SDS: Recruitment Agency
specialising in recruitment services for japanese speaking job seekers in Singapore

Reason for hiring non-Singaporeans

Survey shows surprising response of local companies

Nine months after the tightening of work visas for foreigners, local employers say that they are still open to hiring non-Singaporeans.

The change in policy to give priority to the hiring of Singaporeans came after complaints against the rapid increase in foreign workers.

But a recent survey by JobStreet.com revealed that, despite the new policy, local employers are still willing to hire foreign workers.

Two hundred employers and 1,400 Singaporean job-seekers participated in the survey.

It is interesting to note that the key factor in hiring foreign workers is not because of lower wages but because their turnover rate was lower.

Most employer respondents also highlighted that foreigners had fewer demands at work and accepted longer work hours.

The survey showed that employers and local employees shared a different viewpoint on the issue of hiring foreigners.

While 66 per cent of employees believe that the low cost of labour is the main reason for employers being attracted to foreign talents, only 16 per cent of employers say that lower wage is a pull factor in hiring foreigners.

On average, each company that participated in the survey has 30-50 per cent of foreign workers in its total workforce.

What would be the eventual impact of the Singaporean-first policy on recruitment activity? Would this affect Singapore’s reputation of having an open labour market?

All of us, Singaporean and non-Singaporean, should track the recruitment trend closely.