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And the happiness level is not necessarily higher the more you earn too. Human desire is a bottomless pit...you can never quite get what you truly want, beneath it all
@@patoises Domestic is earning MORE than in her backwater country she's from. Other foreigners have a WORSE lifestyle than in the culture they were born in. I'd say accepting $1000 as the ideal is shortsighted and harmful.. humans don't aim to just survive.
True but there is reasons to that. Expats usually come with their family… they have to pay the rent, the school for the kids, and healthcare insurance for all the family as they don’t get CPF. You can’t compare to an helper coming alone, living in your place (no rent). Not saying what you say is wrong, just saying there is also reasons to that !
Damn, another thread I guess I got censored on for no good reason. Since I get notifications but no post... Guess YT is corrupt or just have a terrible platform accepting only vapid opinions by the masses.
That lady from the Philippines in the black dress sending everything back and saving food expenses. I want an interview on her day to day life. Sounds like a good reference point.
When accommodation and meals are provided daily the rest of the day will comprise of work and rest. During off days they can also choose to go to places that will render aids, groceries and clothes to them instead of depleting their income on additional expenditures so thas how it is possible for them to live and work like this. For other professions not that easy though.
There was a previous video where the same thing happened, others were saying how difficult it was to live there but the Filipina domestic worker on low wages managed to send money back home. I suspect that in both cases they don't pay rent as that is one of the major expenses.
@@anglo-saxonconnor817 render aids? Is it like the ration shop equivalent in India? We get rice I think at a cheaper price and certain vegetable combos as well.
I can't help but notice that the domestic helper are so much positive and happier. Even thought their income is more than 10 time less and makes me wonder what is true happiness
@@cynthiabianzon5408 It's a matter of context and expectations. First, what they receive at the end of the month ($900) is free and clear. They have food and housing provided by their employer. They don't need to pay tax. They also receive a free ticket to visit their home during vacation. Basically, to be able to pocket that much money in the Philippines it would be almost unheard of, for unskilled manual labor. Not saying that their work isn't valuable. To those who need the help of these ladies, they are invaluable. But market conditions dictate the salary. It's currently at $900/month for a reason. During COVID times it was a lot higher.
Also as the MD, they probably don't even consider monthly salary. Their annual compensation + stock option probably exceeds ministers' salaries by miles.
Interesting how the domestic helper says she doesn't feel financially constrained with only 1k per month while the professor says he'd have to make at least 10k to feel stress-free. Speaks volumes about lifestyle habits and being financially prudent.
1K per month is well above market rate of about $700 per month. She doesn't have to pay for food, rent or utilities and her healthcare costs are covered by the employer. So $1K is literally just for discretionary spending and of course sending back home to feed the village which is where most of the money drain comes from. If you take public transport and pack your own food to picnics (which a lot of helpers do), your expenses can be kept fairly low. There's a lot of public parks and free activities in Singapore for Sunday hangouts. Hmmm.... if that's the average pay in Singapore I gotta think about raising my helper's salary at renewal....
The simple reason being that they have very different hobbies. Domestic workers usually just picnic with their friends which cost little to nothing. But guys like that professor live more extravagant lifestyles. If Singaporeans can live on much less, how on Earth would a foreigner think they need 10k when they don’t pay the same kind of taxes? The great irony is that the Indian professor would immediately live like a king as soon as he went back home, because he would never make the same salary in India in a million years.
Agree with the Aussie views - as long as you depend on active employment, no passive income, you will feel stress regardless of how much you earn. High earners will have higher expenses from expensive lifestyle.
I disagree. Having high income helps ALOT. If you manage your spendings well your worries aren't as bad as someone living paycheck to paycheck. It's the high earner's choice to make expensive spendings but take away the expensive spendings their worries all all but gone. A guy living paycheck to paycheck doesn't have that luxury they have to manage the spendings EXTREMELY scarcely just to survive.
