Chan Chun Sing
Singapore
“Since 2002, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has worked with the autonomous universities (AUs) to establish arrangements that minimise disruption to National Servicemen (NSmen) who are pursuing full-time studies up to the undergraduate level, while meeting the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) operational and training needs.”
“Secondments help to build up the range of competencies and work experiences of public officers to strengthen their longer-term employment relevance and resilience. The Public Service Division's guideline to agencies is to support public officers even while they are on secondment.”
“The priority of our National Servicemen must be their military duties and operational training, to meet the Singapore Armed Forces's (SAF's) operational requirements.”
“In January 2026, I had informed this House that the Government had convened an independent committee to conduct a review of the political salary framework that was laid out in 2012. The Committee has completed the review and submitted its recommendations to the Government in April.”
“All countries seek to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and the United States-Indonesia Major Defence Cooperation Partnership is one such example.”
“Since the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) was established in 2014, over 1,500 men and women have completed training and served as SAFVC Volunteers (SVs). Presently, there are about 1,100 in-service SVs, comprising 52% male and 48% female. About seven in 10 of our in-service SVs are new Citizens or Permanent Residents.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,624 lines we hold for Chan Chun Sing, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 35 of 53.
“Three, we must make sure that we do not panic and give reason for others to hold us ransom because we are unable to share what we have domestically. The final supplementary question from Miss Cheng is on the impact of the circuit breaker measures. It will have a very serious impact on our economy but at this point in time, we must understand why we need to do this. If we all remain united, if we all take the measures seriously, and if we are successful in controlling the spread in the next one month, then we will be able to progressively resume normalcy and to reduce the impact of the measures. On the other hand, if we do not take the measures seriously and if in the next one month, we are unable to control the situation, then that might require us to extend the period which such measures are necessary and that will inflict even greater than damage to our economy. So, it is in our collective interest to try our best to work together, bear with the inconveniences in the coming month, but let us get over this part together. If we can do that, then we can limit further damage to the economy. Otherwise, it becomes recurring waves of infections that we have to deal with and it will be very difficult for us to gradually, progressively attain normalcy.”
“This is also the reason why we have issued the reusable cloth mask for the general public because the needs for the general public are quite different from the needs of the frontline healthcare workers, and we will continue to preserve our stockpile of hospital-grade PPE for our healthcare workers. Miss Cheng asked another question about our domestic mask production capacity. I would just like to say that, yes, we are building up our own capacity but at this point in time, it will not be appropriate for us to talk about this capacity at this point in time, because we are working with partners to secure the materials, the lines. But suffice to say that this is something that we have been looking at for some time. Miss Cheng also had a question about vulnerable patients, vulnerable patients who need medical supplies including surgical masks will be able to obtain them from the medical professionals. Miss Cheng's other supplementary question on the cost of goods – how do we keep it stable? As I have mentioned, the best ways for us to keep our goods stable are as follows. One, continue to diversify our sources to make sure that we are not held ransom by any one particular source, and this is something that we must do conscientiously even during peacetime, even though it may cause us a bit more during peacetime, because we need to open up multiple channels, as many channels as possible to get our products. Two, we must make sure that we have some domestic production capability to tide us through difficult moments when we are looking for alternative suppliers; and that applies to keeping the necessary stockpile to buy us time to open up new sources of supply as well.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me address the five supplementary questions in turn. To Miss Cheng's first question about some countries trying to hijack the production of masks, our position to everyone, every country is this: it makes more sense for all of us to work together to keep the supply chains open. It benefits not just us, it benefits everybody. But when every country starts to shut down their own production system only for themselves, actually it reduces the entire global capacity. So, if I may give an example, one particular country thought that they would keep the intermediate products to themselves and to increase their production capacity. But unfortunately, for that particular country, they do not have the processes for the other intermediate products and in the end they will not able to increase the capacities for everyone or even for themselves. So, this is a good lesson for all of us. In order for us to have sufficient for everyone across the entire world, it is essential for every one of us to make sure that we uphold the integrity of the global supply chains, because today, very few of us produce everything ourselves. Many of us produce parts of it; the intermediate products, before they go onto the final product. So, this is how we have approached the issue and this is why we have worked with like-minded partners to make the Joint Ministerial Statement to uphold the integrity of the global supply chains. The second point, in response to Miss Cheng's question, is that yes, we will continue to prioritise the surgical masks and the hospital-grade equipment for our frontline workers. This has been our stance from the beginning and we will continue to do so.”
“The best way to show our appreciation to them is to treasure what we have been able to obtain despite the circumstances, and never waste any food and materials that they have been able to secure for us. All of us must do our part to support their efforts. We must remain calm and consume responsibly. Do not panic as our markets, supermarkets and food establishments will continue to operate in spite of the additional precautionary measures from tomorrow. Going forward, even when the outbreak recedes, we must continue to pursue our multi-pronged strategy of stockpiling, import diversification and local production to remain resilient. We must also be psychologically prepared that all of us will need to make adjustments in a crisis.”
“At last week's G20 Trade Ministers Meeting held via video-conference, the participating Ministers agreed that the world must work together to maintain global productions systems and trade links, there by engendering long-term confidence in investors, businesses and consumers. The outbreak will weigh significantly on global growth, with several major economies expected to go into recession this year. Singapore is unlikely to be an exception. The sharp fall in external demand, along with the plunge in tourist arrivals and cutback in domestic consumption are all expected to severely affect our economy. Hence, the Government has so far put forth about S$55 billion through the Unity and Resilience Budgets to help Singaporeans, businesses and workers tide through this difficult period. In particular, the Resilience Budget has introduced and enhanced measures to protect jobs, help enterprises overcome immediate challenges and strengthen resilience for our economy and society to emerge stronger. Deputy Prime Minister Heng will soon deliver a Ministerial Statement in Parliament on additional support for businesses and their workers, households and vulnerable groups, to better cope with the upcoming circuit breaker measures. Throughout this crisis, the Government, along with our economic agencies, essential firms, suppliers and logistics providers – both in Singapore and around the world – have been working tirelessly to ensure Singapore continues to function and our shelves remain stocked. They have shown tremendous ingenuity and tenacity during these unprecedented circumstances, helping secure supplies for us from wherever possible.”
