Who will do the dirty, intensive jobs that Singaporeans shun?

Singapore

DESPITE sweeteners such as overseas work opportunities and higher pay, some jobs are persistently shunned by locals for being too dirty or intensive.

"Many companies rely on foreign workers in areas where there is shift work, long hours or work on the weekends and public holidays, as most locals shun such work," said Edy Tan, chief executive at environmental services firm Chye Thiam Maintenance.

These roles range from warehouse packers and refuse truck assistants, to spa therapists and F&B service staff, and are avoided by Singaporeans even though employers have tried to make them more palatable.

Mary Chia Group, where about 30 of its 100 employees are foreigners, has been going high-tech in its beauty and wellness treatments to reduce the menial nature of its work.

The group also embarked on revenue streams such as e-commerce and business-to-business sales, which are less labour intensive and call for "less complex training".

Bosses have upped their benefits as well. Spa Esprit Group has "heavily incentivised" internal referral programmes, while Chye Thiam earlier adopted the progressive wage model and regularly reviews pay packages.

When it comes to job prospects, Spa Esprit is implementing management training programmes for local graduates, while Mary Chia may provide overseas work opportunities at its Malaysia and Taiwan outposts.

"But the truth is, there are jobs that Singaporeans are not attracted to, and it will be tough to run the business without the help of our foreign labour," said Iris Tok, Spa Esprit's chief people officer.

In other industries, it is hard to find Singaporeans with the skills needed, even with the wages on offer.

In the hairdressing industry, for instance, Paul Chua, business director at the upscale Casey Salon, said: "Most of the Malaysians come with a diploma in basic hairdressing."

Likewise in the garment industry, foreign workers armed with sewing skills fill the gaps left by aged Singaporean tailors and seamstresses.

"We have to bring in foreign workers because they come straightaway with the skills that we need," said Esther Tay, who owns uniform maker Esta. "If I were to pay a Singaporean the same as what I pay a foreign worker, I would get better output from the foreign worker."

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