When I first arrived in Singapore back in 1978 it was a different place then when I returned in 1990 and then again in 1997. Singapore had grown so much that it was hard to recognize the county.
Everyone was working and times were good for everyone and money was being made. The people were living better than ever and there seemed to no end to the wealth of Singapore and the future was truly secure.
At least that is how it looked to a person visiting anyway.
I moved to Singapore in October of 2001. With my years of experience in management while in the Navy I felt very confident that finding work in Singapore would not be that much of a task. I knew of the Asian market crash in 1998 but gave it really little thought. I was 45 years old when I started to look for work in 2002.
So I sent out my resume and made my phone calls and even when on a few interviews and each time, if I was lucky enough to call back I would be told the same thing we’ll keep you in mind or we’ll call you back. Well it didn’t long to realize that these meant keep looking because we are not taking you. I couldn’t understand why at first. Well over time and talking to people I came to learn how the job market in Singapore works.
Being an Expat first off the employer expects you to have a degree, which I don’t have. Secondly, as you get closer to 50 years of age your ability to get hired drops quickly, regardless of if you have a degree or not, local or Expat.
For those that are thinking of coming to Singapore to work the easiest way to get recruited by a company here first, get all the paper work done and then come over. Trying to find a job here while on a tourist pass will be very hard for you unless you have already set up some interview before hand.
Unemployment Rate (SA) was 2.6% in Mar 2006 with the new graduates entering the job market the employer is apt to hire these fresh new workers than others since they will work for lower wages just to get their foot in the door and have job. Added to that is the drive to hire Singaporeans vice Expats. Many of the Expats that were working in Singapore are gone now with only a fraction remaining. Companies found it cheaper to hire local talent or others from with in the South East Asia region vice Europe, Australia or America to do the same job.
While some are still hired they are mostly highly specialized in a certain job field to meet a certain requirement and even then they are likely to be on a short contract vice the 2 or 3 year contracts from before.
So now it is 2008, I have been in Singapore for 7 years now, so far I have worked as a English tutor, Security Officer, Instructor, Stock Clerk, Admin Staff, and my freelance jobs have included web designs, writing courses for security and scanning pictures. So you see I am not restricting myself to one job but now I am 50, still don’t speak Chinese or Malay so for all practical matter I am worst off now then when I started back in 2002. The government says the country has make 10’s of thousands of jobs, but I don’t see where these jobs are? I guess they are talking about the workers coming in to do all the construction projects.
One way to get your name spread around the job market is with the use of an Employment Agency. They will target companies that are looking for your skills and set up your interviews before you arrive making your stay much more productive. Employment Agencies are one tool at your use so you may as well use them.
