Duty of the government on creating job opportunities

I consider it to be the duty of a government to make sure that all its citizens are able to get a job that pay adequate wages to meet the cost of living in that country.

Here are the steps that the government can take to meet this duty:

a) Give priority for its citizens to get jobs, before allowing the entry of foreign workers.
b) Ensure that the jobs pay adequate wages so that the citizens are able to take these jobs.
c) Use the public sector to pay adequate wages and let these wages be the benchmark for the private sector.
d) If necessary, provide a subsidy to the private sector employers so that their business can be viable.
e) Provide a short period of relief, say six months, for workers who lose their jobs due to retrenchment or redundancy.

A better strategy is to reduce the cost of living and the cost of doing business, so that the private sector businesses can be viable, without subsidy.

If the government takes on this responsibility, they will be able to find the solution. They cannot have the excuse to say that the creation of jobs depend on the market. The government has a duty to create the suitable economic environment to ensure that this goal can be achieved.

Do you agree?

Tan Kin Lian