According to the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises ( ASME), SMEs that employ foreigners on EPs typically do so for specific projects with fixed durations.
” The increase ( in minimum salary ) would mean that they have to consider the usage of such EP holders quite carefully”, said the association’s president Ang Yuit.
But more widely, most SMEs would not be affected because merely specific businesses rely on EP buyers, he added. By and large, SMEs are hiring and developing native Singaporeans where they can for positions that fall under the EP owner income range.
Some business even hire fewer immigrants.  , Most native law firms, for one, tend to rely on Singaporeans more than foreign people, said TSMP’s Mr Lim. ” Hiring decisions ( at TSMP ) would n’t be affected… because EP holders are a very small minority in our firm anyway”.
LOOKING LOCAL
Asked to comment on the increase in EP qualifying wages, OCBC bank said , ethnicity and other signs like age, race, gender and spirituality were no factors in its hiring process.
According to Mr. Ernest Phang, managing director of party animal tools,” we look for individuals with the right skills and experience and who would be the best meet.”
The company’s compensation plan considers marketplace profitability, economic conditions and efficiency by the organization and individual, he added.
Singapore- founded OMS Oilfield Services, which has activities in six nations,  , already employs two Album holders who would not meet the new income requirement.
It acknowledged the government’s intentions in setting EP qualifying salaries, but noted that , its native talent pool to source from is smaller because Singaporeans generally avoid blue- collar jobs.
” Oftentimes, these jobs require a specific skillset required for certain positions, and it might be difficult to find a suitable local candidate” , , said chief executive officer How Meng Hock.
He claimed that in order to replace him, OMS might need to employ foreigners on S Passes. There is still a cap on the number of S Pass and work permits that a company can hire due to government rules.
OMS has been identifying and nurturing local talent, in part to counteract potential increases in business costs brought on by rising EP salaries.
” We have proactively invested in internship programmes, spanning from university to ITE ( Institute of Technical Education ) and polytechnic students”, said Mr How.  ,
” OMS is fully committed to supporting and putting local talent at the top of our priorities throughout all of our operations.”