More foreign workers needed: Reclassify businesses in services sector to tackle manpower crunch, industry leader says

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SINGAPORE — The Singapore Business Federation (SBF) wants the Government and related stakeholders to review the classifications within the services sector, so that businesses reliant on foreign manpower can hire more of these workers or redeploy workers who were in pandemic-related roles to join the sect

within the sector, published in a report SBF released on Thursday .

Another suggestion is for firms to work with the unions and post-secondary educational institutions to train more workers and help retain them in the sector.as Singapore moves to live with Covid-19, this has not necessarily been the case for the services sector. In SBF’s report — addressed to the Government, businesses and industry stakeholders — the following are more details on how to adopt a more “nuanced” classification of businesses in the sector.All companies under the services sector are subject to the same work permit requirements such as migrant worker source countries, maximum period of employment, quota on dependency ratio ceiling on the number of work permit holders that they can employ and the corresponding levy rate.

For instance, the businesses in finance and insurance, information and communications technology, and professional services are"fundamentally different" to that of waste management, cleaning, and estate and facilities management. At the moment, there is at least a 25 to 30 per cent shortage in manpower across his restaurants, he added, but the DRC has already been met. This means up to 35 per cent of his workers are foreigners."I am hoping that can be higher, because Singaporeans don’t mind working in the financial sector or other hospitality sectors, but definitely not in F&B," he said.

Ms Grace Tan, director of household kitchenware retailer and lifestyle store ToTT Store, said that she had struggled since last year to fill up two vacancies for service roles within her stores, located at Suntec City downtown and Century Square in Tampines.

 

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