GE: Why must have temporary S-Passes to send locals for training?

August 27, 2015

Easing foreign worker ratios

According to the Straits Times news report “Labour relief for SMEs” (Aug 26) – “Under the new Lean Enterprise Development Scheme announced last Wednesday, the MOM will allow SMEs to hold on to more of their better-skilled foreign workers on S Passes while they shed the number of foreign workers on work permits who do manual work. Ordinarily, both ranks would have had to be cut in similar proportions.

The MOM may even allow some SMEs to hire foreign workers who will not count towards the foreign worker quota.”

According to the Straits Times news report “Labour woes’ easing a boon for SMES” (Aug 24) – “will give some businesses short-term help in hiring and retaining foreign workers by easing up on how the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) applies the foreign worker quota and ratios.”

Why “locals” instead of Singaporeans?

Since at the end of the day, the number of local workers remains the same in the first example (Source: Ministry of Manpower), and increase from 85 to 90 in the second example with the output increasing from $10 to $15 million – with an average of 43,852 new PRs granted per year (348,654 new PRs granted from 2007 to 2014) – how many of the locals may be Singaporeans?

Why must have S-Passes to send locals for training?

As to “5 temporary S-Passes, as locals are sponsored for training” – why not “5 Singaporeans”, instead of “5 temporary S-Passes”?

Why the apparent presumption that we need S-Pass holders in order to send locals for training?

Leong Sze Hian

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About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.