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It is not pessimism on the labor front for some sectors in Singapore, eight months after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The security, logistics and cleaning sectors are in fact facing a labor shortage.
In the security industry, for example, the demand for officers in some places, such as dormitories, has raised wages considerably.
An advertisement posted online, for security officers in “green zone” dormitories, those free from Covid-19, offered a gross monthly salary of $ 3,200.
A survey conducted by the Security Employees Union and Singapore University of Social Sciences between January and February found that the average net monthly salary for a security officer was $ 1,975.
Singapore Security Association President Raj Joshua Thomas said that security officer salaries had risen dramatically, especially at sites with a higher risk of exposure to Covid-19, such as bedrooms in the “red zone. “, those that have not yet been cleared of Covid-19.
“Buyers must be prepared to pay higher prices as demand now far exceeds the number of people with security licenses,” he said.
He added that since the pandemic broke out, the demand for security officers has increased between 10% and 20%, or approximately between 5,000 and 10,000 positions, of which the majority are for auxiliary functions such as temperature takers and first-rate personnel. line.
Most of these positions are being filled by security officers working on an ad hoc basis, he said.
“We hope that as the Covid-19 measures decrease, these positions will also gradually reduce in number,” Thomas said.
“However, as we expect SafeEntry’s mandatory temperature monitoring, registrations, and disclosures to continue for some time, there is the potential for ad hoc positions to be converted to full time, with the caveat that the people employed in these positions they must be prepared to be reassigned once their positions become superfluous. “
The cleaning and logistics sectors, which often rely on foreign workers, are also facing a reduction in the workforce.
Companies in the cleaning industry say the demand has doubled along with the amount of work. The frequency of cleaning and disinfection has increased at least once a day in various places such as offices, gyms and shopping centers.
To help the industry meet growing demand, the National Environment Agency upgraded the Environmental Services Productivity Solutions Grant in April. It supports up to 80 percent of the cost of cleaning solutions to increase operational efficiency and productivity for commercial companies, capped at $ 350,000 per company.
This is because hiring more cleaners has proven difficult.
Bryan Goh, company director of A1 Facility Services, said Bryan Goh: “We post more job postings, but very few Singaporeans want to do this kind of work. And now that the border is closed, we can’t hire more foreign workers as well. that we have no choice but to charge our customers much more. “
Singapore Logistics Association Chairman Dave Ng said the logistics sector is also seeing more hires in areas related to home delivery and e-commerce, for non-PMET roles (professional, manager, executive and technical ).
But the majority of Singaporeans are unwilling to fill these positions, he added. “For a long time, these jobs have been taken over by foreigners. So Singaporeans in this sector have been in supervisory or managerial roles. It is very difficult to ask them to ‘roll back’ and do all these jobs,” said Mr. Ng.
The pandemic has prompted more logistics companies to transform their business in the face of these challenges, he added.
“Covid-19 is a good example of why we needed to embark on the Industry Transformation Map (ITM). No one praised the ITM four years ago; people said it was a waste of time and resources. But those who did , their systems are already in place and now they are making the most of it, “he said.
Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that the Environmental Services Productivity Solutions Grant was upgraded in August. This has been corrected. We are sorry for the mistake.
Management has to do work when staff ‘disappear’
Demand for cleaning and disinfection services has doubled for A1 Facility Services amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The business is doing so well that founder and director Bryan Goh, 29, has stepped in to do the work himself on a few occasions, largely because he can’t get enough workers.
The company, which has seen its revenue increase by 30 percent, has tried to hire more Singaporeans by putting up more job advertisements, but some of those who are employed “disappear” after a while, he said.
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Many receive safety training to support or supplement their income.
Mohamed Sameer, a 30-year-old noncommissioned officer on a ship, spends two weeks at sea before returning to shore to rest for two weeks.
He wants to use those two weeks of inactivity to supplement his income by working as a relief security guard for eight days, earning between $ 100 and $ 120 per day.
But you must first receive training and must complete three modules: threat observation (recognizing terrorist threats); guard and patrol (provides guard and patrol services); and incident response (handling incidents and security services).
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