Tag: foreigners

Singapore Offers Highest Salaries In Asia

Now professionals have another strong reason for shifting to Singapore to work.

Besides being the best place to live in Asia, the island nation also offers the highest amounts of income in the region, according to a new report from Towers Watson.

The 2014/2015 Global 50 Remuneration Planning Report found base salaries at senior and top management level in the country are around 10% higher than those of their counterparts in Hong Kong.

Executives right at the top of the hierarchy in Singapore were found to have an average base pay of around US$586,000 a year, compared to around US$445,000 a year in Hong Kong – a differential that narrowed fractionally from last year.

“Base salaries are, on the face of it, considerably higher in Singapore than Hong Kong, especially at a top management level, but the tax rates at those levels vary considerably and that has a bearing on take-home pay,” said Sambhav Rakyan, data services practice leader, Asia Pacific at Towers Watson.

“That said, we do see signs of regional HQs moving from Singapore to other lower cost locations, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, to reduce staffing costs, subject to availability of talent.

While base salaries in Singapore remained on top of the table, those in Hong Kong stayed comfortably higher across the board than in Greater China. For production and manual work, base salaries in Hong Kong were found to be around three times those of China, a gap that narrows to around twice entering the junior management and professional grades.

“At the support levels wage pressures reflect the growing pressure for low-cost skilled staff to work in manufacturing and services,” said Rakyan.

“It’s worth noting that the income tax environment in Hong Kong is more favorable than that of China, adding to take-home pay and therefore making Hong Kong more attractive in that sense. To an extent, however, we’re seeing some local Chinese companies responding by introducing a higher percentage of variable pay and equity incentives that are creating challenges for MNCs looking to hire and retain talent in China.”

Elsewhere in Greater China, base salaries in Taiwan continued to lag. Compared to mainland China, base salaries in Taiwan were around 30% higher for support levels. At the junior management and professional grades, however, base salaries in China overtook those in Taiwan.

Overall, salary increases in Greater China and in many parts of the region were very modest, largely a reflection on the low levels of inflation in the region.

Source: www.humanresourcesonline.net

March 13, 2015
Driving Licences – Penalising Singaporeans

I had always wanted to pen this for I had worked as a driving instructor with one of the BIG 3 centres in Singapore. And yes, there are only the 3 who monopolise the industry and of course a handful of old-timers who are private instructors. No new licence is given to private instructors. Hence, after the passing of the old timers, there will never be private classes anymore which are by all means cheaper and the best option for those hard-pressed financially.

Now, if you are a foreigner, it’s a walk in the park. Let’s say you come from India with an Indian licence. All you need to do is to pass your Basic Theory – and lo and behold – you have the much coveted prize – a Singapore Licence. Our licence is much respected the world over. For example, we are the only country from Asia which is recognised for conversion without taking a test in Australia. So they too know how tough it is to get a driving licence in Singapore. And for example countries like India, getting a licence is like going to a coffee shop. The more you are willing to give kopi money, the faster you can get your licence. (This is from the horse’s mouth for I have spoken to them before.)

When I was an instructor, there were different types of learners who sought to get a licence. Among them were those who used them to “cari makan” [Ed: seek a living]. They had to go through rigorous training spending thousands of dollars while their counterparts from overseas didn’t need to do that. So why the discrepancy? Why must we make it so hard for Singaporeans to get a licence when it’s so easy for the rest?

And all of those who had gone through testing in Singapore would know how you are treated by the testers. They are the kings. I have personally seen the trauma, the anguish, the emotional pain and suffering first hand among those who learn to take a licence. I have seen grown man cry because they failed the test. Why must we allow this to happen? Furthermore, what about those who had driven army vehicles during their NS? Are they given a full conversion? No, unless you clock a certain mileage. Isn’t this discriminating against Singaporeans when you allow foreigners to have it easy?

My point is, we are always talking about PMET’s. But we always forget about the average Joe. To be honest, the average Joe doesn’t have a voice for they are working hard to earn a living. But one thing smart about them is they, for one, have for the longest time voted for opposition unlike our PMET’s who had been retrenched. In good times it’s the man in white and in bad times they pick and choose their colour, unlike the Joe’s.

