SINGAPORE: In implementing Singapore's foreign worker policy, the Government's approach is based on whether it will help Singaporeans, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in Parliament on Tuesday .
"The number of ICTs coming in under our FTAs, and in particular CECA, is a very, very small number relative to the total number of EPs. I suggest we set aside this red herring and move on to the heart of the matter." Dr Tan said such statistics are not published for foreign policy reasons, but that he will share some numbers to"address misconceptions" and allow for a meaningful debate.
"India’s talent, on the other hand, they've continued to look outwards. They've also the advantage of being English speaking. This phenomenon is not unique to Singapore. It is global."Dr Tan acknowledged that an increasing concentration of these workers could "cause some social frictions and anxiety to Singaporeans".
Dr Tan said:"The heart of the matter is this. How do we, as a small country devoid of any natural resources, remain open to global talent, for us to continue to create opportunities for Singaporeans, while, at the same time, managing the attendant social repercussions?" "There have been questions asked, both inside and outside of this House, whether most of the growth in local PME jobs was accounted for by Singapore citizens. If you look at our unemployment statistics, we provide the figure for Singapore citizens. The citizen unemployment rate over the past 10 years has been consistently low at around 3 per cent, hence the answer must be a 'yes'," Dr Tan said.
"As we attract foreign banks and infocomm companies to create jobs here, they inevitably need foreign workers, to complement the Singaporean workforce." Singapore also has work pass controls to ensure that foreign workers"complement and not displace the local workforce", he said. The number of Dependant’s Pass holders who have sought employment in Singapore via a Letter of Consent is about 1 per cent of work pass holders, and in May, rules were changed so that dependants who wish to work in Singapore have to qualify for a relevant work pass on their own merit.The Government thus tries to ensure that Singaporeans can compete strongly in an open and globalised labour market like Singapore's, a second prong of the country's strategy, said Dr Tan.
The foreign worker pool here shrank by 181,500 but resident employment expanded by 14,900 despite the downturn, he said.He also assured the House that MOM has"zero tolerance" towards discriminatory hiring practices. In response to a question from Mr Liang Eng Hwa , Dr Tan said that over the past three years, TAFEP has handled an average of 170 nationality discrimination cases a year which arose from complaints.
Need more breakdown. 🤦♂️
The finance sector figures look dubious.
Local employment figures can be manipulated as EP or S-pass holders who become PR or citizens which they will readily accept and be encouraged to is then counted as local employment. And has the local education system fail us that we are NOT as good anymore.