As a Filipino, earning 1k SGD is significantly better than local maids here who earn below the minimum wage (around 300 SGD). They typically earn between 75 SGD and 150 SGD. Some fortunate outliers, hired by very wealthy families, earn between 300 SGD and 1k SGD. To put this in other perspective, earning 1k SGD is comparable to the salary of an assistant manager at a bank here.
obviously working here for $1k/month is more than what they would be earning back home. do you think they are here out of the goodness of their hearts doing charity ?
they are paid not on the scale of the living in sg but back in their home countries; they don't have to worry about living expenses in sg as their basic needs are covered by their employers; with the salary they earn here in sg, it converts back to much more at home, and some can even buy land back at home(i hear many personal stories of such);
The scope of foreigners differs widely if foreigners meant westerners. SG is like a melting pot of culture hence this interview is very much skewed as well to begin with. Whatabout the SEA nation who comes here and work as blue collar, white collar and etc. that’s not covered in this interview. I have met a Brit earning 6k a month too. Hence, not quite accurate.
while there is clear disparity in the people interviewed it was also quite interesting to see the lifestyle differences between the 1000 and 10,000 per month
Well, now you know how their killing machines almost took over and destroyed half the world during WW2. Until they attacked the Russians, who unfortunately for the Germans didn't seem to understand the concept of 'No means No'!
That guy spent $7k on rental when he could get an apartment with $5.5k rental, so it's a choice actually and one couldn't complain on rising costs when you can make adjustment instead of sticking to your comfort zone.
For the context there are different types of foreigners interviewed here: Experienced expats (believe with family relocated), normally it's around 15-30K (their kids go to International schools that charge $$$) Normal expats (experienced), 7.5-15K Domestic helpers 750-1000 (and they are not allowed to work as PMET) On average, non-foreigners will have 2-10K depending on years of experience and skills. Also, foreigners don't get to enjoy subsidised facilities, medical & education benefits (hence they require higher salary to cover housings, educations, etc) At least that's what I know.
There's a good bunch that is in the middle, those who studied as foreign students here and are employed in local firms earning between 4 to 6k. Fresh grads, middle position workers.
The income divide between profiles is staggering. Appreciate the transparency on income, hope it helps us be more financially literate and aware of market value.
Food, Rental, Insurance, Transport, and most fixed costs are covered by employers for the Domestic workers. The kind of stress from crazy surges in prices here in Singapore is something hard for them to comprehend. Especially for locals who mostly don't have the means and family wealth to have migration as an option. Inflation + unregulated price hikes are main factors driving locals into insane stress. Now with layoffs (indirectly caused by higher wages due to inflation), us Singaporeans are having sky high depression rates, with no where to go and no where to run.
@@kageyamareijikun I'm not proposing running abroad, my point is that country is becoming unsustainable and the ones who suffer the most are middle/low income locals
Domestic helpers have plenty to worry about in their home countries despite what is being portrayed here. I can think of a few things such as husband running away with another woman (if married), unable to get married (if unmarried), don't get to raise your own kids and all kinds of other things people here can't even imagine like someone else taking loans on their name (I've heard first hand accounts) then loan sharks coming after their families... So while working in Singapore, depriving themselves of any form of luxuries and sending money home definitely eases their situation, it's untrue to say that they live tension free.
Of course you need to provide yhose for DH what do you mean. Youbsound like those DH dont own their keep. They work more than 8hrs inside the house. They need to be paid more
I applaud the lady saving 90% of her salary. Also, please do not assume there are no other jobs for women in Singapore. I wish they had interviewed more women.
As of May 29, 2024 100 SIngapore Dollars is equal to 74.09 American. Domestic Helper who earned 950.00 wage is paid 666. 01 American. Just a comparison.
As a filipino helper working in singapore i can say that our salary is enough to survive here in singapore as we don’t pay rent. Our food and toiletries are covered by our employers. I don’t think inflation really affects us, as we don’t have the lifestyle that others do have. As of weather it is enough to support out family in the philippines? that is another story.
