Foreign workers not cheaper
But they are hired for jobs that S'poreans don't want or can't do
By Cassandra Chew
Straits Times, Sep 5, 2010
The shoe didn't quite fit.
Housewife Sofina Pung, 42, was at Raffles City buying her teenage daughter a pair of heels, but the ones she tried on were a little too large.
'The Chinese salesgirl asked me to give her an hour. I think she took the train to their Paragon outlet to get the shoes in the right size,' recalled Ms Pung.
'Some Singaporeans would just tell you 'No stock', or ask you to try other outlets. My daughter was very happy.'
Foreigners have indeed become a staple part of the services sector here, with shoppers giving some positive reviews.
In his National Day Rally speech last Sunday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the good impression one bus driver from Dalian, China, had left on commuters.
As of last year, foreigners made up one in three workers in the services sector, up from one in four in 2000.
They are a diverse bunch. Some, like the bus drivers from Malaysia and China, are here on work permits because too few Singaporeans want the job.
Others, like the Filipino veterinarians working as consultants at pet stores, are here on S-passes. They have skills in short supply locally.
Some foreign waiters in the restaurant sector are also here on S-passes as they are graduates of local hotel schools and training to take up management posts.
Contrary to popular belief, foreign workers are not cheaper to hire, employers said.
In the retail sector, foreigners are paid the same wages as Singaporeans, said Ms Lau Chuen Wei, executive director of Singapore Retailers Association.
'On top of that, there is the foreign worker levy to factor in. Some companies also build in additional amounts for, or even provide, accommodation,' said Ms Lau.
Ms Angeline Ng, general manager of restaurant chain The Asian Kitchen, agreed: 'We have to make CPF contributions for Singaporeans and pay levies for foreign workers, so it evens out.'
In fact, bosses maintain they still prefer Singaporeans because they understand the local culture and languages.
But they acknowledge that foreigners make good workers because they are willing to work the irregular hours common in the services sector.
Ms Ng said: 'Their families are not here, so they are more committed to the job and more willing to work overtime.'
In the public transport sector, the introduction of younger Chinese drivers who could take on longer routes helped to relieve the workload and pressure on older local workers, said Mr Ong Ye Kung, executive secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union.
Some shoppers also feel the culture that foreign workers bring with them is a welcome addition.
Musician Aarika Lee, 27, enjoys the natural warmth of Filipino hospitality.
'They chit-chat with you, and it feels like they are more interested in you as a person than a shopper, even if it's part of the job,' she said.
Bus captain goes the extra mile
Photo caption: SBS Transit bus captain Hector Lo, a Malaysian from KL, came here in 2006. He often asks how he can do his job better, said his route manager. --ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJANSBS Transit bus captain Hector Lo, a Malaysian from KL, came here in 2006. He often asks how he can do his job better, said his route manager. --ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJAN
The heavy rain beat down on SBS Transit bus captain Hector Lo, soaking through the pale green shirt of his uniform.
The service 154 bus that the 42-year-old Malaysian was driving had broken down in Circuit Road, leaving about 10 passengers stranded in the downpour.
So, with umbrella in hand, he sheltered each passenger to the bus stop, and onto the next bus they could take.
Within days of the incident, SBS Transit received letters from grateful passengers.
Mr Lo did it as he felt that some passengers 'needed to go somewhere important, so the priority was to help them'.
The native of Kuala Lumpur had left his 39-year-old wife and three children behind to work as a bus captain here in 2006, after putting up the shutters on his mobile phone store.
At SBS Transit, the compliments from happy passengers file in for both local and foreign drivers, said Ms Tammy Tan, SBS Transit's senior vice-president of corporate communications.
Determined to do well from the start, Mr Lo spent his free time riding on buses, taking routes which he would ply in future, so that he would be extra familiar with them.
His route manager, Mr Saw Heng Ming, said Mr Lo often asks how he can do his job better.
His hard work is paying off. Mr Lo has started to take care of administrative work as an assistant route master, and is on track for a role in management.
But it is still the day-to-day work which Mr Lo loves the most. 'I didn't know I had a passion for serving customers until I started this job. When people are happy, I am happy also,' he said.
A dog's best friend
Photo caption: Mr Eliezer Bauzon, chief pet care consultant at a Pet Lovers' Centre outlet, hails from the Philippines. --ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJANAsk Mr Eliezer Bauzon, 35, what to do about your pet dog's sneezing and he pulls a herbal concoction from his shelf of remedies to help alleviate the symptoms.
Mr Bauzon is one of 27 trained veterinarians at pet store chain Pet Lovers' Centre who are hired to provide professional advice to customers.
Hailing from the Philippines, Mr Bauzon was a lecturer at the University of Southern Mindanao, teaching such subjects as physiology and pharmacology, before he decided to head to Singapore.
He wanted a job where he could apply his knowledge in practical terms, and felt Singapore had more opportunities to offer. He is employed on an S-Pass, and earns more than he did back home.
As chief pet care consultant, Mr Bauzon serves customers by recommending the right products for their needs, and teaching them how to use them.
His most satisfying effort so far is helping one customer's labrador fight cancer by recommending antioxidants.
'She told me that in the hospital, all the batches of cancer patients have died except her dog. She said a lot of 'thank you's,' recalled Mr Bauzon, with a wide smile.
Customers have described Mr Bauzon as 'approachable, affable and extremely knowledgeable', said Ms Maria Tan, the firm's human resources spokesman.
But Mr Bauzon is the first to admit that his knowledge comes from a truly Singaporean habit: studying and reading up on products in his free time.
He said: 'There are about 8,000 products in our store, and each of these, you need to master. Because one thing I've learnt is you can't sell this product if you really don't know it.'
'When customer is happy, so am I
Photo caption: Shandong native Liu Guoping, a management trainee at Teahouse, The Asian Kitchen, is well known at the restaurant for his polite manner. --ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJARestaurant employee and Shandong native Liu Guoping serves his customers according to an old Chinese saying.
'People say, 'song ren mei gui, shou you yu siang',' said Mr Liu, 30, in Mandarin.
Loosely translated, the phrase means that when a person gives someone a rose, the fragrance is also on the giver's hand.
'When the customers are happy, you are happy too,' noted Mr Liu, a management trainee at Teahouse, The Asian Kitchen at Raffles City.
He is well known at his outlet for his polite manner and eagerness to serve.
Just last week, a regular customer complained that the mango in her dessert was not fresh. As is the usual practice, Mr Liu immediately replaced it with a new serving, and the customer was satisfied.
But Mr Liu wanted to ensure that the experience would not discourage the customer from returning.
So he called her afterwards to apologise again.
It is his eagerness to please, in spite of the occasional language barrier, that has Mr Liu rising fast in the restaurant.
The S-Pass holder earns $1,800 monthly, and came to Singapore because he felt there were more opportunities for him to grow here.
And he has not been disappointed. Mr Liu moved from waiter to management trainee in less than two years, and has assisted in the opening of two outlets so far.
The hotel management diploma holder from a local school plans on applying for permanent residency, and dreams of opening his own cafe selling Chinese snacks here one day.
But he intends to take things one step at a time: 'I'm learning more each day, and I want to learn more so that if I leave this job, I will have other kinds of experience to offer.'
