11/03/2016

Wages are too high - Lim Swee Say

I quote below from an article in the Statestimes with the title, 'Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say - Wages are too high'

'Speaking at a conference for businesses, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say complained that wages in Singapore are too high and that productivity gains are not catching up with wage growth.
Worded in Singlish, Minister Lim Swee Say said:
“Cheaper competitors are getting better with higher educational levels, while better competitors are getting cheaper through better technology. If productivity gains continue to lag behind wage growth, Singapore’s competitiveness will be eroded.”
The Manpower Minister then complained about the lack of productivity growth in Singapore, and that the country’s GDP has been badly affected:...'

My immediate reactions, is he referring to salaries at the top or wages at the bottom, like cleaners getting $1000? Can Singaporeans survive in this world's most expensive city if the wages are too high and be lowered?

By the way, whose problem is it that productivity is low? What is he or the govt going to do about it?

41 comments:

patriot said...


A person in the Heart

cant speaks sense.

A ruler without conscience

shall speaks nonsensense.

But, frankly and honestly,

the Wages of the Rulers in Sin

are SINFULLY WAY TOO HIGH.


patriot



patriot said...


My apology;

My comment above should
start with;

A person sick in the Mind.....


patriot



jjgg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jjgg said...

5 ways to reduce business costs n increase productivity ..1) provide ordinary, cheaper toothpicks. designer toothpicks only get stolen...2) tell the senior ministers..president n grassroots that 10 overseas trips a year on taxpayers expense is way ott 3) spending millions of dollars of taxpayers money on AHTC is waste of taxpayers money..if there is evidence of criminal wrongdoing a police report could have been made 5 years ago..4) allow real competition into our economy n perhaps we'll see real prices instead of government regulated pricing 5) population growth at the rate immigrants are imported are not sustainable..u better believe..the bias is not towards the old minorities..it's towards the new bunch of wayfarers..anybody else can help our fat cats do their job?

Anonymous said...

#whose problem is it that productivity is low?#

You ordered your Chze Char noodle from Helper.
She delivers the meal to your table and you pay her $3.50

You then go to the same stall and order your same Chze Char noodle take away, $3.70
She tell you to come back and collect yourself, sorry no send to your table!

patriot said...


Here in Sin, we have Rulers rewarding themselves ridiculously sinful amount.
But,
when come to workers who are paid peanuts for their long hours of works,
the Rulers claim wages are too high.

However, some 70% of Sinkie Voters
do like the Disparity in Wages between
them and the Rulers.

Weird but it exists in Sin.

Blame who?


patriot



Anonymous said...

Best job in the world is to be a minister working for LHL in singaoore.
1. Super high salary.
2. Job specs, very easy, make motherhood statements, no need brain.
3. Problem comes, arrow next guy to solve. If no solution, just blame Singaporeans.
4. If make mistake, can get promoted.
5. No need such nonsense "performance appraisal" "bell curve performance banding by boss", after one year, do on the job learning, no output, also can be promoted.

Anonymous said...

@ patriot November 03, 2016 2:45 pm
//Blame who?


patriot//



Ownself blame ownself?

Kena LaoGoa's virus?

Or "unintentionally"?

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:52, item 3 wrong.' Problem comes, arrow next guy to solve. If no solution, just blame Singaporeans'.

Just say got mismatch, low productivity, wages too high. Can oredy. Who cares about solving problems? No need to arrow lah.

Anonymous said...

Rb //Worded in Singlish, Minister Lim Swee Say said:
“Cheaper competitors are getting better with higher educational levels, ......//



“Cheaper competitors are getting better with higher educational levels"?

Means what?

MOE screw up?

But after "acting" for slightly more than 365 days, "no more acting" needed anymore?

So who is right?

Anonymous said...

Lim Sway Sway declared "wages too high" as a problem statement then case close? ...wat counter measures to take ? ...u guess I guess...reduce wage ( to whom? Ordinary Middle Low incomers ...likely?...cos 70% dafts said so..)

Anonymous said...

No tears left:
November 3, 2016 at 3:24 pm No tears left(Quote)
When I hear pm lees speech ; it riles me; we have put in place right strategies ; it’s like a sick man antibiotics no longer work just exercise and in few months or Yrs you are ok ; in few Yrs situation worse as more and more foreign trash come in;do read up pm’s speech it makes a mockery of common sense; to those 70 pct if you lost job and cannot pay yr installments and now you are hungry good for you you sow yr own karma; go cry in the toilet and donot bother the rest of us.

