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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - MM is right, SG dont want const jobs!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Nov-14 11:40 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 5) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>24431.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>Plumbing the depths
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Out of 10 workers in the construction industry, only three are Singaporeans </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Goh Chin Lian </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Eric Tan was like many Singaporeans fresh out of university, hoping for a cushy office job.
But the son of a plumbing company boss followed in his dad's footsteps. At age 25, he joined the construction line shunned by many Singaporeans for the heat, m&d and long hours.
His initiation into plumbing began with the stench and sight of choked sewage pipes. It was a few months before his appetite improved and he could eat his lunch.
'It's nothing to be shy about. Some people might find it dirty, but it's a matter of getting used to it,' said Mr Tan, now 31. He has a distance learning degree from the University of New South Wales in engineering marketing.
He is a project manager at his father's company, OSK Engineering, at the construction site of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
His father wanted him to take up plumbing. As the elder of two sons, he recognised his duty to carry on the family business. He started as a plumber to gain experience before assuming more senior posts.
But most workers at the Marina Bay site are foreigners, particularly those who lay bricks and fix pipes and electrical wiring. They come from China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia.
The dearth of Singaporean construction workers was noted by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. At a grassroots event last week, he urged Singaporeans to bear with the tide of foreigners who fill jobs that few Singaporeans want to do.
He also said: 'Look at the integrated resorts. (On the) rooftop, not one worker there is a Singaporean. (They are) China Chinese and the Indians. If you don't have that, where's the IR, and the 10,000 jobs (they will create)?'
A Marina Bay Sands spokesman said crane operators, riggers, electricians and plumbers are among the 'hundreds' of Singaporeans at its construction site.
Contractors for the two IRs said Singaporeans on site are likely to hold supervisory-managerial posts, and are veterans.
The situation is typical of the construction sector. Industry watchers estimate only one in 20 to 40 workers on site is a Singaporean, usually a civil engineer or supervisor.
Overall, three in 10 workers in construction are Singaporeans, based on Manpower Ministry figures as at December last year. It is five in 10 for manufacturing, and seven in 10 for services. In absolute terms, there were 110,500 locals and 249,400 foreigners in construction.
One reason for the low numbers is the existence of many jobs in other industries, said Mr Neo Choon Keong, the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) director of manpower and strategic policy division.
Hospitality, services and even manufacturing are seen as more attractive than building and construction, in terms of working conditions, pay and career prospects.
The relatively low pay - $2,000 for an entry-level electrician and $1,500 for a plumber - may have to do with the fierce bids for contracts, which results in contractors not being able to pay better, said Mr John Tan, vice-president of the Singapore Electrical Contractors and Licensed Electrical Workers Association.
Contractors feel that Singaporeans are a pampered lot.
Said MEC Engineering's general manager Richard Tan, who oversees plumbing works at Resorts World at Sentosa: 'You have to work in the hot sun and the rain, and at the end of the day, you are covered with m&d on your legs and hands.
'Singaporeans don't want this type of life. They'd rather be salesmen in a shopping centre with air-conditioning, wearing a tie and having pretty girls to talk to.'
They also refuse to work on public holidays and weekends and shun the night shift, citing family commitments, he added.
Mr Tan, 54, is typical of Singaporean construction veterans who started out as apprentices in their 20s, worked their way up to supervisory roles and are so used to the job they will stay in it until they retire.
But he has not encouraged his son to join him. The 24-year-old is a senior technician in the air force.
However, BCA's Mr Neo reported some success in getting Singaporeans to take up specialised trades such as crane operation.
Licensing schemes recognise higher skills, which provide for career progression and higher pay.
Locals make up seven in 10 of about 1,500 crane operators certified at BCA Academy between June 2007 and October this year.
They also comprise six in 10 of the 6,000 registered construction tradesmen, primarily in construction plant operation, as well as electrical and plumbing works, he said.
But Singapore Plumbing Society's operational manager, Mr Chia Wai Chon, said most of its 350 members, who are Singaporeans, are in their 50s and 60s.
New blood is not coming in, he said, as plumbers are not as well regarded here as, say, in Australia, where they are licensed and earn more than many white-collar workers.
He said: 'When this generation of Singaporean plumbers is gone, what's going to happen to all our buildings?'
The society is targeting students to join the plumbing profession. It hopes to roll out a plumbing course with the Institute of Technical Education next year.
Singapore Contractors Association executive director Simon Lee said it will continue with career talks at schools and tap the pro-environment sentiments of youth as the focus shifts from conventional to 'green' buildings.
He said: 'We're looking at their aspiration to be part of the movement to save the Earth, and trying to package the jobs to be more hip.'
