I REFER to the letter, "Pay too paltry in those jobs Singaporeans shun" (my paper, Dec 10).

Various reasons have been given for why Singaporeans are leery of certain jobs, and we should determine if they arevalid.

A monthly salary of $1,000 is meagre in Singapore, where the cost of living is high, but, then, one should also consider the nature of the particular job.

It is not cost-effective to pay, say, a general worker in a coffee shop more than that amount. Ditto for a pump attendant at a petrol station.

Salaries are usually commensurate with the work and one's skills, experience and qualifications. While it may sound cliched, a respectable company would not want to pay peanuts to get monkeys.

Money aside, many Singaporeans dislike working shifts and irregular hours. In our vibrant business environment,
most companies such as banks and retail outlets operate long hours and even on weekends. Gone are the days when most people worked from 9am to 5pm.

As Singapore has progressed from Third World to First World, our mindsets should move in tandem with the rapid changes, lest we get left behind. It is ludicrous to decline a job offer just because one has to travel to a remote area to work.

Singapore is a small country and travelling from one end of the island to the other should not be considered a bugbear. Besides a good public-transport system, many companies also provide free transport for employees to and from work.

In neigbouring countries, it is common for workers and students to travel for two hours to their workplaces and schools. In other words, they leave home before dawn breaks and return home late.

The corporate world is becoming increasingly competitive and, unless Singaporeans emerge from their comfort zone, they will find it difficult to compete with foreigners for jobs.

MR JEFFREY LAW LEE BENG

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