Now, getting jobs in Singapore may not be easy for foreigners

Singapore is introducing tougherprocedures for hiring foreigners in professional, manager andexecutive (PME) posts, addressing concerns that they undercutthe skills of the local workforce.

Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said that themeasures would ensure Singaporeans get a fair chance of

landing a PME job under the ministry's 'Fair ConsiderationFramework'.

Singaporeans have been complaining about foreigners takingup decent jobs in recent years. Last year, there were 303

complaints relating to work place discrimination, up from 277in 2011, according to employment watchdog Tripartite Alliancefor Fair Employment Practices.

[caption id="attachment_1042007" align="alignright" width="380"] Reuters[/caption]

The measures include advertisement of PME jobs ingovernment jobs bank from August 2014. This is especiallyapplicable to those with more than 25 employees and payingless than 12,000 Singapore dollars a month to an employee.

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The free advertisement will have to be ready 14 daysbefore a company applies for Employment Pass (EP) to hire aforeigner PME. Those failing to advertise with the jobs bank,would have their EP rejected.

Foreigner working under EP would also have a higherstarting salary of 3,300 dollars a month from next January, upfrom 3,000 dollars.But Tan also insisted that the new employment conditionswere not a 'Hire Singaporeans first' policy.

"Singaporeans must still prove themselves able andcompetitive to take on the higher jobs that they aspire to,"The Straits Times today quoted Tan as saying.

The Ministry warned that it would keep a close watch oncompanies with few Singaporeans in PME jobs and those with

repeated complaints of unfair hiring practices.

The latest measures were welcomed by the SingaporeNational Employers Federation and NationalTrades UnionCongress.

PTI