HR jobs for a dependent of Employment Pass holder

[jayapa83]

Hi,

I am new to Singapore..and i have a dependent pass...my husband holds a employment pass(ep) & not even a S pass still i am wonderng why the employers and consultants r so hesitant to employ me ...inspite of m hvng a mba-hr degree with approx 2yrs work ex...in the area...i cn understand their stability concerns...bt thy just refuse even fr contractual hr openings and just keep talkng of pr....also thy just dont need to spend loads to employ m..w.r.t ministry of manpower thy just need to submit a letter....i am really unable to understand this situatn....can some1 help?

[St Georgie]

Hi there

I am in a similar situation in that I am looking for work and I am unable to find anything. Singapore is tightening its belt in terms of employing foreign workers, as they are increasing taking the jobs away from locals who are equally, if not more qualified than those foreigner workers seeking employment. I can totally understand that, it just doesnt help me unfortunately. Its very different in the UK, almost anyone can walk in and get a job anywhere and they are very lax on foreign workers, there is a huge percentage of those staying in the country illegally and taking lots of jobs, so Singapore really does have the right idea in making it so strict to find work here. That said, it doesnt help a lot of people, my advice is to just keep trying and something may turn up somewhere, just be prepared for a long wait.

If you are planning on staying in Singapore long-term then it may be a good idea to apply for a PR status, as most jobs are either for Singaporeans or Permanent Residents, with the exception of truly gifted individuals!!

Good luck.

[sundaymorningstaple]

No, it's just that most employers do not know anything about Dependent Passes and the "Letter of Consent" that they can apply for with MOM. Additionally, they may be afraid of hiring somebody who's working permit it tied to an EP holder. Especially in the current economic downturn. They may not want to take the gamble on whether or not your spouse is going to lose their EP due to restructuring due to economic conditions. As an HR Manager, this is a definite concern I can attest to. Remember, you could go to work tomorrow and next week your spouse could get his walking papers.

You also need to go to the MOM website and learn all you can about the Letter of Consent so you can "educate" the interviewer in the fact that by hiring you, they will not have to pay any Employer CPF contributions NOR will the have to pay any Foreign Worker Levies either. So it is very cost effective and as long as you are willing to work for local wages (or for that matter regional wages if necessary - somewhat lower than local) you can even sweeten the pot further. Suggestions only....

SMS

[jayapa83]

hey thanks ppl..for the response...i used to use this back in India....in a forum...but didnt know if it works here...hannah..cn we lk get in contact...so tht we cn jst try to help each other ....anyway..my email address is [email protected].

Mr./Ms.Moderator...thanks for the info...in fact i hv tried doing tht too n explaining those guys abt the +ve part of DP coz i hd read it on MOM website...but stl thy r so hesitant to even respond for contractual jobs...or temp hr jobs...n believe me market is flooded wid temp hr as well as permanent hr jobs....being in the hr industry..do u think u wud b able to help me?

Hey thanks agian for ur responses...

[sundaymorningstaple]

Unfortunately, I am an HR manager and not an MOM civil servant. At the moment I'm having a crises of my own as I don't have enough local staff and have a full 40% of my staff (80% of them as S pass holders) and not enough local quota to support them. Which means I'm having problems renewing my existing Staff when their permits come up for renewal. You see, it doesn't matter how badly we might want to hire you, it is often a question of quotas or other problems like sufficient locals with the necessary educational qualifications (even if they won't work they are still counted by MOM as having enough locals to do the job therefore no foreigners necessary. It's tough and it's going to get even tougher.

[jayapa83]

thanks for ur quick response...however, cud u help me by suggestng places frm whr i cn get response...if its ok wid u?i knw the situatn ur talkng abt & i cn understand being frm hr backgrnd......jst thoght sins ur frm hr fraternity if u wd knw any specific ppl to contact to get appropriate..:-)anyway...every1 gt their own troubles at end of day...no problem...

[jayapa83]

i can understand wht u talkng abt...sins my husband though is not S pass holder...but EP higher than tht sins he works fr prudential asset management...he hs also tld me abt imp. of locals here even though if work is lackng...

