Costs of engaging a FT vs a Local

[Qpik]

Now is the IR/hospitality trend.

[Cavver]

FT oso human, Singaporean oso human. But singaporean much much more LAZY! I'm Singaporean as well, so i know our national identity!!

 

It is a cycle, you dont give good pay, no people will work with 100%... Lazy ? i dont think so... It's because even you are hardworking, you still being replaced by the cheap FT.

[Albeniz]

Went for an interview the other day, the boss compare me to a FT, saying we locals command such high pay, show me an indian FT with 1 Master and 2 Bachalor asking for only 1.6, while me I am asking for 2.5 as fresh grad in Engineering and that is sort of the market rate I gathered for my profession. Correct me if I am wrong, but my old diploma can fetch a pay higher than that, why should I get a degree if I am asking for that kinda of pay. Crazy employer..

 

Masters and 2 Bachelor only asking for 1.6k? These people are here to spoil the market.

[Slowmo]

Look at the big picture bro. Do you think the masters will stay for long with a 1.6k salary? People are smart, got chance will sure jump ship.

 

If the boss is stupid and hire such people then too bad. Their business sure affected.

[Chisiang]

Bro, you blue collar or white collar? I've yet to see a factory worker drive to work

 

I'm singaporean, but I doubt I fit the profile below

 

Singaporean

Demands higher starting pay. Every wants more, FT included. Singaporean wants even more.

 

They expect 3 months BONUS. I've no idea where this came from Bonus system is quite unique to Singapore. 1 month bonus is the standard, 2 months is the norm, and they expect 3 month.

 

Bonus to them is an entitlement. Same for FT, they aint gonna stay if there is greener grass elsewhere too. There is no such thing as job loyalty nowadays. That's singaporean mentality these days. FT got to stay as they are contracted and they owed sh|t amount to the agent. There's still loyalty just that you don't have or don't expect others to have

 

They knock off right on time. Even I knock off right on time, I'm still working. So no difference. Then why knock off?

 

Started packing 30 minutes before knock off time. More of a public worker profile ba. That's the norm bro, especially clerks and receptionist.

 

Spent 30 minutes reading newspaper after starting work. My ex-colleague who is a PRC, goes morning kopi with her managers, takes 2 hours lunches. Sometimes comes back with ruffled hair, I wonder What can I say!? If the top beam is not straight how can you expect the bottom pillar to be?

 

Everyone wants to work for a HUGE famous MNC. This is trained from young hor, who want to work for Ah Huat Internet Provider when they can work for Starhub? FT also got brain wat. So? Who's problem is that? FT just work for the money. They don't care who Ah Huat is. Anyway they don't choose the job. The agent and company choose them! That should be the way. Singaporean always choose their job... life is too good le.

 

Dreaming of becoming a executive or manager just after 3 years This is human. No one wants to wait until manager die of heart attack,then you get promoted. Not japan leh. This is not human. This is Singaporean. To be a competent you think 3 years enough? A lot of Singaporean simply CMI to their job title. I met so many so called "Accounts Manager/Executive" who come meet me to pitch sales but they seriously lack the experience and competency when they can even get your company name wrong and kept reading from the notes they had prepared. Ask any thing outside their notes they give you a blank look.

 

Claim transport allowance like nobody business. Myth: Nowadays got cap. This is fact. A lot of people are abusing the system even if there's a cap. if $300 allowance, people will not stop at $150. They will make sure they claim up to $299.99. They will tell you "Peh Peh liao" if don't claim until $300. FT cycle to work

 

Paid maternity leave. Myth: Singapore girls nowadays afraid pain and trouble dun wan to give birth. Ha. Not to point at anyone in particular but you have not seen people with 4~5 children? Husband also take paid maternity leave

 

Everybody takes leave during long week ends. Manufacturing plants close down anyway Says who? Try driving around Tuas or Yew Tee factory area on Sunday. You can see battalion of FT workers going to work rain or shine. That's why I say they help fill the gab.

 

Take MC if no more leaves.

Got head hunted after 6 months of work. You need to re-advertise, re-train new staff only to face the same problem again after 6 months. This means local SG more highly trained and you not paying or appreciating them enough. This is a problem of staff retention, not staff hiring. There's a difference. If you prefer to lose a senior staff and hire a junior staff due to cost savings, but you create more problems because of lack of experience, thats management incompetencies. Wrong again! 6 months niah leave company. Why accept the job in the first place? 6 months how to get promoted to senior staff? Ever tried to recruit a admin clerk? Provided you can hire a SGP clerk to work in a small company or clinic. Most give you 8 months then some recruitment company will call them up, "how much you making now? I got a better prospect work for you". Some can tell you "today my last day liao. Never mind about the pay I no need le. Bye"

 

All want to work in Shenton way or Orchard area. Weird, I thought people want to drive to work, so CBD is out wat. At least for me, I rather drive to work and for lunch than stuck taking MRT to work and use stupid packets of tissue for table reservation. Don't think a receptionist drive to work. Never seen a secretary drive out for lunch. Bro, not everybody got car k. Most of them prefer to work in town because they can dress nice nice machiam high flying executives mah. Carry nice nice LV bag can go shopping after work. Or can get hubby to show off his Camry by picking them outside some OUB building but actually they only clerk.