“The compounding disruptions further increase fear and heighten the possibilities of more irrational behaviours. If we are not careful, it becomes a self-fulfilling and self-feeding frenzy. Third, we can adapt and adjust our consumption choices. For example, we can switch to frozen or canned options when fresh ones are not available. We can also switch to alternative brands if our preferred ones are not available. If we are adaptable, it strengthens our bargaining position and avoids us being held ransom to price escalation by a few. Fourth, diversification entails our discipline to open up multiple sources of supplies in peacetime, even if it results in slightly higher prices. Otherwise, in a crisis, we will find that we lack alternative supply lines to keep us going. We will then be at the mercy of profiteers. Meanwhile, Singapore is working hard with like-minded partners to ensure that trade continues to flow unimpeded and that critical infrastructure such as the air and seaports remain open to support supply chains globally. Just two weeks ago, Singapore, together with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Myanmar and New Zealand, issued a Joint Ministerial Statement affirming our collective commitment to ensuring supply chain connectivity to facilitate the flow of goods including essential supplies amidst the COVID-19 situation. This initiative has since gained momentum, with Lao People's Democratic Republic and Uruguay having since come on board. At the same time, we have also kept our trading lines with other countries, such as China and South Korea open.”
“For instance, while the Government has worked with Malaysia to ensure that goods, especially food and essentials, continue to flow between our countries following the implementation of Malaysia's Movement Control Order, we cannot be certain how long this will last as the global COVID-19 outbreak continues to escalate. But we must certainly plan and be ready for further disruptions. Miss Cheng asked about the key lessons from this episode. There are several learning points for all of us, be it in the Government, business or at the individual level. First, panic buying severely disrupts the usual consumption rate and our stockpile efforts. No amount of stockpile will ever be sufficient if individuals hoard. To fear is human. However, in order for us to not succumb to such fears, we must remind ourselves and each other that collective defence is our strongest defence. We can take comfort in the fact that we are not in this battle alone which will help us guard against individual fears and irrational behaviour. Another way to overcome our individual fears is for us to remember the more vulnerable amongst us. To remember that we all have a responsibility to care for one another, especially in times of crisis. For example, we can all play our part by purchasing responsibly and help calm those who are fearful. Second, our domestic last mile logistics from the warehouses to the retailers can be disrupted by panic buying. We have a finite number of delivery slots, vehicles and drivers. In the event of a run on supplies, a vicious cycle is created. We have to mobilise logistic players from other sources to help restock our supplies, in turn impacting those supply chains and creating a cascading effect.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely diminished global production capacities and disrupted global supply chains as countries take stringent measures such as restricting movement, shutting down businesses and factories to contain the outbreak. Restrictions on air travel have considerably diminished global air cargo capacity and connectivity. This has impacted the availability, cost, and timeliness of a connected air freight network. Seaport capacities are also increasingly under stress. Ports and vessels are not able to continue with usual operational and cost efficiencies as the worsening outbreak hampers logistics chains within countries. In Singapore, we have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to deal with this unprecedented disruption to global supply chains. For food, we have a strategy developed over many years that entails a combination of stockpiling, import diversification and local production. The size of our stockpile is determined by a range of factors such as our consumption rate, the supply chain reliability, resupply rate and frequency, shelf life of the products and the cost of storage, the duration of possible disruptions and our local production surge capacities. Maintaining the necessary stockpile for each and every item is a dynamic task that requires constant watch over the fluid global supply situation. Beyond the factors mentioned, we must also watch the rising protectionist measures by countries to secure their own supplies which compound the global supply chain disruptions. Panic buying will also further distort our usual consumption rate and planning assumptions. As the lockdowns in exporting countries persist, the ability of countries to produce and export will come under increasing strain.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 3 and 4 together, please?”
“Yes, the Ministry is exploring battery swapping as a complement to charging. The efficacy of battery swapping, along with technological progress in electric vehicles (EVs) and the charging infrastructure, will influence the final design of the EV charging network.”
“The $4 billion Stabilisation and Support Package announced in Budget 2020 provides broad-based as well as targeted support for workers and enterprises affected by COVID-19 outbreak. Tourist bus owners, including sole proprietors (i.e. self-employed tourist excursion bus owners), are eligible to apply for the Temporary Bridging Loan Programme (TBLP). TBLP provides additional cash flow support, allowing eligible enterprises to borrow up to $1 million, with the interest rate capped at 5% p.a. from participating financial institutions. Those that hire local workers are also eligible for manpower support, such as the Jobs Support Scheme. We have received feedback that self-employed private hire bus owners which cater to tourist groups may require additional support, and are studying how we can help them.”
“Retailers offer two main types of plans to households. For standard price plans (SPPs), retailers are not allowed to change the electricity rates midway through their contracts. For non-SPPs, retailers can include contract clauses that allow them to change the electricity rates at specific points in time through the contract, for various cost changes and other reasons. The clauses must clearly specify the exact dates, reasons and formula/ quantum of the rate changes upfront at the point of contract signing. When rates are changed, the onus is on the retailers to ensure that they are reasonable and in compliance with the clauses. The Energy Market Authority ( EMA) will not hesitate to investigate and take actions against any retailer which has imposed unreasonable prices on consumers or engaged in unfair contracting practices.”