So can the opposition parties please make this a case for Singaporeans!!!!

Majullah Singapura!

Uncle Santosh

* Submitted by TRE reader.

Source: www.tremeritus.com

February 23, 2015
Why Are There So Many Foreign Freelance Prostitutes In Singapore?

I would like to remain anonymous on this submission. This is merely to highlight and I am not a victim of the issue/matter. I have also reported what I know about this issue to the police based on the fact that it is a criminal offence – illegal prostitution. I hope TRS will put this up to not only question why such people are imported into the country but also to warn people out there.

I came across this chat on a 22 year old Chinese National soliciting for prostitution jobs via social media chat app, WeChat, in Singapore. She offers freelance sex, with or without condom. She accepts payment via her qq account which can be paid via AXS. (Why is this even allowed on our AXS?!?)

As all of you should know by now, this is obviously illegal as legal prostitution takes place in Geylang via a registered prostitution house. Legal prostitutes are issued with the yellow pass and undergo HIV tests monthly.

This is also a threat to social well-being. What if she gets pregnant and blackmails the man since all of them are eager to get citizenship/pr over here. It is going to break up families. Most of you will be saying that too bad the man who did it chose it and should face the consequences. However, think again, why should we even allow a chance for such things to happen?

As we all should also know by now, WeChat have already caused distress among women here in Singapore but yet no actions can be taken or be taken. If we can have a censorship board that censors many parts of the movie, media that is controlled, does the media authority not have the right to shut down this app here in Singapore?

However, what I am truly perturbed by is why is the Singapore government importing such people into the country? She has only been in the country for 6 months and this implies that she is one of the newer batches granted a work pass here in Singapore. We are importing vices into our country!

LY

TRS Contributor

Source: www.therealsingapore.com

February 21, 2015
Long-Term Expat Considers Singapore Home

I’m coming up on my 13^th year in Singapore. We don’t say “back home” anymore. This island, with its hum and harmonious society, is home. After 20 years overseas, it’s the U.S. that feels foreign. What keeps us here? The easy answer is, it’s the future. We are in the Asian century. Southeast Asia is on the ascent with Singapore as its regional leader and hub. This is neither by accident nor default, it’s because Singapore Inc. has gotten so many things right. This is a forward-thinking, culturally diverse contemporary entrepot, exporting not only goods but also ideas.

Singapore, with few natural resources save a strategic maritime position, long ago realized that education was a matter of national security. It scours the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for top students and brings them here on full five-year scholarships to challenge local kids. The students then take their ideas back home with them. Singapore’s six universities are steadily climbing up the league tables. Here, math and science geeks are the cool kids and studying is an honorable pastime. By and large, it’s a meritocracy. We like this, not only because it’s good for our kids to be in this kind of environment, but also for the knock-on effects.

Singapore gets a rap for being a nanny state. This is generally from those who think the Western model of democracy should be adopted wholesale. Living here for so long has helped me understand how (and why) Singapore has made it work. I’ve also seen how Singapore is exporting “democracy with Asian values.” Much to my benefit, the universities and think-tanks host lectures and workshops. They publish. They bring in heavy-hitters as resident scholars. Countries come through to soft-sell foreign policy, and look for partners. There’s an energy that comes with being a hub.

We originally chose to come to Singapore with the notion that it was a good jumping-off point to explore Southeast Asia. This is true and we’ve done that, but you don’t need to leave to experience a variety of cultures. Food ennui? Time to dive into an old neighborhood to ferret out the best laksa (local coconut curry with mussels, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and belacan (shrimp paste), and roti prata. Want to see living religions? Hindu festivals are sprinkled throughout the year; Indians travel to Singapore especially for Thaipasum, when the local Buddhist temple uses margarine for its butter sculptures because the real thing will melt in the heat.

More importantly, when it comes to cultural diversity, by and large, people do more than just “get along.” This is a big plus. The U.S., among other countries, could learn the art of social harmony. Many places in Asia welcome expats, but most are dominated by one culture. Here, the hodge-podge mingle, happily for the most part. We want our kids to feel more than at home in diversity; we want them to be fluent.

