Came across this article be asione but had to put it here to discuss as they do not allow comments: http://www.soshiok.com/content/locals-dont-want-be-stall-helpers .
Locals don't want to be stall helpers
She is offering $100 a day to a Singaporean or permanent resident (PR) to become her wonton mee stall assistant at Jalan Besar.
Despite the offer, which is higher than the norm of $60 to $70 a day, the response has been poor.
Madam Linda Heng, 50, who owns the Da Jie Famous Wanton Mee stall at a Jalan Besar coffee shop, tried hiring a month ago but to no avail.
Some of them wanted to work only certain days of the week, or certain hours, while others bargained for a lighter workload.
The assistant is expected to help prepare ingredients, keep the stall clean, take orders and serve food.
Madam Heng, who has been in the business for 14 years, finally hired someone last week, but he didn't last a day.
So her search continues.
The dearth of local stall assistants is a major problem, she said. She relies on her husband and three parttimers to get by.
She told The New Paper that an extra pair of hands will ease the backbreaking workload and allow her to sell more.
But Madam Heng, who owns a food stall licence, is able to hire only a Singaporean or a PR, according to Ministry of Manpower rules.
This is where her problem lies: Few Singaporeans are willing to take up the work.
"Many in the younger generation don't have the passion to cook or become a hawker.
"So they are not committed to such a job, especially when the work is tough and the hours are long."
Madam Heng arrives at her stall at 4.30am every day. She stops selling noodles at 2pm, but that is not the end of her day.
She has to clean her stall and begin preparing the next day's ingredients.
It is usually 9pm by the time she finishes work.
FIVE HOURS OF SLEEP
Madam Heng, who has three children aged 18 to 26, sleeps five hours before getting up at 2am to start the process again.
She sells a few hundred bowls of noodles each day.
An additional assistant would allow her to focus more on cooking - a task that is handled only by her - and sell 10 to 20 per cent more.
"A few days ago, I had to close early because I was just too tired, even though we hadn't reached the amount we wanted to sell," she said.
She earns about $1 per bowl, which is priced at $3 and the profit margin has, she said, diminished over the years due to increasing cost of raw materials, wages and rent.
Her manpower costs are about half her total costs.
Madam Roza Arus, 59, a stall assistant in Toa Payoh, said that many in the younger generation prefer office jobs.
Madam Kasmah Sukor, 44, who runs a nasi padang stall at a hawker centre in Amoy Street, said: "Many complain about the lack of air-conditioning and standing for long hours, and said they don't want to wash bowls."
So she has to prepare the ingredients, cook and clean, reducing her overall output and profit.
So why not just increase prices? Said Madam Heng: "You cannot do that because it will drive customers away. People make noise even when prices go up by 10 cents."
She said a nearby stall lost nearly half of its customers after increasing its price by about a dollar to $4.
"Some people asked me why don't I operate for longer hours.
"My response is: Do you want me to work myself to death?"
"What I do then is to keep my customers happy and coming back. I make sure I sell them quality noodles so they will tell others about my food."
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Some people have been claiming that Singaporeans do not want to become store helpers. The way I see it is this is not true. It probably is because they did not advertise sufficiently well to reach out to more people.
$100 a day is $2600 per month. Last time a Sakae Sushi offered $3000 per month for a 12-hour a day job and the mass media helped them advertise about it, 300 people called in to them to ask them whether there are any more vacancies for dishwasher's job.
Sigh
ask urself lah, u want?
I have a better job than that of a store assistant but as shown by the 300 enquiries for the $3000 dishwashers job, there are singaporeans out there who wants it. The situation is not like what they claimed as though no one wants to earn if it is $100 per day. I am very sure there are aunties who would not mind taking up that job if the pay is $100 per day.
The only reason why I bother highlighting this fact is because there are people who say we need more foreigners in Singapore as Singaporeans refuse to take up the jobs and election is round the corner.
This job pays higher than security guards at Condos or factories who work 12 hours per day.
You let the minimum wage cleaners know about this job and they would immediately quit their job to work as store assistant.