Whoever said that the jobs our low wage foreign workers do are simple is (I’m sorry to say) delusional. In fact, we might have to reconsider calling some of the work low skilled in the first place.
I’m currently learning to,
- Build a house
- Cut grass for snooty rich people who don’t have time to do it themselves and
- Do excavation work.
If the definition of low skill work is “not needing a high level of skill”, then none of the above three qualify – contrary to popular belief.
Why is cutting grass difficult?
Cutting grass requires a level of experience that takes time to acquire. For instance, you have to make sure the part that cuts the grass is at the right height. Too high and you won’t even cut the tip. If it were too low you would shave all the grass right off and leave a burn mark on the ground.
On a side note, the garden of the house I cut is now the Sahara desert. So I’m now a fugitive in the states. Also if cutting grass isn’t easy, imagine the rest? Just saying.
Moral of the story
Similar to cutting grass, all the other “low skill” work our foreign workers do shouldn’t be considered as such. And even if we disagree on that, the pay level is in desperate need of an increase, especially since many other developed countries don’t see them as jobs that deserve wages that low.
In addition, while I understand that Singapore needs to remain wage competitive, there is no justification for paying our foreign workers such abysmal wages doing work that isn’t even as easy as they make it out to be.
Something needs to be done.
nicholasptrck 