SINGAPORE: Acting Minister for Manpower Tan
Chuan-Jin said the government's focus is to look after the interest
of all working Singaporeans.
He outlined two broad issues for his ministry to
tackle in the long term.
The first being how to raise the capabilities of
Singaporeans.
Mr Tan said this should be addressed through training, working with
agencies to nurture young Singaporeans in various sectors, and
strengthening government employment facilitation for the unemployed
and those hoping to change careers.
And secondly, how the country calibrates its work pass framework to
ensure that foreign workers complement and not just substitute
Singaporeans.
Mr Tan pointed out that changes have been made to the foreign
worker levy and the dependency ration ceilings.
He said a new area that his ministry is looking at is how other
countries implement their entry of foreign talent at the employment
pass level category, to ensure that Singaporeans are given fair
consideration in the hiring process.
Mr Tan was responding to a question filed by MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC
Yeo Guat Kwang who asked what the government was doing to ensure
that the Singaporean core will not be eroded during an economic
downturn, or during significant downsizing of companies.
Mr Tan said in previous downturns, employers have cut back more
sharply on foreign manpower, compared to local manpower.
He added the government had also started programmes like the Skills
Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) and the Jobs Credit
Scheme to help workers stay employed.
"These are tools in our tool box that we can draw on, or variants
of that as the case may be, depending on the economic situation in
our years to come. But I think the most important point to
emphasize really is that the best way to ensure that Singaporean
workers, Singaporean PMEs, remain meaningfully employed, is really
to make sure that our economy remains healthy and vibrant. That
Singaporeans are also equipped with the right attitude and
aptitudes and skills," he said.
- CNA/ck
e.jpg)
