‘Singaporeans need to level up’: Companies say flexi-work could push them to hire overseas

SINGAPORE: As flexi-work becomes the norm in Singapore, employers mentioned they’ll also just rethink hiring local workers and scrutinize foreign places for recruitment.

Beneath tripartite guidelines announced on Tuesday (Apr 16), firms in Singapore have to moderately preserve in tips staff’ requests for flexible work arrangements from December.

Ms Tan Wan Ting, who based digital advertising and marketing company Weave Asia in 2017, within the intervening time hires 11 burly-time staff in Singapore and 13 in Malaysia.

Even supposing the company’s work also will be done remotely, she used to be “engaging to undergo rather a few working costs” for an workplace and burly-time staff in Singapore to ascertain a hasty response time for clients.

Weave Asia within the intervening time has “flexi-problem” arrangements for staff to work from diverse locations.

But Ms Tan used to be panicked that the requirement to preserve in tips requests for diverse arrangements, including “flexi-time” measures love staggered working hours, would possibly perchance mean “messy” hours for her Singapore crew.

This in flip would possibly perchance have an effect on how contactable her staff are and their response bustle, she mentioned.

If flexible work hours develop to be the norm, Ms Tan mentioned she also can just wish to rent more staff from Malaysia the put manpower costs shall be four or five times lower than Singapore, and farther foreign places.

The suitable motive to no longer ranking that would possibly perchance be if Singapore-based candidates private abilities that candidates across the Causeway can’t match, and she used to be engaging that’s an increasing number of more no longer the case.

“Singaporeans, we if truth be told wish to level up,” mentioned Ms Tan. “I’m only a tiny company. Bigger firms shall be thinking the identical ingredient.

“Why ranking I wish to rent burly-time workers now if there are flexi-work hours? Would possibly perchance as effectively I acquire a pool of abilities, I pay them by the hour,” she mentioned.

Mr Felix Sim, the founder of blockchain endeavor builder Salad Ventures, put this one more diagram: “The ‘local’ top price will soon develop to be inappropriate for most firms.”

His company hires eight burly-time staff in Singapore and 10 burly-time a ways flung staff. A hybrid work protection with two days per week within the workplace has been in problem since closing November.

If flexible work arrangements develop to be the norm, employers can develop their teams remotely, reducing their dependence on within the community based staff, mentioned Mr Sim.

“This would possibly occasionally birth to be more no longer easy for staff to straggle attempting a job … because employers will now if truth be told examine their skills and pay bundle towards potentialities of hiring remotely foreign places.”