Now You Know Why Singapore is so Crowded
-
Let's Welcome More!
The Government will need to take in 20,000 new citizens each year to replace Singapore's falling population.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng said this in Parliament yesterday in response to MP Ho Geok Choo's question on the optimum number of foreigners needed to keep Singapore productive.
Minister Wong said that while the Economic Strategies Committee has recommended that the number of foreign workers be maintained at one-third of total workforce, the government will not impose a quota so as to afford companies more flexibility.
Besides transient workers, he said "it remains critical for Singapore to attract highly capable and entrepreneurial people from around the world" as it "will help to create many more opportunities for Singaporeans".
We reproduce the Minister's full reply here:
The Government does not target a specific total population size nor do we have a formula to determine the optimal number of foreigners. What we seek to achieve is a viable and sustainable population size that helps us grow our economy and develop a livelier and more vibrant society.
There are various factors that influence the inflow of foreigners in Singapore, including economic factors such as the business or employment opportunities of the individual, the calibre of foreigners we need to or are able to attract for our economy and for population augmentation, the productivity of Singaporeans, and social factors such as the pace at which foreigners can be accommodated without introducing undue stress to our society.
Foreigners have an important role to play in the success of our economy. As of today, foreign workers make up almost one-third of our total workforce. They fill many jobs including those which Singaporeans do not want to do, e.g. those in the construction, marine and manufacturing industries. They also fill jobs because we do not have enough Singaporeans to fill, e.g. those in the services sector, like financial and tourism industries.
Nevertheless, the Government recognises that we cannot let the proportion of foreign workers in the workforce increase indefinitely, as there are real physical and social limits. Furthermore, companies that continue to rely heavily on foreign workers will have little incentive to invest in productivity improvements. The Economic Strategies Committee has thus proposed that foreigners be capped at the current one-third of total workforce.
However, this will not be implemented through setting quotas or specifying an optimal number of foreign workers. Instead, the Government will manage foreign workers sectorally and through a phased increase in the foreign worker levy. This allows companies the flexibility to employ the foreign workers they need to seize business opportunities and grow, without being hamstrung by rigid quotas.
At the same time, the Government will help companies reduce their reliance on low-skilled foreign workers through productivity enhancing initiatives, such as the establishment of a $2 billion National Productivity Fund and the introduction of the Productivity and Innovation Credit.
Even as we moderate the growth of the total foreign workforce, it remains critical for Singapore to attract highly capable and entrepreneurial people from around the world to work here. They will complement our home-grown talent in areas like science and engineering, design, finance and start-ups. Keeping our society open to top talent will help to create many more opportunities for Singaporeans.
Other than this transient pool of foreign workers needed to supplement our workforce, immigrants are also needed to supplement our population. The reason is our declining birth rates, which are well below the replacement rate and a rapidly aging population. To make up for the shortfall, we need to take about 20,000 new citizens a year, to keep our citizen core. We will continue to be stringent in our requirements and grant citizenship to those of suitable quality, and who not only contribute to Singapore economically but also integrate well into our society.
As we continue to attract talented individuals to Singapore, we need to ensure that they are well-integrated into the local community. The National Integration Council was set up to spearhead efforts to integrate PRs and new citizens into our society. A number of measures to promote and foster social cohesion among locals, new immigrants and foreigners have been implemented.
For instance, the Singapore Citizenship Journey was recently introduced to help new citizens learn more about Singapore's history and our way of life. For the transient foreigners, there are also programmes to help them adapt to local culture and conditions.
Attracting the right kind of people to Singapore and ensuring that they are welcomed into our society cannot be achieved by the Government alone. We need to and will continue to work with the community to explore new measures to enhance the integration of new immigrants. -
parliament is one big farce. You ask something, I answer. I ask you back, you answer. All questions and answers are prepared before the session begins. Lydat who cannot do? LOL.
Who truly dares to criticize week in week out? Do that and your rice bowl breaks.
-
Wah no wonder so many foreigners.
-
Yes!
Let them help us fill up those jobs that Singaporeans shun like Banking, IT, Accountancy, Sales and hopefully Ministerial.
Let those lazy Singaporeans who should have spurs kicked into their hinds die.
-
Originally posted by ahtansh:
Let's Welcome More!
The Government will need to take in 20,000 new citizens each year to replace Singapore's falling population.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng said this in Parliament yesterday in response to MP Ho Geok Choo's question on the optimum number of foreigners needed to keep Singapore productive.
Minister Wong said that while the Economic Strategies Committee has recommended that the number of foreign workers be maintained at one-third of total workforce, the government will not impose a quota so as to afford companies more flexibility.
Besides transient workers, he said "it remains critical for Singapore to attract highly capable and entrepreneurial people from around the world" as it "will help to create many more opportunities for Singaporeans".