I like to think that we got beyond the “expat experience,” which has more to do with mindset than tenure. Singapore has a reputation for being “Asia Lite” and there’s no doubt that it’s clean, comfortable and safe, with a bit of exotic. You can treat it like a long-term resort experience. But it’s only “Asia Lite” for those who skim the surface, the people whose experiences are spent primarily in expat circles or institutions. It’s true that Singaporeans, like many locals who are wary of foreigners, can be difficult to get to know. But unless you do this, you’ll always be an expat and an outsider. A Singaporean friend invited me to breakfast at her home with a group of her friends, where the eight of us sat around her huge dining room table and ate very local food. All of the friends were at least second-generation Singaporeans. When the conversation turned to “what is a Singaporean?,” nobody had the answer, but everybody agreed that it was an educated and adaptive creature, aware that its destiny depends on constant improvement and growth.

When we arrived, there were 4.2 million people; now there are 5.4. Most of that growth has come from immigrants, not all of whom are fully embraced. This is the trade-off that has some of the old-timers grumbling—and keeps folks like us living here. Every other week there’s a new place to eat, adventure to try and park to stroll.

We sometimes think about retiring here. We have Singaporean friends, old neighbors, who stop by simply to catch up. Our boys grew up across the street from each other. Come Chinese New Year, we will convene at the home of the matriarch, in a public housing flat. We will all play cards or mahjong (“lite gambling”) and the kids will go home with “red pockets” (fancy envelopes with small amounts of cash inside). As parents, we appreciate the Confucian values of respect and harmony, and admire the focus on family.

Besides getting to know the local people, digging into Singapore’s history has made the place come alive. As a Chinese studies major and WWII history buff, it doesn’t get better. I can run by munitions dumps, artillery mounts and Japanese shrines. A neighbor invited me on a battlefield archaeological dig where we extracted real Japanese and British bullets. The Ford factory, where the British surrendered, always gives me a frisson when I see the table where it really happened.

Arts are another reason to stay. This is not New York or London, but it’s way ahead of anywhere else in Asia, with Australia included. Music? The Yong Siew Toh conservancy is an offshoot of Johns Hopkins’ Peabody Institute of Music. Here you can listen to violin competitions, piano master classes and student recitals almost every day of the week. Juilliard String Quartet will be in to brush up student’s skills in March. Art? The government just designated a dozen old Army barracks as an art zone, dedicated to galleries. The new ArtScience Museum’s current exhibition is on DaVinci, which dovetails nicely with the world’s first public exhibition of a study for the Mona Lisa at the Arts House at Old Parliament. For natural history buffs, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum will open in April; it inherits the Raffles Museum’s collection of more than 500,000 specimens.

Singapore isn’t perfect, of course. The monotonously humid climate with never-moving sunrise and sunset is one of the two main drawbacks. We are just back from Lapland in Finland where we stocked up on winter weather. How nice it would be to run in the snow and sleet. The flip side, especially when you are not running enough, is that you only need one season’s-worth of clothes. My Birkenstock collection ranges from casual to formal.

The other drawback is constant construction. I don’t think we have ever gone for more than a few months without a house going up or down within a few hundred feet. Driving is like a slalom course with the construction of the subway snaking its way under major arteries. But these are minor gripes. We are well-governed, safe, stimulated, and well-fed. More importantly, we’ve got a foot in the future.

Kirsten Conrad is Principal of AsiaCat, which promotes research and conservation of wild cats. She has an AB from Harvard in East Asian History and an MBA from Duke University. She lives lives in Singapore with her husband and two sons.

Source: www.wsj.com

February 12, 2015
Former Civil Servant Understands Pain Of Having To Compete With Foreigners For Jobs

Transitioning: First of all, thanks for allowing us to interview you online and can you provide us with some background information on yourself?

Linus: I am a 38-year-old Singaporean, currently living and working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as a Director of Business Development with a Singapore-owned company. Until the middle of 2014, I was government officer, and my last appointment was Senior Assistant Director at one of the Ministries.

