Why is Singapore inviting Indian chefs to work in the country?

Singapore is now inviting Indian chefs to work in the country. Before now, those working in Singapore’s services and manufacturing sectors usually came from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan. But why is this happening? And what does this mean for India? Let’s take a closer look: What happened? The city-state has added cooks from India to its list of permissible hires and thus widened its recruitment pool for certain job positions. Traditionally, employers in Singapore’s services and manufacturing sectors have primarily sourced work permit holders from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan.

The Ministry of Manpower has recently unveiled the application process for cooks in Indian restaurants in the city-state.

Establishments desiring to employ Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) work permit holders can submit applications on the ministry’s website, starting from September 1. Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand constitute NTS countries. Apart from cooks in Indian restaurants, the updated NTS Occupation List, introduced during the 2022 Budget debate, encompasses jobs like welders and certain food processing workers, according to The Straits Times newspaper. Employers must pay these workers at least SGD 2,000 (Rs 1,22,549) per month in fixed wages. These workers must account for eight per cent or lower of the employer’s total headcount, excluding Employment Pass holders. Why is this happening? Singapore is facing a manpower crunch in a slew of services and manufacturing sectors. As per the website Trade Winds News, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM) recently put 27 occupations on its “shortage occupation list”. New applicants for employment in Singapore will be assessed via a points-based system called the Complementarity Assessment Framework (Compass). Applicants will need 40 points under six criteria to qualify for a pass under Compass. The MOM and the Ministry of Trade and Industry said government agencies, unions and employers helped put the list together. The agency said the list would be examined every three years, but that it would “retain the flexibility to add or remove occupations annually if required by market conditions”.

The MoM said a main consideration was developing local talent over time.

“Such efforts include working with our institutes of higher learning to equip graduates with the necessary skills for the job, as well as instituting programmes to upskill and reskill locals who are already in the sector or in adjacent roles,” it added. What does this mean for India? With this move, cooks from India have joined the ranks of housekeepers and porters to be included in the list of permissible hires for work permit holders. The ministry has outlined that the applications will be assessed by a panel comprising industry and government stakeholders with expertise in Indian cuisine.

It said that the new development allows eateries to recruit cooks not only from India but also from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

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By expanding the hiring options to these nations, Singapore aims to further enrich its multi-ethnic culinary landscape, supplementing existing recruitment sources like Malaysia, China, and North Asian countries. S Mahenthiran, Chief Executive of Catering Solutions and Honorary Secretary of the Indian Restaurants Association (Singapore), applauded this decision, stating that it will empower Indian restaurants to offer authentic Indian dishes while preserving the country’s rich Indian heritage. Welcoming the government’s decision, Singapore Hotel Association Executive Director Margaret Heng underlined that manpower shortage is potentially affecting operations in the hospitality industry, which is critical to the country’s reputation as a preferred travel destination. Singapore National Employers Federation Executive Director Sim Gim Guan said that “carefully allowing” workers from NTS countries to work in specific occupations would ease employers’ manpower challenges. “This is necessary to ensure that Singapore remains attractive as a destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and tourists,” Sim said. Nurses flock to Singapore The city-state is witnessing growing interest from nurses in India. The development came as Singapore looks to add about 4,000 new nurses to the workforce by year-end, with two-thirds of them from overseas, the _Channel News Asia r_eported. At least one recruitment agency, Dynamic Health Staff, has seen four times more foreign candidates, mostly from India, who are keen to work here in July compared to January, the report said. Better pay packages, perks and a good healthcare system are among the reasons why Singapore is witnessing more Indian nurses interested in moving there. This interest is also matched by rising demand from Singapore. “I would love to set up there with my family in the future because Singapore also gives a much better salary in comparison to India,” said Sana Shahid, a Delhi-based registered nurse who is hopeful of landing a job in Singapore. Her fellow nurses seeking opportunities in Singapore said that the country’s appeal includes its reputation for being safe. They also said that the advanced medical technology and better quality of life are attractive, the report said. Nurses who choose to relocate to Singapore will receive a housing allowance of up to SGD 500 (Rs 30,805 approx) a month, gratuity, and joining bonuses from the institutions they join, Dynamic Health Staff director Arun Kumar Ojha said. There is also “a lot of demand” from the private and public sectors in Singapore, said Ojha, adding that the Ministry of Health Holdings in particular admitted a large number of foreign candidates to the pre-registration process. The process means that nurses are exempted from the Singapore Nursing Board exam. There is demand from healthcare institutions like National Kidney Foundation and nursing homes, Ojha said. However, even as Singapore ramps up foreign recruitment of nurses, the “large majority” of its nursing workforce will continue to comprise locals from nursing school intakes and mid-career training programmes, Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said. With inputs from agencies