“I think every one of us will have long memories of who are those who have come forward to do their part for their business partner in this difficult moment and who are those that have taken a very short-term perspective to this. Enterprise Singapore will continue to work closely to arbitrate between the landlords and also the tenants. In fact, I must thank Enterprise Singapore officers who have been working very hard over the last one week, day and night, trying to urge both sides to come to terms with each other. At the same time, I must say that, for the tenants who are affected, they are not all affected equally and we should try to give a bit more help to those that are more affected by the downturn caused by the COVID-19. And if we can do this all together, we will go past this stronger together.”
“Mr Chairman, let me take the first question and Senior Minister of State Chee will answer the second one. Yes, we are aware that there are some issues between the retailers and the landlord. Let me just say this. We are all in this together – the whole Singapore economy depends on businesses – the landlords, the retailers, everyone working together. Since the Government announced the rebates and the help to the businesses, it has come to our attention that there is an entire spectrum of responses. On the positive side, we have seen landlords who have proactively gone out of their way to share the rebates with their tenants. And, in fact, a few of them have gone out of their way to take into account the tenants' reduced turnover to help them more, and I applaud these landlords. But on the other hand, it has also come to our attention that there are some landlords that are still taking a bit of time to roll out their packages. To this end, the Enterprise Singapore is in close consultation with both the Restaurant Association of Singapore and also the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) to help them work with the major landlords. I would like to urge all the major landlords to do our part together to help each other to get through this difficult moment. And I would say this to the landlord. The relationship between the landlord and the tenant is a long-term relationship. When the tenants do well, the landlords do well; when the landlords do well, they need to share it with the tenants. Only so can we continue to do well as One Team Singapore. It will be very short-sighted for landlords to try to stinge and save a bit here and there, instead of passing on some of the benefits to the tenants. This is a long-term relationship and Singapore is not that a big an economy.”
“Three thousand dollars of the SFEC will be reserved for the latter. My colleague, Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat, will elaborate. This is also why, from 1 April this year, worker outcomes will be included as a mandatory condition for companies that apply for Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) funding. These outcomes may include wage increases, creation of skilled jobs for Singaporeans, job redesign and workers' training. Third, recruit. Businesses need to offer suitable placement opportunities for our mature workers. The Government will support by giving a Hiring Incentive to employers who hire local jobseekers aged 40 and above through eligible reskilling programmes. Such programmes include Professional Conversion Programmes or PCPs, Place-and-Train (PnT) programmes and career transition programmes by SSG's CET Centres. For each eligible worker, the Government will provide 20% salary support for six months, capped at $6,000 in total. 10.30 am I urge all employers to come forward, transform their business, and at the same time create new opportunities for all workers including our older workers. This has always been a critical part of our growth strategy and an important chapter of the Singapore Story. Mr Chairman, if there is anything we have learnt from past challenges and the current COVID-19 situation, it is that we should never under-estimate the strength and resilience of our people. As we battle COVID-19, we must also strive to emerge stronger. The journey ahead is full of both opportunities and challenges. But if we stand together – Government, businesses, unions and citizens – I am certain we can overcome any challenge and emerge stronger to chart a better future for all in Singapore. And this year's MTI tagline is: "to emerge stronger".”
“Minister Iswaran will share more details of mid-career training programmes for the Info-Communications and Technology (ICT) sector at MCI's COS debate later. Minister Josephine Teo and Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will also elaborate on plans to increase reskilling capacity and to help workers make career transitions at the MOM and MOE's COS debates respectively later today and tomorrow. Through the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package, we have set ourselves the target to double the annual job placements for locals in their 40s and 50s to 5,500 by 2025. I will now share three key ways in which companies can play an important role in supporting this national effort – redesign, re-skill, and recruit. First, redesign. Businesses should seek to actively redesign their jobs to create new opportunities for existing and new workers, including those in their 40s and 50s, even as they pursue enterprise transformation. As part of the Next Bound of SkillsFuture, businesses can now tap on the enhanced Productivity Solutions Grant or PSG, which now includes consultancy services for job redesign. We want to make job redesign a key component for enterprise transformation. Second, re-skill. As Mr Desmond Choo noted, when businesses grow and transform, they have an important role to play in actively re-skilling their workers rather than poaching from others. The Next Bound of SkillsFuture will also see an enhanced focus on businesses driving enterprise and workforce transformation in tandem. Under the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit or SFEC, eligible employers will receive a one-off $10,000 credit to cover up to 90% of out-of-pocket expenses for supportable enterprise development and workforce transformation programmes, including re-skilling and job redesign.”
“If we do not support our workers in refreshing and advancing their skills, not only will they lose employability over time, businesses will suffer, and our economy will lose its competitiveness. We are particularly aware of the concerns amongst our mid-career workers, those in their 40s and 50s. Job security is of utmost importance to them. They have significant financial commitments as they provide for their families, often with school-going children and retired parents. Many of them have completed their formal education more than 20 years ago and they have moved on in their careers in one company or various, and may not have the opportunity to reskill and upskill. Those who are employed now are worried if they will still have a job in the near future because of keen job competition and also the technological disruption. Those who have been retrenched are worried if they can re-enter the workforce and find a job that matches their skillsets and pay expectations. In 2018, only 58.6% of resident workers aged 40 and above managed to re-enter the workforce within six months after retrenchment – lower than the 70% for those in their 30s. Mr Desmond Choo , Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked what more can be done to support mid-career workers in their 40s and 50s. This needs to be done at the tripartite level – businesses offering more employment and upgrading opportunities; workers making an effort to re-skill and the Government supporting businesses and workers in their endeavours. So, all three parties must pull our weight together in order to get this done. I will talk about the support for businesses in general.”
