Call for a Review of Foreign Worker Policy

Today ran this article on 26 May 2009:

Call for a review of foreign worker policy
By Neo Chai Chin

Should Singapore tighten its “liberal” foreign worker policies? Some Members of Parliament think so and have called for a Government review.

Jurong MP Halimah Yacob urged for a review of foreign worker quotas to reflect today’s situation of higher unemployment and weaker job creation. She warned of a “hollowing out of skills” among locals, should large numbers of foreigners occupy jobs in a particular sector.

“There are now so many foreign workers even in the services sector that Singaporeans are beginning to feel squeezed out,” she said. For their part, Singaporeans must be prepared to work in new sectors or work further away from home.

Ang Mo Kio MP Inderjit Singh believes Singapore needs more pro-active measures such as a minimum-wage system to make some jobs more attractive to locals — a call the Opposition has made in the past — as well as reserving certain jobs for Singaporeans.

Middle- and lower-income groups here will be worse off over time with the current liberal policies due to “artificially depressed” wages — a result of “competition for low value-added jobs from foreigners”, he said.