I love to see this "contrast" of someone having an allowance of 800SGD and saying they live comfortable while helping their kids and family, and someone with over 20KSGD monthly allowance also living worry-free. That just shows that most of the time is just about our lifestyle choices. I'm Mozambican, living in Türkiye for the last 10+ years, and had the opportunity to visit Singapore and Kuala Lumpur last year, and I have to say, if I had the opportunity I would live in Singapore. I mean, the infrastructures and security/safeness is worth it. In terms of social life, you can eat out for 10SGD, 50SGD, 100SGD and even more, it's up to you, your allowance and priorities of course.
not exactly correct. domestic helpers live with their employers, so they don't need to worry about utility bills, food, and most of all, rent. rent can leave you poor if you're paying 5-7k a month.
I'm just curious why all Filipinos interviewed was all Domestic Helper. Well, there's nothing wrong about that by the way but there's a lot of Filipinos who are also working in the Corporate world in Singapore.
I'm local & struggling. On some months of the year, there's a letter coming to me saying "Thank you for your contribution to the nation!" 😅😅😅 And still struggling again to save up for retirement.
As a foreigner when I pay my tax we get the same letter 😂 minus all the subsidiaries. And its sounds so good for a while then I get a bill from NUH. I can imagine its getting tough day by day don't know how long can we survive.
you failed to emphasize the reason for such disparity between salaries of executives and housemaids in singapore..domestic helpers in singapore doesn't pay rent such that their employers provide food and accommodation and even basic transportation expenses
Learn English and assimilate with the locals here. I've personally known someone who has such poor command of language who works in a US MNC, she could barely communicate her thoughts, much less manage a team (she's a senior people's manager). And do not expect locals to understand and empathise with you because of "cultural difference" because as many of the interviewees mentioned, Singapore is a very international city and we love people from all cultural backgrounds, but that does not mean you fall back on "cultural difference" as an excuse for work differences. Adapt to an international working culture where we locals have long adjusted to. :)
@@koalatheworld lol... we can speak multi languages, everyone is fluent in atleaaaast 2 language, at any given time, we can switch languages. on top of that, we have our own local Singlish. while having one of the best education, our children are mastering algebra at 7 years old, start learning coding at 5, speaks 2 languages at the age of 3. so who cares for "proper" english. language is just another human contruct. so, how many languages can you speak? what did you mastered at the age of 3, 5 and 7? if you can top all that, let me know
Singapore is a small country. I think the cost of living in each area is the same. Why do some people need more than $10k while others live on around $1k? There is a big difference.
Domestic workers living on 1k or less don’t have to pay for food, rent and phone. Their employer bears the cost. It’s purely savings to be sent back to their home country or personal spending on their off days. Rent is a killer here for majority of professional expats.
Some really boring and not so insightful people interviewed here. Im a foreigner working here and i will break it down. I make $15k a month working in finance. I am from nyc and this is about the same as what i would earn in the big apple because taxes are much higher there. Salaries here are definitely higher than in london or in germany where ive worked before. Cost of living in singapore is high but manageable. Rent is high but it is nothing new for me as rents in nyc are even higher. While restaurants are expensive, hawkers make a casual meal much cheaper than in other similar big cities. I would say a salary of 10k a month would give you a decent life in singapore and anything more will obviously help. If youre on an EP, you need to make a minimum of 5-6k anyway so this is not difficult for foreigners to attain. Public transport is great and grabs are super cheap given the gdp per capita of sg. There's zero reason to own a car in Singapore. Singapore is incredibly safe, clean, and normal. You wont find anything particularly interesting here but you also know exaclty what youll get. Its a great place to raise kids until theyre school age. Hopefully you make more $ because schooling fees for foreigners is steep.
This is my neighbourhood, it is expensive on this strip of the river, or you could walk 5 mins down the river to the Zion hawker and eat amazing food for SGD6, carry on a bit further and you can get banana prata and a Kopi for SGD4.5. It’s about choice. However, the helper saying SGD1k per month is enough doesn’t have to pay rent, which is obviously the biggest expenditure.
