Transitioning: First of all, thanks for allowing us to interview you online and can you provide us with some background information about yourself?
Philip: I am an NUS graduate and have been an IT engineer/consultant/PM for about 15 years. After a 10-year career with a large MNC, I was retrenched and have not been able to return to my trade for years.
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?
Philip: To get first hand experience of what happens in the recruiting process of IT professionals, I joined a local SME recruiter through the help of e2i. However, the job paid me a salary that was lower than that of my first job as a fresh graduate in the 90′s. And I saw how the industry fully exploited and discriminate against local and older PMETs.
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?
Philip: I survive on rental income and do not have CDC assistance.
Transitioning: Did you attend any interviews during the past few months and why do you think you are unsuccessful so far?
Philip: Interviews in the last few months with government agencies did not yield favourable results.
Transitioning: Tell us abit more about what you have learnt from your jobless experience and how it has impacted your family.
Philip: No one owes me a living. However, I would like to continue to believe still that hard and honest work should be rewarded appropriately. Not because I am ethnic chinese, local graduate and a Singapore citizen, that I should be discriminated against.
Transitioning: What do you think you could have done to shorten the unemployment period?
Philip: Perhaps enrolment into a post graduate education in my field may gain some confidence with prospective employers.
Transitioning: Do you think that Singapore is now a more difficult place to make a living?
Philip: Yes.
Transitioning: What do you think the government can do to alleviate the current employment situation?
Philip: The present day economic makeup is the result of policies in this small island. Thus, only changes at the national policy level can help systematically shift the situation.
Transitioning: Many people have blame foreigners for competing jobs with us, what is your view on this?
Philip: The MNC retrenched me but retained the foreigners. Despite their low performance, they stayed in their jobs with pay cuts and demotions. Their office now is homogeneous in their racial makeup.
Transitioning: Lastly, whats your advice for those who are still jobless and feeling down?
Philip: Leave Singapore.
End of interview
Transitioning.Org, Support site for the Unemployed.
*Article first appeared on http://www.transitioning.org/2015/04/30/retrenched-nus-graduate-advice-t...