<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>PM's right about cutting dependence on foreign workers
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I WAS heartened to hear of the various government efforts that will be put in place, as outlined by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Tuesday.
One key policy issue identified by PM Lee was with regard to reducing Singapore's dependence on foreign workers. Although Mr Lee acknowledged that Singapore could not do without foreign workers, he stressed that we will have to study how we can still continue to grow our economy without 'indefinitely growing our foreign-worker numbers'. I applaud his vision and cannot agree with him more.
Indeed, many companies and industries have, in recent years, come to be over-dependent on foreign workers. The construction industry is a case in point. As many Members of Parliament have rightly pointed out, this over-reliance makes Singapore vulnerable and can prove to be detrimental if, for some reason, these foreign workers decide to relocate in bulk.
Many companies have adopted the strategy of employing foreign workers in large numbers, principally for cost reasons. However, in order for growth to be sustainable, it is important that companies do not come to be over-reliant on non-local labour. Unlike foreign labour, local labour is less transient and more in sync with the culture of most Singaporeans.
Perhaps it is time for companies to start thinking about how they can reduce their reliance on foreign labour. One way is to rethink their production input mix. By investing more in technology and the latest cutting-edge equipment, companies may be able to reduce their dependence on manpower.
Another way is for companies to hire more Singaporeans to do the job. However, this requires these people to be less 'picky' about the jobs they do and be willing to constantly upgrade and go for courses to improve their vocational and technical skills. Singaporeans also have to be realistic, especially in times like this, and accept less pay if need be.
Having said this, reducing our dependence on foreign workers will not be easy and changes will not take place overnight. Just as growing our population too fast has its demerits, reducing foreign worker numbers overnight also is not a viable solution.
In my view, it is important that any effort to reduce our reliance on foreign workers be done at a strategic and reasonable pace. This would go far in lessening the impact of this strategy on the economy. Kelvin Seah
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I WAS heartened to hear of the various government efforts that will be put in place, as outlined by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Tuesday.
One key policy issue identified by PM Lee was with regard to reducing Singapore's dependence on foreign workers. Although Mr Lee acknowledged that Singapore could not do without foreign workers, he stressed that we will have to study how we can still continue to grow our economy without 'indefinitely growing our foreign-worker numbers'. I applaud his vision and cannot agree with him more.
Indeed, many companies and industries have, in recent years, come to be over-dependent on foreign workers. The construction industry is a case in point. As many Members of Parliament have rightly pointed out, this over-reliance makes Singapore vulnerable and can prove to be detrimental if, for some reason, these foreign workers decide to relocate in bulk.
Many companies have adopted the strategy of employing foreign workers in large numbers, principally for cost reasons. However, in order for growth to be sustainable, it is important that companies do not come to be over-reliant on non-local labour. Unlike foreign labour, local labour is less transient and more in sync with the culture of most Singaporeans.
Perhaps it is time for companies to start thinking about how they can reduce their reliance on foreign labour. One way is to rethink their production input mix. By investing more in technology and the latest cutting-edge equipment, companies may be able to reduce their dependence on manpower.
Another way is for companies to hire more Singaporeans to do the job. However, this requires these people to be less 'picky' about the jobs they do and be willing to constantly upgrade and go for courses to improve their vocational and technical skills. Singaporeans also have to be realistic, especially in times like this, and accept less pay if need be.
Having said this, reducing our dependence on foreign workers will not be easy and changes will not take place overnight. Just as growing our population too fast has its demerits, reducing foreign worker numbers overnight also is not a viable solution.
In my view, it is important that any effort to reduce our reliance on foreign workers be done at a strategic and reasonable pace. This would go far in lessening the impact of this strategy on the economy. Kelvin Seah
