Post GE 2011 Discussion
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ksi:
Again, I am not talking about blaming anyone for the outcome, I am using it to illustrate that there will be 'results' aside from the objective achieved.Funz, I cannot quote yr passage on foreign workers cos iPad has some limitation.
I just want to put some perspective right. Only those employers who are getting the benefit for hiring fw should not be griping and making so much noise. Those who are ranting about fw creating competition must be mainly employees who are struggling to make ends meet with high cost living and yet face competition from the cheaper labour.
They don't come cheap. Cheaper maybe for the construction type of labour but not for those in the S pass category. There is a minimum salary of $2000 on top of that the increasing levy, at the moment coming to $200/mth. And guess what, before this recent increase, locals I interviewed ask for about $2000 starting pay. Now, most are asking for $2500, why? Because there is this perception that locals should be paid more than foreign workers. And I never said there is no competition, there is but it is impossible to remove it totally. To remove competition, some complimentary factors will be removed as well and that may lead to more job loss. And people running businesses are griping about not being able to get enough manpower, local or otherwise, well, at least the people whom I know, we are not complaining about not getting enough foreign workers.
As for GY loss and petition, they may be well be people from 2 different camps, we should not sum them together. Those voted him in but did not get their wishes might be those petitioning. Anyway I see no point talking about this just like no point talking about ousting TPL out now as this is the exact weakness of a GRC system that we can blame on but not the voters. -
ksi:
... Only those employers who are getting the benefit for hiring fw should not be griping and making so much noise. Those who are ranting about fw creating competition must be mainly employees who are struggling to make ends meet with high cost living and yet face competition from the cheaper labour..
Agree. However, the noise is drowning the other side of the story.
Hence it is good to hear of real incidents as shared by Funz. I think in cyberworld, this is the 1st time I actually read about anyone speaking up for the FT issue. The noteable fact is also in Funz's quote, the Singapore restaurant manager's job was also lost. This is the side impact explained by our government and many do not believe or hear.
There are many voters not directly impacted by either camp so we need a balanced view to make a decision. -
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan gives up his salary until the nuclear crisis in the country is over:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/10/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1 -
Singapore out to beckon Indian talent
Mini Joseph Tejaswi, May 11, 2011, 07.39am IST
BANGALORE: Singapore has emerged as one of the world's largest hiring markets this year, and this offers opportunities for Indians.
The country expects to hire over 3 lakh mid to senior professionals in 2011. Hiring firms say over 20% of this talent will be from India, 50% from within Singapore and the rest from other parts of the world.
Zubin Shroff, partner in executive search firm Braithwaite Steiner Pretty, said Singaporean firms' requirement for talent had multiplied this year, with all markets in the region growing . \"This is creating opportunities for many Indian professionals from across industries.\"
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-11/india-business/29531902_1_mining-firms-indian-professionals-indian-talent
I believe there are valid reasons for FT. To me however, it is more of a culture shock. The erosion of feeling at home. -
No offence intended, but I alredi have culture shock when I pass by Little India on weekends. We have to toot our way through the lanes in order to get to the main road. Often by 6pm, there will be police on guard in teams. :nailbite: It is a Singapore unlike any HDB area.
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insider:
Imagine i am a swiss bank
I think when people complaining about FT, there are referring more to those in the mgmt levels.concern2:
The country expects to hire over 3 lakh mid to senior professionals in 2011. Hiring firms say over 20% of this talent will be from India, 50% from within Singapore and the rest from other parts of the world.
If above ratio is what the govt is looking at, out of 100 mgmt positions, 50% will go to our locals and 50% will go to foreigners. To make linear analysis, these 50% foreigners may put 50% of our local mgmt people out of jobs (and thereby we can see quite many of them driving taxis, struggling to find a job to live a life that they used to live, etc).
On this mgmt level, these 50% FT are likely to dampen the salary scale of the other 50% of local, and this is also where the grievances are.
From Ah Gong's perspective, if we don't have the lower salaries of this 50% FT to average out the higher cost of 50% of our locals', then our field will not be cost competitive enough to get companies to hire the other 50% locals.
So basically, maybe out of 100 persons, Ah Gong can only take care of 50 and the other 50 have to suffer instead of 100 of them also suffer. So half glass full or half glass empty perspective...