 

 

Can be stupid and act smart. EVeryone is China FT is smart and they observe quietly and learn. They ASSUME that we are the smarter ones so they kept quiet and ask intelligent question pertaining to their job. SG will try to hao lian and gei kiang. Machiam everything also they know and think that we are really bilingual but actually we master none of the languages to be frank. We only managed to converse in them, barely. Try engaging in a heated scolding match against the Chinese in Mandarin... heheh heh... how to win? Then try engaging Ang mo in English. Also lose. Tried hokkien with Taiwanese, or Cantonese with HKG.

 

Quit the moment someone offer $100 more. Only the stupid ones Ya, anyway that's what I meant - stupid but think they smart.

 

Job hops and makes double the salary within 2 years and learn nothing but office politics. Who created the politics first? :) Clerks, secretaries, cleaning ladies, receptionist, etc. complaining about FT taking their jobs

 

Don't want to learn and accept new responsibility if no pay increase. Don't think this is a good thing bro. Especially you are manager, this is exactly what happened to my ex company. I took on so much responsibilities that you can never believe. When I tender, they need to hire 6 people to 'share' my workload. Classic SG mentality. This is the reason why Singapore had a productivity drive years back. Jeepoon, Korea, Hong Kong all have very high productivity. 1 worker = 10. If you go developing countries like Vietnam, you will see that what I 1 person can achieve takes them 10 person to do it right at twice the time.

 

SGP always about how much I can get in return? I do XXX amount, he only do XX amount how can? Hokkien got one term call "Gei Gao" - Calculative.

 

[Ghostami]

Its not 1 fellow bro, he got a few of them with such qualifications asking for 1k plus pay, really spoiling the market for us locals. And with that kinda of employer, we are at a very big disadvantage.

[Gearoil]

same salary, same benefits....

 

 

no discrimination....

 

Only true for some ( Bigger companies), mostly FT are definitely cheaper for SME and one boss operation kind of company.

 

As a matter of fact, TS shouldn't even need to put out so comprehensive a list of benefits...FT will win on most counts, if employers were to look for someone willing to work for less.

 

But for some very much higher skilled jobs, FTs still will not be able to 'match up' to localies yet...I say yet...sooner or later this group could start to lose their edge too..

[Guyver]

ok, the whole thing abt FT can see from many angles. I agree with what you mentioned (though i skip few para... )

 

For many SMEs getting FT is about saving cost.... and should one company look at return, they will pay the FT as close as the local (the return could still be higher than the local with same pay). I was at the kopi/toast (those ah kun wannabe type) they hire 100% FT to run the store yet the speed was 3 times slower.... i was telling my wife if the boss was smart enough, they could hire all local (aunties and uncles) to do the job 4 time faster and generate more revenue.... so not all about getting cheap labour.

 

re-training in career is about 100% change in mindset and attitude, if you don't empty the glass to learn new skill/knowledge, you can't absorb with full glass (worst if half full glass )

 

Agree with you.

 

The reason why business owners hire people is to do a job or perform a duty. So if the worker is efficient, independent and most importantly ... GOOD ATTITUDE ... business owners will do their best to keep them.

 

But in companies where they promote "Nobody is indispensable" ... value of employee may be lower.

[Albeniz]

But for some very much higher skilled jobs, FTs still will not be able to 'match up' to localies yet...I say yet...sooner or later this group could start to lose their edge too.. Wink

 

Ten years ago, there were already quite a lot of Chinese FTs.

Singaporeans were not too affected as we still had the English language advantage.

 

I can't say the same for now. Their command of the English language has improved tremendously and they are willing to work harder for smaller peanut. We have lost our edge.

[Gearoil]

But there are other FTs like the Filopinos who are already able to speak rather fluent ENGLAND besides the Chinese FTs, not to mention the Indian types and all the others from the Asian regions too.

 

Just to provide you with an insight view..

 

One of my frd recently went to the Samsung service centre at Toh Guan..and he noticed they employ a lot of Filo as customer service ppl, so locals able to speak good ENGLAND no longer have an edge over FTs any more!