Help housewives and retirees become security guards?

By Leong Sze Hian -

The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has launched a new initiative to help security firms to recruit housewives and retirees. They will be trained to work part-time for six to eight hours of work each day, up to six days a week, and they can expect to earn between $600 and $800 a month.

Pay $4 an hour?



This works out to a pay per hour of only about $4.



Whilst I applaud the WDA's initiative to help housewives and retirees get jobs, it should also try to get a decent paying wage for them.

Help housewives and retirees become lowest paid workers?



I believe this puts such security guards as amongst the lowest paid workers in Singapore.

Security industry shortage due to low pay?



Perhaps the main reason why there is a shortage of 600 full-time security guards in the industry, is that the pay is simply too low.

Helping security industry or housewives and retirees?



Therefore, I suggest that we tackle the root of the problem - low pay, rather than helping the industry's labour shortage by getting more retirees and housewives to work as security guards.