Just needed to vent and see if anyone else in tech/corporate IT is experiencing the same pattern, or if it’s just happening in my industry.
Over the past 6 to 9 months, our local team structure has quietly transformed. We had a pretty solid mix of Singaporeans and PRs handling systems, network infra, and support. But lately, every time a local colleague leaves—whether they resign for better prospects or get quietly transitioned out—their replacement is almost guaranteed to be an FT commuting daily or relocated from across the causeway.
It started with just one or two contract roles, but now nearly half the operational floor feels like it’s been swapped out. Don’t get me wrong, individual-wise, most of them are decent people just trying to make a living and putting in long hours. My issue isn’t with them personally; it’s with management’s obvious strategy and how the math even works out legally.
How are these companies managing the MOM quota requirements? From what I understand, S Pass and Employment Pass (EP) ratios under the COMPASS framework are supposed to ensure a healthy local core. But it feels like companies are playing system gymnastics. Are they inflation-matching local headcount on paper using part-timers or phantom hires just to unlock more work passes? Or are they shifting job titles around so people doing core execution work are somehow classified under passes that bypass local tiering?
It’s disheartening when you see Singaporean engineers with solid degrees and local experience getting passed over during hiring rounds because the company knows they can hire someone from across the border who is willing to take 20-30% less, work ungodly OT without complaining, and convert SGD back to MYR for a very comfortable lifestyle back home.
Is anyone else seeing this exact trend in their offices recently? Are companies finding new loopholes in the MOM quota system, or is the quota allowance just far more lenient than what’s publicly advertised?