[email protected]
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Out of 10 workers in the construction industry, only three are Singaporeans </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Goh Chin Lian </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Eric Tan was like many Singaporeans fresh out of university, hoping for a cushy office job.
But the son of a plumbing company boss followed in his dad's footsteps. At age 25, he joined the construction line shunned by many Singaporeans for the heat, m&d and long hours.
His initiation into plumbing began with the stench and sight of choked sewage pipes. It was a few months before his appetite improved and he could eat his lunch.
'It's nothing to be shy about. Some people might find it dirty, but it's a matter of getting used to it,' said Mr Tan, now 31. He has a distance learning degree from the University of New South Wales in engineering marketing.
He is a project manager at his father's company, OSK Engineering, at the construction site of the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
His father wanted him to take up plumbing. As the elder of two sons, he recognised his duty to carry on the family business. He started as a plumber to gain experience before assuming more senior posts.
But most workers at the Marina Bay site are foreigners, particularly those who lay bricks and fix pipes and electrical wiring. They come from China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia.
The dearth of Singaporean construction workers was noted by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. At a grassroots event last week, he urged Singaporeans to bear with the tide of foreigners who fill jobs that few Singaporeans want to do.
He also said: 'Look at the integrated resorts. (On the) rooftop, not one worker there is a Singaporean. (They are) China Chinese and the Indians. If you don't have that, where's the IR, and the 10,000 jobs (they will create)?'
A Marina Bay Sands spokesman said crane operators, riggers, electricians and plumbers are among the 'hundreds' of Singaporeans at its construction site.
Contractors for the two IRs said Singaporeans on site are likely to hold supervisory-managerial posts, and are veterans.
The situation is typical of the construction sector. Industry watchers estimate only one in 20 to 40 workers on site is a Singaporean, usually a civil engineer or supervisor.
Overall, three in 10 workers in construction are Singaporeans, based on Manpower Ministry figures as at December last year. It is five in 10 for manufacturing, and seven in 10 for services. In absolute terms, there were 110,500 locals and 249,400 foreigners in construction.
One reason for the low numbers is the existence of many jobs in other industries, said Mr Neo Choon Keong, the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) director of manpower and strategic policy division.
Hospitality, services and even manufacturing are seen as more attractive than building and construction, in terms of working conditions, pay and career prospects.
The relatively low pay - $2,000 for an entry-level electrician and $1,500 for a plumber - may have to do with the fierce bids for contracts, which results in contractors not being able to pay better, said Mr John Tan, vice-president of the Singapore Electrical Contractors and Licensed Electrical Workers Association.
Contractors feel that Singaporeans are a pampered lot.
Said MEC Engineering's general manager Richard Tan, who oversees plumbing works at Resorts World at Sentosa: 'You have to work in the hot sun and the rain, and at the end of the day, you are covered with m&d on your legs and hands.
'Singaporeans don't want this type of life. They'd rather be salesmen in a shopping centre with air-conditioning, wearing a tie and having pretty girls to talk to.'
They also refuse to work on public holidays and weekends and shun the night shift, citing family commitments, he added.
Mr Tan, 54, is typical of Singaporean construction veterans who started out as apprentices in their 20s, worked their way up to supervisory roles and are so used to the job they will stay in it until they retire.
But he has not encouraged his son to join him. The 24-year-old is a senior technician in the air force.
However, BCA's Mr Neo reported some success in getting Singaporeans to take up specialised trades such as crane operation.
Licensing schemes recognise higher skills, which provide for career progression and higher pay.
Locals make up seven in 10 of about 1,500 crane operators certified at BCA Academy between June 2007 and October this year.
They also comprise six in 10 of the 6,000 registered construction tradesmen, primarily in construction plant operation, as well as electrical and plumbing works, he said.
But Singapore Plumbing Society's operational manager, Mr Chia Wai Chon, said most of its 350 members, who are Singaporeans, are in their 50s and 60s.
New blood is not coming in, he said, as plumbers are not as well regarded here as, say, in Australia, where they are licensed and earn more than many white-collar workers.
He said: 'When this generation of Singaporean plumbers is gone, what's going to happen to all our buildings?'
The society is targeting students to join the plumbing profession. It hopes to roll out a plumbing course with the Institute of Technical Education next year.
Singapore Contractors Association executive director Simon Lee said it will continue with career talks at schools and tap the pro-environment sentiments of youth as the focus shifts from conventional to 'green' buildings.
He said: 'We're looking at their aspiration to be part of the movement to save the Earth, and trying to package the jobs to be more hip.'
[email protected]
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