Job Matching Helps Workers And Employers

A version of this letter was published in The Straits Times on 20 October 2015.

Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) welcomes the news that the Singapore Contractors Association has developed an online directory to facilitate job matching between employers and workers who are nearing the end of their contract. We agree that such a move will save costs for both parties and contribute to higher productivity in the construction sector. As many migrant workers may not be IT savvy, it is important to reach out to workers about this new service via other channels.

We also urge the Ministry of Manpower to work with SCAL and other employer associations to extend such job matching facilities to other key industries such as the services and marine sectors which are also experiencing a productivity crisis.

Another category of workers which this service should be extended to are those who have been unfairly treated by employers, and have been granted the right to switch employers by the authorities. Even though most workers are not allowed by law to make this switch, HOME has successfully appealed to the Ministry of Manpower on behalf of a number of such cases because these workers became jobless through no fault of their own and have paid huge recruitment fees to agents. But they face significant challenges finding employers because many of them are new to Singapore and do not know who to turn to for employment opportunities. High worker levies and quota restrictions are also barriers to employment for them.

Employment agencies usually charge fees which already indebted workers are unable to afford, making this option unrealistic for them. Moreover, workers in these situations are usually only given two to four weeks by the Ministry to look for a new job and have to rely on financial aid from NGOs such as HOME for basic survival.

Facilitating job matching between such workers and employers will be beneficial to both parties. Employers can save on recruitment costs as the workers are already here and workers themselves will not fall prey to unlicensed or unscrupulous agents.