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Businesses welcome ‘Singaporeans first’ call by MPs but hope policies, public rhetoric don’t go overboard
SINGAPORE, Sept 2 — Several business owners interviewed yesterday supported the call made by several Members of Parliament (MPs) over the past two days to put Singaporeans first when hiring.
However, they told TODAY they hoped that policy moves and public rhetoric do not swing to the extreme — an outcome that a few other private sector leaders fear Singapore is close to reaching, in terms of being perceived as anti-foreigner and protectionist.
On Monday and yesterday, the first two days of the parliamentary debate on the President’s Address, the issue of foreigners competing with residents here for jobs — especially among PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) — took centre stage in the House, as parliament reconvened after the General Election in July.
Leong Chee Tung, chief executive officer of human resources startup EngageRocket, believes that the “Singaporeans first” call would put pressure on Singaporean workers to step up and result in a steadier pipeline of needed talent for the future.
Chionh Chye Kit, chief executive officer of regulatory tech startup Cynopsis Solutions, said that prioritising the hiring of Singaporeans should have been practised long ago, but it is “better late than never.”
“First of all, asking for Singaporeans in Singapore to be treated with priority doesn’t mean it is protectionist. We don’t have to go to the other extreme… Things don’t have to be binary, black and white. Things can be navigating within the grey zone, there are many happy landing points you can find,” he added.
“Calling (firms) to put Singaporeans first, I thought it shouldn’t even be reminded because this is our country.”
Lawrence Chai, founder of 3E Accounting, agreed. He said that financial hubs in developed countries have fair employment legislation to support the resident workforce, and it is “timely that we do so also.”
Businesses approached by TODAY also said that they are not too concerned for now with how these calls might lead to further tightening of the foreign work pass criteria and eventually raise their operational costs.
Alan Phua, chief executive officer of Alchemy Foodtech, said that he has managed to hire Singaporeans as production line workers, for instance. His firm employs two Malaysians as the only foreigners in his team, out of a total manpower strength of 16.
However, he believes that he is able to hire resident workers likely because of the dire job market and is concerned that when the labour market tightens in the event of an economic recovery, he would have to turn to foreigners to fill those positions.
In terms of policy measures, Chionh said that the raising of the minimum qualifying salary of work pass holders would not be effective in addressing this issue. The government should incentivise firms to employ Singaporeans, instead of dis-incentivising them from hiring foreigners, he said.
Business leaders and company owners said that it is natural for the government of every country to look after its citizens first, especially during a time of crisis.
“It’s important to the electorate that these statements are made (by the MPs). But I also think that if the trend continues and (the public sentiment) becomes more isolationist, then there would be a cause of concern,” Leong said.
He stressed that Singapore relies on the global economy to survive and it will always need foreign talent, especially in technical skill sets that are lacking.
“If a Singaporean core is a Singapore-only workforce, we are bluffing ourselves that we can make it,” he asserted.
Ho Meng Kit, chairman of the Singapore Business Federation, said that there needs to be a balance in the national conversation on the issue.
The high level of focus now on keeping Singaporeans in their jobs might give foreigners the impression that Singapore is no longer welcoming investments, he said.
“If the conversation becomes so loud that we can depend only on Singaporeans for our livelihood, that is not right. I can understand where Singaporeans are coming from I would say this is also a wake-up call for some employers,” Ho said.
Tan Khai Pang, chief technology officer of satellite technology firm Addvalue, said that the key is getting Singaporeans to improve their skills so that they can occupy higher-level jobs.
At the same time, manufacturing companies said that they are in a perennial bind with the increasing pressure to reduce the number of foreign workers on their books and Singaporeans often shunning the jobs that they offer.
Ryan Ng, general manager of precision engineering firm Chong Fong, suggested that the Ministry of Manpower revise its management of work pass holders to be more sector-specific.
From the feedback he is receiving, he said that the complaints he has heard among Singaporean workers do not involve the precision engineering sector.
“We are mainly in manufacturing, so we need to be competitive not within Singapore, but globally. You raise the bar for Employment Pass and S Pass holders to please Singaporeans, it raises our costs and we lose our competitive advantage. It’s not to Singapore’s advantage,” he said.
He added: “We are suffering quietly. These days on social media, anyone speaking up for SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) are being hit left, right, up, down.” — TODAY
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2020/09/02/businesses-welcome-singaporeans-first-call-by-mps-but-hope-policies-public/1899290