I was forced to resign from the Ministry following an incident where one of my subordinates was charged for alleged CBT, and my superiors thought someone had to take the fall for the failure to discover and report the breach. I found myself out of a job for six months following my resignation, and I was lucky to have met my current employer, and here I am in Cambodia.

Transitioning: What was your last occupation and you have told me that you were unemployed for a few months, can you tell us more about this and also your job search experience?

Linus: It’s never easy to be out of a job in Singapore, especially in such a challenging economic climate. I had to rely on savings that both me and my wife had painstaking built over the past 13 years. I had written to a number of foreign-owned and local companies only to hit a wall each time as they came up with all sorts of excuses, from me being ‘overly-qualified’ for some of the positions I’d applied for, or that they were still “interviewing other candidates”. There were even a few who out-rightly said I was above their budget based on my last drawn salary without even asking what I was expecting, and then I was shown out of the room (literally).

Transitioning: You have told me that you are currently jobless for more than six months, what did you do in order to survive? Did you also approach the CDC for assistance?

Linus: I didn’t approach the CDC but instead relied on savings. I was originally confident of getting a job based on my qualifications and experience, and thought our savings could see through a couple of months while waiting. What I didn’t count on was a prolonged job search.

There were times when I found myself not even having $10 in my pocket for meals outside because I would rather save and spend the money on other necessities. I didn’t go out and meet people and became a sort of a semi-recluse, often locking myself at home and having instant noodles for lunch.

Transitioning: Did you attend any interviews during the past few months and why do you think you are unsuccessful so far?

Linus: I think the reason why I had not been successful in finding jobs while in Singapore is because it’s just too competitive when you have locals and foreigners chasing after the same basket of jobs in a challenging economic situation.

There are 2 areas in which local Singaporeans lose out to the foreign candidate, in my opinion: (1) some foreigners, especially those from the Philippines, China and India are able to accept lower salaries for the same job roles and responsibilities; (2) in the case of Caucasian FTs, I think there is still very much a “colonial mentality” where local bosses will think the “ang moh” possesses more superior skills, while the foreign employer simply doesn’t bother with local candidates.

Of course, that’s only my view.

Transitioning: Tell us abit more about what you have learnt from your jobless experience and how it has impacted your family.

Linus: Remember that old adage “save up for a rainy day?” Guess what, it’s a myth. We had quite substantial savings, but because of the ridiculous and ludicrous living expenses in Singapore (I can say that now comparing the lifestyle I am enjoying in a seemingly “less developed” country), unless you had a million dollars in your savings, I’d say it doesn’t help much, because these days, we don’t know how long you have to remain unemployed for.

It was stressful for me and the wife. We try not to discuss hardship in front of the kids, but the kids can sense something is wrong — they’re usually sensitive to such things.

Transitioning: What do you think you could have done to shorten the unemployment period?

Linus: Nothing much except wait and hope for the best.

Transitioning: Do you think that Singapore is now a more difficult place to make a living?

Linus: Yes, definitely.

Transitioning: What do you think the government can do to alleviate the current employment situation?

Linus: Well I think they should take seriously the cries from the ground with regards to foreigners competing for jobs with us — it’s something that’s real, and not just some urban myth. Secondly, it doesn’t help too that we have ministers like Tan Chuan Jin coming out to justify why they think foreigners should be paid more than Singaporeans, and making it sound like Singaporeans are lousier in comparison.

Transitioning: Many people have blame foreigners for competing jobs with us, what is your view on this?

Linus: See the above. Many people will read my comments on the foreigners and say “there you go, another one of those”. But I can tell you from where I was previously, the statistics we get tells exactly that story: it’s the government officers who paint a different tale because it’s their job to convey the messages that the leaders want them to say.

Transitioning: Lastly, whats your advice for those who are still jobless and feeling down?

Linus: Don’t give up on yourself. And it helps if you go out there and talk to more people, unlike what I did; these days, finding jobs is a lot more to do with networking than it is about searching on jobsites.

Thanks and end of interview

Source: www.transitioning.org

February 3, 2015