Recently the Ministry of Manpower updated its Fair Consideration Framework with stricter penalties for companies which discriminate against Singaporeans during hiring. Stricter penalties on companies not giving Singaporeans fair consideration The minimum period of work pass debarment has increased from 6 months to 12 months. For worse cases, the debarment period can be up to…
What on earth is the Fair Consideration Framework, and what does it have in common with friendzoning? The Topic The Fair Consideration Framework gives Singaporeans a fair chance for jobs before companies can hire foreigners. The Background A decade ago, Singaporeans were getting more pissed off about an influx of foreigners, particularly foreign PMETs. There…
The Sing and Singh sparred in Parliament recently. Here’s a quick summary on what the argument was about, and why it matters. The Topic Are Singaporeans benefiting from new jobs and economic growth? Background Singapore (via the Ministry of Trade and Industry or MTI) brings in overseas investments to create jobs. These jobs go to…
Jamiyah Nursing Home (Darul Syifaa)’s orange building occupies a plot of land next to the Ayer Rajah Hawker Centre. I’ve travelled past it countless times but have never stepped inside, until one recent day when the nursing home welcomed visitors attending the Conference on the Move II by the Shirin Fozdar Programme. It was at…
Is SDP really creating fake news? It has been some time since MOM’s labour reports and surveys have gotten so much attention. Year after year, quarter after quarter, the reports faithfully revealed Singapore’s employment and unemployment landscape to the public who tend to be more interested in the latest sale or gossiping about celebrities’ sex…
While PMD riders were up in arms when the Government first issued a ban on PMDs, an inspiring story surfaced in a small corner on the interwebs. This is the story of Sharon GJ Ong and how she found a job after 16 years out of the working world. It all started when her friend…
Tributes to the late unionist G.Muthukumarasamy (or loving known to his contemporaries as Brother Kumar) were posted on social media over the weekend, after news of his passing made its rounds. His name might ring a bell to those not in the trade union circuit, as he was one of the four people to deliver…
When I visited the NTUC FairPrice store at Vivocity, I was surprised to see a robot with a cute face at the entrance. Upon closer inspection, the robot is actually an automated cleaner that can sweep and mop the floor, with buttons that kids can press to make the robot dance or sing. Lionsbot is…
How have FTAs impacted Singapore? Between 2005 (since CECA was signed) to now, the number of higher skilled jobs has risen by 400,000. The proportion of Singaporeans in these jobs increased from 50% to 56.8%. The number of Singapore residents in PMET jobs rose from 825,000 to 1,250,000. Does CECA allow anyone from India to…
PMD riders were left in the lurch when a sudden ban was announced recently. Some had spent money buying a UL2272 electric scooter but still could not ride on the footpaths. Nparks also announced fines for riding e-scooters on the grass patch. Who is listening to the PMD riders? PMD riders have been going to…