Is Singapore creating more low paying jobs for Singaporeans and high paying jobs for foreigners?

In the fourth of a series of National Broadcasts, Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Sunday (June 14) that the Government will intensify its efforts to bring the best foreign talent to Singapore.

His comments come as Singaporeans, who were already worried about foreign competition, face an unprecedented loss of jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking about the Government’s plans to improve Singapore’s infrastructure for the next generation, Mr Chan said: “We will also intensify the efforts to attract the best ideas and talent to compete on our side, and complement our strengths.

“Initiatives like the Global Innovation Alliance connect us with talent hubs across the world. We will make ourselves a more attractive safe harbour for talent, ideas and intellectual property, to grow more businesses and create better jobs.”

The minister, who is also the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Second Assistant Secretary-General, added: “Competition is intense. Talented people, including our own, can go anywhere.”


Above is reported in www.theindependent.sg. Just a few days back the govt plastered the media with the message that Singapore is spending billions to create jobs for Singaporeans. But most of these jobs are trainee level jobs or relatively low paying jobs as there was not such remarks about jobs to attract talents. Now compare this with this nonsense about bringing in more foreign talents ie high paying jobs. Is the govt thus creating low paying jobs for Singaporeans and high paying jobs for foreigners?

Another question, if the foreign talents are brought in to fill high paying jobs, and the jobs are local in nature, ie local market, local customers, local competitors, is there a need to hire more talented foreigners for such jobs to compete with local talents to do jobs that operate in the local environment? If the jobs created are to compete in the international market for more business and revenue, that is understandable.

There is no need to hire super foreign talent to run chicken rice stalls to cater to domestic supply and demand, to compete against another local chicken rice stalls. Even if one is literally selling chicken rice overseas, who are the competitors for chicken rice? Singaporeans, not foreigners.  Foreigners wanting to eat chicken rice must eat Singaporean chicken rice.  Is this too difficult to understand? There is no need to hire foreign talents, to pay them million, to run the public transport system or taxi system when the business is the domestic market. Many businesses are domestic in nature and there is absolutely no need for foreign talents. Why need foreigners to run the postal system, why need foreigners to be our local bank managers, MRT, buses etc etc

I can't believe that we have fools that are so happy to hire foreign talents and pay them millions to operate in the local market to make money from the local consumers, to compete with other local businesses. Unless these foreign talents are to fight with the best in the world for international market and foreign revenue, what the fuck is there a need to hire such foreign talents and be paid in the millions?  Foreigners tua kee is it? Just because some demi gods said so, everyone blindly think this is the recipe for the well being of Singapore. There must be certain criteria and conditions to demand for foreign talents. Do not sacrifice the interests of Singaporeans by replacing them with foreigners.

Even the CEO job of a bank, if the business is local, does not require a foreign talent and paying multi million dollar salary when the job and pay could be given to a local talent.  Even if the business has some overseas offices, it does not necessarily require a foreign talent as the business is mainly for businesses operating from here, and the customers are from here and any business generated is due to comparative advantages, captured business and nothing really got to do with foreign talent and expertise.

It is so stupid to everyday yelling about hiring foreign talents and wasting taxpayers money when such money could be used to pay Singaporeans. Why don't the govt hire more foreign talents to take over the govt, in political appointments like ministers as well? How many of the foreign talents hired are actually running another chicken rice stall here? There is no need to have a gold plated chicken rice stall run by foreign talents and to charge more and the people paying more for another plate of gold plated chicken rice.

There are many myths that are just myths and must be discarded. And this fetish fad of hiring foreign talents must be reexamined to see if they really make sense and contribute to the productivity of the country, the interests of Singaporeans, and generating more revenue in terms of foreign revenue and not taxing more on the people.

Good jobs must go to Singaporeans, not foreigners unless there are exceptional reasons for doing so. No one must be allowed to sell out the interests of Singaporeans to benefit foreigners. We do not owe the foreigners a living. Think, don't just simply follow old mantras wholesale.

Singapore is for Singaporeans not foreigners. Think Singaporean first. And stop the crap of giving instant pink IC to foreigners and call them Singaporeans.