We reproduce the Minister's full reply here:
The Government does not target a specific total population size nor do we have a formula to determine the optimal number of foreigners. What we seek to achieve is a viable and sustainable population size that helps us grow our economy and develop a livelier and more vibrant society.
There are various factors that influence the inflow of foreigners in Singapore, including economic factors such as the business or employment opportunities of the individual, the calibre of foreigners we need to or are able to attract for our economy and for population augmentation, the productivity of Singaporeans, and social factors such as the pace at which foreigners can be accommodated without introducing undue stress to our society.
Foreigners have an important role to play in the success of our economy. As of today, foreign workers make up almost one-third of our total workforce. They fill many jobs including those which Singaporeans do not want to do, e.g. those in the construction, marine and manufacturing industries. They also fill jobs because we do not have enough Singaporeans to fill, e.g. those in the services sector, like financial and tourism industries.
Nevertheless, the Government recognises that we cannot let the proportion of foreign workers in the workforce increase indefinitely, as there are real physical and social limits. Furthermore, companies that continue to rely heavily on foreign workers will have little incentive to invest in productivity improvements. The Economic Strategies Committee has thus proposed that foreigners be capped at the current one-third of total workforce.
However, this will not be implemented through setting quotas or specifying an optimal number of foreign workers. Instead, the Government will manage foreign workers sectorally and through a phased increase in the foreign worker levy. This allows companies the flexibility to employ the foreign workers they need to seize business opportunities and grow, without being hamstrung by rigid quotas.
At the same time, the Government will help companies reduce their reliance on low-skilled foreign workers through productivity enhancing initiatives, such as the establishment of a $2 billion National Productivity Fund and the introduction of the Productivity and Innovation Credit.
Even as we moderate the growth of the total foreign workforce, it remains critical for Singapore to attract highly capable and entrepreneurial people from around the world to work here. They will complement our home-grown talent in areas like science and engineering, design, finance and start-ups. Keeping our society open to top talent will help to create many more opportunities for Singaporeans.
Other than this transient pool of foreign workers needed to supplement our workforce, immigrants are also needed to supplement our population. The reason is our declining birth rates, which are well below the replacement rate and a rapidly aging population. To make up for the shortfall, we need to take about 20,000 new citizens a year, to keep our citizen core. We will continue to be stringent in our requirements and grant citizenship to those of suitable quality, and who not only contribute to Singapore economically but also integrate well into our society.
As we continue to attract talented individuals to Singapore, we need to ensure that they are well-integrated into the local community. The National Integration Council was set up to spearhead efforts to integrate PRs and new citizens into our society. A number of measures to promote and foster social cohesion among locals, new immigrants and foreigners have been implemented.
For instance, the Singapore Citizenship Journey was recently introduced to help new citizens learn more about Singapore's history and our way of life. For the transient foreigners, there are also programmes to help them adapt to local culture and conditions.
Attracting the right kind of people to Singapore and ensuring that they are welcomed into our society cannot be achieved by the Government alone. We need to and will continue to work with the community to explore new measures to enhance the integration of new immigrants.a long article...so how much is govt revenue for foreign worker levy?
Are the collected Levy use for displacement of Singaporean worker to retool?
-
gobal competition a way of life for us
-
Outsource our ministry of defence, and save all those turning 18 the trouble.
-
Originally posted by Jiani:
gobal competition a way of life for us
this is not global competition....."FREE Give"Did you know that SG give out preferential Employment Pass to certain countries....
Whereby these nationalities only required 1st time company sponsor of employment pass upon entering into Singapore. Thereafter they can changed jobs within Singapore without any further sponsorship......for a period of 5 years.
Singaporean go overseas to work for every jobs required Sponsorship by every employer in order to get a working Visa.
-
Originally posted by ditzy:
Outsource our ministry of defence, and save all those turning 18 the trouble.
Outsource as in creating bioweapons -
It is time to outsource the parliament to foreign workers.
It i time to also outsource the SAF to foreign workers.
-
Foreign workers at one-third of the workforce? lol
I doubt so...everywhere i turn i see a foreign worker.
-
Originally posted by ahtansh:
The Government will need to take in 20,000 new citizens each year to replace Singapore's falling population.
what kind of bullshit logic is that PAP?
fuck off lah, destroy Singapore by flooding us with aliens.
Time to fuck fuck fuck off PAP.
Next elections, you will fuck off PAP.
Don't have any sense of patriotism at all this fucking PAP.
win too many fucking elections already, this fucking PAP, take locals for granted, pamper aliens, flood us with aliens.
This fucking PAP.
-
PAP, I ask you, you flood Singapore with aliens; how does this solve the problem of low birth rate?
Just how the hell does it solve the problem?
Seems to me that you PAP, is ceating more problems for us Singaporeans.
You should be ashamed of yourself PAP.
More people, more litter, more litter, drainage clogged. Drainage clogged, when it rains, flooding everywhere.
Fuck you lah PAP.
-
Too many foreigners in singapore. PAP should stop the influx of foreigners.