Can any one advice on coming to singapore and looking for a job????

i am an expatriate here in abudhabi, but currently due to the fall in oil prices any time soon i may loose my job, i would like to come to singapole and look for a job am an african man who comes from uganda, is race an issue there?? i dont mind doing any type of job as long as am working, its better than going back to my forsaken country where 90%of the people are unemployed, how is it like find jobs like security guard, customer care and so many other jobs my education is diploma in occupational health and safety any advice will be appreciated thanks for you time guys

Welcome to the forum.

I suggest you first read through the posts in this section of the forum for information.

Also please do not post in uppercase as it is considered to be the same as shouting.

There is a lot of implicit (but seldom open) discrimination against people with darker skin in Singapore.
Singapore does accept foreign employees only in areas with skills shortages, (plus the job must fit your educational background and work experience). Your prospective employer will have to show that there are no available locals who can do the job (and must be hired first, by law).
Thus security guard, customer care or "any job" will not work, but there might be opportunities in occupational health and safety (provided you worked at least 3 years in this field).
You need to get creative in your job search, do thorough research and contact suitable employers directly (keeping in mind that they are not waiting for you, but you need to convince them that it's in their own interest to hire you. This is difficult!
Also, being locally present helps tremendously during job search, as local employers rarely ever invite people outside Singapore for interviews (and never pay for travel expenses). So arrange an extended (not just a few weeks!) job search trip if at all possible!

thank you for the information, i really appreciate it, lets say am in singapole
is there any websites that i can apply on for a job or news papers with job adds
or any method i can use to find a job

This topic (how to look for jobs in Singapore) has been discussed numerous times on the forum. Please use the search function to find the information already given.
If you then have a more specific question, which was not discussed before, please feel free to post it here.
Good luck!

thanks i will do that may GOD bless you all

You may try to visit these job portals while in Abu Dhabi, these sites will give you ample of thoughts to know job market here.

Going forward, please write your educational background and job experience so that it will be easier to advise you.

JobsDB.com.sg, jobstreet.com.sg, recruit.net

One thing to say no matter which field you are currently working on, job market at present in Singapore is gloomy. Most of the companies freeze their recruitment process unless it's very urgent.

When market condition is not favorable then it will be very hard to get a call from recruiter and that also to a foreigner.

One reminder, don't ever pay money to anyone for job or fix an interviews or processing your pass in Singapore. These are balant lies and cheaters. Beware of that.

Good luck, but I would suggest you may rather try in those Middle East countries where you are familiar.

Hi Marioquinz, Beppi (the expert)'s answer is very accurate. As an African working here in Singapore, I can tell you that apart from the difficulty in getting a job, it is even harder to obtain a work visa if you do not have any higher education qualification or a skill that is in high demand. If you possess none of the above, my sincere advice is to look elsewhere (Malaysia maybe)

I totally agree with Chukwuemeka. Better to look in other countries such as Malaysia. You might also consider studying in Malaysia. Some Africans that i know study there and some have small businesses, although I cannot tell you if those businesses are legal or not. I would encourage you to not do anything illegal in Malaysia or in any other country. But those guys import clothing from SE Asia and have a clothing store cum hairdressers.

Singapore will be pretty hard hit by the low oil prices too as it is one of their major incomes. Singaporeans themselves are very flexible and willing to do any job in order to make ends meet, so you may have stiff competition. Therefore I'd suggest looking at Malaysia.

Agree also with someones comment not to send money to anyone offering you a job and requires money for Visas, it's most likely a scam by locals to rip you off.

Hansson wrote:

Singapore will be pretty hard hit by the low oil prices too as it is one of their major incomes.


Off-topic, but I have to contradict you here:
Singapore has no oil of its own, just processes (refines) oil from the Middle East on the way to East Asia. The fees paid for or profits made from oil processing are largely independent of the oil price, but go by supply and demand of refining capacity. If due to the low price East Asia uses more refined oil, Singapore will earn more, not less!

You're welcome and I agree.

But let me be more specific. Exploration rather than production is being hit by the low oil prices. Expats and locals in the oil exploration field are being made redundant. This is shown by big lay-offs in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia by Pertamina and Petronas. You are right, Singapore indeed has no oil of it's own but it is where many oil industry companies are based and where many oil industry employees live, both foreigners and locals. When the oil price drops and it becomes uneconomical to drill exploration wells, oil companies concentrate on production since exploration is extremely costly, and that is when lay-offs occur.

marioquniz2016 wrote:

i am an expatriate here in abudhabi, but currently due to the fall in oil prices any time soon i may loose my job, i would like to come to singapole and look for a job am an african man who comes from uganda, is race an issue there?? i dont mind doing any type of job as long as am working, its better than going back to my forsaken country where 90%of the people are unemployed, how is it like find jobs like security guard, customer care and so many other jobs my education is diploma in occupational health and safety any advice will be appreciated thanks for you time guys


Occupational (Workplace) Safety and Health Officer -
To register as an Occupational (Workplace) Safety and Health Officer with MOM in Singapore, you must meet the following requirements :
1) Must be at least 21 years old.
2) Singaporean, PR, EP and S Pass holder.
3) Acceptable workplace safety and health related qualifications (See Note 1 below).
4) At least 2 years of relevant work experience.

Security Guards -
Currently under Singapore Law, you must :
1) Be at least 21 years old.
2) Be a Singaporean, Singapore PR, and Malaysian citizens (See Note 2 below).

Customer Care Officer or any other jobs -
1) You have to compete with job seekers from the local work force as well as from ASEAN, PRC, India, etc.
2) Ugandan needs a Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate before any visitor pass can be issued.
3) Even if you manage to secure a job here, you may face further stricter scrutiny by MOM since your skill-sets are locally available.

Note 1 :
The acceptable WSH-related qualifications are as follows :
• Specialist Diploma in WSH, awarded by WDA and conducted by Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, BCA Academy, NTUC Learning Hub and Singapore Institution of Safety Officers (SISO)
• MSc in Safety, Health and Environment Technology, awarded by the National University of Singapore
• Bachelor of Env Occupational Health and Safety, awarded by the University of Newcastle (Australia)
• BSc in Human Factors in Safety, awarded by UniSIM (Singapore)
• BSc (Health and Safety), awarded by Curtin University of Technology (Singapore campus)
•BSc (Hons) Safety, Health and Environmental Management, awarded by Leeds Beckett University (Singapore campus), from September 2015

Note 2 :
With “Certificate of Good Conduct” issued by the Malaysian Government, and have a permit issued by MOM to be employed in Singapore.

Hansson wrote:

You're welcome and I agree.

But let me be more specific. Exploration rather than production is being hit by the low oil prices. Expats and locals in the oil exploration field are being made redundant. This is shown by big lay-offs in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia by Pertamina and Petronas. You are right, Singapore indeed has no oil of it's own but it is where many oil industry companies are based and where many oil industry employees live, both foreigners and locals. When the oil price drops and it becomes uneconomical to drill exploration wells, oil companies concentrate on production since exploration is extremely costly, and that is when lay-offs occur.


Absolutely correct Hansson. I am one of the very few bucking the trend here in Singapore. My oil service company has (had!) significant resources here in Singapore mostly in Research and Manufacturing as do several of our competitors. All of these companies have had swingeing personnel and cost cuts here in Singapore as part of global cost cutting. I am aware of rig building yards having to cut as well with cancelled orders and a lack of project spending. Even non oilfield vendors who produce expensive electronic and pressure equipment are hurting because of the downturn in oil price. Just because Singapore has no oil does not mean that its economy is not affected.