It Turns Out You Can Don’t Declare Your Last-Drawn Salary When Seeking for New Jobs

I think we can all agree that the “last drawn salary” is highly problematic.

For one, companies will automatically filter away candidates who are too pricey for them, even ones who are willing to work for less money.

And when candidates say they’re willing to work for lesser than what they’ve previously earned, hiring managers will be focusing on the question of what’s wrong with the candidate, why isn’t he or she looking to earn that much instead of what they can bring to the company.

In fact, even if the candidates manage to successfully step into the interview and got shortlisted, employers will be wondering if the candidate will run the moment a better offer comes along.

Some candidates might also be worried that they’ll be shortchanged on their new salaries.

So if the employers have no right to ask for last-drawn salaries, many problems will be solved.

Right?

Apparently, that’s what Manpower Minister thinks as well, and it turns out:

You Can Don’t Declare Your Last-Drawn Salary When Seeking for New Jobs

Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, 4 June, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said:

• There are no rules saying candidates must declare their last-drawn salary
• and employers cannot insist that they declare them

Employers who use last drawn salary to screen candidates risk losing out the good ones, especially those who are preparing to work for lesser money in view of the current situation.

Imagine if an employer focus on the previous job, which could just be a temporary one, and overlook the longer track record of the candidate, she added.

Is It Really Possible, Though?

It’s good and all to say that employers do not have the right to insist.

But imagine you’re given a form to fill out, and there’s a section on “Past Job Experiences” which has a column for “last drawn salary”.

Will you be able to leave it blank and stand your own ground? Especially when post-Covid-19 is going to be a barren landscape in terms of jobs.

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Apparently, Minister Josephine Teo thinks you should.

She said that companies should be looking for candidates based on a few factors other than the last drawn salary, based on her own experience as an HR director.

If an employer a candidate is interviewing at is looking solely at the last drawn salary, you’re better off looking for a new employer, she advised.

“Don’t spend too much time and waste your energy with these kinds of employers who cannot see beyond one number.”

Some Good News For Jobseekers:

Here’s how the Singapore government normally create jobs.

They send very good salespeople out into the world and “elevator pitch” their way into the really important people and get them to invest or bring their companies to Singapore.

Once they’re here, they’ll have to follow the quota which specifies that a certain number of locals must be hired alongside foreigners.

Tada, jobs created.

But in view of Covid-19, where the global situation isn’t looking too good too, they’re going about it in a different way.

Introducing the National Jobs Council which was formed with only one aim: to create 100,000 vacancies, traineeships and skills training places for Singaporeans.

It’s led by a team of 17 people, eight of them ministers while the rest are representatives from the labour movement and business associations.

They have three priorities:

• Identify and develop job opportunities
• form a “sizeable bank” of SGUnited Jobs and Skills opportunities in various sectors and catering to every skill level
• coordinate efforts among partners for job creation and matching, attachments and training for reskilling, and job redesign to help enterprises transform

In short, they’re trying to repopulate the jobs landscape again.

The rest is left up to us to fight for what we want.

Like DPM Heng Swee Keat said, you won’t get money but there are opportunities to work for money.