Recruitment agency Nala Employment has observed at least a 50 per cent increase in calls to its general hotline from Malaysians seeking employment, said director Jim Wee.
Over at Cultivar Staffing & Search, internal data showed that job postings in the preceding three months attracted up to 30 per cent more Malaysian job applicants, compared with the same period a year ago.
“We reckon that rather than working in the same job for RM3,000 to RM6,000, they might as well work in Singapore for around S$3,000 to S$6,000,” said managing director Zac Ng.
Malaysians seeking work in Singapore often explore sectors including retail and food services, manufacturing, engineering, industrial and technology as well healthcare, the agencies said.
Currency and economic fluctuations aside, recruiters said Singapore is often Malaysians’ “first choice” for overseas work – especially for those living in Johor Bahru – due to the ease of cross-border commuting, a robust economy, better salaries, employment opportunities and a more favourable working environment
Last year, employment in Singapore grew by 88,400, with 83,500 of those jobs going to non-residents and especially in the construction and manufacturing sectors, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) latest labour market report released in March.
The bulk of the increase in foreign employment was in jobs that do not “typically” fall under the types Singaporeans want to do, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said in parliament earlier this month.
