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There is no denying that every 1st world country needs foreigners to supplement its citizens to help drive its economy. BUT, is
| | Population | Citizen | Non-citizen |
| | 4,799,300 | 93.7% | 6.3% |
| | 5,326,314 | 97.3% | 2.7% |
| | 4,017,733 | 74.0% | 26.0% |
| | 4,839,400 | 65.4% | 34.6% |
22 comments:
I think the gahmen is not so concerned over how many foreigners in Singapore or how badly it affects citizens in terms of jobs, medical care, transport and other social aspects.
Most important is that the country is stable and peaceful (no large scale riots or street protests), the opposition remain weak and the majority, no matter what, still vote them during elections.
Once this can be achieved, doesn't matter how many foreigners or even if economy decline 20%, income gap widen further or their million dollar salaries.
Very interesting statistics.
For every 2 Singaporeans there is 1 foreigner.
Get ready for the day when citizens form less than 50% of the population. Wait a minute! Many of these citizens are not Singapore-born citizens. I don't consider them citizens. They are foreigners to me. I have nothing in common with them. Thus I would say, that day is already here. We are strangers in our own country.
Why do we need so many foreigners? So that they take away all our jobs and make Singaporeans jobless?
I think they believe our population is too small and therefore we need to boost our population (too much family planning?) in order to sustain the economy ; more people = more demand for services/supplies. But how much do these foreigners really contribute to the economy?
When Government first opens the doors to foreigners, its campaign is that we need Foreign Talents. Foreign Talents are those who have exceled in their established field or careers. Today any Tom, Dick or Harry who land a blue-collared job in Singapore is freely refered to as Foreign Talent. How can this be? Mind you, we are always proud that our local univerisities are within the top 50 in the world and yet our graduates have to fight for a job with these Foreign Workers. Surely our graduates are equally qualified, if not better qualified.
Singaporeans, officials included, need to use the term Foreign Talent correctly. Otherwise, one-day the sexy China lady selling "Ban Mian" in our neighbourhood coffee-shop would also be addressed as Foreign Talent.
The loss of jobs to foreigners etc are secondary. The main issue is that hopefully, some of these foreigners will like Singapore enough to become citizens. It follows that these people will be grateful to the present political leadership, as evidenced by Straits Times reports of grateful new citizens that Singapore has given then opportunities which their own motherland has not. Naturally this will translate into more votes and ensure the perpetuality of the present party. I believed this is the primary reason for the huge surge in foreigners. Besides, who wants to be the government of a small and weak country? By importing as many foreigners as possible, the economy will be more vibrant and appears to be in a golden period. Never mind if the social risks and health risks increase, the economic data will look better and KPIs will be met. The bottom line is power and money.
The problem is not that there are too many foreigners, it is that Singapore refuses to integrate people who come here to live and work.
As long as Singapore insists on treating long term residents as foreigners, there will continue to be tensions.
Although many "foreigners" have lived here for 10 or 20 years, they are not represented in Parliament, yet they pay taxes the same as citizens.
At this point, somebody will shout NS! as if that justifies anything. If you don't want foreigners living here, I doubt you want them in your army.
The xenophobia of Tiang's comment that even when somebody does become a citizen, he doesn't consider them a real citizen, is just sad.
What is really being said is that if you are not Hokkein Chinese, you can't really be Singaporean.
What are you scared of? On one hand you say the "foreign talents" aren't really talented, but at the same time, you think they are taking all the jobs.
Which is it?
Maybe you need to look in the mirror and make as much effort as somebody who has chosen to uproot themselves, travel to a strange country, and accept menial labour.
By not allowing dual citizenship, and by restricting rights of long term residents, Singapore will remain less than a truly international city. Contrast this with the lively and productive cities of Australia and Canada which welcome immigrants with open arms.
In economics, there is a very powerful law known as the Law of One Price. This law postulates that "In an efficient market all identical goods must have only one price."
In the 1960s and 1970s, labour markets were inefficent because many countries adopted inward looking policies that discouraged foreign investment. There was also no technology to allow cheap and efficent long distance communication.
Due to this inefficency, we could therefore have large differences between what a manager earns in Singapore and what a manager earns in India or China.
In such an environment, it made sense to have economic policies to restrict labour movement to maximise the welfare of the local population. This is because the limitations of the time prevented businesses from overcoming these inefficencies. Business therefore had no choice but to accept the wage differential.
Fast forward 50 years and the world has completely changed. The internet and other networks allow near instantaneous long distance communication. Many countries have also adopted open door policies that aggressively court foreign investment.
Yesterday's policy of restricting labour movement to keep local wages high is therefore doomed to failure. With all the options available to businesses today, they would simply look for ways to circumvent or overcome these restrictions.
For example if we didn't have a low cost FT policy, the company would not hire expensive Singapore engineers. A far more cost effective option would be to set up a small representative office and get the engineering work done offshore in a cheaper location. The company can then use the internet or other low cost communication to deliver the work to the client in Singapore.
There is no reason why a business would want to pay a Singaporean more just because he lives in Singapore and has Singaprean needs/dreams.
If Singaporeans want to prosper, they need to adapt to the new world instead of looking back at a time which no longer exists.