Above lifted from comments in TRE.

b said...

This minister is talking like a schoolboy again. Wages will not be high if all the top civil servants and ministers and managers take a 20% pay cut. They will still be living their exclusive luxurious lifestyle which is the envy of many.

Anonymous said...

This Instant Multi-Millionaire Minister is always talking through his noses, without thinking. He thinks he is very smart just because he scored A'ses in his A-Level Exam donkey years ago. And he is always trying to coin funny phrases as though he is so brilliant, yet he still never realise that all his funny phrases only make a negative image of himself.

My interpretation of what he said:

He is talking about his own and those of other Ministers' wages are too high.

He is also talking about himself and other Ministers and MPs whose productivity are too low.

Just the other day, he had said about himself and the other Ministers being a mismatch.

With this kind of calibre of Ministers, Singaporeans must be super happy, so happy that 70% keep voting them in to enjoy high pay but low productivity.

Uniquely Singapore - Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Rb // Worded in Singlish, Minister Lim Swee Say said: "................. If productivity gains continue to lag behind wage growth, Singapore’s competitiveness will be eroded.”



After Botak spent $$$ billions on the PIC (Productivity and Innovation Credit) scheme, "fond-deep-chee-vin-ty" confirmed "improved" by leaps and bounds?

After 2 (Chee) By erections ...... oops ...... elections in 3 years (2013 & 2016), is that NOT productive enough?

No wonder ah "swee" lament not competitive enough?

Anonymous said...

If ah swee conclusion is that productivity is languishing at the bottom of the abyss, is that an appraisal of Botak's abject (and total waste of $$$ billions in the) PIC scheme?

This ah swee words "hide" a lot of "darts"?

In a short paragraph, he "rubbished" MOE ("Cheaper competitors are getting better with higher educational levels,"), MCI-IMDA ("while better competitors are getting cheaper through better technology.") and BOTAK's PIC scheme (//The Manpower Minister then complained about the lack of productivity growth in Singapore, and that the country’s GDP has been badly affected:...'//)?

Anonymous said...

What swee swee said could be true and some kind of Freudian slip?

Anonymous said...

Rb //By the way, whose problem is it that productivity is low? //


$8 cow?

Have to start somewhere?

How many times road accidents on highways caused by ah neh workers "anyhow" blocked off a road stretch without "advance warnings" and possibly some inevitable accidents every now and then?

Also look at the foreign ah neh drivers (horrendous) road skills, every now and then contributing to accidents?

Even simple highway road works processes anyhow "whacked" (and blocked off road stretches dangerously and suddenly), how to engender productivity in other aspects of the economy?

Anonymous said...

Often from one (seemingly innocuous) "small thing", one can tell the quality (and ability) of the upper management?

Anonymous said...

If it is so simple to "top up" one's labour force indiscriminately from foreign sources to grow the economy, why didn't the Japenise do it?

Old man was "implying" they were old-fashioned and inflexible to adapt to the new challengez?

In the long run, who will laugh last?

Anonymous said...

Holee $8 cow was "lucky" with his building boom and he got carried away?

Now what is his KPI so far with the tpt breakdown problem?

(Much) Worst than $$$ (as in hokkien pronunciation) dark YOU?

Anonymous said...

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/technology/huawei-wants-to-beat-apple-in-smartphones-in-two-years-executi/3260446.html


Quote

//"With Apple struggling to come up with surprise designs and Samsung reeling from having to scrap its flagship phone, Yu said Huawei was at a tipping point."


"Huawei was the world's third-largest smartphone maker in the third quarter with 33.6 million shipped devices, giving it a 9 percent market share, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Apple was still well ahead with 45.5 million devices, or a 12 percent market share. Samsung was the world leader with 75.3 million shipped devices and a market share of 20.1 percent.//

Unquote

Huawei broke the 100 million units mark shipped last year (and overtook Xiao Mi etc)

Anonymous said...

Why are some of the GLCs producing "funny stuffs" in their product range but not what "counts" in the market place and economy?


Quote

"Huawei on Thursday launched a new premium phone, which will sell for 699 euros apiece. A version developed with Porsche Design will cost 1,395 euros.

