SINGAPORE: A recruiter who landed in the eye of controversy after she warned Singapore workers to be “hungry” and “paranoid” to beat out foreign competition for jobs has locked her Facebook account amid mounting outrage.

Shulin Lee, founder of legal recruitment firm Aslant Legal, cautioned in a recent CNA podcast that companies are increasingly replacing Singaporean workers with foreign hires whom she described as “hungrier”.

Drawing from her experience as a recruiter, Ms Lee said some employers were choosing workers from countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines over Singaporeans. She argued that the issue was not necessarily skill, but drive and willingness to go the extra mile.

“That hunger is now irreplaceable,” she said, while urging workers to remain “paranoid” about the changing job market and to continuously improve their relationship-building and communication skills.

Her comments quickly sparked heated discussion online, with some Singaporeans agreeing that she was simply describing the realities of the labour market, while others criticised her use of the word “hungry” and argued that it ignored deeper structural pressures facing local workers.

Ms Lee initially chose to respond to the criticism and published a series of posts on Facebook defending her choice of words. She said the backlash may have “hit a nerve” and maintained that the trend extended beyond developing nations, citing competition from workers in places such as Hong Kong, China, and New Zealand.

“The entire world is going through disruption,” she said, reiterating that workers should not become complacent.

She, however, only added fuel to the fire by calling those who were offended by her choice of words “triggered”.

As the criticism reached a fever pitch, the recruiter decided to lock her social media page completely. Her posts are now unviewable by the public.

Despite her move, the backlash continues unabated. Netizens say they feel Ms Lee was deliberately fanning the flames with her initial posts and used offensive words to stir controversy. Others felt she did so because she wanted the engagement online.

Prominent Singapore author Gwee Li Sui also weighed in on the issue. Dr Gwee wrote on Facebook, “I think her main issue is her language. She uses way too many inflaming words, thinking they are professional and precise.”

This article (Recruiter locks FB page amid mounting backlash over controversial remarks) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: As his five-day working visit to Pahang and Terengganu came to a close on Thursday (May 7), Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong underlined the importance of the relationship between Singapore and Malaysia, whom he called “forever neighbours” and “forever working friends.”

SM Lee acknowledged that the two are “very different countries,” which is why the relationship needs to be worked on.

“We have to understand our differences and make sure that (these) do not cause us to unintentionally cause problems to one another,” he told members of the media.

SM Lee also noted that there is a “very good working relationship” at the national level between Singapore’s Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim.

PM Wong visited Mr Ibrahim during Ramadan, where he joined the Malayan leader as he broke his fast, and the two Premiers are currently in the Philippines for the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu.

“I’m sure they will meet there too,” said SM Lee, adding that they have good discussions as both leaders are “very clear that they want to develop and strengthen the ties and the cooperation between the two countries.”

On the ministry-level, there is also cooperation on a wide range of issues, from the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link to the Johor Singapore Special Economic Zone, which SM Lee described as “clearly a win-win project.”He also acknowledged, however, that Singapore and Malaysia also have more complicated and long-standing issues involving maritime boundaries, airspace, and water rights, which are still being discussed as resolutions are sought.

“These are things which we have to manage and make sure they stay on track that they do not unintentionally cloud and affect the overall relationship in a bad way. And that is something we always have to work on,” he added.

On his Facebook page, SM Lee has been posting photos from his various meetings all week long. He and his wife, Ho Ching, had an audience with the Sultan of Pahang and Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, who hosted a lunch for them.

SM Lee also met with the chief ministers of Pahang and Terengganu, as well as other state leaders, discussing various areas of cooperation and business linkages between Singapore and the Malaysian states. /TISG

Read also: SM Lee: Much harder for Govern­ment to deliver prosperity & progress in this environment

This article (SM Lee: Singapore and Malaysia are ‘forever neighbours & working friends’) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A fresh graduate took to Reddit to vent their frustration after feeling that they had become the go-to person for all the “saikang” (menial) work in the office simply because they are the youngest member of the team.

On Wednesday (May 6), they posted on the r/singaporejobs forum, explaining that the workload in their department feels “pretty uneven.”

“Me and another colleague will be OT-ing to finish our tasks while the other 2 [senior] colleagues will be using their phones or chit-chatting during work, and they leave work on time.”

“I am the youngest and newest on the team, so all the tedious and time-consuming saikang gets pushed to me because nobody wants to do them. Their excuse for pushing the work to me is that I can do it faster because I am younger.”

The fresh grad also admitted that the constant pressure has been emotionally draining. Juggling multiple tedious assignments and tight deadlines while watching others appear far less burdened has left them feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and trapped in a cycle they cannot seem to escape from.

“The more I think about it, the more unfair it feels,” they shared, adding that these assignments offer “zero visibility.”

“They are tasks that are essential to complete, but you won’t get credits for completing them because they are saikang, after all. It just feels unfair to me, because I am constantly feeling overwhelmed and stressed at work, having to work on multiple tasks with tight deadlines while they are slacking off.”

Wanting to know whether this kind of workplace dynamic is common, the fresh grad turned to other users for advice and perspective.

“I don’t know. Is this normal? What should I even do? I feel so stuck in this endless loop of saikang.”

“Learn to not submit your work immediately”

In the discussion thread, some users encouraged the fresh grad to try looking at the situation from a more positive angle instead of seeing it as entirely unfair.

One commenter wrote, “This is good that you learn this so early in your career: good work is rewarded with more work. You just have to make sure it’s also rewarded financially and that you are okay with the workload.”

Another advised the fresh grad to treat the extra responsibilities as a chance to build experience and learn how to manage expectations at work. They also suggested not rushing to complete and submit tasks too quickly, as doing so may lead colleagues and managers to assume they can constantly take on more work.

“Learn not to submit your work immediately after you complete it. Rather than sit on it for a few days, check before submitting. Let your boss know your limits; say you have quite a few ongoing tasks and ask if he/she is okay with you [prioritising] one over another.”

A few users also suggested bringing up the issue during a performance review or check-in with management so supervisors become more aware of the uneven workload and the amount of unseen “saikang” work being handled behind the scenes.

“Talk to your boss as part of the performance review. If there’s no value adding and [you’re] being bullied, find another job,” one user wrote.

In other news, a Singaporean jobseeker has shared online that he feels rather “hopeless” after being unable to secure a job despite lowering his salary expectations to around S$3,000 to S$3,500.

Posting on the forum singaporejobs on Monday (May 4), the 26-year-old described the job market in the city-state as “brutal.”

Read more: ‘SG current job market feels brutal’: Singaporean applicant with S$3.5k salary expectations says he’s losing hope after 8 months of job hunting

This article (‘It feels unfair!’: Fresh grad says all the menial tasks are pushed onto them ‘because they’re younger’) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.