- Joined
- Jan 23, 2010
- Messages
- 1,746
- Points
- 0
Young S'poreans not "hungry enough", says SM Goh
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 01 April 2011 2244 hrs
SINGAPORE: During a dialogue at the Singapore Polytechnic's Graduates Guild on Friday evening, one participant asked Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong about his views on the perception that young Singaporeans are "soft", compared to their peers from other countries, such as China.
Mr Goh said the more appropriate description for the younger generation is perhaps, that they are "not hungry enough" and that is due, in part, to the fact that Singapore has been successful, over the years.
The solution - to keep with the right strategies, go back to increasing productivity and to improve pay.
He said: "It's a matter of market forces. Supply and demand. In China, that man has no other job to go to. There are 600 million people competing with him for jobs. In our case, because we have done so well, every year we are creating 50,000 jobs. We only have 20 to 30 thousand inflow into the workforce, people have choice. So what is the solution? Well, maybe just a bad dose of government and you have unemployment for five, six years and Singaporeans will feel hungry! Do you want that? Answer is no!
"Because it's our job to make sure that we continue to grow and if we do so, they got a choice. What can we do? We all have a problem because people have a choice! So you just cannot compare the problem with China? What is your solution? Then you have to go back to productivity, to paying them well and so on. It's tough. Moving forward, rising expectations, better educated Singaporeans and new leadership, can we lead Singapore forward? If we have the right strategies, our future remains bright."
-CNA/ac
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 01 April 2011 2244 hrs
SINGAPORE: During a dialogue at the Singapore Polytechnic's Graduates Guild on Friday evening, one participant asked Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong about his views on the perception that young Singaporeans are "soft", compared to their peers from other countries, such as China.
Mr Goh said the more appropriate description for the younger generation is perhaps, that they are "not hungry enough" and that is due, in part, to the fact that Singapore has been successful, over the years.
The solution - to keep with the right strategies, go back to increasing productivity and to improve pay.
He said: "It's a matter of market forces. Supply and demand. In China, that man has no other job to go to. There are 600 million people competing with him for jobs. In our case, because we have done so well, every year we are creating 50,000 jobs. We only have 20 to 30 thousand inflow into the workforce, people have choice. So what is the solution? Well, maybe just a bad dose of government and you have unemployment for five, six years and Singaporeans will feel hungry! Do you want that? Answer is no!
"Because it's our job to make sure that we continue to grow and if we do so, they got a choice. What can we do? We all have a problem because people have a choice! So you just cannot compare the problem with China? What is your solution? Then you have to go back to productivity, to paying them well and so on. It's tough. Moving forward, rising expectations, better educated Singaporeans and new leadership, can we lead Singapore forward? If we have the right strategies, our future remains bright."
-CNA/ac
