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Foreigners do not take jobs away from locals: PM By Sue-Ann Chia http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_232960.html
THE simmering resentment that some locals have against foreigners was addressed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who sought to assuage concerns.
His message was clear: Foreigners do not take jobs away from locals.
'I hope Singaporeans will look at the contributions of foreign workers objectively - they are not here to steal our jobs, but to help us enlarge the economic pie,' he said in his May Day rally speech on Thursday.
Foreigners form about 30 per cent of Singapore's workforce, a figure that has remained unchanged for years. But there has been a recent spike in the number of foreigner coming here to work to fill the bumper crop of new jobs.
He also cited former labour chief Lim Boon Heng's comments last month about the competition between local and foreign beer ladies.
Mr Lim, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said if foreign beer ladies attracted more customers, the coffeeshops will have more business. This would indirectly help locals keep their jobs.
Mr Lee noted that some people disagreed with Mr Lim's answer.
'I also think it may not be a good thing to have more pretty beer ladies who encourage people to drink more,' he said to laughter from the 1,500 unionists, employers and government leaders gathered at Downtown East.
Still, Mr Lee acknowledged that Mr Lim had a serious point, and went on to list the value of foreigners.
One, foreign workers are hardworking and willing to work long hours. By hiring them, coffeeshops can open late or even round the clock.
Two, with the help of foreign workers, the airport, seaport, factories, offices, hotels, restaurants and retail outlets here can offer better service and business hours.
'365 days a year, 24 hours a day, they can run their operations, service their customers, and so strengthen Singapore's overall competitiveness,' he said.
Three, if smaller business, especially the neighbourhood shops, can hire some foreign workers on top of locals, they can reduce business costs and stay afloat.
'Then, even their Singaporean employees will lose their jobs,' he added.
But Mr Lee also assured Singaporeans that the Government was controlling the inflow of foreign workers with levies and limits set on the number employers can hire.
'This gives Singaporean workers the edge in competing for jobs,' he noted.
Labour chief Lim Swee Say also weighed in on the issue, saying that foreigners were an 'easy target' for Singaporeans to blame when things go wrong.
'If Singapore was to send back all the 30 per cent of workers who are foreign workers, are we better off?' he asked.
But they are not the problem, he noted, adding: 'Let us be very clear. Foreign workers...are our friends, they are our partners because they are here working together with us...that makes us the No. 1 workforce in the world.'
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