If what you can do is the same as what someone in India or China can do, then in the long run you will be earning the same as what that person from India or China earns.
I think the point is that we are scared of competition.
I was very disappointed when I was not able to get into NTU Business school with my 'A' level grades.
Yet, a foreign student with just 1 grade above me, managed to get in. Additionally, I had won an Inter-SChool Competition and had a leadership post in my CCA.
I don't think it is right that we make comparisons with Australia and Canada. Our country's framework is very different from theirs and they need immigrants to flourish.
I'm not saying that we should not allowed foreigners in our country. I have benefited from learning from a foreign teacher, and am appreciative of the work that they do.
However, I feel that the level of criteria used to judge foreign talent should be increase.
In this way, I will really feel that the foreign talents are really talents.
Did you know ??
1. Syndicates made money by playing up the stock market. They also gained from the agency fees collected from foreign workers. Some foreigners have been cheated with promises of good jobs in Singapore, but they soon lost their jobs after a few months here. Some from China have protested at the labor ministry, but it seems they are fighting a losing battle; and would be deported soon. Is this a just system?
2. Employees love foreigners because they are like their new Egyptian slaves, building their modern world pyramids. Cane them and they would not run away. They are under harsh contracts, bonded during their contractual period. Singaporeans would not eat such shit from their mean masters.
3. If I love my country, I would not betray my country and be a citizen of another country. Dual citizenship encourages disloyalty to one's nation for economic gains. Should we encourage others to betray their homeland, and let traitors receive Singapore citizenship?
4. Every locally born Singaporean has a right to a decent job. No one should be forced by harsh economic circumstances to steal and rob.
5. Older Singaporeans are displaced by huge pools of younger foreigners. It becomes a huge social problem. They lose their dignity and zest for life. Then their health deteriorate due to an inactive lifestyle. I see so many old folks selling tissue paper these days.
Did you know who created the problems??
Two points to take note.
First, I meant to say employers and not employees in 2. Employers love foreigners because they are like their new Egyptian slaves.
Second, the significant foreign work force is due to the work of employment agencies to a great extent; in my humble opinion. There is money to be made, and the profit margin is outrageous. I heard tales of some human resources managers who received rewards from their agencies.
Maybe it is a good idea to post on this blog how much the foreign worker has to pay the middleman, for the different countries and jobs eg. domestic maid from Philippines, shipyard worker from India, construction worker from Bangladesh, semi-conductor plant operator from China etc.
Robert, I do not understand you.
I am a foreigner and you seem to say that foreigners capture the jobs and prosperity away in Singapore.
In fact, Singaporean and foreigners have different styles which could add so much to each other. Singaporeans are smart, organized and detailed professionals. Foreigners love to go greenfield, like uncertainty and creativity on behalf. This can be a very decent match.
Tension between us is so unnecessary...
btw. I thought that Singaporeans love competition, so do not hide away when competition is there!
on the other hand.
I am 24 and paid 60% tax on my income in Europe, excluding healthcare, insurances and other things.
Be glad things are not like that in Singapore, life isn't that bad :)
Cheers
Good to hear your comment Joost at 2:58 AM. My personal views are as below.
1. I have no issue with foreigners although I did met some nasty ones.
2. Nobody with a sound mind would love competition, but we do appreciate unity and co-operation.
3. If the tax is 60% here, the PAP would be out of town and I would be the new prime minister.
4. The key issue here is whether the foreigner make-up is excessive, and I would say it indeed constitute a formidable force.
5. Policy-makers must re-examine this old issue, and come up with new, better and effective solutions. And not short-term measures. My view is decision makers often look for the cheap and easy ways to get out of a problem. Maybe they thought "I wouldn't be around by then".
6. Our country is very small and the over-crowding is unbearable. I am looking for someplace to escape this city. Temperatures rise when buildings and people are packed too close. And the water is artificial or factory water we are drinking.
The statistics from Tan Kin Lian and other published economic data should give us some clues on our situation.
I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can't even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).
I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don't even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them...to attend a funeral of my uncle...(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here's an idea, why don't I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!
I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births....(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)
I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!
About 9 years ago in 2001, a friend once told me that we are slowly losing our singaporean identity as a result of the influx of foreigners. His prediction has now come to pass. 1 foreigner for every 4 singaporean, omg!
I voted for the PAP ever since i turned 21, now i'm having 2nd thoughts.
More working people (Local or FT), more $$$ to CPF and Tax, then can sustain $$$$$$$ pay mah.
More people (local or FT), more $$$ to CPF and Tax, then can sustain $,$$$,$$$ pay mah.
Any 2010 or 2009 Statistics?
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Foreigners regardless of gender should be made to waste away a good part of their life in NS before they are allowed to work in SG.
I went to Singapore in 1999,my great grandparents along with my relatives are original Singaporean citizens,They speak both English and Hokianese.My last visit is in 2011 and as far as I can see,Singapore is becoming no better or worse.Those newbies are destroying the culture and moral values.I also notice that Singapore is getting dirty now.My guess its the foreigners from developing countries who do that.I also noticed that many Indonesians use Indonesian words even if they speak to native singaporeans,like saying "excuse me" in Indonesian.
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