US fresh graduate on vacation in Singapore lands managerial job, netizens outraged

After a post about a fresh graduate from the United States of America stated that she snagged a high-level job in Singapore while on her vacation here went viral, netizens have expressed outrage and dismay. Forum users on popular Singaporean message board Eat-Drink-Man-Woman are at turns angry, defeated, and sad, as they feel that the job market is already difficult for locals, while foreign workers continue to nab positions that could have gone to citizens.

What did the tourist’s Facebook post say?

According to the Facebook post of the alleged tourist who snagged the job position, she hails from the San Francisco Bay Area, which is one of the most expensive cities in the world (but Singapore is still more expensive).

How did the US citizen vacationing in Singapore get a job?

According to the post above, she had learned of an opening from a friend. The opening was in the Allegis Group, a multinational workforce management solutions firm that runs AeroTek and Teksystems. The status message also lists her as a “candidate manager” for Teksystems.

She also said that she was on a vacation in Singapore, but had applied for the job as per the advice from her friend. She commended the company and the human resources contact she had, as she was guided accordingly every step of the way and that the experience was  very pleasant. She mentioned that she got regular updates and that she was contacted before and after her interview. It seemed that waiting and ambiguity wasn’t part of her application process here.

She also said that she was able to spend half a day at the company, “shadowing” other workers so she would know what to expect from the job.

The original status also said that the newly-hired woman had turned her vacation in Singapore into a complete life move, as she is now hired in such a company.

Backlash from Singaporeans

The post was shared by a separate user in a popular Facebook group populated by Singaporeans, with almost half a million members. The reaction from the comments is mostly negative, with a lot of locals expressing their anger at how the foreigner was treated compared to them.

Commenter Gordon Liew said that an acquaintance from the Philippines saw a job ad in an airport area for to a sales assistant and got the job immediately. He has refused to help anyone find a job in Singapore since it seems it is quite easy according to his story.

This commenter is quite upset, especially with how the woman in the original Facebook post was treated with the updates on her interview and how pleasant the experience was. He said that as a local he was never able to experience such treatment whenever he applied for a job.

Another commenter named Jess Sim said that her freshly-graduated niece from the National University of Singapore has not reecived any reply from her job applications.

Can foreigners apply for jobs while on vacation?

According to Singaporean labor laws, foreigners on a social visit to the country are allowed to accept a job offer, but it is widely believed that people on a Singaporean tour aren’t allowed to look for a job. The government, however, will not extend visit passes if the employment circumstances are unclear.

What do you think of the woman’s Facebook post? Let us know in the comments!