“Economic growth is necessary to create good jobs for Singaporeans, but I must say this does not happen naturally. The critical link between growth and jobs is skills. Singaporeans must have the right skills to take on the jobs that growth creates. The Government has put in significant investment in our education and training system over many years. We now have strong pre-employment training (PET) and continuing education and training (CET) systems, and our SkillsFuture movement, which are all well-regarded globally. There are capability building programmes to transfer overseas capabilities and expertise to our local workforce, such as the Capability Transfer Programme. We have also placed strong emphasis on grooming local leaders within key sectors. Mr Leon Perera would be pleased to know that the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative or LDI, has supported over 1,000 Singaporeans in acquiring corporate leadership competencies and experiences. In particular, the ASEAN Leadership Programme (ALP) will equip our business leaders with the knowledge and network to ride on the growth of Southeast Asia. However, as Mr Saktiandi Supaat noted, employers must have the right mindset for these programmes to succeed. They need to start investing in our local workers and to prevent an over-reliance on foreign employees. Only then will we be able to improve the localisation over time. Indeed, we must not and we must never be complacent. Today, many have jobs that did not exist a mere decade ago. We are preparing for future jobs that do not yet exist now. The rate of technological change will only quicken.”
“For Heartland Enterprises, we will provide additional assistance, through schemes like Heartland Enterprise Upgrading Programme (HEUP), so that they too can have a good shot at growth and expansion. Our assurance to all Singaporean business is this: so long as you have the drive and you have the ambition, we will partner you, as necessary. My colleague, Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat, will elaborate on these schemes. Finally, to emerge stronger, we must do so together, as One Team Singapore. Over the years, we have established a strong tripartite partnership amongst the Government, the TACs and the unions. This partnership is critical. As key touchpoints to businesses and workers, TACs and the unions help provide the Government with crucial ground sensing and feedback on key economic policies. Moving forward, we will do more to strengthen our partnership with TACs to drive industry transformation efforts. My colleague, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Tan Wu Meng, will elaborate. Mr Chairman, we are committed to sharing the benefits of economic growth with all Singaporeans and improve their lives. Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Desmond Choo asked about how efforts to grow the economy have translated into positive workers' outcome. When we grow the economic pie, we create good jobs. More than half of our local workforce is made up of PMETs. This is one of the highest proportion in the whole world, and the number of PMET jobs continues to rise – from about 1.2 million in 2016 to 1.3 million in 2019. We also share the fruits of economic growth. Real median income for Singaporeans grew at 3.7% per annum from 2016 to 2019, which is higher than the 3.2% per annum in the preceding three years.”
“So, we leverage agri-food technologies to transcend both size and geography, producing high-value crops like strawberry and kale on this sunny island. We have a finite carbon budget. So, we explore innovative solutions to transform waste into value-add products. This has allowed us to couple environmental sustainability with economic prosperity. Going forward, we must do more to translate Singapore’s research edge into an economic advantage. We have earmarked $300 million to support startups in key emerging technology areas like pharmbio and advanced manufacturing. We will also continue to drive the adoption of technologies through the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) and to seize new opportunities in emerging sectors especially in the Deep Tech sector. My colleague, Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon, will elaborate. The use of technology must be complemented by the transformation of business processes. We recognise that not all enterprises are at the same stage of development. But regardless of your stage of growth, you will have a fair chance to succeed. We will customise our assistance to our enterprises' needs and level of ambition. For local enterprises with high growth potential, we will provide dedicated support to deepen their capabilities, enabling them to become leaders in their respective fields. An example of such dedicated support is the new Enterprise Leadership for Transformation (ELT) Programme. For smaller enterprises, we will enhance access to the wide array of enterprise-centric enablers, through channels like the SME Centres, the TACs and the GoBusiness platform.”
“We also focus on the facilitation of knowledge transfers to companies, as suggested by Mr Teo. Through a network of overseas centres, Enterprise Singapore works closely with companies to provide advisory support and in-market assistance. They also run frequent seminars to equip SMEs with essential knowledge to embark on their internationalisation journey. To better understand the industry, we have been seconding Public Service officers to Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) through the Local Enterprise and Association Development or LEAD Programme. These officers have been actively involved in helping the TACs spearhead new internationalisation projects for the industries and we will do more where we can to second more officers to the TACs. These measures will help Singapore compete internationally. But they must be complemented by measures to strengthen ourselves internally, so that we can harness the two global trends to emerge stronger. Specifically, we must emerge stronger through innovation, transformation and doing it together as an entire eco-system. Let me start with innovation. Public investment in research and innovation has grown over the last 25 years. This puts us in a good position to harness the technological revolution and turn old constraints into new opportunities. We have a small population, less than 1% of ASEAN. So, we leverage on advanced manufacturing sector to propel ourselves from a labour-intensive industry to one empowered by Industry 4.0 technologies. This has also allowed us to establish our niche in producing "high mix, low volume, high quality and knowledge intensive" products, entrenching our position in the global value chains. We have limited land.”
“We have also expanded the scope of eligible activities to include in-depth FTA consultancy services and support for additional overseas business development activities such as the cost of deploying a staff overseas. Second, we will extend the Double Tax Deduction Scheme for Internationalisation (DTDi) for another five years, till 31 December 2025. This will encourage more Singapore companies to increase their market development and investment activities overseas. The enhancements will now cover new categories of expenses incurred for third party consultancy and overseas business missions. Third, we will launch the Grow Digital initiative under the SMEs Go Digital programme to help SMEs grow their business overseas via both B2B and B2C digital channels to access new customers and markets. For a start, the programme will focus on China, India and Southeast Asia. Minister S Iswaran will share more details at MCI's COS debate. Fourth, we will work with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to launch the GlobalConnect@SBF in April. GlobalConnect will be an international advisory centre to provide dedicated market access support for companies new to internationalisation, with a focus on Southeast Asia and the emerging markets. Fifth, we will increase the support levels for young Singaporeans under the Global Ready Talent (GRT) Programme so that more graduates can take on work opportunities abroad and gain exposure to Southeast Asia, China and India. This will strengthen the pipeline of local talent to support businesses in expanding overseas in the medium to long term. Mr Teo Ser Luck will also be pleased to note that our suite of internationalisaton support goes beyond providing financial support.”
