Firms must show they tried to hire Singaporeans first – Did I read it correctly? “Tried”?

So, I was rushing out the door for work today when the Straits Times headlines totally gave me a double take. (http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/firms-must-advertise-singaporeans-hiring-foreign-professionals-2013092 )

It read, “Firms must show they tried to hire Singaporeans first.”

That is a good thing, right? So why did I do a double take?

Well, I am a bit of a read-between-the-lines-manic, and I caught the word “tried” before I caught the word “first”.

What do they mean by “tried”?

If all I have to get paid for is to prove to my company I “tried” working, I can assure you I will come up with many creative ways to show I have ‘tried’ without actually doing any work. Now, how long it will take for my boss to find out that I am not exactly employee of the month is another matter. It will depends on how brilliant my creativity is.

So, what do they mean by “tried”?

If simply advertising for the position in the papers, coupled with the same amount of pay they are willing to pay the foreigners, (you know, the one that Singaporeans can hardly sustain themselves with if they take up the job) is what they meant by “tried”, than this rule might as well be a joke.