Govt to continue to moderate foreign worker numbers

QX179R SG

SINGAPORE: Mr Tan Chuan-Jin said the government will continue to moderate foreign worker numbers to ensure they complement the local workforce.

The Minister of State for Manpower and National Development was speaking in Parliament on the third day of the debate on the President's Address.

"We were aware of the impact of the growth in (foreign workers) numbers and began calibrating to rein in the growth, beginning in June 2009. There was another round in July 2010, and recently in July 2011... The next date would be January 2012," said Mr Tan.

"It was a combination of increasing levies, tightening entry and qualifications criteria, increasing qualifying salaries, so as to moderate foreign worker reliance and ensure foreign workers continue to complement our local workforce. We will continue to watch this front closely," he added.

Also speaking in Parliament were many MPs who called for greater support for low-wage workers, women and PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians) to secure jobs.

Labour MP Zainal Sapari called for bold steps to help low-wage workers earn better salaries.

He wanted the drive for their sustained wage growth to be a key performance indicator (KPI) for all government agencies.

He also wanted the current target to increase their real wages over the next 10 years to be revised from the current 30 per cent to 50 per cent.

Mr Zainal also urged a re-look at the strategy of outsourcing manual or
blue-collar jobs in the public service.

"We cannot afford to have any ministry or organisation take a 'bochap' attitude in ensuring better wages and working conditions for their workers. For a start, every ministry and government-related organisation must take ownership of the Inclusive Growth Programme," said Mr Zainal.

Opposition MP Yaw Shin Leong called for the government to put Singaporeans first when formulating manpower policies.

He said the goal should be to strike the right balance between an efficient system of manpower supply and to achieve the best outcome for employers, employees and above all, Singaporeans.

He called for the Employment Pass and S-Pass system to be more transparent.

"Figures showing a breakdown of the different categories of passes issued, and across different industries are not released to the public. Why this secrecy? We need regular reports showing the relative standings of Singaporeans and pass-holders," said Mr Yaw.

"Singaporeans have expressed their concerns about losing their jobs to foreign workers. With the release of such detailed figures, it will help us better understand the need for foreign manpower across various industries... Transparency will also go far in removing insecurity on the part of Singaporean workers and cool unwarranted anti-immigration sentiments."

Other MPs called for more support to encourage employers to hire PMETs, particularly those above 40.

MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC, Low Yen Ling, said: "We need leaders in government, business and education to be creative, and be willing to consider solutions they have not tried before. The government can take the lead to support and encourage employers to desire and value the benefits of employing PMETs above 40."

MP for Nee Soon GRC, Patrick Tay, said: "We do not doubt the need for foreign PMETs in certain specialised and niche industries. Instead, we cannot and should not fall into a situation where employers can choose foreigners as an easy option when they fail to recruit Singaporeans."

There were also calls for the government to make it easier for women to re-enter the workforce.

MP for West Coast GRC, Foo Mee Har, said: "Can we not consider a special grant to encourage employers to offer re-induction to women returning to the workforce? Under this scheme, companies can obtain grants from the government for a limited period of time, perhaps three to six months, for hiring women returning into the workforce."

Manpower issues aside, there were also calls to reduce the number of foreign students in schools and universities.

MP for Mountbatten, Lim Biow Chuan, said: "I urge MOE to gradually reduce the number of foreign students to not more than 10 per cent of each class in our schools or universities. This is especially so for the popular faculties like Medical School and Law School, which would allow entry for more Singaporeans."

On tackling problem gambling, MP for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah wanted more measures to prevent Singaporeans from visiting the two casinos in Singapore. She suggested increasing the levy amount imposed on Singaporeans and doing away with the annual passes.

She said foreign workers should also be prevented from going to casinos.

- CNA/cc

deathmaster SG

By moderate, they do not mean reduce the number of foreigners.

It just mean they will monitor the inflow of foreigner, but still grow the population of foreigners.

charlize SG

By moderate, they do not mean reduce the number of foreigners.

It just mean they will monitor the inflow of foreigner, but still grow the population of foreigners.

Now everybody scrutinizes every single word they say.

You have to trust them lah.

TehJarVu SG

if sincere just set quota lah

why keep adjusting EP's min salary
still a shItload of people qualify and the floodgate is still open

gorgorlokaychyong SG

Read and hear about and from them, take it as a pinch of salt. Always remember they work for money you will be able to know why they say and behave the way they do.

deathmaster SG

They can talk cock sing song for all they like. but until they actually start banishing and reducing the FT population, what they say will only be regarded as nonsense.

You can yak and yak all you like, giving encouragement all the way, but at the end of the day, all employers will still want to protect their bottom line by hiring the cheapest worker available on the market. And right now, there is no limit to the cheap-ness you can find on the labour market.

You know you simply cannot compete, when you have a long queue of FTs willing to pay to come to singapore and work for free, for at least 1 few months.

the Bear SG

i think they are "moderating" it the same way they are "moderating" the COE..

i don't think they care how many or how few as long as they maximise revenue from these foreign workers

and for an example of their moderation, look where the COE is now

QX179R SG

No tightening of foreign worker quotas: MOM

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) emphasised on Friday that it has not tightened foreign worker quotas. What it has done is to tighten the entry criteria for the various work passes to raise the standards and quality of the workers.

Replying to a question in Parliament on Friday, Minister of State for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said the government will periodically review the need for further adjustments while providing lead time for companies to adjust.

However, businessman and MP for Jurong GRC, David Ong, argued that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have their concerns.

He said: "The SMEs, most of them are feeling ... squeezed out, a noose around their neck. They understand the rationale of government policies but the pace is too quick for them. They couldn't find the workers to fill those places vacated because of the non-renewal of their skilled labour.

"They are grappling with business survivability. We are hoping that the government can look at customising some of these (measures by) implementing timings for certain industries."

Mr Tan replied: "We are quite aware of these concerns and in the dialogue we have shared with them our initiatives as well. We do have a wide range of initiatives.

"What is key we feel is the associations could do a lot more, companies which cluster together as they do share common practices. How do you share the best practices amongst them and as an association and industry how do you help each other.

"We have endeavoured to give lead time before these measures kick in and this is something we will continue to do so.

"One of the feedback, and we will act on this, is we will repeat these announcements quite clearly to make sure that the message is sent out and the receiver will hear it and understand that. That will give them the lead time.

"The important thing is ... helping our Singaporean companies to manage this transition. The emphasis is on transitioning to a much higher productivity growth in terms of relying on the same number of labour or perhaps with reduced number of workers.

"This is important, at the same time ensuring the SMEs continue to thrive because they provide jobs for many Singaporeans."

Mr Tan added: "We recognise the difficulties many SMEs face in recruiting Singaporeans. The government has introduced specific initiatives to help SMEs re-engineer their operations and reduce their reliance on labour.

"One example is the SME Productivity Roadmap (SME-PRO), a joint initiative by the WDA and SPRING Singapore, which provides a systematic, three-step approach for SMEs to improve their productivity.

"A dedicated portal provides SMEs access to information and resources to help them take concrete actions to raise productivity. One feature of the portal is an online productivity calculator for businesses to work out their productivity levels and to benchmark this against industry levels."

- CNA/al