“For example, we upgraded our FTA with China to provide our businesses with new benefits like enhanced investment protection and greater access to China's legal, maritime and construction services sectors. We also upgraded our FTA with New Zealand last year, and now businesses can clear their goods through New Zealand Customs much faster. We also adapt our trade agreements to the emergence of new technologies. For example, we have started work on Digital Economy Agreements, or DEAs as we call them. By guarding against digital barriers and by addressing issues that arise from emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence, DEA provides a trusted environment for trade in the digital era. I am pleased to note that we have substantially concluded DEA negotiations with Chile and New Zealand. Negotiations with other like-minded partners, including Australia, are also progressing well. 10.15 am As we enhance our trade agreements, we must also help our companies to take advantage of them. Mr Douglas Foo , Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Teo Ser Luck asked how we can do more to support businesses in seizing opportunities in the region and beyond. In 2019, Enterprise Singapore supported 2,600 enterprises. Moving ahead, we will significantly strengthen our support to companies that want to go international, in five ways. First, we will extend the enhanced 70% support under the Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) for another three years, till 31 March 2023. To better support companies who are new to internationalisation or are expanding into new markets, the grant cap will be raised to $100,000 per new market, per company over the enhancement period.”
“In November last year, we concluded text-based negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). If all goes well, we hope to sign this agreement by the end of this year to deepen connections between ASEAN and other RCEP Participating Countries, which together account for almost 30% of global GDP. We are also making progress in FTA negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union, MERCOSUR and Pacific Alliance. Our FTAs have provided our businesses access to billions of consumers beyond Singapore’s shores by reducing tariffs and lowering non-tariff barriers. In response to Mr Teo Ser Luck's question, our 25 FTAs are with economies that represent more than 85% of global GDP. Having FTAs in different regions facilitates diversification and enables our businesses to capitalise on opportunities around the world. The benefit of each FTA goes far beyond our economic relations with the other party. Our FTAs enhance our ability to compete for investments as a network of 25. Companies which operate in Singapore can use our FTAs to build up supply and value chains which are resilient to single-market disruptions. At the same time, many companies also find it advantageous to access the Southeast Asia region and the world through Singapore. This creates many opportunities for businesses in Singapore and allow them to create good job opportunities for Singaporeans. Mr Leon Perera asked about the FTA negotiation process. In order to achieve the best outcomes for Singapore, we consult and involve many different stakeholders – including trade associations, unions and business chambers in the lead-up to the negotiations. Post FTA implementation, we continue to engage industry and regularly enhance our trade agreements, where possible.”
“More developed countries are poaching top executives and building their very own Smart Cities to rival Singapore. The OECD's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative, or BEPS 2.0, will also impact how countries compete for investments. To differentiate ourselves, we can no longer rely on tax incentives alone. Instead, Singapore must continually build real and new capabilities, augment our Singapore Core with global talent and find new ways to anchor key economic activities here. The second driving force, technology. We are undergoing technological advancements in multiple fields – medical, robotics, artificial intelligence and energy. These are not just incremental shifts, but disruptive and discontinuous change. The emergence of new technology provides us with new economic opportunities and challenges. Sectors in which we did not have a comparative advantage before, like agri-tech and new urban mobility solutions, are now emerging opportunities. On the flipside, technology is now challenging sectors which are well established in Singapore. Banking is being disrupted by the rise of FinTech. Retail is increasingly displaced by e-commerce. Some legal, consultancy and IT services can now be delivered electronically across borders. Whether we can win depends on two things. Externally, whether we can extend and enhance our connections; internally, whether we can adapt our environment and businesses to the two forces of global supply chains being reordered and emerging technology. To emerge stronger globally, Singapore must continually enhance our value as a connectivity hub. We need to adapt to changing supply chains by expanding and upgrading our network of FTAs.”
“Our most immediate task is to rejuvenate the tourism and related sectors. The Singapore Tourism Board or STB has formed a Tourism Recovery Action Task Force (TRAC), comprising leaders from both the private and public sectors. We will also commit resources to support the upgrade of hotels and attractions during this period of lower activity; we will anchor a strong pipeline of leisure and business events in the recovery; and we will step up marketing efforts to reach new sources of tourists. International investors remain committed to Singapore as we forge ahead with plans to enhance our attractiveness as a tourism destination. Large-scale tourism projects such as the Integrated Resorts expansion, Sentosa-Brani Masterplan and rejuvenation of the Mandai precinct all continue to make good progress. They will contribute to the growth of our tourism sector in the medium term. Beyond tourism, we must also press on with our efforts to transform our economy for tomorrow. Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about MTI’s plans for the longer term. We must prepare for two sets of long-term driving forces. First, we must prepare for the reordering of global supply chains. Technology, especially digital technologies; rising trade tensions and protectionism and now domestic resilience to disease outbreaks have all added impetus to the reordering of the global supply chains. All companies, big and small, local and multinational, have to fundamentally re-examine the resilience of our supply chains. Diversification of supplies, manpower sources and markets are not options – but imperatives. The ensuing contest to attract top investments and talent will be intense. Developing countries with plentiful land and labour are cutting costs aggressively.”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore has faced challenging economic situations triggered by disease outbreaks before – SARS in 2003; H1N1. Through each episode, we internalised important lessons, strengthened our collective resilience and emerged stronger. Today, COVID-19 is badly hurting our tourism and aviation sectors. International visitor arrivals may fall by more than 25% this year. Retail and food services have also been severely affected. The disruption of supply chains has also slowed the recovery of the manufacturing sector, especially electronics. The eventual economic impact of COVID-19 could be worse than SARS as China now accounts for more than 19% of global GDP and 27% of global manufacturing value added. The quantitative and qualitative impact of China’s slowdown and the potential of a global pandemic cannot be under-estimated. Many of us are concerned how the COVID-19 situation will affect our livelihoods. I want to reassure Singaporeans that the Government’s immediate priorities are to help our businesses stay afloat and to help our workers stay employed. To this end, we have introduced a comprehensive set of relief measures in the Stabilisation and Support Package. Measures like the Enhancement of the Enterprise Financing Scheme – SME Working Capital Loan will support businesses with cash flow issues that may arise in the short term. The $1.3 billion Jobs Support Scheme and the $1.1 billion enhancement of the Wage Credit Scheme will safeguard employment and wage growth. Mr Chairman, beyond the measures to address the immediate challenges ahead, we must also aspire to emerge stronger, be one of the first to recover and seize the new opportunities. This Government is committed to not just the present, but also our future.”
