Plenty of jobs?

Office workers walk through the central business district during lunch break.PHOTO: BLOOMBERGOffice workers walk through the central business district during lunch break.PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

October 22, 2016

I refer to the article “More jobs being created, new programmes to match workers: Swee Say” (Straits Times, Oct 22).

Continuing creation of jobs

It states that “Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say yesterday assured Singaporeans that there is continuing creation of jobs in the country.

He is the third government leader in two days to stress the availability of jobs amid news of rising layoffs and a slowing economy.

On Thursday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and Acting Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung had pointed to the thousands of job vacancies in such sectors as healthcare, IT and precision engineering.

Yesterday, Mr Lim highlighted the continuing flow of investments here. “Every day, every week, every month we are attracting new investments to create new jobs,” he told reporters at a career event for the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.”

My regular insider ES sent me the following (Straits Times, Aug 20, 1984):

“Stakes for stability — our own homes and CPF savings”

 

Foreign workforce grew 10 times?

ES also pointed out that since 1984 – the local workforce grew by about two times against about 10 times for the foreign workforce.

500 local jobs vs 49,000 foreign jobs?

As  to the creation and availability of jobs – in the last 18 months from January 2015 to June 2016 – employment change was 49,000 foreign jobs against only 500 jobs for locals.

29,955 new PRs and 20,815 new citizens

Also, 29,955 new PRs and 20,815 new citizens were granted last year (we don’t know yet how many were granted in the first six months of this year).

How many Singaporeans? 

So, how many of the 500 local jobs went to Singaporeans?

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.