S’pore Company Accused Of ‘Exploiting’ Freelancers By Offering $7.50 For 1,000 Words; Employer Has Responded

Since jobs have become as precious as toilet paper during the Covid-19 pandemic, many employers are taking advantage of their workers.

My boss, for example, has started literally paying Goody Feed writers in peanuts ever since the coronavirus emerged.

Boss: At least they’re salted, right?

They are quite tasty actually.

Unfortunately, since jobs have become so hard to come by at this trying time, many workers have had to give in to their employer’s unreasonable demands.

And this employer might just be the worst of the lot.

S’pore Employer Accused Of Lowballing Freelancers, Offers $7.50 For 1,000 Words Post

An irate freelance journalist took to social media to accuse a local employer of “lowballing” their workers.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (3 Sept), Kirsten Han shared screenshots of a job listing for a startup blog called Vertical Template.

The listing says that the company is looking for individuals who have a passion for writing, especially those who have time flexibility and are able to work remotely.

Oddly, the company says that not only are individuals with a lack of experience and qualifications welcome, but that those traits are an “advantage in writing personal and great articles”.

The company also claimed that it would not be hiring foreigners because it wanted to “help locals first”.

Sounds quite commendable, right? Except they’re offering writers $7.50 for a 1,000-word article.

Yes, you read that right. The company did say, however, that this job isn’t for those looking to “get rich”, because it’s a side hustle that isn’t profitable yet.

Han, who is herself a freelance journalist, called the low recompense “insulting and exploitative”, adding that while they claim to “help locals”, they aren’t really helping anybody.

“If the company is a side hustle and not yet profitable, that is the CEO/founders’ problem. Not freelancers'”, she said.

Netizens certainly agreed with Han, as they were incredulous that a company would offer such low compensation.

Company’s Response

Speaking to AsiaOne, the founder of the company, Sky Hoon, said there was no typo in his listing; he is indeed serious about the $7.50 salary.

Hoon, who’s an office worker in his 30s, said he owns VerticalTemplate.com and several other sites that he calls “hobby blogs”.

While it was originally a portal to create website templates for churches, Vertical Template is now a resource for freelancers and startups who are new to the industry, according to AsiaOne.

As for why he’s looking for writers with no experience, Hoon explained that he doesn’t want his articles to be written in a formal style.

“I believe formal writing doesn’t work very well for hobby blogs which I focus on”, he said.

In response to the backlash over the $7.50 salary, Hoon said he’s going by the remuneration he offered in the past on freelance service marketplaces like Fiverr.

“Initially, I outsourced my ideas to Fiverr and Upwork writers who wrote really fast and cheaper at US$42 ($57) for eight articles — around US$5.25 per article,” he said.

“After working with these writers for a year, I thought I should try posting locally and see if locals are even interested at a rate I can sustain.”

Responding to Han’s post, Hoon said he believes $7.50 is an adequate payment for a 1,000-word article, adding that people who need more money should look elsewhere.

“I am sorry to make someone feel insulted and exploitative [sic]”, he said.

Hoon added that despite the supposed low salary, he’s received 53 applicants so far, including some from abroad.

He’s rejected all foreign applicants, however, as he only wants locals.

But do the locals want him back? That is the question.