How can the
government address the social issues within the locals that have resulted from
the rapid influx of foreign talent in the workforce?
Goldin (2009)
raised several issues to which he attributes as resulting from the rapid
globalization of the world today. In present Singapore, we face a highly
debatable issue that has resulted from globalization, the heavy import of
foreign talent in our country. While the nation thrives as an economic
giant, it is apparent that the heavy presence of foreign immigrants has also
been a source of tension for the locals here. With rising numbers of foreign
talents as preferred choices and being offered job positions in Singapore (Low,
2001), it implies that Singaporeans have much to contend for in terms of
employment. As a result, there has been an ongoing debate (Institute of Policy
Studies, 2005) over Singapore’s open door policy to foreign talents and whether
such policies have created more harm than good for the nation as locals are
unhappy with having to vie for job opportunities in their homeland. As a bid to ensure equal opportunities for
both locals and foreign talents, the government has implemented several schemes
in recent years to handle this open door policy and equal employment rights. However,
more can be done to strike a balance between boosting Singapore’s economic
progress, and appeasing locals’ distress and anxiety towards foreign talents’
in hiring practices. Such example would be on calls to amend schemes to be more
inclusive of different groups of the society, instead of extending it only to
graduates in the society.
Singaporeans have grumbled
and protested against the large numbers of foreign talent and many are upset
with how they seem to have “invaded” the place Singaporeans call home. An
investigation into the reasons why attributes the country’s overcrowding and
failing reliability of its public transportation system, increasing property
prices for housing, suppressed wage level, increasing income inequality, as
well as increased competition for jobs and education, as social problems to the
government’s open-door immigration policy (Terauds, 2011). Yet, the government
maintains its need for foreign immigrant as quoted by former minister mentor
Lee Kuan Yew, that “Foreign talent is vital to the growth of Singapore’s
society and in ensuring its economic progress.” (Xi, Global Times, 2014). However,
perhaps the question asked by many in this case would be, to what extent and at
what cost?
As a country without
natural resources as well as an aging population, Singapore relies largely on
talent to ensure economic progress, drawing them from across the
globe, South Asia, Northeast Asia, China, India and beyond that to
ensure its success and growth rate. Contrary to popular belief that these
foreigners have “snatched” jobs from the locals, it appears that that may not
be true. Founding father Lee Kuan Yew further supported that Singapore’s open
door policy to foreigners have on the other hand, created more jobs here (Xi,
Global Times, 2014). Yet, Singaporeans are still displeased that the hiring
rate of foreigners prevails as compared to the hiring of local people for jobs.
A recent scheme, the
new Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), requiring companies advertising
government job vacancies to target only locals for 14 days before hiring
foreigners, seeks to address the issue on creating equal employment
opportunities for locals and talents alike. This framework dictates that all
advertisements made by firms must be open to Singaporeans, comply with the
Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and run for at least
14 calendar days. With effect from 1st August 2014, firms will have to
show that they were unable to hire suitable Singapore candidates for any
job vacancies before submitting new Employment Pass (EP)
applications.
This framework allows
for the reduction of discriminatory HR practices such as preference employment
towards the hiring of foreigners. At the same time, it ensures Singaporeans the
fair consideration they are rightly entitled to for job opportunities. Additionally,
this framework seeks to put under additional scrutiny firms so that they can improve on their hiring
and career development practices. Firms with a disproportionately low
concentration of Singaporeans at the Professional, Managerial and Executive
(PME) level will be asked to provide information such as organisation charts
with nationality information, recruitment processes, and plans to develop local
internship staff to take on higher roles or reduce reliance on EP holders, to
the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). *
However, while this
framework seeks to ensure fair consideration for locals in job opportunities,
Singaporeans are also being considered based only on merit. As such, there have
been calls for the FCF to be expanded to include more groups of Singaporeans,
instead of only the graduates. What appears to be fair on the surface, is met
with critical reception by the National Solidairty Party (NSP) (Johan, The
Straits Times, 2013), who claims that the FCP applies only to top tier work
passes for foreign professionals and Singaporean degree holders. Ngerng (2013)
argues that the job applications for approximately 70% of Singaporeans (MOM's
Singapore Work Force 2012 Report) who are not degree holders would not be
applicable for this framework.
The government has
certainly made a concerted effort to address locals’ dissatisfaction towards
the increased competition for job positions, although more can be done to be
more inclusive of the other compositions of the society. While the issue on competitive
employment holds certain prevalence in Singapore today, this in fact, is not
exclusive only to Singapore, but also for our other Asian counterparts (Rosen,
2011). Having established that foreign talents are necessary in Singapore in
producing economic growth rate, perhaps what remains to change (aside from
governmental efforts), could be our individual reception towards foreign
talent. Perhaps the time has come for locals to adapt and accept, look beyond
the competitiveness, and look into integrating these foreign talents into our
society.
References:
Goldin, I. (2009).
Navigating our global future. Retrieved
Institute
of Policy Studies. (2013). The evolution of ‘foreign talent’ in Singapore’s
lexicon.
Retrieved on 25th
March, from
http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/07/Jerrold-Hong_The-evolution-of-foreign-talent-in-Singapores-lexicon_010713.pdf
Low,
L. (2001). The political economy of singapore’s policy on foreign talents and
high skills society.
Retrieved on 25th
March, 2014, from
http://research.nus.biz/documents/research%20paper%20series/rps0136.pdf
Ngerng,
R. (2013). Why did the fair consideration framework only cover degree holders?.
Retrieved
on 8th of March, 2014, from
http://thehearttruths.com/2013/09/26/why-did-the-fair-consideration-framework-only-cover-degree-holders/
Terauds,
K. (2011). Singapore’s dependence on foreign talent: causes and consequences.
Retrieved on 25th
March, 2014, from
http://krisageneve.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/terauds-e762-paper.pdf
Xi,
S. (2014). Aging Singapore can’t afford to close doors to crowd of foreign
talent. Global Times.
Retrieved on 25th
March, 2014, from
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/838693.shtml#.UzjTdaiSwoM
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