Moving to Singapore beginning 2021

[rossb9]

Hi all

I've recently been offered a position in Singapore and currently in process of the company organising my EP.

My partner, on the other hand, will be looking for work. I just wanted to see what the current situation is for ex-pats and how hard it will be for her to find work.

She's looking for HR or admin roles or even retail.

I know COVID has caused some changes in foreign workers coming over but was hoping to see what it's like from people first hand and if early next year will be better.

Any information or places that would be best to look for work for her would be appreciated.

Just for reference, we are both late 20s from the UK.

[jwoods1864]

Job climate is pretty rough here atm if you aren't a citizen or a PR, so she will find it pretty tough to get a job in the industries you mentioned.
You both will have to do 14 days quarantine even by early next year due to the sheer incompetence of the UK government's handling of covid.


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[TropicalExpat]

Hi all

I've recently been offered a position in Singapore and currently in process of the company organising my EP.

My partner, on the other hand, will be looking for work. I just wanted to see what the current situation is for ex-pats and how hard it will be for her to find work.

She's looking for HR or admin roles or even retail.

I know COVID has caused some changes in foreign workers coming over but was hoping to see what it's like from people first hand and if early next year will be better.

Any information or places that would be best to look for work for her would be appreciated.

Just for reference, we are both late 20s from the UK.

Her chances of getting a role in HR admin ... almost zip. It's a role that can be done by a local. Singapore has become tighter on enforcing the rule on if a local can do the role, why is a foreigner being employed to do it? Especially given covid.
oh ... is your partner your "partner" or married? Cause if you're from the UK, and she's your partner, and not married, she might not be allowed in, IIRC.
If she can't get an HR admin job, she definitely won't get a retail job. The only job she might be able to get is at a high end restaurant to be the caucasian eye candy - some restaurants (looking at your Cut!) hire almost exclusively caucasians.

Best bet is for her to request a transfer across from her current role.

Hopefully you get your EP. I've heard people having job offers withdrawn, because EPs get rejected.

Good luck!

[rossb9]

Job climate is pretty rough here atm if you aren't a citizen or a PR, so she will find it pretty tough to get a job in the industries you mentioned.
You both will have to do 14 days quarantine even by early next year due to the sheer incompetence of the UK government's handling of covid.


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Rough. I thought as much. Is there any industries that may be more accomodating or is it across the board?

Hoping to be out around Feb/March time so hopefully, things have improved by then. But yeah, UK is a laughing stock with how badly we are handling this.

[rossb9]

Hi all

I've recently been offered a position in Singapore and currently in process of the company organising my EP.

My partner, on the other hand, will be looking for work. I just wanted to see what the current situation is for ex-pats and how hard it will be for her to find work.

She's looking for HR or admin roles or even retail.

I know COVID has caused some changes in foreign workers coming over but was hoping to see what it's like from people first hand and if early next year will be better.

Any information or places that would be best to look for work for her would be appreciated.

Just for reference, we are both late 20s from the UK.

Her chances of getting a role in HR admin ... almost zip. It's a role that can be done by a local. Singapore has become tighter on enforcing the rule on if a local can do the role, why is a foreigner being employed to do it? Especially given covid.
oh ... is your partner your "partner" or married? Cause if you're from the UK, and she's your partner, and not married, she might not be allowed in, IIRC.
If she can't get an HR admin job, she definitely won't get a retail job. The only job she might be able to get is at a high end restaurant to be the caucasian eye candy - some restaurants (looking at your Cut!) hire almost exclusively caucasians.

Best bet is for her to request a transfer across from her current role.

Hopefully you get your EP. I've heard people having job offers withdrawn, because EPs get rejected.

Good luck!

Yeah, that is the general feedback we are getting albeit a few glimmers of hope!

Well, we were due to be married in July but due to COVID have postponed. In the case of ease of visa, we may still go ahead with the formal side of the marriage and go down the dependent route as the chance of her getting a EP or SP looks non-existent.

Fingers crossed, they seem confident it will go through as it's an industry with limited local expertise and I've got a fair amount of formal qualifications in that area too.

Thanks for your feedback!

[martincymru]

You both will have to do 14 days quarantine

Not if they can fly and stay for "certain period" in a green zone country.......China for example

[rossb9]

You both will have to do 14 days quarantine

Not if they can fly and stay for "certain period" in a green zone country.......China for example

Great shout, Vietnam holiday it is!

[TropicalExpat]

Hi all

I've recently been offered a position in Singapore and currently in process of the company organising my EP.

My partner, on the other hand, will be looking for work. I just wanted to see what the current situation is for ex-pats and how hard it will be for her to find work.

She's looking for HR or admin roles or even retail.

I know COVID has caused some changes in foreign workers coming over but was hoping to see what it's like from people first hand and if early next year will be better.

Any information or places that would be best to look for work for her would be appreciated.

Just for reference, we are both late 20s from the UK.

Her chances of getting a role in HR admin ... almost zip. It's a role that can be done by a local. Singapore has become tighter on enforcing the rule on if a local can do the role, why is a foreigner being employed to do it? Especially given covid.
oh ... is your partner your "partner" or married? Cause if you're from the UK, and she's your partner, and not married, she might not be allowed in, IIRC.
If she can't get an HR admin job, she definitely won't get a retail job. The only job she might be able to get is at a high end restaurant to be the caucasian eye candy - some restaurants (looking at your Cut!) hire almost exclusively caucasians.

Best bet is for her to request a transfer across from her current role.

Hopefully you get your EP. I've heard people having job offers withdrawn, because EPs get rejected.

Good luck!

Yeah, that is the general feedback we are getting albeit a few glimmers of hope!

Well, we were due to be married in July but due to COVID have postponed. In the case of ease of visa, we may still go ahead with the formal side of the marriage and go down the dependent route as the chance of her getting a EP or SP looks non-existent.

Fingers crossed, they seem confident it will go through as it's an industry with limited local expertise and I've got a fair amount of formal qualifications in that area too.

Thanks for your feedback!

Get married. If you moved here, she wouldn't be able to come with you otherwise.
"Short term visitors from anywhere in the world are not able to enter Singapore."
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic ... quirements
Though I think this advice is slightly out of date - Oz (ex Vic), New Zealand, Vietnam and Brunei are currently allowed in.

[PNGMK]

HR is reserved for local unless she is transferred in via an MNC. There are exceptions I knew about but these wre usually with very large MNC's where an expat HR is needed to deal with expat staff but then as I said that is normally via an internal transfer and the exceptions I know about have all been localized in the last few years.

[TropicalExpat]

As an added datapoint. A few smaller MNCs have started outsourcing HR roles to local HR firms, and a few larger ones have set up their own HR service centres in Philippines to service SG based employees.

[PNGMK]

As an added datapoint. A few smaller MNCs have started outsourcing HR roles to local HR firms, and a few larger ones have set up their own HR service centres in Philippines to service SG based employees.

Yes - it's a cost centre after all - makes no money and needs to be cut to the bone wear possible. HR basically didn't exist 50 yrs ago and I think we're headed back in that direction.

[TropicalExpat]

As an added datapoint. A few smaller MNCs have started outsourcing HR roles to local HR firms, and a few larger ones have set up their own HR service centres in Philippines to service SG based employees.

Yes - it's a cost centre after all - makes no money and needs to be cut to the bone wear possible. HR basically didn't exist 50 yrs ago and I think we're headed back in that direction.

I'm not even sure what value HR adds ... they seem to work on their own time line.