The SG Jobs Bank is now in service with 50,000 jobs available for Singaporeans and PRs. These jobs are technically on offer for 14 days before the employer could turn around and claim they have tried but failed to get a local and now can go and get their men/women from wherever they liked. How serious are these companies looking for locals to fill the vacancies or how few locals are qualified for the jobs would soon be known when the statistics are available in the coming months.
It is very important that Singaporeans apply to these positions quickly as it is like they are being given the first right of refusal by these companies through the Jobs Bank. There would of course be some companies just going through the motion with no intent to hire Singaporeans and would do whatever that are necessary to get their desired candidates other than Singaporeans.
There are two things that are important here. First, Singaporean PMEs must respond vigorously to these job advertisements. And two, the MOM must keep a close watch at how the recruiting process is being carried out seriously and not a farce just to appease MOM’s requirements. Hopefully MOM has procedures to collect the data and to monitor and assess how things are being done professionally and not have companies pulling wools over their eyes. It is good that MOM has set up a Fair Consideration Department (FCD) to support the FCF and the Jobs Bank.
Gilbert Goh may want to provide a parallel monitoring channel for PMEs who applied and failed to secure a job despite the 50,000 jobs available. Keep track of what is happening to make sure the employers do not turn this Jobs Bank into a circus. With some of the comments posted in TRE, and if they are an indication of the intent of some of the employers, some monkeys would not treat the Jobs Bank seriously.
The threatening remarks that MNCs would move out are hogwash. If they can find another paradise with an English speaking workforce, an environment that is so friendly for businesses and for leisure, no fear of personal safety, please go. And the arrogance of some claiming that they could not find local talents is a sign that they did not intend to find local talents and are bent on hiring their own kind.
MOM would have a lot of work cut out for them to haul up the rascals for a whipping. The Jobs Bank is only a start and now it is the details and the realities on the ground that matter. The FCD needs more manpower to police the processes. Singaporean PMEs must make an effort to reclaim their rights to decent jobs from this portal. All those professionals driving taxis, under employed, unemployed, please submit your applications quickly and best, give Gilbert Goh a feeler of your applications and the results for analysis.
Let’s hope this is real and the employers are serious. Any rejections have to be critically checked by the FCD to make sure they are valid and reasonable. They need to start by checking the CVs and qualifications of the imports from overseas and punish the culprits severely to make a point. The FCD/MOM must have the means to deal with the recalcitrants and not just having kopi and nice talks with them. Everyone must watch how this game is being played henceforth and Singaporean PMEs are not convenient rubbish to be dumped into the waste paper bins.
Chua Chin Leng AKA RedBean
*The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg/