run a sole proprietorship business with my spouse for almost 16 years and we used to have a delivery man/general worker intermittently all these years. Our workers generally stay for a short while , as there are little prospects for promotion or big jump in salary due to our small business. Our goods consist of heavy carton boxes of 20 to 30 kgs to carry up to the 2nd level of our premise and deliver them to our clients as when required , this is job is often shunned by locals. Those who are above 45 years of age are unlikely to take up this offer as they find this too taxing and back breaking . The younger ones dont want such a job because they prefer lighter duty and something more glamorous, especially with this new generation of youths from "two is enough" families, they are all pampered and will not take on tough jobs.
We are in a dilemma , having been in this business for 16 years and we wish to continue running it to keep ourselves mentally/physically fit instead of retiring . Our business is still viable and we wish to continue it as long as possible but our biggest problem is staffing . We are both above 55years , paperwork, marketing and general management of the business do not worry us but we need an able bodied general worker to assist us in the heavier duties which locals are not keen.With the new rules in employment of foreign workers , I am afraid that we are going to encounter difficulties in getting a helper. There are probably some other family owned small enterprises here facing similar difficulties which the MOM could have overlooked when the quota system was being drawn up. I sincerely hope that you will kindly assist us in this instance as we do not wish to circumvent the rules.
We are also trying not to exceed our monthly expenses by employing a high powered ( preference work permit instead of S-pass /E-pass ) person to do general duties , a worker with little skills is more than adequate for this post. I wish to add that we have exhausted all our efforts in trying to get a local for this job without luck and we cant go on without a helper . In our previous advertisements , we tried employing Singaporeans as first choice and Malaysians as our next choice, after offering the Singaporeans a salary of $1200 to $1600 depending on experience ( with class 3 salary at higher end ) we hoped they will work diligently . Instead all 6 candidates selected from 6 advertisements did not stay more than 3 days ! Some disappeared after between 2 hours to 7 hours whilst the others did not turn up after 2 days or 3 days of work. None of them even have the courtesy to resign over a phone call , that's the attitude of Singapore workers . Most of them are above 40 years in age and thinking they are more mature and stable , they turned out to be disappointments. There were at least 2 who had very elderly unemployed parents depending on their only son for survival , yet he walked off from a reasonably well paid job ( 5 days week only ) without a word, another candidate has a wife and both are in their early 50s , no children and wife is unemployed yet he did not bother to resign after staying 7 hours in the job. It affects productivity and our health as such duties are best done by a younger person who is keen to hold on to a full-time job.
Despite appealing for help from the MOM at the highest level , I only received a short note "we are looking into the matter and will revert shortly" that was 1 month ago and still received no reply.
Please do not neglect the plight of small companies who are also contributing to the economy.