U are FAANG software engineer? Data scientist? ML engineer? Singaporeans doing these jobs are clearing 15-20k monthly. O&G traders ( Singaporeans) would be looking at 1.5-2 millions/ year.
@@juejuejue actually isn't that different. Rest Indonesia is also as beautiful as Bali just google Raja Ampat etc. It is just Bali the only one area allowed alcohol
@@tamarasauls8855 employers must buy them insurance coverage but it is usually basic and doesnt cover much especially if the employee is hospitalised and have to the pay the unsubsidised rate for foreigner. So they resort to crowdfund or try to repatriate them back as soon as possible,
and u think 800-900 is justifiable and sufficient even tho they still pay for the same things as wealthier individuals? 900 ? tell me ur a slave-driver without telling me.
@@keemarotichai they don’t pay for the same things as wealthier individuals. They don’t even pay for their food. Slavery is involuntary. Domestic helpers on the other hand have a whole line of others behind them hoping to land the same job because it pays significantly more than what they make back home. Calling this slavery is not only a failure to understand slavery, but making light of the actual slaves out there who are fighting to be free.
The domestic helper that says food in Philippines cost less than a dollar, that's not true if you're living in GMA or greater manila area. As a domestic helper here in Singapore, it is still cost more or less 8 dollars a meal per person.
I can still buy a meal of rice and vegetables for Php 47 in one of the many Metropolitan Manila's small kitchenettes. One SG dollar is equal to Php43.24.
Evan above 10k earning people also saying "here is very expensive. salary not enough". My pay is 4.5K but pretty enough to run whole family. Don't commit in big big things to pay big big money. if want livng in luxury life then 50K pay also not enough per month.
For those curious about how the domestic workers manage to get by with regards to the amount of money they send back home to the Philippines, their employers cover the major expenses for them as they usually live with their employers, if I’m not mistaken. Same situation as Hong Kong, where I’m based working as a teacher from South Africa. Asian boss y’all need to swing by on this here end one of these days man…HK voices aren’t heard this side.
As a Filipino, it is just sad that whenever I watch this type of videos, we are represented by our humbled domestic helpers… we are proud of them, yes, but also I hope we get to be represented by those more professional and higher positions in different industries.
There are many nurses also in SG. The interviewer and the production crew just didn't maybe had time to roam around the streets or research. This I think was just impromptu interviews. And yes I am proud of every Pinoy in all parts of the world who work hard to help their families back home.
Definitely entitled. And for someone that’s in academia, one of the first thing he mentioned that is pricey is alcohol. Also, it’s clear he’s a new US immigrant and hence interesting how he chose to compare the cons with Cali (as opposed to rest of conservative America) instead of the national average or his place of birth.
Singapore is an amazing place, a country like no other in the world. Yes it's getting very expensive. So, you cut costs like take public transport, eat at food courts or hawker centres, stay in hdb and not a condo... It's all about where you are with your skill set and what you want as lifestyle. It's a lovely irony that the helpers who are at the lower end of the spectrum felt that their salary is enough. All of them are right in their own way.
Normal for you but not for others. Not everyone likes to stay HDB, use public transport and etc. The main factor is that people come to Singapore because the salary there is more lucrative. When the time comes, they will return to their hometown.
@@dancingnachos3634 LOL im a Singaporean based in Singapore myself and worked throughout, unlike the one saying "best country in the world" LOL. No foreigners here, you are doomed FYI
I like the contrast between domestic helpers and expats. It shows that expenses in Singapore is only high because foreigners choose to live that lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that of course. But imagine having access to items that are made in your home country, to send your kids to schools that teaches curriculums that are recognized in your home country, renting in areas that are surrounded by familiar foreign amenities. Singapore is a country that lets you build your entire family without losing touch to your home country. For locals, you only need to be earning S$3k - 4k per month and because of CPF, you can spend every cent of your salary and still retire with a fully paid house, and at least S$ 250k in your retirement fund (CPF) and at least S$ 100k in your medical savings account, which will pay you back around S$1,000-S$ 2,000/month until you die. Locals live a higher standard of living as well, better education in local schools, local housing lets you live nearer to MRT stations and local amenities. Local food tastes way better when its outside of central areas. Government subsidies and housing grants everywhere. Childcare and elderly care centres right under our house. S$950 rebate to cover GST hikes, almost S$ 2,000 vouchers to spend on food and groceries.
