly low by this forums standard )

The government should be mindful to let the skilled ones through, but such lackey focused hiring mentality needs to be stopped.

Another thing I have noticed is that the good ones usually are comfortable managing multi-cultural teams and are able to drive the team forward collectively, the not-so-good ones (to be polite) find this much tougher and therefore prefer to bring in their own kind.

rajagainstthemachine · Post by **rajagainstthemachine** » Wed, 18 Jun 2014 5:56 am

^

@yoga lounge! Sorry to hear about your rather myopic experiences esp with pinoys and sub continental people, I too have a large number of interesting stories about Singaporeans citizens who were rank bad project manager, there was one Mohammed bin tuglaq in particular who's management decisions were to shut down Korea,Japan,India,china offices over Singapore, this after hiring people in these offices nine months ago.
the universal truth about upper/lower middle management is that incompetent people get pushed to these positions, this is beyond EP, PR and other local issues.
I have more such examples many of them neither Pinoy nor SubCon category, so anyway your opinion is worthless so to speak.

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