SINGAPORE: The move to further raise the qualifying salary for S Pass holders has drawn concern from businesses owners in some industries, who said they sometimes have no choice but to turn to foreign workers as it is difficult to hire Singaporeans for certain positions.
S Pass jobs will also be subject to the Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirement from October, in a bid to promote greater awareness of vacancies in mid-skilled jobs among local job seekers.Employers will be required to post the advertisement for at least 28 days, up from 14. The association added that it wants to engage government agencies to “deliberate further on the execution of this new salary requirements and launch alternative initiatives to encourage and excite more locals to see a career in F&B”.Mr Cedric Tang, owner of Ka Soh Chinese restaurants, said he prefers to hire Singaporeans but struggles to do so. For example, when he recently posted a job vacancy for service staff online, only one out of 10 applicants was Singaporean.
Mr John Ng, CEO of fashion retailer StyleLab, told CNA that while he, too, tries to employ Singaporeans first, it can be challenging. Despite the challenges, some bosses said they are trying other ways to attract Singaporeans to join their operations. “Generally, locals who are competent to do this job can easily develop themselves to find much higher-value employment within a few years. Thus, it is challenging to find an experienced candidate in this niche role,” he said.
"There are many mid-skilled jobs which Singaporeans would be happy to do if given the opportunity. And MOM’s move would benefit such individuals. “This may reduce potential unemployment amongst graduates and high school leavers who will be entering the employment market as it means that there may be less competition from overseas in the entry-level positions that may become available,” he said.