There have been many posts about reducing the number of foreigners but so far, I have not seen a discussion on how to go about achieving this. The over-reliance on foreigners is unhealthy because in the aftermath of a prolonged disastrous event (assuming Singapore managed to survive as a country), how are we going to entice the foreigners back into rebuilding the country as entire sectors of our economy are now dominated by foreigners? Are we going to use our reserves to do so? How do we get sufficient numbers to rebuild our houses, take care of our sick and elderly, clear our rubbish, etc? If we allow the influx to go on unchecked, we are in serious danger of hollowing out our own local expertise in virtually every industry. Below are some measures that I think should be taken to avoid such a scenario.
1) Employment permits to be allowed only for certain industries (e.g. construction) where foreigners make up at least 75% of the current workforce. Even then, the government needs to set up instututes to train Singaporeans to take up jobs in these industries. The government also needs to actively encourage employers to hire the graduates of these institutes. For example, if they do not hire a certain quota of them, they do not get to hire any more foreigners. This is different from the current quota system where the employers can just hire ghost Singaporeans to make up the numbers. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis whereby it is obvious that Singapore definitely do not possess the people who can do the job (e.g. bringing in an arts performing group from overseas, hiring a subject matter expert to conduct specialised research, etc). This will provide incentives for the employers to train up their local staff and to value them.
2) PRs are to be granted on a selective basis. A points system similar to those in use in other countries must be implemented to decide who we give PRs to. Just because you have studied or worked in Singapore for a number of years does not automatically qualify you for PR.
3) NTUC should be dismantled. The government will not interfere in arbitrations between workers and employers except for critical services like defence, police, hospitals, power generation, etc. For the critical services,
the workers will not be allowed to go on strike (for obvious reasons) and the government has to step in. Laws must be passed about when strikes can take place (e.g. not more than once a month) and how long a strike can last (e.g. not more than 3 days).
4) Labour protection laws need to be strengthened. Dismissal without just cause will result in the employer being fined and paying any litigation costs incurred by the employee. Formal warnings to the employee must be proven to have been given prior to dismissal. If a worker is retrenched, the employer
will be fined if he takes on another worker in a similar role within six months.
For those that say such measures will scare off MNCs, I say that is bullshit because MNCs are not afraid of such policies. In fact, most of them are admired by workers for their visionary labour policies. The MNCs are ultimately only interested in costs and the quality of workers. They are moving out of Singapore because other countries are now able to match Singapore's quality at much lower cost. Importing foreigners is just delaying the inevitable by driving down labour costs. There are also other costs like land which the government is less keen to bring down because it is much easier to just screw Singaporeans. I am sceptical of any measures announced by the PAP because the entire system is so entrenched in rewarding their own members rather than having the interests of Singaporeans as the starting point and core consideration when formulating policies.
1) Employment permits to be allowed only for certain industries (e.g. construction) where foreigners make up at least 75% of the current workforce. Even then, the government needs to set up instututes to train Singaporeans to take up jobs in these industries. The government also needs to actively encourage employers to hire the graduates of these institutes. For example, if they do not hire a certain quota of them, they do not get to hire any more foreigners. This is different from the current quota system where the employers can just hire ghost Singaporeans to make up the numbers. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis whereby it is obvious that Singapore definitely do not possess the people who can do the job (e.g. bringing in an arts performing group from overseas, hiring a subject matter expert to conduct specialised research, etc). This will provide incentives for the employers to train up their local staff and to value them.
2) PRs are to be granted on a selective basis. A points system similar to those in use in other countries must be implemented to decide who we give PRs to. Just because you have studied or worked in Singapore for a number of years does not automatically qualify you for PR.
3) NTUC should be dismantled. The government will not interfere in arbitrations between workers and employers except for critical services like defence, police, hospitals, power generation, etc. For the critical services,
the workers will not be allowed to go on strike (for obvious reasons) and the government has to step in. Laws must be passed about when strikes can take place (e.g. not more than once a month) and how long a strike can last (e.g. not more than 3 days).
4) Labour protection laws need to be strengthened. Dismissal without just cause will result in the employer being fined and paying any litigation costs incurred by the employee. Formal warnings to the employee must be proven to have been given prior to dismissal. If a worker is retrenched, the employer
will be fined if he takes on another worker in a similar role within six months.
For those that say such measures will scare off MNCs, I say that is bullshit because MNCs are not afraid of such policies. In fact, most of them are admired by workers for their visionary labour policies. The MNCs are ultimately only interested in costs and the quality of workers. They are moving out of Singapore because other countries are now able to match Singapore's quality at much lower cost. Importing foreigners is just delaying the inevitable by driving down labour costs. There are also other costs like land which the government is less keen to bring down because it is much easier to just screw Singaporeans. I am sceptical of any measures announced by the PAP because the entire system is so entrenched in rewarding their own members rather than having the interests of Singaporeans as the starting point and core consideration when formulating policies.
