Nominated MP Teo Siong Seng, who is also the president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) said that SMEs are finding it difficult to hire local workers and urge the government to allow SMEs more flexibility to employ foreign workers to help them tide over the difficult period.
A survey conducted by SCCCI in October and November this year reveals that some companies are facing manpower shortage as Singaporeans are not keen to take up jobs offered by them.
328 companies took part in the survey. The companies employed some 37,112 people, including 21,598 foreign workers – making up 58.2 per cent of the surveyed workforce.
Speaking to reporters from Channel News Asia, Mr Teo said:
“It is the same old story where there are some industries which just cannot attract locals to even go for an interview, put aside how much pay they are prepared to offer……Some of my members are in container truck driving, food processes. They need to work odd hours because the lead time for orders is very short. Locals are just not interested to attempt.”
The same survey also shows that Singaporeans are not interested in jobs with no fixed working hours, low wages and in far-flung locations.
The Singapore government has come under fire lately for its foreign worker policies culminating the relentless influx of cheap foreign workers in the last few years into the labor market.
In its defense, government leaders repeated the same old explanation that foreigners are needed to work in sectors shunned by Singaporeans such as the construction and manufacturing industries.
The mainstream media has tried to pin the blame solely on Singaporeans for being too “fussy” with jobs to exonerate the government from any blame.
While it is true that Singaporeans are not keen in certain jobs, more and more foreigners are found holding jobs which can otherwise beinig taken up by locals such as customer service staff, clerks, clinic assistants and teachers.
Instead of over-relying on foreign workers, SMEs should think of ways to attract more locals to work for them and to boost productivity at the same time.
A recently released Singapore Competitiveness Report showed that Singapore’s labour productivity – measured in terms of total output per employee – lags that of developed countries including the United States, France and Norway, as well as Asian neighbours Hong Kong and Taiwan.
An economist who declined to be named suggested the increasing number of foreign workers as a cause for the lower productivity:
“One reason for the lower productivity may be the large influx of foreign workers in recent years. With more workers available, each worker doesn’t have to work as hard,” he said.
Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng said that Singapore’s rapid growth over the last few years has been mostly driven by a massive increase in the workforce.
“Between 2006 and last year, the number of workers in Singapore jumped an average 6.5per cent a year, largely due to liberal immigration policies……But it is clear that growth powered by importing foreign labour is simply not sustainable,” he added.
The ultimate motive of companies is to maximize their profits and they will not care if they are employing locals or foreigners. The government has to do more to safeguard the interests of Singapore workers who are unable to compete with the foreign workers in terms of cost.
A survey conducted by SCCCI in October and November this year reveals that some companies are facing manpower shortage as Singaporeans are not keen to take up jobs offered by them.
328 companies took part in the survey. The companies employed some 37,112 people, including 21,598 foreign workers – making up 58.2 per cent of the surveyed workforce.
Speaking to reporters from Channel News Asia, Mr Teo said:
“It is the same old story where there are some industries which just cannot attract locals to even go for an interview, put aside how much pay they are prepared to offer……Some of my members are in container truck driving, food processes. They need to work odd hours because the lead time for orders is very short. Locals are just not interested to attempt.”
The same survey also shows that Singaporeans are not interested in jobs with no fixed working hours, low wages and in far-flung locations.
The Singapore government has come under fire lately for its foreign worker policies culminating the relentless influx of cheap foreign workers in the last few years into the labor market.
In its defense, government leaders repeated the same old explanation that foreigners are needed to work in sectors shunned by Singaporeans such as the construction and manufacturing industries.
The mainstream media has tried to pin the blame solely on Singaporeans for being too “fussy” with jobs to exonerate the government from any blame.
While it is true that Singaporeans are not keen in certain jobs, more and more foreigners are found holding jobs which can otherwise beinig taken up by locals such as customer service staff, clerks, clinic assistants and teachers.
Instead of over-relying on foreign workers, SMEs should think of ways to attract more locals to work for them and to boost productivity at the same time.
A recently released Singapore Competitiveness Report showed that Singapore’s labour productivity – measured in terms of total output per employee – lags that of developed countries including the United States, France and Norway, as well as Asian neighbours Hong Kong and Taiwan.
An economist who declined to be named suggested the increasing number of foreign workers as a cause for the lower productivity:
“One reason for the lower productivity may be the large influx of foreign workers in recent years. With more workers available, each worker doesn’t have to work as hard,” he said.
Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng said that Singapore’s rapid growth over the last few years has been mostly driven by a massive increase in the workforce.
“Between 2006 and last year, the number of workers in Singapore jumped an average 6.5per cent a year, largely due to liberal immigration policies……But it is clear that growth powered by importing foreign labour is simply not sustainable,” he added.
The ultimate motive of companies is to maximize their profits and they will not care if they are employing locals or foreigners. The government has to do more to safeguard the interests of Singapore workers who are unable to compete with the foreign workers in terms of cost.
