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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...ringgit-inflation-manpower-employment-4265736
SINGAPORE: To get to her office in Singapore on time, admin exec Gunavathi Chinasamy has to be at Johor Bahru Customs at least two hours before 10am.
And after the 29-year-old knocks off at 6pm, she reaches her Malaysian home at around 10pm.
This has been the JB native's daily routine for nearly a decade now. Yet she would not have it any other way.
Ms Gunavathi, who works at an employment agency, currently earns between S$2,500 and S$2,800 (US$1,837 to US$2,058) a month. At interviews for similar roles in Malaysia, she was offered around RM3,000 (US$628).
"If I’ll be paid (more) for the same amount of energy and effort that I put into work just by crossing a country two hours earlier, I think I would take that option," she told CNA.
Ms Gunavathi is not alone: More Malaysians are seeking jobs in Singapore, and for similar reasons such as the exchange rate and economic situation back home, according to recruiters.
The Malaysian ringgit has been on a downward trend since 2023 and in February fell to its lowest since the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, slipping past 4.8 against the United States dollar.
More Malaysians seeking jobs in Singapore amid weakening ringgit, inflation: Recruiters
One headhunting agency has observed up to 30 per cent more applications from Malaysians in the past three months, compared with the same period a year ago.SINGAPORE: To get to her office in Singapore on time, admin exec Gunavathi Chinasamy has to be at Johor Bahru Customs at least two hours before 10am.
And after the 29-year-old knocks off at 6pm, she reaches her Malaysian home at around 10pm.
This has been the JB native's daily routine for nearly a decade now. Yet she would not have it any other way.
Ms Gunavathi, who works at an employment agency, currently earns between S$2,500 and S$2,800 (US$1,837 to US$2,058) a month. At interviews for similar roles in Malaysia, she was offered around RM3,000 (US$628).
"If I’ll be paid (more) for the same amount of energy and effort that I put into work just by crossing a country two hours earlier, I think I would take that option," she told CNA.
Ms Gunavathi is not alone: More Malaysians are seeking jobs in Singapore, and for similar reasons such as the exchange rate and economic situation back home, according to recruiters.
The Malaysian ringgit has been on a downward trend since 2023 and in February fell to its lowest since the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, slipping past 4.8 against the United States dollar.
