Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to welcome foreign talent with “an open heart”.
In his televised National Day message on Sunday evening, the eve of Singapore’s 45th birthday, PM Lee acknowledged Singaporeans’ concerns about taking in foreign workers and immigrants.
However, he stressed the critical need to reinforce the Singaporean team with talent and numbers from abroad and added that the government will control the inflow, “to ensure that it is not too fast, and not too large”.
According to reports, over 150,000 foreign workers have entered Singapore per year since 2007, and they now make up about a third of the island’s 3 million work force and about a fourth of the total population of 5 million, up from 10 percent in 1990.
“We will only bring in people who can contribute to Singapore, and work harder to integrate them into our society. And we will make clear that citizens come first. After all, we are doing this for the sake of Singaporeans,” PM Lee said.
“Other countries are not only much larger than us, but have far deeper pools of talent than we have. We must make up for the shortage of Singaporean workers in our economy and the shortfall of babies in our population,” he added.
Delivering his address from the Pinnacle@Duxton, PM Lee said the government’s goal is to ensure all Singaporeans enjoy the fruits of growth.
He went on to reveal that Singapore’s economy grew 17.9 per cent in the first half of 2010 from a year earlier and the government is forecasting full-year growth of between 13 and 15 per cent.
He said workers can look forward to better wages, more overtime and higher bonuses this year but he cautioned that the exceptional growth this year may not be repeated year after year, even as the government continues to continue to grow the economy with sustained effort.
“Let us not get carried away. Risks remain in the world economy, especially in Europe and the US. The global financial system is not fully mended. Singapore is small and open. If the world economy turns bad, we will be buffeted. We need to stay vigilant and watch the developments worldwide,” he said.
By Ion Danker – August 9th, 2010
In his televised National Day message on Sunday evening, the eve of Singapore’s 45th birthday, PM Lee acknowledged Singaporeans’ concerns about taking in foreign workers and immigrants.
However, he stressed the critical need to reinforce the Singaporean team with talent and numbers from abroad and added that the government will control the inflow, “to ensure that it is not too fast, and not too large”.
According to reports, over 150,000 foreign workers have entered Singapore per year since 2007, and they now make up about a third of the island’s 3 million work force and about a fourth of the total population of 5 million, up from 10 percent in 1990.
“We will only bring in people who can contribute to Singapore, and work harder to integrate them into our society. And we will make clear that citizens come first. After all, we are doing this for the sake of Singaporeans,” PM Lee said.
“Other countries are not only much larger than us, but have far deeper pools of talent than we have. We must make up for the shortage of Singaporean workers in our economy and the shortfall of babies in our population,” he added.
Delivering his address from the Pinnacle@Duxton, PM Lee said the government’s goal is to ensure all Singaporeans enjoy the fruits of growth.
He went on to reveal that Singapore’s economy grew 17.9 per cent in the first half of 2010 from a year earlier and the government is forecasting full-year growth of between 13 and 15 per cent.
He said workers can look forward to better wages, more overtime and higher bonuses this year but he cautioned that the exceptional growth this year may not be repeated year after year, even as the government continues to continue to grow the economy with sustained effort.
“Let us not get carried away. Risks remain in the world economy, especially in Europe and the US. The global financial system is not fully mended. Singapore is small and open. If the world economy turns bad, we will be buffeted. We need to stay vigilant and watch the developments worldwide,” he said.
By Ion Danker – August 9th, 2010
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