Movement for change Have a broad perspective
I want to share a story to show the narrow perspective of many people. These people cannot see an issue from the perspective of the other person. They can only see it from their selfish perspective.

It is a common weakness.

I advertised for a software developer with one year of working experience on a specific platform. I offered a salary of between $1,800 to $3,600 and asked for citizens, permanent residents and dependent pass holders.
I advertised on Facebook and the Career Future of the Ministry of Manpower.

I did not get any response from locals. I shared my experience on Facebook.

A few people criticized me for offering a low salary. They said that an experienced developer can command a salary of at least $5,000.

Some even attacked me for behaving like the PAP in depressing the salaries of locals.

The government agencies and big companies are able to pay high salaries. They take in the best candidates, but they offer the salary to a limited number of candidates. There are many job seekers who are not able to get a job at the attractive salaries.

Some can do contract jobs and earn a high income. But many others are not able to survive as a contract developer and do not earn a high income.

The people who criticized and attacked me cannot see the perspective of the small employer who has to struggle with high operating costs and uncertain revenue.

The employers cannot pay the salaries offered by big companies and government agencies.

I now share the finances for my company. For ten years, I have been paying software developers out of the revenue that I earned from my investments and consultancy. I do not earn enough revenue from software development to meet my expense.

I certainly cannot afford to pay $5,000 or more for an additional developer.
It is likely that the good developers will not join me even if I offered a salary of $5,000 or more. They consider that the big companies offer better prospects.

This is the struggle of a small company in the market environment in Singapore.

Apart from being in a different tier from the companies, we also have to face the unrealistic expectations of the local worker.

A few dependent pass holders and foreigners applied to me.
I interviewed and recruited a dependent pass holder and offered an hourly rate equivalent to $2,400 for a full time job. 

She had an infant to look after. I worked out with her a flexible schedule so that she can work and also look after the baby. This is the reason for the hourly rate.

She had excellent work attitudes. She did not have the one year of working experience but had other knowledge that are useful to me. She agreed to study and learn the practical aspects during the month before she joined me.

There are many locals who are probably in the same situation as her, i.e. without the working experience but had the book knowledge. These people did not bother to apply to me and ask for the possibility.

If they did, one of them would have got the job, as my preference is for a local, even though they will cost 20% more in CPF contributions.

At a later stage, a few locals said that they would have applied for the job if there were aware of the opportunity. I think they were not telling the truth. I have been looking for this additional developer on several occasions during the past two years.

Some of the arrogant people who passed rude comments are probably in well paying jobs now. Some may lose their jobs in the future. They will wish and hope that some small employers will offer them the opportunity that i did.

I must state that if I have a good revenue stream, I would be happy to pay good salaries but only to deserving workers. I do not want workers to have unrealistic expectations. 

Let me summarize the key points:

a) Do not look at an issue from your perspective only. Think about the perspective of the employer.
b) The small employers cannot afford the salaries of the big companies, but they do their best to contribute to the creation of jobs.
c) Have a good work attitude. Be willing to learn the skills required of a new job. More importantly, contribute to your employer more than you take out of the employer. They have to struggle to survive.

Tan Kin Lian
 

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