“So, we have many examples of this whereby even Chief Executives and the leadership team will be at the service counter serving the residents, seeing how the residents respond to the policies from different agencies, what are the challenges and how we can redesign the processes to do better. We have senior officers, for example, in the communications department and various other public officers walking the ground on weekends, talking to ordinary Singaporeans, hearing their feedback first-hand, unfiltered. This is part of the work that the REACH officers are doing. But it is not just the REACH officers that are doing this. Actually, many of our officers whom I am very proud of volunteered to do this so that they can go to the ground and hear for themselves first-hand how people are responding and reacting to the changes that they make. So, it is design upfront, change in their mindset and training of the officers in order to deliver a much more empathetic Public Service. Sorry, Mr Chair, can I just give an example to the Mr Leon Perera? I talked about incubation and then, subsequently, we transfer it. MSO is one good example. MSO started in PMO; now, it has gone on MND when the capabilities have been matured.”
“Mr. Chairman, indeed, we totally agree with what Mr Cedric had said. And that is my point. We need to turn this around. It is easy, it is usual for people to think from their own perspective – how do people fit into my Ministry's policy objectives? So, from the exercise in designing the Moments of Life and equivalent apps, we have turned this around. We have asked people, "If you are a parent-to-be, what are the questions that you would want answered? What are the services that you would want?" We do what we call a Service Journey. The officers, together from different Ministries and agencies, will walk the entire journey and imagine themselves in the shoes of the people that they are going to serve. And from there on, all their services will be designed around making it more convenient for the people that they are serving. That is how we have been able to achieve breakthroughs in the Moments of Life and even our Tampines Hub (OTH). But there is another very important element that we are putting our officers through. It is what we call empathy training or empathy design. How we lay out the services to welcome the residents whom we serve, how we design the processes that they have to go through. That requires training. It is not an after-thought. How our officers speak to the residents is also an acquired skill. In order to do that, we make sure that our Public Service leaders walk-the-talk. We make sure people, right from the leadership level, take the lead, by going onto the ground to serve the residents.”
“I thank Mr Leon Perera for that. On NRF, I would just like to clarify that NRF does not just serve economic functions. The NRF also conducts research in many other things, for example, ageing and societal forces as well. So, there is a good reason why NRF resides under PMO. Having said that, the NRF works very closely with MTI and, of course, A*STAR which is under MTI for the economic portions of it. So, whether it is the future of decarbonisation, the future of our bio-medical industries, they work very closely. We have also a very simple way to make sure that this is coordinated closely between NRF, A*STAR and MTI because the Chairperson of A*STAR is also the Permanent Secretary for NRF. If the two organisations have any issues, then it is actually internalised within the leadership team.”
“So, we will keep engaging the ground, keep improving our processes, keep improving the skillsets of our Public Service officers, in order for us to deliver on a better Singapore, a stronger Singapore and a better future for all of us.”
“But at the same time, to also bring back good ideas that the public sector may not yet have that are now in the private sector of the people sector or, for that matter, also even in the international organisations. The Public Service Division will make sure that we organise ourselves to systematically rotate our officers within the Service, across domains and beyond the Service. Next, we will also make sure that there is greater porosity in the Public Service, from the way we recruit people, beyond just academic qualifications, to the way we develop people and post people throughout the entire lifespan that they are here. Having dealt with all the changes that we can expect from the Public Service, I must reiterate one point. While the methods can change, the technology can change, the values of the Public Service will not change. The values of service excellence and integrity will never change in the Public Service. Service beyond self. The interests of the country and our people must always come before the interests of the individual officers. The pursuit of excellence is not just for today but always being able to anticipate the challenges of tomorrow, put in place systems and processes before the challenges even arise. And finally, integrity. Integrity to do what is right for this generation and for the next. Just as Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat says, our definition of success is not just how well we deliver for this generation but also for the next. Integrity also to know that there is no such thing that we are at our best. That is only that we will continue to improve to bring about better of life for Singaporeans and for a better Singapore.”
“One of the things that we will also change is to more regularly rotate Public Service officers across different domains and even within the same domain. Across different domains, I have mentioned, in that four domain areas – policymaking, operations, communications and mobilisations and international or beyond Public Service exposure. 4.00 pm The second thing that we want to is to make sure that they have the ability to rotate more even within the same domain and this will address one of the points that Dr Teo Ho Pin mentioned. How do we make sure that we check our own blind spots even if we are doing the same job? For example, in regulatory matters, by being able to go to different agencies and see how different regulatory ideas are applied, will allow our public officers to be much more responsive, much more agile. The third thing that we can expect our public officers to do is this. If we have a 50-year career for the Public Service officer, we must make sure that they have the training that can allow them to have lifelong employability, as Mr Patrick has also mentioned. And this will require us to structure their training such that every few years, there will be a booster jab in their skills. When we ask our Public Service officers to be agile, it cannot be at the age of 40s or 50s. It must be done systematically, from age 20 and above. Next, we will also challenge our Public Service officers, especially those in leadership positions to go beyond the Public Service, that they will have regular stints beyond the Public Service to expose themselves to the challenges that the private sector and the people sector have.”
