S’pore Company Offers $7.50 For 1,000 Words, Netizens Ask How Can This Be Allowed

Singapore Company Pays $7.50 for 1,000 Words, Netizens Find Rate Unacceptable

The job market took a slump during the Covid-19 pandemic, some may have resorted to freelancing to make ends meet.

Yesterday (2 Sep), someone posted a job listing showing a company seeking freelance writers willing to work at $7.50 for 1,000 words.

The post appeared to be reaching out a helping hand to freelancers, saying that it was prioritising Singaporeans in the application process.

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The job listing required the freelancer to research and write a 1,000-word blog post and has seen backlash by netizens.

$7.50 for 1,000 words considered lowballing by netizen

The company shown in the original post was looking for a freelance writer to generate content for various blogs that they manage.

However, the netizen who shared their job listing find it unthinkable that the renumeration offered by the company was $7.50 for 1,000 words.

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She said she finds it “insulting and exploitative.”

She further added that that the company shouldn’t lowball freelancers just because it is not generating profits yet.

Company was looking for Singaporean freelance writers

The company manages a variety of blog sites that cover a variety of topics from cars to hair care. They claimed to be prioritising Singaporeans to help them in this difficult time.

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The listing states that freelancers with zero experience and qualifications are welcomed.

Furthermore, they said they’re not looking for a freelancer who wants to get rich, which we think makes it a rather unusual job listing.

Netizens find job offer unfair to freelancers

A number of commenters are in agreement with the netizen who shared the listing.

One netizen found the job offer equally “insulting for freelancers.

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Another netizen commented that one cannot get anywhere with $7.50 for 1,000 words.

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The author of the post replied in the comments, saying that she’d charge at least $150 for a journalism article containing 1,000 words.

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Quality content comes at a price

The effort that goes into work such as writing is not something to be shrugged off by employers. After all, many freelancers take pride in their work.

Based on the opinions of netizens, it seems that quality work should be expected to come at a price.

Featured image adapted from Pacific Prime Singapore.