Wait, are you saying we locals have it better than foreigners? No, no, No! That shouldn't be part of the plan!. We should continue to be xenophobic and say we are being steamrolled by foreigners! That's the rhetoric we should live by.
Pls note, domestic helper in Singapore, gets food n lodging free, so they can send 100% of wat they earn in Sg back home.....their lodging, they stay in boss house, all their meals are provided by boss...n tat $100 is for her off day or days
@@danceoffAshNot sure if you're being sarcastic, but that's living like a kid, maybe a pet. Lacking a lot of freedom and can't "bite the hand that feeds" lest you be seen as ungrateful. If it's so great are most people lining up to fight for domestic helper jobs?
I've always been curious about living and working in Singapore! I have a friend who's considering moving there for a job, and I will share this video with them. I'm also thinking about visiting Singapore myself soon. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Utmost respect and appreciation to the domestic helpers that were interviewed. I cant imagine the hardwork and sacrifices they did just to be able to support and help their families in the Philippines. May God always keep you safe and healthy ❤
Now im feeling depressed 😢 true blue sg here earning 2k .. what kind of work are they really doing to be paid that much, is it like life saving? Scdf, nurse,teachers, child care asst,😅
What a huge and unreal gap between the expats and the pinay girls, the responses and the amount of personal infomation shared tells us much about the different values in life, great lesson for those reading between lines
THIS IS SO FUNNY WHEN EVERYBODY COMPLAINED SPORE BEEN SO EXPENSIVE. YET PEOPLE WORLDWIDE STILL COME TO WORK, TO LIVE IN SPORE ❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️ ARE THESE PEOPLE CRAZY ❓️❓️❓️❓️ WHY DONT THEY WORK IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY ❓️❓️❓️❓️❓️❓️
@@alantew4355 their building is already high enough. Idk about sg but in johor(next to singapore) our land is quite soft. So basically if you want build something taller you need stronger base
Working foreigners are different from rich foreigners who live in Singapore. The rich foreigners in Singapore have streams of income coming from elsewhere beside just doing jobs in Singapore while working foreigners mean most of their income come from the work they do and hold in Singapore. Do i envy them? Not really actually. I dont dislike them. I just understand they cannot buy public flats unless they convert to pr or citizens and they cant afford private properties in Singapore either even if they earn five figure sum salaries in Singapore so a lot of what they earn go into rentals and living expenses. They earn higher in Singapore but most of it just go back into Singapore in the end. The system is designed this way which cannot be easily overcome and bypass by most people in it.
Don't pui at the wrong person. I am neutral in this. Lol At least don't make it so obvious on the internet. They will just see you as being sore and a bad loser. They have the upper ground over you in sg right now unfortunately. 🙂
just FYI, the domestic workers are supported by their employer by being provided housing, daily food, utilities, etc basically most of the primary expenses are supported. 900sgd for rent alone is almost not enough, renting room in HDB or dormitory would cost around that. i'd say those people living on 6k sgd up per month are the realistic ones.
Yea but the COL is Bay Area is outrageous. $4.5k usd for childcare? In sg for a citizen it’s like $300. $1.2k for the most expensive option. And schools are free, but bay area decent schools come with a $15k mortgage or $4k private school
I enrol to a e2i program in marine engineer officer, brochure stated if I succeed to complete my course the salary would be $4000, so I did, but my company paid $2.5k. So sad but what can i do. It’s very hard to find jobs now.
the interviewer clearly don't understand how things work in Singapore. A domestic helper expenses are all covered by her employer except when she's out on weekends.
I was surprised to see the gender discrepancy here. Not all foreign women in Singapore are maids.😅 Why focus on interviewing professional men but not women? Very weird from the beginning.
