Actually hor, I'm very curious. Which department checks and
verify all these stats by the Dept of Stats?
and a spate of good news makes one wonder if GE is less than 3
months away. 
SINGAPORE, Tuesday 31 August 2010 (AFP) – Singapore’s population
crossed five million this year and more than a third of the total
are foreigners, the statistics department said Tuesday.
The city-state’s total population stood at 5.08 million people at
the end of June, it said in a statement.
Of the number, 3.23 million are citizens, 540,000 are foreigners
with permanent residency and 1.3 million are foreign professionals
and workers along with their dependents, resulting in a 36% share
for foreigners in the general population.
The population growth rate was 1.8% in 2010, reflecting a slowdown
in the number of permanent residents and foreign workers being
admitted into the country, the department said.
The number of permanent residents rose by 1.5%, down from at least
6% growth per year between 2005 and 2009, it said.
Growth in the number of non-residents, or those on professional
employment passes and shorter-term work permits, slowed to 4.1%,
off from peaks of 15% in 2007 and 19% in 2008, it added.
Because Singaporeans have not been producing enough babies, the
government had for years rolled out the welcome mat for foreigners,
whose numbers rose drastically during the economic boom from 2004
to 2007.
But after the 2008 global financial crisis, the government has
taken a fresh look at its open-door policy following complaints
from citizens that foreigners are competing for jobs, housing and
medical care.
Singapore, which polls well in global surveys for quality of life,
is also showing symptoms of urban stress, with rush-hour traffic
gridlock, packed subway trains and recent cases of flash floods in
some areas.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledged the problems
in a speech on Sunday and vowed to review immigration
policies, cap new foreign hiring this year and enhance benefits
accorded to citizens.
