And no, I'm not referring to Jobs Credit. That's so two months ago.
Actually, it's not even a word, but an unpronounceable acronym - PMET. It stands for Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians.
(CORRECTION: It has been pointed out that because it's unpronounceable, PMET is actually an abbreviation, not an acronym. Or maybe it's an initialism. I'm not sure of anything anymore.)
I suppose if you really want to, you can pronounce it as "pee met", but that's just gauche.
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PMET has become the catch-all term to describe the "middle class" of Singapore workers.
But how do you know if you're PMET? This is where it may get a little confusing.
P stands for Professionals. What does "professionals" mean? I would like to think that all Singapore workers are professional in their work. But does that make us all PMETs? Hardly.
M stands for Managers. My wife manages our household and the kids - does that make her a PMET? She's a freakin' housewife. So the answer is no.
E stands for Executives. I just printed out some name cards for my son with the title "Junior Executive" and he has a tie - does that make him a PMET? He's 11, so I don't think so.
T stands for Technicians. Just the other day, this guy came to fix my toilet which is a pretty technical job - does that make him a PMET? Actually... maybe. Judging by how much he charged me, he should be making more money than I do.
I read somewhere that PMETs are defined as workers with at least a diploma.
Which means if all you have is A-levels, then sorry, pal, no Play Station Portable for you.
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fQ4mW6fTEBE/Tf-qIsrj4jI/AAAAAAAADdI/2xe0MwuBUPM/s200/matthew-bomer-white-collar-hunk-01.jpg)
No, wait, that wasn't simple at all. Let's try something else.
Go to the mirror and look at yourself. Are you wearing a shirt?
If you are, does it have a collar?
If it does, is the collar white in colour?
If the answer is yes, then congratulations, you might - just might - be a pee mat.
- Published in The New Paper, 1 March 2009
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