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I refer to the article “S’poreans just won’t take cleaning jobs: HR manager” (Today 18 Aug) – article attached below.
Many Singaporeans shy away from the cleaning industry and the main reason I believe is the low salary being offered for such positions.
Cleaners normally do not earn more than $1000 a month and the job is usually dirty and come with shift duties. There is also usually no shift allowances for weekend work or night shift duties.
Cleaning companies should try to optimise their operations using technology so that there is higher productivity and lesser dependence on labour. The labour savings can then be passed on to the workers by way of higher wages.
I believe that if employers pay well enough, workers will flock to such jobs – however strenuous and dirty they are. Locals rather look for other jobs than working for an industry that leave them with nothing much after deducting transport cost, CPF contribution, meals and other miscellaneous costs.
If you can pay at least $1500 per month, I am sure that such jobs will attract enough local workers. We are not choosy, its just that we can’t survive on a salary that is pathetic and even exploitative. That is why the cleaning profession always attract the old retirees and foreigners who will always look around for another job to switch if they have the opportunity.
In Australia, a minimum wage policy of $550 per week ensures that workers are decently compensated for their work contribution and bosses have no problem getting vacancies filled. Many dirty jobs such as cleaners, construction workers and rubbish collectors are readily being filled up as local workers are adequately compensated and happy.
Cleaning companies should thus seriously look at optimising their industries through modern technology and reduce their dependence on labour.
When productivity is enhanced, companies can then pay our local workers well enough to attract them into a very unpopular industry. If not, cleaning companies will always face a labour crunch as Singapore tries to rely less on foreign workers as an easy way out. Moreover, foreigners should be welcomed if they could complement our economy through their unique skills and talents. They should not be allowed in simply because they are able to do a job cheaply. The social and environmental costs are just too much to bear if we continue to allow in cheap labourers even though they carry the unskilled temporary work permits.
Written by: Gilbert
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Looking for locals
05:55 AM Aug 18, 2010
Letter from Grace Seow Mei Ying
AS A human resource manager in an SME (small/medium-sized enterprise) offering premium indoor hygiene services, I find it very challenging to recruit locals as professionally-trained cleaning specialists, despite offering very attractive salary packages and rewarding career paths.
All possible avenues have been tried to attract local talent – through newspaper advertisements, recruitment agencies, participating in job fairs together with the Community Development Councils, and so on – but the results have been disappointing.
In order to deliver on incoming customers’ orders, cleaning companies need to recruit staff from China and Malaysia, who are willing to accept the physically-taxing, long working hours.
My recruitment challenges do not end here. Recent measures by the Government to tweak the foreign worker levy have made it more difficult for me to employ more foreign workers.
Other local cleaning companies’ HR managers, whom I have spoken to, face the same recruitment predicament and are experiencing high turnover rates among Singaporean staff. Why are locals not interested in this job sector? Common reasons given are long working hours and the physical nature of the job.
While the Government’s controls on foreign labour are warmly welcomed as a means to moderate job competition, companies that rely heavily on foreign workers – not by choice – are the ones that suffer.
The year-end cleaning season is approaching but without an adequate operation, how would cleaning companies deliver their services if there is no manpower to recruit?
As I am not the only HR manager facing this problem, any assistance or advice from the relevant Government bodies would be helpful.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC100818-0000043/Looking-for-locals
Copyright 2010 MediaCorp Pte Ltd | All Rights Reserved
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Ms Grace must have realized why her company has not managed to attract Singaporeans or PR to work as cleaners. Instead I believe she choose to ignore the miserable pay and working conditions that her company imposed on her employees. I have met some old ladies who have worked in cleaning companies. From the stories I have heard, they are simply exploiting workers without any concern for the workers welfare.
I suggest that Ms Grace put up the following benefits in her next job advertisement. I guarantee that she will be flooded with job applicants not only from Singaporeans; but also from PRs and Foreign Talents as well.
a) minimum pay is $1,300.
b) work hours per week is 44 hours. Overtime pay will be payable over and above the 44 hours/week.
c) full medical benefits. Workers are entitled to visit any private clinics and should be able to claim up to $50/- per consultation. Medical Leave from private clinics are recognized. Workers are covered under full insurance hospitalization scheme.
d) workers are entitled to 14 days of annual leave a year.
e) guarantee one month bonus. Additional variable bonus for those deserving employees.
f) the company will provide yearly comprehensive training for all employees to enhance their skills.
ditto that!
I don’t know. If I were some boss of a cleaning company, why would I raise the cost of labour when I can simply hire foreign workers who are eager to fill the jobs even though it does not pay well?
I am sure that locals who are willing to do cleaning jobs are those who know that they are either too old to get the jobs that they used to do, or that their education level limits their job options.
IMO, Young Singaporeans who holds a degree/diploma would not want to do such jobs due to the association or status of holding such jobs. It’s not exactly glamorous and it does not matched what their diploma/degree promised.
All in all, Singaporeans definitely would not want to do these jobs. Ask yourself the same questions, unless you’re an old retiree.
Thanks for yr comments.
Jacqueline, spot on analysis! In addition to that, we have no choice but to hire foreign workers, and they end up being paid more than the market rate for locals in the cleaning sector. We believe in fair employment practices and paying employees equitibly yet practical to the business’s long term growth. I want to thank the above writer for bringing in other country’s example. However, I want to highlight that suggestions should be applicable and relevant to our country e.g. Tax, culture, std of living, education stds etc.
See recent news article by Ms Grace Seow
http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_721048.html
To Miss Grace, the HR Manager:
I find your post to be a ridiculous joke. Do not take readers to be fools please.
You claim that you offer offering very attractive salary packages and rewarding career paths for your cleaning positions.
May i ask how attractive are those salary packages that you are offering? $2000 – $3000? Dont pretend and tell me a $1000 salary could be attractive.
The even more absurd and ludicrous claim from you is that you offer a rewarding career path for someone doing cleaning.
Just how rewarding could a cleaning job be? What are the career advancement opportunities that come with it? How glamorous is that?
You asked: Why are locals not interested in this job sector?
Then how about I put the question to you, are you interested in this job sector then? If it is so good as you claim it to be, then why not you quit your post as HR manager and do it !!
Set yourself as an example !!! Dont start pointing your fingers around when you are the same as everybody else !!
Who would wanna do some work so tough and strenuous and yet at the end of the day, couldnt make enough for their livelihood ?
You are an epic failure for a HR manager.