The phone has a new artificial intelligence feature: It can learn about its user's habits and automatically put the most frequently used apps in easy reach."

Unquote

Anonymous said...

Quote

//"We are going to take them (Apple) step-by-step, innovation-by-innovation," Yu said, adding that he expected to improve Huawei's position along with technology shifts.

"There will be more opportunities. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality," he said. "It is like driving a car. At every curve or turn, there is an opportunity to overtake the competition."

With the new phone, dubbed Mate 9, Yu expects to make a break in European markets such as Germany, France and Great Britain. "In Finland, we are already number one," he said.//

Unquote


Source: CNA

Anonymous said...

Huawei overtook US network giant Cisco previously in the markets they were competing.

Now Huawei's next target is Apple Inc in the smartphones arena.

Their CEO Ren Zheng Fei was a formerly a PLA colonel.

Compared to city of sin paper generals (especially those former 3 stars, think NOL), China former PLA regulars seem to be creating waves even in the global market place including the lastest consumers gadgets arena.

And they are looking to break the manufacturing technology 6-nanometre barrier (in hp manufacturing) with some latest breakthrough technology?

Where is the City of Sin?

How come never punch above its weight where it counts?

Swee swee tawk tawk tawk but where is the action?

How about Limp Chow Khiang?

In Charge of trade for more than a decade but nothing to show?

"Act blur act blur" just "pocket" the filthy remunerations for the past 12 years since 2004?

Anonymous said...

Recently, some phone contracts were expiring and decided to switch to Huawei handsets considering the "orange" model 6 is getting "old" and the 7 series not as "alluring" as in the early days when the founder was still ard?

Given the plummeting global economy and the value (for $$$) of Huawei handsets, they should be hitting the 50 million mark of shipped units per quarter pretty soon?

In the medium and long run, given the comparative and competitive advantages the Chinese company enjoys, Huawei has tremendous probability of emerging as the eventual winner?

Anonymous said...

Won't be surprised if Huawei becomes the market leader within 3 to 5 yrs?

Anonymous said...

Uncle RB,

Since yew are a known China die hard fan and (great) admirer of its achievement, r u carrying a Huawei handset or a US Apple iPhone?

Anonymous said...

Hope to see yew sporting a Huawei, Xiao Mi, Lenovo or ZTE handset next time u hang out in HLP (when there is an event)?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Sorry to disappoint you. I am using Oppo.

Anonymous said...

Not bad choice?

OPPO also China brand

Shipped 50 million units last year.

Top 10 globally.

Way ahead of Nokia, Sony Ericson, Blackberry, ........?

Anonymous said...

But Ai doubt your laptop or tablet also China Brand?

Mee use everything almost all China made

Laptop from Lenovo

Car is Cherry Q Q

Even mind hair every month also cut by China hair dresser

Hope din disappoint yew?

Anonymous said...

Btw, if yew add up the top 5 China brands, their total shipment last year were about 400 million units, almost double Samsung shipment and more than 300% Apple's volume?

If they merge, can yew imagine how big they are?

Uber also kena "killed" by Chunxing DiDi in China in the ride-hailing business?

After network and hp devices dominance, mb the next market to target is pte tpt mkt?

Then mee will not be the odd one out (most of the time) driving around in a lemon yellow Chery Q Q in City of Sin?

Anonymous said...

Swee swee is fighting a losing battle?

Even if he spurs up the sinkie workers like a porcupine, they will likely still lose out to China workers in productivity?

After 25 years of LaoGoa-nomics and Botak-nomics, the "poison" in sinkies are too "toxic" and impossible to "cure" or "change" liao?

Anonymous said...

Mb the cure is CBF-nomics?

Cheaperer, Betterer, Fasterer?

Ha ha ha ......

Anonymous said...

Zorror is jus a tv show

A fiction character.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a movie with a horror story line and ending?

Who wrote the script?

Anonymous said...

In this world, there is no free lunch?

Whatever taken without efforts or by illegitimate means may eventually need to vomit out?

Anonymous said...

Especially some "fake" bimbos fat cats leeching on taxpayers monies by "eating" penana?

Virgo49 said...


Xiomi powerbank only sin20 with 40 hours power energy.

Can plug in and boost sex in small space.

Good for long journey travelling

Anonymous said...

Why are we paying multi million dollar salaries to clowns that only make jokes but cannot solve problems?