30 pesos per meal? Matagal na ata di nauwi si Ate. Let me correct that. For a decent meal here in the Philippines, it ranges from 200 pesos to 500 pesos for 1 meal. That's around 4.61 - 11.54 SGD.
@@Markmitch-y7s Ah, sayang di nyo na clarify. Pero in general sobrang mahal narin talaga sa Pinas, kahit sa simpleng canteen dito wala nang 30 pesos, yung 60 pesos na ulam sobrang konte. Sa BGC kung asan ako nakatira, for a decent meal normal na ang 500 pesos, masakit narin talaga minsan. Magluto nalang sa bahay haha
I am a Japanese living in Japan. I work for a Japanese company and I am performing well and contributing to the company, but my salary is low. I have high work ability, but I can't speak English or Chinese. Can I work in Singapore with a high salary?
I would say you would have a higher chance of finding work at a Singapore branch of a Japanese company as you are Japanese and have prior work experience in Japan. But you would have to at least speak some English to communicate with non Japanese coworkers
I think its not difficult for a Japanese to master some level of chinese and english, as seen from other Japanese youtubers working overseas. At least you can write english well and recognize kanji
That’s actually above the market rate, which is why she said she’s getting paid enough. $950 is well below the average salary in Singapore, but it’s actually on par with the average in the Philippines. Seeing as domestic helpers are considered “low skilled” jobs with low barriers to entry, $950 is a good deal, especially when your food and accommodations are paid for.
Domestic workers have all their living expenses paid by their employer. Any salary they get is pocket money. Getting to live in the best places in the world and being paid 4x of what they would've made in their home country is a pretty good deal imo.
We visited many asian countries last year. I liked Singapore because air quality was good. I loved the Philippines because everything was cheap and people were nice but air quality was bad due to all the burning
At first glance, it sounds ridiculous when (non-PR) foreigners who earn incomes waaaay above the SG average claim that they struggle with living costs. But living costs for foreigners whose jobs don't come with accommodation can't really be compared with those of locals. Firstly, by virtue of not having access to the HDB system and the levies on purchasing housing being very high, they are essentially forced onto a very competitive rental market. Second, if they have kids then international schools are pretty much the only option; while foreign kids can attend local schools, not being a PR/SC means they're effectively at the bottom of the pile in terms of admissions. Third, they don't have access to subsidised healthcare, childcare etc. So the costs add up very quickly.
Exactly, you wont understand how it feels till you become and expat and have to calculate expenses yourself. Then you come to the realization that it maybe isnt such a good deal afterall. I am not an expat but I was offered expat positions in other countries. After all the calculations and considerations. I realized I would be living in a worse state than I am no matter what happens. No savings even with an offer of more than double my current pay. No CPF no family/friends. Simply not worth it.
Some are paid by coy as relocation package you nv know or live in coy sponsored apartment They need no HDB flats , they live in atas town area condos which locals can only dream about
@@chrischen1730 I'm not suggesting that the position of wealthy foreigners isn't privileged. My point is that their costs are often significantly higher than locals' by virtue of their immigration status. That's not to argue that they should have access to subsidised housing, education, healthcare etc., just that a direct comparison isn't valid.
Crazy here in Indonesia with just 300 sgd i can live all good with my 3 kids and wife...im from north Maluku Indonesia,, so 3.600 sgd a year,,,, that couldn't be better also it's sps beautiful here
Domestic helpers stay with their employers so they don't pay rent. Food is provided by employer as well since they cook. Most of the time they have access to their boss' vehicle or they receive allowance for transportation. So they only get paid for what they'll need to send back home.
I just applied for Data analyst role in one of the insurance company in Sg, I got 1 year of experience as intern and 1 year of full time job as DA. I got the shortlisted for aptitude test then got selected for interview. 1 week already still waiting the result. From nearby country, I’d like to get your idea of why the company choose to give me a chance?
To be honest. There are too many computer science graduates nowadays. Unless you got any special skills or else chance are low. Because company need to apply working permit for you which are extra cost unless no singaporean want to do this job.
