<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Boost service sector rather than cleaning industry
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I READ with interest Thursday's report, 'Government boosts cleaning sector'. While I am pleased there has been a lot of initiative by the Government to give incentives to companies to hire Singaporeans, I question whether boosting this sector is a good idea.
After all, is the cleaning sector one that our increasingly affluent society is looking at? Since the 1980s, the number of Singaporeans with technical certificates, A levels, diplomas and degrees has risen steadily. Surely these positive statistics show that Singaporeans are overqualified to work as cleaners? No disrespect to those who work in this sector, but it usually attracts foreign labour, senior citizens and those seeking temporary employment.
Also, rather than spend time and effort on getting companies to hire Singaporeans in this sector, the Government should boost the service sector. It is foolish that to save costs, companies hire foreign workers who speak little or no English and make them front-line staff, when there are more than enough Singaporeans who speak good English.
Muhammad Arief Aditya
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I READ with interest Thursday's report, 'Government boosts cleaning sector'. While I am pleased there has been a lot of initiative by the Government to give incentives to companies to hire Singaporeans, I question whether boosting this sector is a good idea.
After all, is the cleaning sector one that our increasingly affluent society is looking at? Since the 1980s, the number of Singaporeans with technical certificates, A levels, diplomas and degrees has risen steadily. Surely these positive statistics show that Singaporeans are overqualified to work as cleaners? No disrespect to those who work in this sector, but it usually attracts foreign labour, senior citizens and those seeking temporary employment.
Also, rather than spend time and effort on getting companies to hire Singaporeans in this sector, the Government should boost the service sector. It is foolish that to save costs, companies hire foreign workers who speak little or no English and make them front-line staff, when there are more than enough Singaporeans who speak good English.
Muhammad Arief Aditya
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