Weighing in on the population debate, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)
has proposed a scheme to tighten the screening of foreign
professionals and ensure that Singaporeans are first considered for
hiring.
Among six recommendations it set forth in an alternative white
paper presented Thursday night, SDP suggested a "TalentTrack"
scheme that would take into account the age, number of dependents,
qualifications, work experience and skill sets of potential
foreigners to be employed in Singapore.
Party chief Chee Soon Juan said on Thursday
that the SDP's paper titled "Building a People - Sound Polices for
a Secure Future" is a comprehensive set of policy initiatives that
takes into consideration not just the matter of lowering the
population but also tightening immigration, lowering the costs of
living and retaining Singaporean talent.
Before a foreigner can apply to work in Singapore under the
TalentTrack scheme, a Singaporean employer must first demonstrate
that they have made every effort to employ a Singaporean first but
cannot find a local with the requisite skills.
The point system will reflect the prevailing needs of the various
sectors and industries of the economy, SDP explained.
To verify they possess the skills they claim to have, applicants
will also be tested at centres to be created under a new statutory
board called the Council for Skills Evaluation, the party
proposed.
Those who pass will be granted an Employment Pass (EP) which will
be tied to the firm that employs him.
“As an alternative to the current foreign manpower policies, this
proposal is a broad shift of the manpower policy to a focus on
productivity and innovation,” said SDP in the paper.
The party also proposed to abolish foreign worker levies for
professionals and replace it with an additional tax on their income
at a rate of 13.8 per cent -- a rate that matches the current top
rate of employer CPF contribution.
According to the party, the government’s population white paper
endorsed by Parliament last week has failed to address problems
such as overcrowding and will struggle to tackle Singapore’s
demographic challenges because it has not departed from the policy
fundamentals that have given rise to the present situation.
In the government white paper, Singapore’s total population is
projected to hit 6 million by 2020 from the current 5.3 million and
to rise to as much as 6.9 million by 2030. National Development
Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the 6.9 million population is a “worst
case scenario”.
“The PAP government announced its intention to increase the
population to 6 million by 2020 by bringing in nearly 500,000 more
foreign worker. This will put considerable strain on Singapore’s
resources and infrastructure,” said the SDP.
Introduce new system to measure nation's
progress
The SDP also proposed the use of a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
as an another way to measure Singapore's progress.
GPI incorporates GDP factors but also adds other components which
can be effects related to economic activity such as commuting and
lost leisure time. Increasingly used in other countries, GPI is a
net measure of the impact of economic activity and provides
citizens and policymakers with a more holistic view on
progress.
Noting that the GDP overlooks the standard of living in a
community, SDP said the GPI can be used in tandem with Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) to measure Singapore's progress.
A local version of the GPI can introduced with specific indicators
that are not found in the standard GPI but are exclusive to
Singapore such as water security.
In its alternative white paper released on Thursday evening, SDP
made six main proposals, namely:
1) Enact a Singaporeans First
policy,
2) Introduce policy reforms to
retain Singaporean talent and raise the total fertility
rate,
3) Formulate plans to advance
towards a sustainable population profile,
4) Strengthen the Singaporean
identity,
5) Go beyond the GDP for measuring
national progress
6) Revamp the ministerial pay
formula and KPIs for senior civil servants.
SDP's full population policy can be found here.
