Help housewives and retirees become security guards?

Published by The Online Citizen on September 13, 2012

By Leong Sze Hian

The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has launched a new initiative to help security firms to recruit housewives and retirees. They will be trained to work part-time for six to eight hours of work each day, up to six days a week, and they can expect to earn between $600 and $800 a month.

Pay $4 an hour?

This works out to a pay per hour of only about $4.

Whilst I applaud the WDA’s initiative to help housewives and retirees get jobs, it should also try to get a decent paying wage for them.

Help housewives and retirees become lowest paid workers?

I believe this puts such security guards as amongst the lowest paid workers in Singapore.

Security industry shortage due to low pay?

Perhaps the main reason why there is a shortage of 600 full-time security guards in the industry, is that the pay is simply too low.

Helping security industry or housewives and retirees?

Therefore, I suggest that we tackle the root of the problem – low pay, rather than helping the industry’s labour shortage by getting more retirees and housewives to work as security guards.

About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.