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…
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…
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…
On 5 November 2019, the ban on electric scooters on footpaths came into effect. E-scooters are confined to 440km of cycling paths islandwide, instead of the 5,500km of footpaths riders could use before. From now until 31 December 2019, the authorities will mainly issue warnings to errant riders. From next year, a zero-tolerance approach will be…
For many workers, the workplace is almost like a second home – the place you spend the most time outside your actual home. There is no undermining the effect the workplace culture and environment can have on a worker. We read about the recent Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC) saga in the news and their slide…
For the average Singaporean, the National Trades Union Congress (or NTUC) is more often associated with a supermarket and insurance, than being a congress of trade unions in Singapore. Many also may not understand that NTUC has a symbiotic relationship with the People’s Action Party (or PAP), and how the symbiotic relationship benefits Singaporeans. What…
Workers will have one less thing to cheer about with the increase in transport fares come Dec 28. If you are a frequent commuter, be prepared for fare hikes. Bus and train fares for adult card users will rise by 9 cents per journey – an increase of 7 per cent. Fares for single-trip tickets…