“So, the public can certainly expect a more integrated and more efficient Public Service. But what I want to end off on this part is what Mr Cedric Foo mentioned. No matter how technology-dependent we will be, we will never forget that at the core of the Public Service is the heart for our people. The way we design the services, the way we design the app, be it for the young or the old, is to make sure that the service is delivered with the heart. For people who need the service but are unable to access technology, we will make sure that the processes are simplified, the service delivery is integrated, so that they will never be left out. And that is how we want to design an inclusive Public Service. The second part of my speech will, therefore, touch on what the Public Service officers can expect. With the changes in public expectations, with the change in job scopes, we will certainly need to change the skill sets of our Public Service officers. I have mentioned this on various occasions and the Prime Minister has also mentioned this during the inaugural Annual Public Service Leadership Dinner in the earlier part of this year. Today, we expect Public Service officers not just to be savvy in policymaking, but we also expect them to be good in translating policies into operations, have the ability to communicate and mobilise the public to come and work together to deliver results. And we want our public officers to have a sense of what is going on beyond Singapore, beyond the Public Service. These are the new skillsets that we expect all Public Service leaders to have and this will be how we form leadership teams within the Public Service.”
“And we have heard many examples of this with The Moments of Life app and also the GoBusiness app and I will not repeat what Minister Vivian and Senior Minister of State Janil have mentioned. The second thing that we can expect with this mindset shift would be the cross-training of our officers to deliver services in an integrated manner. Our Tampines Hub is a great example. Various public agencies have come together to first co-locate and provide convenience to residents seeking services across different agencies. Today, we have moved on whereby a single officer has been cross-trained to provide services across different agencies. This is the direction that the Public Service will continue to go in order to deliver quality services to the residents who need help. So, someone who needs help, from financial assistance to housing to employment, can approach the same officer with the same understanding so that he does not need to repeat the story over and over again. So, this is the second example of how the mindset shift has gone on in the Public Service. The third shift that we can expect from the Public Service is this. The Public Service is no longer just an agency trying to prevent things from going wrong or bad things from happening. When the Public Service partners our businesses, we are in real partnership with them to catalyse new ideas to enhance their competitiveness for Singapore. Now, this is a very different mindset shift. When we work with a start-up, it is not about the start-up trying to fit into the current regulations. The regulators also need to change their mindset whereby they embrace the start-up culture to see how regulations can evolve to become a key competitive advantage for Singapore.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I will deliver my reply in half the time that I was supposed to. Mr Chairman, Sir, a strong, competent and forward-looking Public Service has been central to Singapore's success. It has been so and it will continue to be so. Let me first deal with Mr Leon Perera's question on how PMO decides which programmes come under its purview. There are usually three sets of considerations. First, if it deals with strategic issues with long-term consequences. Second, if it requires close coordination across many agencies. Third, if it is a nascent new capability where we need to incubate that capability development before we pass it on to a relevant Ministry. So, you are right. Over time, those agencies that fall under PMO would have satisfied one or more of these criteria. When the capabilities mature, they will be passed on to the relevant Ministries that best house them. Let me now deal with the rest of the questions from the other Members. I would just like to organise them into two sets of answers. First, what can the public expect from our Public Service? Second, what can the Public Service officers expect, going forward? Let me deal with the first. The first and most fundamental mindset shift required before we even talk about all these technologies is this. The Public Service is committed to design our services and processes around the people whom we serve, around the businesses whom we serve. Now, this is fundamental. The rest will follow from here. So, as mentioned, digital is a tremendous opportunity for the Public Service to embrace to better deliver our services in a more integrated fashion, at a faster speed at a lower cost.”
“The Singapore Economic Development Board uses a range of grant and tax incentives to attract investments into Singapore. These are compliant with the World Trade Organization rules, as well as with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development rules to address base erosion and profit shifting. The value of incentives awarded is a fraction of the projected total investment. Tax incentives are notional and do not erode the tax base from existing activities. In addition, if a tax incentive recipient is not profitable, it will not enjoy any benefit. Other incentives, such as training or research and development grants are modest. Moreover, these grants are administered on a reimbursement basis. In other words, if the grant recipient does not incur the expenditure, it will not receive the grant. The number of jobs created are new jobs linked to new and expansion projects committed in that particular year. It is not meaningful to hypothesise the investments into Singapore absent these incentives. Competition for these investments is intensifying, and we must continue to remain globally competitive and an investment destination of choice. Doing so requires us to go beyond incentives, to strengthen our fundamentals, such as our strong rule of law, pro-business environment, physical and data connectivity, and access to skilled talent. The Ministry of Trade and Industry will continue to do so, to grow our economy and better Singaporeans' lives.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no difference in the guidelines between any elected Member of Parliament referring the help to the respective agencies for their respective residents. There is no difference. No matter where you live in Singapore, if the resident is eligible for help according to the national guidelines, everyone is helped equally. It can be referred to by their respective Members of Parliament; it can be referred to by the VWOs; it can be referred to by the GRAs. Everyone. All of us can play a part to refer needy residents to the agencies for help. And I do not think there is any discrimination based on that. The qualifying criteria are the same.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, all the schemes to help the residents are public schemes. They are made available to all residents who qualify. So, I do not think there is any politicisation in the application of help. The Member is right. As I have mentioned in my reply, the PA selects, appoints the grassroots leaders because we need them to execute and explain policies, often difficult ones. And that is why they must share the same objectives and the conviction as the government of the day. The PA is a Statutory Board. It serves the government of the day, just like any other Statutory Boards from SportSG to other equivalent organisations. I think it is best that Government functions continue to work in a way which allows us to serve all residents, regardless of which constituency they stay in.”
