Singapore: Maritime Firms Opting for Foreigners
Singapore’s perceived shortage of qualified, competitive maritime staff has come more evident, as foreign applicants often pip Singaporeans.
A report from The Straits Times says that employers in the maritime sector say that foreign applicants often pip Singaporeans to the job because of a sense that they are more willing to work under the tough conditions in the industry.
Last week maritime company Prime Gold International was barred by the authorities from hiring foreign workers for two years after it was found to have discriminated against Singaporeans.
Prime Gold had laid off 13 Singaporeans, who were working as ship captains, officers, engineers and seamen, and hired foreigners in their place. The ruling was a landmark case becoming the first time that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has taken action against a company which has discriminated against Singaporean employees.
Under Singapore’s Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), all firms must consider Singaporeans fairly for job vacancies. The ruling will have sent a shudder across Singapore’s diverse maritime community, which has been warning for a number of years on a coming human resources crunch.
The company defended itself, saying it was running at a loss and the Singaporean workers had become redundant.
As few young Singaporeans are drawn to the job, the industry also suffers from a lack of a ready pool of skilled and experienced locals to tap in recent years. This was the general view of about a dozen employers in the sector who spoke to The Sunday Times, most of whom did not wish to be identified.
Singapore has more than 5,000 maritime companies that employ 170,000 people. However, the bulk of the seafaring jobs are filled by foreigners from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. The sector contributes 7% to Singapore’s GDP.
