Review foreign labour policies

December 10, 2011

Straits Times Forum

10 December 2011

I APPLAUD the discontinuation of the Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate scheme, as it would lessen the competition for jobs with Singaporeans (‘Job search scheme for foreign grads scrapped’; Wednesday). How many such passes were given since the launch of the scheme in 1992 and how many managed to obtain employment?

Discontinuing the scheme and allowing foreigners the three months duration of a visit pass to apply and try to secure a job may not help Singaporeans workers much, as we may still be opening the floodgates to thousands of university graduates, instead of just the 700 universities under the scheme.

 

We should review foreign labour policies. For example, in developed countries like the United States, foreigners must typically obtain the equivalent of an ’employment pass’ visa in their home country, before they can enter the US to compete for jobs with Americans. Finally, to what extent has our open foreign labour policy contributed to the increase in real median incomes of all employed residents (full-time and part-time) excluding employer’s CPF contribution, this year, of only about 0.1 per cent, despite good jobs growth and economic growth?

 

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.