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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - FT lawyers & dentists coming soon!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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March 2, 2010 by admin
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http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/03/02/singapore-lawyers-and-maybe-dentists-to-face-competition-from-foreigners-soon/
Written by Our Correspondent
Engineering used to be an attractive profession for Singaporeans in the 1990s till the ruling party allowed the entry of large number of foreign students to study engineering in local varsities and foreign engineers, some of them only technicians to take up jobs otherwise reserved for Singaporeans.
Today, the starting median wages for fresh engineer graduates have remained stagnant for the last few years. Their predicament may soon befall the legal and (maybe) dental professions.
Since the ruling party has opened the doors for entry of foreign-trained lawyers to the Singapore Bar last year, foreigners now make up 20 per cent of the number of practising lawyers in Singapore.
There are already 923 foreign lawyers registered to practise here, according to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in a Straits Times article today. Foreign law firms here have grown from 85 in 2008 to 98 last year.
Though foreign lawyers are not allowed to practise Singapore law now, new rules will be introduced next year for them to do so. Foreign lawyers who are PRs here and with at least two years’ work-related experience need do only one part of the Bar exam to qualify, followed by at least six months of training unless exempted.
As usual, the Straits Times tried to paint a rosy picture about the expected competition faced by Singapore lawyers by spinning a story that the presence of foreign lawyers will create more “opportunities” for local lawyers.
It quoted the example of a Canadian lawyer Ms Ciambella expressing her wishes to start her own boutique law firm and hire Singapore lawyers to substantiate its claim.
Besides the legal profession, it appears that even the dental profession in Singapore may open its doors soon to foreign dentists.
According to a dentist we know, the CEO of a dental group in Singapore has been persuading the Ministry of Health to permit his group to employ foreign dentists due to the shortage of “manpower”.
These foreign dentists are likely to cost less than half of that of Singapore dentists and will greatly drive down labor costs thereby increasing the group’s profit margin.
If the dental profession is liberalized, the medical profession may be next. There are already large number of foreign doctors working in public hospitals and the polyclinics. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed lately that one in three doctors in Singapore graduated from a medical school overseas.
Singaporeans should realize that there are no “iron rice bowls” in Singapore, be it lawyers, dentists or doctors so long the pro-foreigner PAP remains in power.
In the old days, parents often encouraged their children to take up law, medicine or engineering in universities to secure a good future, but it no longer holds true nowadays given the easily availability of cheap foreign labor and the reluctance of the ruling party to protect the interests of Singaporeans.
As the last few years as shown, though the inflow of foreigners have boosted GDP growths artificially thereby increasing the pay of the PAP ministers, the gains from Singapore’s economic growth did not filter down to ordinary Singaporeans.
The cost of living has sky-rocketed, especially that of public housing, wages have remained stagnant, income gap has widened considerably and the overall standards of living has declined.
Unless the professionals wake up from their slumber and vote out the PAP in the next general election, they will soon find themselves competing with foreign doctors, dentists, lawyers and engineers for a meager pay not commensurate with their status in the near future.
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March 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under Headlines
Leave a comment
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/03/02/singapore-lawyers-and-maybe-dentists-to-face-competition-from-foreigners-soon/
Written by Our Correspondent
Engineering used to be an attractive profession for Singaporeans in the 1990s till the ruling party allowed the entry of large number of foreign students to study engineering in local varsities and foreign engineers, some of them only technicians to take up jobs otherwise reserved for Singaporeans.
Today, the starting median wages for fresh engineer graduates have remained stagnant for the last few years. Their predicament may soon befall the legal and (maybe) dental professions.
Since the ruling party has opened the doors for entry of foreign-trained lawyers to the Singapore Bar last year, foreigners now make up 20 per cent of the number of practising lawyers in Singapore.
There are already 923 foreign lawyers registered to practise here, according to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in a Straits Times article today. Foreign law firms here have grown from 85 in 2008 to 98 last year.
Though foreign lawyers are not allowed to practise Singapore law now, new rules will be introduced next year for them to do so. Foreign lawyers who are PRs here and with at least two years’ work-related experience need do only one part of the Bar exam to qualify, followed by at least six months of training unless exempted.
As usual, the Straits Times tried to paint a rosy picture about the expected competition faced by Singapore lawyers by spinning a story that the presence of foreign lawyers will create more “opportunities” for local lawyers.
It quoted the example of a Canadian lawyer Ms Ciambella expressing her wishes to start her own boutique law firm and hire Singapore lawyers to substantiate its claim.
Besides the legal profession, it appears that even the dental profession in Singapore may open its doors soon to foreign dentists.
According to a dentist we know, the CEO of a dental group in Singapore has been persuading the Ministry of Health to permit his group to employ foreign dentists due to the shortage of “manpower”.
These foreign dentists are likely to cost less than half of that of Singapore dentists and will greatly drive down labor costs thereby increasing the group’s profit margin.
If the dental profession is liberalized, the medical profession may be next. There are already large number of foreign doctors working in public hospitals and the polyclinics. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed lately that one in three doctors in Singapore graduated from a medical school overseas.
Singaporeans should realize that there are no “iron rice bowls” in Singapore, be it lawyers, dentists or doctors so long the pro-foreigner PAP remains in power.
In the old days, parents often encouraged their children to take up law, medicine or engineering in universities to secure a good future, but it no longer holds true nowadays given the easily availability of cheap foreign labor and the reluctance of the ruling party to protect the interests of Singaporeans.
As the last few years as shown, though the inflow of foreigners have boosted GDP growths artificially thereby increasing the pay of the PAP ministers, the gains from Singapore’s economic growth did not filter down to ordinary Singaporeans.
The cost of living has sky-rocketed, especially that of public housing, wages have remained stagnant, income gap has widened considerably and the overall standards of living has declined.
Unless the professionals wake up from their slumber and vote out the PAP in the next general election, they will soon find themselves competing with foreign doctors, dentists, lawyers and engineers for a meager pay not commensurate with their status in the near future.
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