3 Top Common Mistakes made by Work Permit Holders

Over the past years, our company has conducted several surveys with Work Permit Holders to get to the bottom of some common mistakes made by WP holders that hinders their career and life progression in Singapore.

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While working in Singapore brings plenty of opportunities and benefits, like double or triple salary as we remit the money back home, we must acknowledge that that is not it if you are looking to build a home and future here in Singapore.

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Goals of Work Permit Holders:

Most Work Permit Holders that we have spoken to in our survey have shared their ambitions to reside and settle down here in the long run as Singapore Residents. Not only that, many of them hope to break away from their existing jobs into sectors that provide more career progression, shorter working hours and higher-income salaries.

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Now, the question boils down to how do they achieve it? Easy! The first step to success is to understand some of the common mistakes made by WP holders and refrain from doing so.

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Mistake 1: Staying Stagnant

About 90% of Malaysian Work Permit Holders feel stuck in their current jobs without any salary increment, promotion or conversion to an S or E-Pass even after working in Singapore for more than 2-5 years.

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But many remain clueless about why they are shortchanged on the number of opportunities that others receive. Let us help you understand why:

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The reason behind this could be the lack of qualifications and skill-sets that your employer might need from you before promoting or converting you. Remaining stagnant and doing your job well is just not enough in Singapore’s thriving society.

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Instead, aiming to upgrade your skills and widen your knowledge is crucial to enhance your chances to help you open up to more career opportunities. By doing so, your employer might even see your worth in promoting, increasing your salary grade or upgrading you to a S/E-Pass.

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If you are unsure how to upskill yourself? Fret not! It is why we have come up with a 2-Step Program Pioneer by our Immigration and Career Experts to secure your pathway not only in your career but also better your life as an expatriate.

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Mistake 2: Blindly waiting for S-Pass Promotion

We should all know the importance of getting an upgrade in your Work Pass by now. If you are still clueless about this part, let us reiterate that upgrading to an E / S-Pass is the most crucial part in helping you unlock your first step in attaining your Singapore Permanent Resident.

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However, most of the work permits we have spoken to are unsure how to obtain an E/S-Pass. Instead, many are left waiting by their employers accompanied by many empty promises on their upgrades. They also remain unaware that the longer they wait, the less possible it is for them to get an E/S-Pass. As a result, the first step to step out of this situation is to: stop waiting blindly!

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By waiting blindly, not only is it filled up with never-ending doubts on your progression and stability in Singapore but, you might also face imminent threats such as retrenchment as your skills are easily replaceable by anyone.

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To break out of this, take action to step up and upskill yourself. Doing so will give your employers more reasons to promote and upgrade your status. If you are looking for an all in one opportunity for someone to guide you, sign up for our program today–eligible candidates will be notified.

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Mistake 3: Not acting on the reality

If you haven’t realised by now, in the year 2020 about 150,800 of Work Permit Holders were retrenched and forced to return to their home country. As compared to the S-Pass holders and E-Pass holders, most of the work permit holders took the bigger blow.

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On top of which, the retrenchment rates have more than doubled–especially in Wholesale Trade; Non-Electronics Manufacturing, and Financial Services sectors.

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Although the pandemic is over, Singapore’s labor market is no longer affected by it. But the above figures are enough to show that when the economy or society is unstable, WP could be the most vulnerable group to be affected and impacted. If you don’t work hard to improve yourself, you may be the one who will lose your job and be forced to leave the country when the next turmoil strikes.

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If you do not improve yourself at the earliest possible time, you will probably lose the opportunity to keep working in Singapore.

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The rewards of upgrading:

We hope you know by upgrading yourself, you will not only be able to open up opportunities for your Permanent Residency in Singapore but also expose yourself to many other benefits as we have mentioned above. If you are keen to embark on this new change for yourself, sign up below for a chance to break out of your current cycle.

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Reach out to us today.

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Disclaimer: All information is true as of time of publish in June 2023, information and data may change beyond this date. For most updated information, always refer to relevant site before making decisions. Kenneth & Co disclaims any liability for any harm caused by using the information provided.

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