In order to remain economically compe ve, Singapore's relaxed foreign labour policy has resulted in a large number of foreign workers entering the job market. This study analyzes the effects of the massive inflow of migrant/transient workers into Singapore on the labour market. Through quantave research, the relaonship between the government's policy on transient workers and on Singaporean employees' job sasfacon is studied. The former affects the wages and hiring pracces and the laer aaffects the movaon of employees and producvity outputs.

Concerns over fair opportunies for Singaporeans had emerged as the top issue in 2011 for the first me. There is increasing dissasfacon among Singaporeans on the employment policies in Singapore which was largely aributed to Singapore's relaxed foreign labour policies. Discussions at the Singapore Instute of Internaonal Affairs (SIIA) also concluded that SinSingapore's dependence on foreign labour is currently the highest among East Asian economies.

Triparte Alliance for Fair Employment Pracces (TAFEP), a fair employment watchdog, states in it's annual reports that the number of complaints in 2011 received was more than double of that of the previous year. Naonality was one of the top three types of complaints, stang that employers prefer foreigners over locals.

This paper describes and analThis paper describes and analyzes Singapore labour trends and how Singapore's immigraon policies have affected local employment pracces and job sasfacon of Singaporeans. By examining Singapore's unique backdrop, government, immigraon and employment policies, we will be able to beer understand how its ethnoscape, finanscape and ideoscapes has been affected.

1) Migrant workers are stealing jobs from Singaporeans.2) Work aributes of Singaporean and migrant workers differ.

Hypotheses

- Improve public understanding of role and significance of having foreigners in Singapore's labour pool. - Increase awareness of the current employment issuesin Singapore. - Improves exisng literature on employment policies in Singapore.

Significance

1) To examine factors that may affect labour policies.2) To determine factors that affect job sasfacon among Singaporeans.3) To offer recommendaons that employers and policy makers can implement to increase overall job sasfacon.

Objectives

1) Literature review on economic history and socio-polical environment of Singapore.2) Stascal research online and face-to-face surveys in determining the exisng levels and factors affecng job sasfacon among Singaporeans.3) Analyze the informaon and idenfy if Singapore's foreign labour policy or hiring pracces are one of the factors affecng job sasfacon and if yes, to what extent?

Online and Online and face to face surveys were done in order to gather sufficient data. Repondents have to be either Singaporean cizen or Permanent Resident with working experience. A minimum working experience of three months is sufficient criteria for this research as the average duraon of temporary employment and probaon-period before confirmed employment in Singapore is three months.

FFor the purpose of this research project, the term migrant workers refers to skilled people who have come to Singapore in order to work. These are people who have not spent the large part of their lives in Singapore. The term migrant workers excludes job sectors such as construcon and domesc maids.

The quantave survey and research was able to idenfy aributes desired by employers and also job aributes desired by Singaporeans.

The WordCloud in Figure 1 displays the 12 common work aributes sought aer by Singaporeans (JobsCentral 2011). Results of the online survey carried out for

this research project shows that employees placed about the same weightage on having a job that interests them and salary (Figure 2).

This demonThis demonstrates that job engagement is important.

Findings

However, 72% surveyed in the Towers Watsons’ Global Workforce Study (2012) responded that they were

not engaged with their jobs.

Figure 2: Survey on Labour Trends and Employee Sasfacon in Singapore (Bagarib 2012)

Background of the Project

Methodology

Figure 1: 12 Common Work Aributes Important to Singaporeans (JobsCentral 2011)

Job Attributes That Contribute to Singaporean Employee

Happiness90%Salary$Interesng Work80%

Work-Life Balance75%

The chart in Figure 4 shows the difference in views between employers and Singaporean employees on the assets of migrant workers. The figures shows that cost of hire was ranked the lowest, with flexibility and diligence to work longer hours being the top reasons why migrant workers they are preferred over Singaporeans.

Conflict of interest exists between aributes employers look for and job aaributes Singaporean employees desire, resulng in the preference of hiring migrant workers. To demonstrate an example, one of the top job aributes Singaporean employees listed as important is work-life balance. Their lifestyle would be less recepve to working on weekends where else this would not be a problem for a migrant worker. Thus, employers prefer to hire migrant workers for posions where schedule flexibility is needed.

Conclusion

References: Koh, A (2003) 'Global Flows of Foreign Talent: Identy Anxiees in Singapore's Ethnoscape', SO-JOURN: Journal Of Social Issues In Southeast Asia, 18, 2, pp. 230-256. Athukorala, P & Devadason E. (2012) ‘The Impact of Foreign Labor on Host Country Wages: The Ex-perience of a Southern Host, Malaysia’, World Development, Volume 40, Issue 8, August 2012. Ang, Soon; Van Dyne, Linn; Begley, Thomas M. (2003) ‘The employment relaonships of foreign workers versus local employees: a field study of organizaon jusce, job sasfacon, performance, and OCB’, Journal of Organizaonal Behavior, Vol 24(5), Aug 2003. JobsCentral (2011), ‘Work Happiness Indicator Report’. Available at hp://jobscentral.com.sg/sur-vey/happiness_survey/2011/ JobStreet (2012) ‘Are non-Singaporeans an Asset to the Company’ survey. Available at hp://sg.news.yahoo.com/employers%E2%80%99-no-1-rea-son-for-hiring-foreigners-is-job-flexibility--survey.html

Figure 4: “Are non-Singaporeans an asset to the company” Survey (Jobstreet 2012)

Employee Satisfaction and Effects of Migrant Workers on Wage and Labour Market in SingaporeSiti Aisyah Bagarib 20910329Dr Rob Cover University of Western Australia

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