Recruitment

15 10, 2018

Policy brief 2018, no. 4: Free up labour mobility, do more to retain skills and experience

GuestContributor2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00October 15th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

In the fourth of our policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too recommends that foreign workers should be free to change employer without needing to get the permission of the existing employer. There should also be a clearer time frame for workers to get new jobs should their existing employers terminate their Work Permits

11 10, 2018

Robin’s story shows how corruption takes root in Singapore

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00October 11th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Joell Tee, based on an interview in July 2018 The fan whirs quietly overhead and the workers file in in an orderly manner to collect their tokens for dinner. Scattered laughter and chatter make for a warm and homely atmosphere. It is my second time at TWC2's DaySpace and yet I do not feel

8 10, 2018

Arrivals and change in vocation of Bangladeshi workers

webmaster2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00October 8th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis|

After 2015, new arrivals of first-time Bangladeshi workers appear to have fallen off quite dramatically -- this was the main finding of a study done in August and September 2018. Interviews were conducted with 106 Bangladeshi workers and each was asked the year of his first arrival in Singapore. We found unusually few who first

30 09, 2018

Lack of functioning transfer market makes skills retention elusive

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00September 30th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Alston Ng, based on interviews in June 2018 About a month ago when Rifat (not his real name) showed up at TWC2, he was evidently distressed by the prospect of repatriation. Having resolved a salary dispute with his former employer, Rifat was left to his own devices as he embarked on a so-far unsuccessful

18 09, 2018

Hired as scaffolder, safety-trained as painter, made to work as grinder

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00September 18th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Koh Jie Min, based on an interview in June 2018 Balal comes across as soft spoken when I meet him for this interview. He gives me a wry smile as he points to two long, white scars on his fingers, and recounts his tale. It’s a not unheard-of story: Leaving his wife and two

15 09, 2018

For men from a poor country, choice is a mirage

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:30:47+08:00September 15th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

In June 2018, TWC2 volunteer Alston Ng went around asking Bangladeshi workers, "Why did you choose to come to Singapore to work?" The words “neoliberal capitalism” are rarely heard in Singapore, but its message has nonetheless found a faithful following among Singaporeans. Markets are best optimised when left to run by itself, because the exercise

7 09, 2018

Policy brief 2018, no. 3: Require standard employment contracts

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:02+08:00September 7th, 2018|Articles, Facts, research, analysis, News, Our Stand|

In the third of our policy briefs for 2018, Transient Workers Count Too recommends that it should be mandatory for work permit holders to first sign a Standard Employment Contract (SEC) even before a work permit application is made. The SEC should set out all the key employment terms, and these should be in accordance

14 08, 2018

Where the silver lining ends: Safiar’s hopes of avoiding further indebtedness thwarted by bureaucratic opacity

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:02+08:00August 14th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Alston Ng based on an interview in June 2018 According to a Bloomberg article (footnote 1) dated to Jan 2017, Singaporeans face the shortest unemployment period in the world, spending a median duration of merely two months before finding new jobs. No doubt, such a short transition period indicates market resilience and points to

15 07, 2018

More frauds committed using ministry letterhead

webmaster2019-08-30T16:31:03+08:00July 15th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

In October 2017, we carried a story Fraud committed using ministry letterhead [link] about how a worker was misled about the salary he would be getting before he signed on for a job in Singapore. While, as we explained in that article, we did not know who exactly was the culprit, the fact that a scam

11 05, 2018

From too much noise to an uneasy silence

Volunteer Writing Team2019-08-30T16:31:05+08:00May 11th, 2018|Articles, Stories|

By Sun Hanchen, based on an interview in January 2018 I wrote about Rajan (not his real name) in an earlier story "Worker asks for reimbursement of medical bills, sets off chain of events". In this story, I will recount his work history, to give readers a glimpse into a foreign worker's experience in Singapore through