Foreigner with LTVP+ PLOC shares job search struggles, asks if PRs have better chances AURORATOTO GROUP

SINGAPORE: An expatriate from the United States who is currently jobless asked how realistic it is for LTVP+ PLOC pass holders to find work in Singapore, sharing that while they’ve been on the hunt for employment for some months now, they’ve had no luck.

In a post on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (September 9), u/imthatbinch acknowledged that the job market is pretty tough these days, not only in Singapore and the US but also pretty much everywhere across the globe.

A PLOC is a Pre-approved Letter of Consent, a document issued by the Ministry of Manpower allowing eligible Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP/LTVP+) holders to work in Singapore.

“I’m just posting this bc it’s been a few months and this is the longest amount of time I’ve been without a job and no interest in my applications since I was in high school. I’m at the point where I’m wondering if although it is legal and technically allowed for LTVP+ PLOC pass holders to work here, you’re not really gonna be tapped for a job unless you’re a PR?” they wrote.

The post author is in Singapore as their spouse is a citizen. They have almost 10 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and a bachelor’s degree from a top US university.

They added that they’ve even tried to do volunteer work in the meantime, but have since found out that one needs to be a PR or a citizen to do so.

Commenters on the post assured u/imthabinch that technically, nothing should stop companies from hiring them and that the problem may really lie in the currently poor job market.

“LTVP + PLOC = you are already ahead of millions of other foreigners in searching for jobs.

“But the market is very bad right now, and ageism is very real. There are people with mid-level ( 10-15 years of working experience ) who spend 1 year or 2 years searching for jobs. U see all those tech grad kids who come out of school and can’t find tech jobs? They have to pivot to every other white collar job now,” one wrote.

“Yes, it’s possible to hire LTVP+PLOC. My former company, due to the industry nature, hired many native speakers of various Asian languages. We hired a Korean, a Vietnamese, and a Thai, all on LTVP+PLOC. All of them are spouses of Singaporean citizens. That was around 2020-2021, maybe the market is just bad now,” chimed in another.

“My wife was on PLOC and managed to get hired till she became PR at her current company. Not sure what the roles you applied for were, but it could be due to cultural differences as well. If the companies you applied for have mainly a local workforce, they may be worried that you may not fit in. Given that you are American, I think you probably need to find a job via your fellow Americans who may be in Singapore. You probably gotta go out and meet more people and try for job opportunities that way,” a commenter advised.

Another wrote: “I am recently employed on LTVP PLOC. It took me >6 months to find work. I think it’s a combination of a very bad job market and a lack of awareness. My experience, and that of others I spoke to, is that HR will often say you still need a work pass (when you don’t). I tried adding a line about the PLOC in my CV/LinkedIn, and writing ‘PLOC/no work visa required’ anywhere I could on application forms, but I honestly don’t think it helped.” /TISG

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