Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Lim Brothers Set up Findjobs to Help Lower Wage Workers

The Lims Brothers Set Up FindJobs To Help Lower Wage Workers in Singapore

Findjobs was created by brothers Ivan and Stanley Lim who genuinely understand the challenges faced by the blue-collar workers. Findjobs’ focus has always been very clear – to support lower-wage workers in finding jobs.

The Beginning 

Stanley shared the story about his own parents. Growing up, his parents were lower-wage workers themselves, and they relied a lot on friends and newspaper ads to land jobs. His mother, who was not fluent in English, worked as a cleaner in the late nineties. After she lost her job, she couldn’t find another after months of painful combing through newspaper advertisements. Stanley saw how they were increasingly being “left behind”.

Stanley has been in the recruitment industry for 15 years and has been running his own recruitment own agency since 2011. He has also witnessed firsthand how difficult it is for some businesses to hire local workers. And he knew he can play a part to help employers and local lower-wage workers.

But as we all know, things are always easier said than done – still, these guys did it with Findjobs.

One thing for sure, this young man is very driven by his cause to help lower-wage workers. You can hear it in his voice, you can see the light in his eyes as he spoke of the workers he has helped over the years.

What’s appealing about the app?

“This app is very easy to use. For a start, you do not need to create an account to use. You don’t even need to create a CV yourself. The app takes care of all these and is available in different languages (Findjobs app, 找工app and Cari Kerja app. Tamil version has just been launched). Apart from user-friendly features like “Zoom to enlarge texts”, “Scan nearby jobs” and “Chatbot assisted resume creator”, the app also allows jobseekers to visit Virtual Career Fairs, discover WSQ skills courses, register for SkillsFuture Advice workshops and book a career coaching session with e2i.

e2i Gan Siow Huang

For workers who do not have a smartphone or internet access, they can also visit the NTUC Job Security Council Job Station across 30 locations around Singapore.

NTUC Job Security Council

What are they up to these days?

Findjobs is currently supporting the Smart Nation & U Virtual Career Fair that will run from 13th to 27th March 2021.  More virtual career fairs offering jobs from a variety of industries will be launched progressively in the coming months.

With the Progressive Wages for workers in the food services sector under study to uplift low-wage workers in the food service sector, this might be an area worth looking into for lower wage workers! Mr Ng Chee Meng, who is NTUC Secretary-General, said the labour movement hopes that recommendations for PWMs in food services and retail trade will be released by this year, and implemented within two to three years. This could benefit about 70,000 workers.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng
Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Stanley Lim, Mr Ng Chee Meng and Ms Yeo Wan Ling

In the Horizon – The Work Is Hardly Ever Done.

As Ivan said in a previous interview: “Whenever I see cleaners in the washroom, I ask them ‘Auntie, Uncle, you looking for job? Everywhere I go, even hawker centres, I will approach these aunties and uncles as I’m a recruiter with customers that have hundreds of cleaner positions available.”

Non-profit organisation raiSE has also helped Findjobs to connect and partner with organisations, like e2i, which help local jobseekers to find jobs.

Speaking of the vision for Findjobs, the older Lim brother said: “We want to be like Panadol. For the layman, when I have headache, I only know Panadol. If the blue-collar workers in Singapore want to find a job, this is the product we want them to think of.”

The brothers’ passion in helping lower-wage workers shines through – the lives they have changed, countless. Now you see, not all heroes wear capes. 🙂

[irp posts=”2603″ name=”A Story of Two Union Leaders and The Jurong Island Initiative”]

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