<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published September 17, 2009
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Foreign talent in Singapore
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</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>WHEN economists pointed out several years ago that Singapore's potential medium-term growth had gone up several notches to about 8 per cent, the number one factor behind the rise, they said, was foreign labour expansion. An open-door policy towards foreign talent helped to overcome the constraints resulting from declining fertility rates and an aging population.
More recently, a liberal immigration policy was also cited by an upbeat economist as a key factor behind his bullish forecast that the Singapore economy could in 2010 - the year following its worst economic numbers ever - grow a robust 8 per cent or more. Which is why Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's remarks on Tuesday night about a slowdown ahead in the influx of immigrants, while an obvious headline grabber, should not be misread or misconstrued as a sea change in Singapore's liberal stance on foreign talent.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>To be sure, Mr Lee's comments are timely in placating and assuring some sections of Singaporeans who have of late voiced, ever more loudly, misgivings about the growing numbers of foreigners in their midst. The complaints range from allegedly poor service standards (from foreigners in frontline retail, hawker and other service jobs who can't speak English) to outright competition with Singaporeans for places in top schools, national sports teams and, not least, for jobs. Such grouses would no doubt be fodder for the hustings, come election time in a year or two; grist to the mill for the opposition particularly. In saying this week that there will be a let-up in the pace of intake of immigrants, and as well a sharper distinction between citizens and permanent residents in perks and benefits, Mr Lee is acknowledging the concerns of disgruntled Singaporeans and telling them that the government is mindful of their discontent. And as well, he said, with the current slower pace of economic activity following the global crisis, Singapore cannot quite continue to add unlimited numbers to the foreign worker population, which has ballooned to about one million here.
But Mr Lee also made clear, in his speech to undergraduates, that wooing foreign talent to sink roots here remains key to Singapore's future. The Republic simply lacks the skills and expertise in specialist areas that it wants to be engaged in. At the other end of the spectrum, the hordes of foreigners on work permits here do the jobs that Singaporeans shun - and it's those foreigners who bear the brunt of job losses in bad years. And yes, Mr Lee said, touching on something that has had people either bemused or piqued over the years, Singapore will indeed continue to 'go for Number 1 in everything'. But that - as well as Singapore's aspirations to become a leading global city - can't be achieved on the sweat and strengths of just its homebred people. Or is that not apparent? It may well be that getting Singaporeans to embrace foreigners in their midst is a bigger challenge than wooing globally-mobile top talents to come here.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Foreign talent in Singapore
<TABLE class=storyLinks border=0 cellSpacing=4 cellPadding=1 width=136 align=right><TBODY><TR class=font10><TD width=20 align=right>
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</TD><TD>Feedback</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>WHEN economists pointed out several years ago that Singapore's potential medium-term growth had gone up several notches to about 8 per cent, the number one factor behind the rise, they said, was foreign labour expansion. An open-door policy towards foreign talent helped to overcome the constraints resulting from declining fertility rates and an aging population. More recently, a liberal immigration policy was also cited by an upbeat economist as a key factor behind his bullish forecast that the Singapore economy could in 2010 - the year following its worst economic numbers ever - grow a robust 8 per cent or more. Which is why Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's remarks on Tuesday night about a slowdown ahead in the influx of immigrants, while an obvious headline grabber, should not be misread or misconstrued as a sea change in Singapore's liberal stance on foreign talent.
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But Mr Lee also made clear, in his speech to undergraduates, that wooing foreign talent to sink roots here remains key to Singapore's future. The Republic simply lacks the skills and expertise in specialist areas that it wants to be engaged in. At the other end of the spectrum, the hordes of foreigners on work permits here do the jobs that Singaporeans shun - and it's those foreigners who bear the brunt of job losses in bad years. And yes, Mr Lee said, touching on something that has had people either bemused or piqued over the years, Singapore will indeed continue to 'go for Number 1 in everything'. But that - as well as Singapore's aspirations to become a leading global city - can't be achieved on the sweat and strengths of just its homebred people. Or is that not apparent? It may well be that getting Singaporeans to embrace foreigners in their midst is a bigger challenge than wooing globally-mobile top talents to come here.
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