Singapore

SINGAPORE

INTRODUCTION

Republic of Singapore was a former British colony that became independent in 1965. Singapore is located off the southern tip of Malaysia Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands to the south and the South China Sea to the east. The country population is 5.7 million with 61% of whom are Singaporean citizens and the remaining are foreign workers that make up a large proportion of Singaporean workforce (Statista, 2019). The official languages of Singapore are English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil; local people also speak a mix of four languages called Singlish which is mainly English with the addition of Chinese, Malay and Tamil vocabulary. 

Singapore
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Singapore is a developed nation with GDP per capita of $65,233.23 in 2019, ranked 9th in the world (The World Bank, 2019). It’s the only Asian country to achieve the rare AAA ranking from the big three. Singapore owed its development through its strategic location as an international trade harbor, skilled workforce, low tax rates, developed infrastructure and strict rules.

RECRUITMENT PRACTICES

I. PREFACE – PRE-HIRING INFORMATION TO NOTE :

Singapore Workforce Facts

First and foremost, Singapore’s workforce is not enough to sustain the economy due to labour demand and an aging population. Depending on the type of work, hiring local people might not always be possible in Singapore. Foreign workers made up more than 1,351,800 workers, approximately 25% of the population, hence finding locals to carry out manual labour might be extremely difficult as most locals are highly educated and selective with their jobs (Ministry of Manpower, 2020c). Most manual labour work, domestic work, even health care professionals (nurses) are done by foreign workers who fill the void that cannot be met by Singaporeans.

Singapore also grants Permanent Resident Status to foreigners who qualify, there are around 500,000 PRs in Singapore (Statista, 2019). Permanent Residents are considered locals if the NGOs only want to hire local people.

In the case of natural disasters, it might be in the NGO’s best interest to also hire foreign workers who are already present in Singapore for manual work if they cannot hire locals. Hiring foreign workers in Singapore will require NGO to file for Worker Pass for their employees. Due to the scope of this wiki is only to hire locals, we will not go deep into hiring foreign workers. However, more information on this can be found on the Ministry of Manpower Website.

Employment Act:

Singapore’s employment act has changed since April 01, 2019. Major important changes are as follows (Ministry of Manpower, 2020b):

Salary cap will be removed. M&Es earning above $4,500/month will be entitled to core provisions of the Employement Act, such as:

  • Minimum 7-14 days paid annual leave
  • Paid public holiday and sick leave
  • Timely payment of salary
  • Protection against wrongful dismissal

Wrongful dismissal claims and salary-related claims will be heard at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management/Employment Claims Tribunals

Employers must recognize medical certificates issued by any registered doctor and dentist.

Employers can make salary deduction if they:

  • Obtain written consent from their employees; and 
  • Enable employees from withdrawing their consent anytime without penalty.

For work on public holiday, employers can offer time-off to:

  • All M&Es
  • Workmen earning above $4,500/month
  • Non-workmen earning above $2,600/month

For the full list, please follow the LINK.

II. RECRUITMENT PROCESS:

Step 1: Before starting the recruitment process, NGOs need to determine the type of contract they want to use (Ministry of Manpower, 2020a):

Contract of Service (employer and employee)

Contract for Service (contractor)

Step 2: Create job description

Job description must include:

  • Full name of employer 
  • Job title, main duties and responsibilities 
  • Start date of employment 
  • Duration of employment (if you are employed on a fixed-term contract)

Step 3: Post job postings. Singaporeans primarily find jobs online through job boards or company’s website. In case of natural disaster, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and local churches are also ways to reach applicants effectively.

Below are popular job search websites in Singapore (Loncar, 2020):

  • Monster contains listings across every market in Singapore
  • eFinancialCareers has job openings in Singapore’s biggest market – finance
  • Jobs Central includes a huge number of listings in a lot of industries
  • Job Street where you can create a personal profile and host your CV so employers can find you.
  • Indeed Singapore which is the local version of the global meta-aggregator with a great user interface
  • LinkedIn where you can find new job postings daily and narrow them down to your interests

NGOs can also recruit through recruitment agencies (Loncar, 2020):

SELECTION PRACTICES

Step 1: Review Online Application

  • CV and Resume are often submitted together.
  • Applicants are tech savvy.

Step 2: Interviews

  • Interviews can be in person or over video calls.
  • Multiple formal interviews (individual and group) are expected as the job market is highly competitive.

Step 3: Pre-employment screenings

  • Pre-employment screenings include reference check and criminal check if required for the position.
  • Assessment Tests can be conducted as required.

Step 4: Hiring

Once employees are hired, employers must issue their Key employment terms (KETs) 

  • All employees who are hired on/after 1 April 2016 and employed for a continuous period of 14 days or more
  • Within 14 days after the first day of employment
  • Can be issued in soft or hard copy
  • Common key employment terms can be provided in an employee handbook and/or company intranet

MISCELLANEOUS

Hiring amid global pandemic:

The hiring process took one to three months for about 40 per cent of respondents, as companies receive more applications.

There are definitely fewer face-to-face interviews taking place this year, as many companies have adopted strict measures to limit physical interactions.

Ms Jaya Dass, Randstad’s managing director for Malaysia and Singapore

According to Dass, due to a lack of physical interaction, some employers also ask candidates to take a psychometric assessment to determine if they are a good fit for the job and the company culture (Tan, 2020). Job seekers at some companies also have to go through more interviews with different people within the organization, as the hiring managers want to gather more opinions before making a decision.

Useful contact:

Workright hotline at 1800-221-9922 or email workright@mom.gov.sg

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ho, R. (2020) Singapore. Britannica. [Online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Singapore. [Accessed: 25 October, 2020]

Loncar, Z. (2020) How to get a job in Singapore: 8 steps. Transfer Wire [Online] Available at: https://transferwise.com/gb/blog/finding-a-job-in-singapore. [Accessed: 25 October 2020]

Ministry of Manpower (2020a) Contract of Service [Online] Available at:  https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/contract-of-service [Accessed on: 25 October, 2020]

Ministry of Manpower (2020b) Changes to the employment act that you should know [Online] Available at:  https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/speeches/2018/1120-infographic-changes-to-the-employment-act-that-you-should-know.pdf?la=en&hash=2241ECADC04711FEB591ED34C93064A0 [Accessed on: 25 October, 2020]

Ministry of Manpower (2020c) Foreign Workforce Number [Online] Available at: https://www.mom.gov.sg/documents-and-publications/foreign-workforce-numbers [Accessed: 26 October, 2020]

Statista (2019). Resident population in Singapore in 2019, by citizenship status. Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1087802/singapore-resident-population-by-citizenship-status [Accessed: 26 October, 2020]

Tan, S. (2020). Hiring process goes online amid Covid-19 pandemic; job seekers may face longer wait and more competition. The Straits Time. Available at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/manpower/hiring-process-goes-online-amid-pandemic. [Accessed: 25 October, 2020]

The World Bank (2020). GDP per capita (current US$) – Singapore [Online] Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?locations=SG. [Accessed: 25 October, 2020]

Work Right (2020). Guide on Employment Law. Ministry of Manpower. Available at: https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/employment-practices/workright/workright-guide-employment-laws.pdf?la=en&hash=77AB836CF495859BE04CCE9A271171D9. [Accessed: 25 October, 2020]