Unfair Tech Hiring in SG – Are Locals Being Sidelined in Our Own Country?

[gohbiscuit]

Hi all,
I’m a Singaporean in my mid-30s, graduated from a top local university in Computer Science — arguably the best in Asia. I’ve worked in tech across banks and financial institutions, and I want to raise an uncomfortable but real issue: unfair hiring practices in Singapore’s tech sector.


Despite good credentials and strong skills, I’ve mostly been offered contract roles. Permanent or senior opportunities are rare — especially when the hiring manager is non-local (e.g. from India). And many Singaporeans in tech will know what I mean without needing to say it out loud.

---

Some uncomfortable truths I’ve witnessed personally:​

• Singaporeans are often offered junior “quota” roles (analyst, associate), while foreigners dominate senior and permanent positions like VP, Director, Lead Engineer.
• Retrenchments? I’ve heard too often: “Singaporeans can find jobs easily” — but many can’t. Some go 1–2 years jobless, even with solid CVs, and end up switching careers or driving Grab.
• Cost-cutting? Foreigners don’t pay CPF — so they appear cheaper on paper. Ironically, they often paid higher than locals. And the locals who serve NS and pay high school fees are seen as “less cost-efficient.”
• And worst of all: Fake job interviews.

Yes — I’ve seen this myself:

Some HRs or “tech professionals” are tasked to collect resumes from Singaporeans just to satisfy MOM’s Fair Consideration Framework. They conduct token interviews or post fake job ads on Jobs Bank just to say “we interviewed locals,” when in reality they already plan to internally transfer someone from India.

This happens far too easily, and there’s no real audit on whether the interviews or shortlisting were genuine.

---

Here’s a real-life example to show how deep this goes:​

Check this Facebook post:



It compares the top management of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong vs Singapore.

• SCB Hong Kong: Mostly locals in leadership
• SCB Singapore: Mostly foreigners (Indians nationality)

Now seriously — when it comes to promotion, cost cutting, or leadership calls, who do you think they will prioritize?

---

I'm not anti-foreigner — I’m pro-fairness.​

And so I want to ask fellow Singaporeans in tech:

1. Are you facing the same situation? Am I alone in this?
2. Are our local degrees, NS, and CPF really valued — or are we just here to fill a number?
3. What can be done to audit hiring pipelines more strictly? Can MOM do more to prevent abuse of the Jobs Bank system?
4. Is the “Singapore Core” a real goal — or just a narrative?

Let’s have a real, honest discussion. No hate — just awareness, feedback, and hopefully pressure for fairer practices.

 

[reddevil0728]

Hi all,
I’m a Singaporean in my mid-30s, graduated from a top local university in Computer Science — arguably the best in Asia. I’ve worked in tech across banks and financial institutions, and I want to raise an uncomfortable but real issue: unfair hiring practices in Singapore’s tech sector.


Despite good credentials and strong skills, I’ve mostly been offered contract roles. Permanent or senior opportunities are rare — especially when the hiring manager is non-local (e.g. from India). And many Singaporeans in tech will know what I mean without needing to say it out loud.

---

Some uncomfortable truths I’ve witnessed personally:​

• Singaporeans are often offered junior “quota” roles (analyst, associate), while foreigners dominate senior and permanent positions like VP, Director, Lead Engineer.
• Retrenchments? I’ve heard too often: “Singaporeans can find jobs easily” — but many can’t. Some go 1–2 years jobless, even with solid CVs, and end up switching careers or driving Grab.
• Cost-cutting? Foreigners don’t pay CPF — so they appear cheaper on paper. Ironically, they often paid higher than locals. And the locals who serve NS and pay high school fees are seen as “less cost-efficient.”
• And worst of all: Fake job interviews.

Yes — I’ve seen this myself:




This happens far too easily, and there’s no real audit on whether the interviews or shortlisting were genuine.

---

Here’s a real-life example to show how deep this goes:​

Check this Facebook post:



It compares the top management of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong vs Singapore.

• SCB Hong Kong: Mostly locals in leadership
• SCB Singapore: Mostly foreigners (Indians nationality)

Now seriously — when it comes to promotion, cost cutting, or leadership calls, who do you think they will prioritize?

---

I'm not anti-foreigner — I’m pro-fairness.​

And so I want to ask fellow Singaporeans in tech:

1. Are you facing the same situation? Am I alone in this?
2. Are our local degrees, NS, and CPF really valued — or are we just here to fill a number?
3. What can be done to audit hiring pipelines more strictly? Can MOM do more to prevent abuse of the Jobs Bank system?
4. Is the “Singapore Core” a real goal — or just a narrative?

Let’s have a real, honest discussion. No hate — just awareness, feedback, and hopefully pressure for fairer practices.

Correlation doesn’t mean causation though.

notwithstanding what you have observed might indeed be a pattern, but for your own personal case, do you actually know what’s the underlying factor or did you come to the conclusion yourself what happened to you?

because it’s very different.

 

[ramlee]

Hi all,
I’m a Singaporean in my mid-30s, graduated from a top local university in Computer Science — arguably the best in Asia. I’ve worked in tech across banks and financial institutions, and I want to raise an uncomfortable but real issue: unfair hiring practices in Singapore’s tech sector.


Despite good credentials and strong skills, I’ve mostly been offered contract roles. Permanent or senior opportunities are rare — especially when the hiring manager is non-local (e.g. from India). And many Singaporeans in tech will know what I mean without needing to say it out loud.

---

Some uncomfortable truths I’ve witnessed personally:​

• Singaporeans are often offered junior “quota” roles (analyst, associate), while foreigners dominate senior and permanent positions like VP, Director, Lead Engineer.
• Retrenchments? I’ve heard too often: “Singaporeans can find jobs easily” — but many can’t. Some go 1–2 years jobless, even with solid CVs, and end up switching careers or driving Grab.
• Cost-cutting? Foreigners don’t pay CPF — so they appear cheaper on paper. Ironically, they often paid higher than locals. And the locals who serve NS and pay high school fees are seen as “less cost-efficient.”
• And worst of all: Fake job interviews.

Yes — I’ve seen this myself:




This happens far too easily, and there’s no real audit on whether the interviews or shortlisting were genuine.

---

Here’s a real-life example to show how deep this goes:​

Check this Facebook post:



It compares the top management of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong vs Singapore.

• SCB Hong Kong: Mostly locals in leadership
• SCB Singapore: Mostly foreigners (Indians nationality)

Now seriously — when it comes to promotion, cost cutting, or leadership calls, who do you think they will prioritize?

---

I'm not anti-foreigner — I’m pro-fairness.​

And so I want to ask fellow Singaporeans in tech:

1. Are you facing the same situation? Am I alone in this?
2. Are our local degrees, NS, and CPF really valued — or are we just here to fill a number?
3. What can be done to audit hiring pipelines more strictly? Can MOM do more to prevent abuse of the Jobs Bank system?
4. Is the “Singapore Core” a real goal — or just a narrative?

Let’s have a real, honest discussion. No hate — just awareness, feedback, and hopefully pressure for fairer practices.

有些事情你現在不必問
有些人你永遠不必等

I'm not anti-foreigner — I’m pro-fairness.​

This is the problem Sinkies are trained in skool to hold this value. And this is the very value that did all of us in