[sundaymorningstaple]

Frankly, I'm not sure anybody can help you. You would need to learn how to write and spell before anybody would consider giving you a job that required the usage of a pen or pencil or keyboard. If you want to impress people you could at least try to write decently. There's one HR manager who is not at all interested that I know of already even if I had a position.

[jayapa83]

Thanks for the reply.

I dont think i have used any word/written any sentence wch would be offending.

However, if you feel it has caused offence to you, sorry.

Thanks again.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Offense? No. Pity? Yes.

You come on here wanting to knowledge on how to get a job here. You don't have any idea who our readers are or their positions on this island and you write like a child. Do you have an idea what a spell checker is? If so, don't you realize that you are not typing on a telephone pad. If you want respect, show us some. Do you think with like to have to try to decipher what you have written before we can even guess what you are talking about?

How to influence people. NOT.

[jayapa83]

Now i guess its gettng a lil too personal ...i am not here to get insulted.

I would stl stick to my stand that i didnt write anything offending..or for that matter something that wud offend anyone here.

Thanks for all the initial response frm your side!!!!

[Dave1w]

Jayapa,
I think the point that SMS is trying to make is not about the content of your posts, rather that you are not writing in clear English. Spelling words in the manner of a teenager's text messages does not really put forward a good impression.

No offense meant, I just thought I would be best to clarify the point.

(I am often guilty of typing too fast, missing letters, and not spell checking....)

Dave

[sundaymorningstaple]

Dave, we all are guilty of typing in a hurry and sometimes missing the occasional letter or transposing a letter. You obviously know exactly what I mean.

Our friend here doesn't seem to realize that when he writes like a child, people will not give him any respect. One would think, when on an Expat Forum they would at least try to use properly spelled English or at least within reason. It gets tiresome trying to first decipher what the poster is trying to spell and then once we have figured that out, then trying to figure out what they has asked so as to answer the question. If a poster wants help, (s)he should at least try to write so the majority of people (of various nationalities) will be able to understand just what (s)he is trying to communicate. When someone uses texting on a forum it communicates to me that the writer is not very mature at all.

[sierra2469alpha]

...So it is very cost effective and as long as you are willing to work for local wages (or for that matter regional wages if necessary - somewhat lower than local) you can even sweeten the pot further. Suggestions only....SMS

Hey SMS - great helpful posts as always...out of interest a supplementary question. regarding DP holders. We just bought a colleague over on a P1, sponsored him etc. The partner has a recognised degree here in SIN, but did not apply for a job before relocating. Would your assement be that the DP holder could only get a local/regional wage role, given their previous experience (which is pretty damn impressive, I have to say).

And regarding the "education" of employers re: DP's - you are about to get mail

Thanks in advance, Mr. P

[sundaymorningstaple]

...So it is very cost effective and as long as you are willing to work for local wages (or for that matter regional wages if necessary - somewhat lower than local) you can even sweeten the pot further. Suggestions only....SMS

Hey SMS - great helpful posts as always...out of interest a supplementary question. regarding DP holders. We just bought a colleague over on a P1, sponsored him etc. The partner has a recognised degree here in SIN, but did not apply for a job before relocating. Would your assement be that the DP holder could only get a local/regional wage role, given their previous experience (which is pretty damn impressive, I have to say).

And regarding the "education" of employers re: DP's - you are about to get mail

Thanks in advance, Mr. P

Mr. P,

If the partner (the DP holder) has qualifications in their own right, then it's a different kettle of fish. Normally if the partner has recognized qualifications they should apply for the EP as well (even if they are currently on a DP), that way they are not tied to the spouse's EP expiry/renewal cycle. This often also makes for stronger negotiation positions as well as they won't be looked at like a supplementary credit card (couldn't think of a better similie, sorry) that is permanently tied to the main card holder.

In addition, the other spouse has something to fall back on as well if they were to get retrenched as they would then qualify for the DP. Normally, what we get are trailing spouses that don't really have sufficient qualifications in their own right, but due to long work histories in their own countries, have worked themselves up the ladder but because of Singapore parochial attitudes regarding paper qualifications, they find themselves out to pasture for the duration or working for local wages only because of their lack of paper qualifications because they don't need to qualify educationally speaking.