Tourist who snagged a job in Singapore during her vacation here draws widespread backlash

A tourist who snagged a job in Singapore during her vacation here has drawn widespread backlash on social media.

While it is widely believed that those who come to Singapore on a tourist visa are absolutely not allowed to hunt for a job, the Government allows foreign professionals to apply for jobs during social visits.

In a Facebook post, the unidentified tourist says that she is a fresh graduate straight out of university from the San Francisco bay area in the US.

Revealing that she “recently had the privilege to turn this vacation in Singapore into a move,” the tourist wrote that a girlfriend recommended that she apply for a job at Allegis Group, a multinational workforce management solutions firm that runs AeroTek and Teksystems.

The tourist wrote that she is very happy with the hiring process and staff at Allegis Group, revealing that the Human Resource officer she was liaising with even offered her feedback before and after each interview.

Sharing a photo of herself holding up a banner that says she was hired, the tourist revealed got the job after being given an opportunity to shadow someone in the office for some time.

A netizen called Mrs Tan screencaptured the tourist’s post and shared it with All Singapore Stuff – a Facebook page with a following of nearly half a million Facebook users. The All Singapore stuff post quickly drew nearly 300 reactions and shares.

The majority of netizens were frustrated since they or people they know have been struggling with unemployment and underemployment.

Some also said that the company cannot be blamed since it is usually cheaper to hire foreigners while others said that they prefer to hire locals if they are in a position to do so: