PMET’s plight – Would anyone listen, would anyone bother, would anyone care?

Gilbert’s Transitioning.org is the equivalent of SOS for desperate PMETs out of job and crying for help. It speaks a lot when the PMETs go to Transitioning.org instead of the MOM and NTUC. When they talked to Gilbert, it is the last ditch when all hopes have failed. It is crisis time. Here are some extracts of a post on the subject of our PMETs losing out to foreigners and in despair when they have families to feed and children to care for.
 
Would anyone care, bother, or willing to listen to their plight? Or would they come out with some stupid motherhood statements and move on? It is understandable that people who are earning millions and have no financial worries could understand or appreciate what it is like without an income and a family to feed. They will just say some cock like they understand and they could emphatise with the victims of unemployment and move on to enjoy their Swiss standard of living.
 
The plight of the PMETs is genuine and very serious and must be the top priority of the govt. What, cannot understand what the angst is all about? Or would the govt find it more important to provide more good jobs to foreigners? It is so exasperating and painful to see the govt trying so hard to help foreign countries, to provide jobs to foreigners like it is the govt’s responsibility but leaving the citizen PMETs in the lurch.
 
Read this conversation with an unemployed IT professional called Patrick.
 
‘Transitioning: What do you think the government can do to alleviate the current employment situation?
 
Patrick: Immediate (should start by July):
 
1. Stop issuing all Employment Passes (EP) for PMET jobs immediately.
2. Enforce a rule that makes it necessary for employers to look at the unemployed Singaporeans first.
3. Start a database of all unemployed PMET’s in Singapore that the employers can tap on for immediate hire.
4. For those employers who are looking for a specific skill, WDA can provide free/subsidised training for the candidates who come close to the requirement but missing one or two skills. Employer could also provide OJT for such candidates.
5. Provide clear & transparent statistics on unemployed PMETs to the general public. The statistics could include things like Age, Gender, Race, Qualification, Duration of Unemployment (1-3months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months >1 year, >2 years). I believe right now if you are unemployed more than 6 months you are considered “retired”. Currently the statistics says that Singapore unemployment rate is 1.9%. I don’t think this takes into consideration people who are jobless for more than 6 months. I feel that the unemployment rate might be much higher. Let’s be transparent about how many are really unemployed.
 
Long term (should start by Jan 2016):
 
What should happen is that employers should have to demonstrate that there is a shortage of the specific skills/PMET in Singapore and so needs to hire from overseas. The EP should only be given after a 3-6 months of exhaustive search locally. Exhaustive mean that they should keep all records of those people they interviewed and have a clearly detailed report on why that person was not suitable.
 
Their search should not be limited to job agents and job websites, but they should also work with WDA, MOM etc to find suitable locals. Companies can only apply for EP if such a skill is not found locally (SG/PR). MOM needs to review the report made by the employer and cross check with the candidates, WDA and job agents to ensure the authenticity of the report. During the review if a suitable local candidate is found then the employer will not get an EP approval.
 
We should also have an absolute limit to the number of EP’s per year, just like the US does with its H1B. So for example if Singapore adds 50K PMET jobs annually, then only about 10-15K EP’s will be set aside for that year. Once the EP’s finish, no more EP for that year. Try next year!....
 
Transitioning: Many people have blamed foreigners for competing on jobs with us, what is your view on this?
 
Patrick: When I was employed, we used to often invite friends and family over to our home for dinner. These days we have completely stopped as we are trying to cut down on our costs. To me, its the same at the national level. When you have unemployed people in your own home, you should not be inviting others to come in. It’s like you have hungry mouths to feed in your home and you invite outsiders for dinner.
 
I don’t blame the foreigners, they are coming in because we let them in/invite them. It’s a policy and implementation issue…. Every evening I go to bed angry and frustrated that nothing happened. But I wake up again next morning and I try something a little different.’

 
This is not an isolated case. Many cases were not reported. Many blamed themselves. Many refused to talk. Many just make do with whatever they could get by, or simply retired. And we have hundreds of thousands of foreign PMETs and many fakes here. Just removing the fakes would create more than enough jobs for our citizens. Do our PMETs have to suffer while the foreigners are having good jobs and feeding their families in our very own country with the good jobs we gave to them? Does our govt owe these foreigners a good job, a good life and no responsibility to our citizens?
 
Those assholes that think our citizens are not talented enough, not skilled enough, lazy, demanding, I say stuff it in your mouth. PMETs like Patrick are very good talents, very experienced and very motivated and pragmatic. Not someone with entitlement mentality like the assholes liked to blame them. They are victims of a silly and irresponsible policy.
 
What is the govt thinking? Would the govt want to seriously do something to take care of our PMETs or busy providing jobs for foreigners and building cities for foreigners?
If you are a Singaporean PMET, you turn will come next, and very soon. Don’t ever believe that you are safe, that it would not happen to you. You will be screwed, your family and children will be screwed.