To translate these grievances into votes, 50% of them who are glad to have a good job are likely to vote for PAP and 50% who can't get a job despite having a degree/work experience/etc will vote against PAP...
your government entice me to set up shop in SG and entice me to move my clients' fund to be managed out of SG and to invest in the region. For a start I may transfer 1 billion SFR to SG to manage.
look, I am going to relocate my Swiss managers from Geneva or Zurich to work in Singapore to continue to manage the client relationship while getting them to understand the region and make investment decision for their clients.
SG has no managers / prof equal to the job ? sure have, even cheaper, perhaps even more capable, but for the sake of my clients who have parked billions with my bank, I am not going to risk it. they can play the supporting role, gather market intelligence, do the credit analysis etc. make the investment decision ? No way, even when I know many SG citizens qualify for the job, because my bank's clients don't know them.
If the SG government does not allow my bank to relocate my experienced managers to work in SG, then I won't bring my bank to SG.
the same scenarios play out multiple times -
insider:
... On this mgmt level, these 50% FT are likely to dampen the salary scale of the other 50% of local, and this is also where the grievances are. ...
I doubt these are the percentages in many employers' minds. I have not seen one single job being replaced by a local in my company over the last 3 years. Why would an employer hire a local if there are suitable FTs available at a lower cost? This applies to all levels, not just mgmt positions. The company's bottom line matters, above all else. I'm not sure if there are employers who are willing to reduce their profits for the sake of giving jobs to locals today, given the choice? -
dunnoleh:
look at it on the flip side. some are proposing minimum pay. the investors will just bypass Singapore.insider:
... On this mgmt level, these 50% FT are likely to dampen the salary scale of the other 50% of local, and this is also where the grievances are. ...
I doubt these are the percentages in many employers' minds. I have not seen one single job being replaced by a local in my company over the last 3 years. Why would an employer hire a local if there are suitable FTs available at a lower cost? This applies to all levels, not just mgmt positions. The company's bottom line matters, above all else. I'm not sure if there are employers who are willing to reduce their profits for the sake of giving jobs to locals today, given the choice?
solid examples : Shanghai's minimum pay is higher than Shenzhen, Shenzhen's minimum is higher than Chengdu......result : people like Foxconn is setting up inland and uproot production from their old place -
ksi:
Funz, I cannot quote yr passage on foreign workers cos iPad has some limitation.
and my wife keep bugging me to buy ipad... must tell her all the limitations so she won't buy...
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verykiasu2010:
Actually, from what I heard from friends who have volunteered, it depends on the MPs. Some MPs are very hands-on, while some are less. The former are the ones whom we would call good grassroot MPs. Unforunately, only the residents in that constituency would know if their MP is a good grassroot MP or not. Thus it was quite disturbing to me when pre-GE, there were certain forum discussion whether this MP is good or bad depending on what issue he has brought up in parliament. For eg, one said never recall this MP doing anything in parliament; then another said that he was good, brought up this issue or that issue; then yet another one said so what, what difference had he made even if he brought up those issues. See, everyone in that forum totally ignored what the MP may have done at the constituency level... sorry for this, but I just need to rant.
usually the assistants (Read : volunteer, no pay type) will hear your story, write the \"case notes\" or draft the letter. if the MP agrees, the MP will sign off and send out directly. end of storyjessicawongcs:
In her Meet-the-MP-session, i dont believe she goes through all the cases that night. She has assistant to help her. The news only shows she is alone in a room while people go in and talk to her and this picture the image to everyone that she went through each and every case, which i really doubt. I had went to meet-the-MP-session before which was just last yr. i, and many people, dont even get to see the MP, there are tables with volunteers and helpers which are there to see us, not the MP who see us.
I might be biased towards her, but well no one is perfect to satisfy everyone
MP absent also can. grassroot does all the work
Bottomline is, MP is also a human. Even for a hands-on MP, you can't expect him to be not sick, or not have business travel or reservist or holiday plan with family at times. Could it be that when you went to MPS, it happened to be one of those days when the MP was out of town? Do people think of that possibility instead of being so quick to judge? Sorry, I wasn't referring to either Jessica or verykiasu2010, but there were some posts that seem to imply that.
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