I think the point the original poster was making, was the
concept of the Foreign Talent as presented by our government is
mostly bollocks.
What the government sold us was that the Foreign Talents offer
abilities that Singaporeans lack, hence they are contributing to
our economy - and not just taking up jobs that locals need. The
examples given by the government are curious. CEOs, bankers, top
chefs all at the top of the pyramid
but Singaporeans who can
compete at this level are already mobile and affluent.
In reality, the above is a minority. The key issue here is jobs
that range from middle management to technical, support and
clerical appointments - accountants, programmers, hotel staff, etc.
The key issue here is jobs that Singaporeans can perform, jobs that
are taken up by foreigners - simply because they are much
cheaper.
Why are these foreign labour cheaper? Because they come from a
country with a much lower cost of living. Because their families
are in a country with a much lower cost of living. Because they
will be returning to retire in a country with a much lower cost of
living.
The dilemma we face is that while national productivity gains seems
stagnant, much of our progress have been tied to a constant influx
of cheaper foreign labor - not just laborers but trained
professionals as well: all contributing to lowering the wage costs
of the service, financial, manufacturing sectors. How bad will be
the impact on businesses if they are forced to replace their
existing cheap labor with higher priced Singaporeans?
It is a delicate balance to keep, and the government must balance
the needs of the economy with the needs of the people or risk
alienating them. Already I have friends and acquaintances who have
opted to discard their citizenship, working abroad or returning as
a foreign talent / PR with far superior remuneration while having
zero obligations to the nation (NS). To some of them, being
Singaporean in Singapore is like being a 2nd class citizen a form
of neo-colonialism where the people who grew up here and stayed
here form up the lowest rank of the Singaporean food chain.
