<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Strengthen immigration policies to achieve integration
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan brought up a larger issue behind the debate on foreign workers' dormitories, which is how 'to accept and live with a larger foreign worker population'.
Foreign workers will continue to increase in number in the future. First, more and more citizens will become old and retire. Second, new entrants to the workforce are declining in number due to fewer births in the past 30 years. Third, productivity growth lags behind economic growth. When the economy expands by 5 per cent and productivity grows by say 2 per cent, we need 3 per cent more workers.
New foreign workers can contribute to our economy straightaway. Our procreation measures will take another two decades to bear similar result. As their number grows, the integration issue becomes more urgent.
In particular, we need to integrate better qualified permanent residents into society, whose number could increase from the current 500,000 to one million in 15 to 20 years. We should persuade as many PRs as possible to become citizens. Currently we convince only one in three to do so. The task may become more difficult in the future as their countries of birth catch up with us.
To counter this, we should step up efforts to entice PRs to become citizens as early as possible. PRs who are young and those with children should be given priority. We could offer incentives to them and their children. The sooner they become citizens, the more bonus they get.
We should encourage single PRs to marry; remove restrictions or barriers, if any.
=> Did not Wooden suggest using Nanyang girls to entice the PRC FTrash in Chinese High Sch not to quit Sg?
Once they form families here, the chances they will stay here for good and become citizens are higher. Some pro-family incentives can be extended to them. If too many PRs remain single and do not procreate, our population ageing problem will be aggravated in the long term, and our immigration objective will not be fully met.
Equally important, citizens need to win the hearts of PRs and foreigners through our attitude and behaviour.
How PRs, new citizens and locals can live as one people remains a great challenge in the future. With diverse background and possible social division between local and foreign-born, we cannot afford to let the matter take its own course, but should initiate proactive strategies and programmes to make it happen faster, more smoothly and in the manner we want. Ng Ya Ken
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NATIONAL Development Minister Mah Bow Tan brought up a larger issue behind the debate on foreign workers' dormitories, which is how 'to accept and live with a larger foreign worker population'.
Foreign workers will continue to increase in number in the future. First, more and more citizens will become old and retire. Second, new entrants to the workforce are declining in number due to fewer births in the past 30 years. Third, productivity growth lags behind economic growth. When the economy expands by 5 per cent and productivity grows by say 2 per cent, we need 3 per cent more workers.
New foreign workers can contribute to our economy straightaway. Our procreation measures will take another two decades to bear similar result. As their number grows, the integration issue becomes more urgent.
In particular, we need to integrate better qualified permanent residents into society, whose number could increase from the current 500,000 to one million in 15 to 20 years. We should persuade as many PRs as possible to become citizens. Currently we convince only one in three to do so. The task may become more difficult in the future as their countries of birth catch up with us.
To counter this, we should step up efforts to entice PRs to become citizens as early as possible. PRs who are young and those with children should be given priority. We could offer incentives to them and their children. The sooner they become citizens, the more bonus they get.
We should encourage single PRs to marry; remove restrictions or barriers, if any.
=> Did not Wooden suggest using Nanyang girls to entice the PRC FTrash in Chinese High Sch not to quit Sg?
Once they form families here, the chances they will stay here for good and become citizens are higher. Some pro-family incentives can be extended to them. If too many PRs remain single and do not procreate, our population ageing problem will be aggravated in the long term, and our immigration objective will not be fully met.
Equally important, citizens need to win the hearts of PRs and foreigners through our attitude and behaviour.
How PRs, new citizens and locals can live as one people remains a great challenge in the future. With diverse background and possible social division between local and foreign-born, we cannot afford to let the matter take its own course, but should initiate proactive strategies and programmes to make it happen faster, more smoothly and in the manner we want. Ng Ya Ken
