Expat jobs in Singapore may be harder to snare

Seemingly ollowing on from the emirates, Singapore’s new push to persuade its business owners to hire local rather than expat talent is sparking fears that expats will have a hard time getting jobs in the popular city state.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower announced last Monday that all jobs paying less than 12,000 Singapore dollars and advertised by companies employing less that 25 people must display the positions locally for 14 days. Only if there are no suitable takers can they then apply for a foreign national work visa.

The new rule comes into effect next August, and also includes a hike from January 2014 in the minimum salary which must be paid to expat workers from 3000 Singapore dollars a month to 3,300. The changes are the result of public opposition to the city state’s liberal visa rules, and are part of a ramp of measures aimed at discouraging firms from employing expat workers.

Other changes include a hike in the foreign worker levy paid by employers and the lowering of the foreign worker dependency ration in certain employment sectors. Expat staffing agencies in Singapore believe the new measures won’t have much effect on expat job prospects, as a jobs post for just 14 days on the newly-established job bank won’t attract much attention.

Companies, they feel, will continue to hire the best person for any job, ignoring locals if they don’t have the necessary skills or experience. However, according to George McFerran of eFinancial Careers, Singaporean employers now prefer to hire nationals locally as it’s far less hassle.