“Mr Speaker, let me take some time to explain to Ms Anthea Ong how the system works. When residents need help, they are generally referred to the respective agencies, for example, the Social Service Organisations (SSOs) or the Silver Generation Office (SGO), the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) in the past. These are Government agencies. The role that the grassroots volunteers play is to help bridge this, linking up the residents with the respective agencies. So, the Government agencies already do what exactly the Member described. In addition, the GROs sometimes help to raise funds for their localised programmes. Sometimes, they do it themselves; sometimes, they work with other voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs); sometimes, they work with the Government agencies. These are the networks of help on the ground. What the Member is describing is actually already happening on the ground.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not really understand Ms Anthea Ong's question. If I may check with the Member, all our schemes are administered by MSF and the Ministry of Health. For all the respective schemes, they work with the GROs to reach out to the residents. The Member's question is?”
“All these issues, we will be happy to discuss more in depth with Members because I think as leaders in our various capacities, we need to understand and have a shared understanding of these challenges so that we can collectively carry the ground for the difficult decisions that we all have to take together for the next decade.”
“Okay, so I hear the clarification. So, zero foreign workforce growth, if 1% resident growth. The question that all of us in this House have to ponder very seriously for the future of our country is this: what if we do not achieve 1% resident workforce growth? And 1% resident workforce growth is very significant. Given our TFR, it is not a given that we will be anywhere near this. On the other hand, to what extent can we bring in fresh immigrants to supplement? That is also not a given. In fact, today, if I may be frank, even if we try, whether Singapore can be the choice location for other people is an open question. I always jokingly say immigration is the story of unrequited love. Those whom we want may not want us, and those whom we do not want, may all want to come. It is a fine management. The Member's question on the next decade, we are seriously looking at the numbers. It is not easy because there is the other dimension, which perhaps the Member did not say in his clarification. Let us take the current moment; the current moment with the virus outbreak. There would be a significant impact on our economy. Whether we can still maintain that trajectory that we are shooting for is not a given. We cannot assume that economic growth will keep going at the rate that we desire. We aim for the best but we may not always get it. This is very difficult. That is why even in the previous population debate, to grow very fast sometimes has its challenges, but to grow not sufficiently fast, is also a challenge. If we do not grow sufficiently fast, the opportunities are not there for our next generation, it is a challenge. If we do not grow sufficiently fast and people bypass us and we lose our strategic relevance, it is also a challenge.”
“Labour force participation, even with the extension of the retirement age, the local labour force will peak because of our Total Fertility Rate (TFR). We have to make a difficult decision. Supposing we go on zero-foreign workforce growth. When the local labour force peaks and foreign labour force does not grow, it means that the total labour force will peak and then decline. That is a tremendous challenge for the enterprises to make the necessary adjustments. We will have to ask ourselves how do we get to that stage and emerge stronger. Everything that we do now must prepare for the day where our local labour force peaks, because the choices are stark. If we maintain the current ratio of local-foreign, when local workforce peaks, foreign workforce must peak. When local workforce falls, foreign workforce must fall, and the total must fall. If we maintain a stable total, as local workforce peaks and falls, foreign workforce must take up the slack, which means that the ratio must change. But whether the ratio can change will depend on whether our society can accept the change. It is not a straightforward issue and different sectors will have different ratios. That is how we must navigate this carefully in the next 10 years to make sure that we take care of the prospects for fellow Singaporeans and, at the same time, make sure that our enterprises have the opportunities to generate new capacity to compete with the world.”
“And the speed and skill at which we can retrain and upskill our workers are dependent on many factors. Whether we can do it in time to catch the new investment is always uncertain. So, the foreign workforce growth is one way to overcome this circulation for the companies to transit, just as the model I showed during the slideshow just now. Over time, some of the lower value-add and lower productivity jobs will have to be displaced, in order for us to take on the higher value-add, higher productivity jobs. But it takes a process and it takes circulation space, which is why while we maintain the overall growth trajectory over a period of time, we must be careful not to crash the gears and make our enterprises suffer the consequences of the lack of capacity to circulate and regenerate capacity. We must also be cognisant of the ability and the pace which we can reskill and upgrade our workers. So, while it is a theoretical possibility, we should not take it lightly and assume that there are no serious implications with a crashing of gears. But we are obviously cognisant that foreign workforce growth cannot grow indefinitely. Over time, there must be circulation, where the higher-quality ones displace the lower-quality ones, and that is how, progressively, generation by generation, we created space. So, we refer back to the model that I used. If from Figure 1 to Figure 5, and the total number of Singaporeans is still the same, and everything is foreign complement, then the balance would be totally lopsided. But over time, you would notice that by the time we reach Figure 5, the bottom part is hollowed out; and that is how we maintain the overall stance. I will conclude by sharing one other aspect with this House. Over the next 10 years, our local labour force will peak.”
“So, the chances are that if we do not have circulation space for our manpower, chances are that we will forgo that investment, because we have essentially full employment, one of the world's highest labour force participation rate, but we have no spare capacity. And we cannot free up two in time to take the new investment. That is one possible scenario. So, we will lose the investment for this generation and the next. There is another possible scenario, which is that we also keep to the 0% foreign workforce growth. What it means is that we give ourselves a small discount that, in the short term, we allow a surge of a foreign workforce complement to come in. So, we shift the Singaporean over to the new jobs – the $7,000 and $10,000 jobs, if possible. Then, we have to ask ourselves what do we do for the two jobs that are being vacated in the $5,000 job company? If we have zero-foreign workforce growth, that means that the company with the $5,000 job will not get a foreign substitute in place of the two Singaporeans that have left, which means that that company will likely be unsustainable, which means that the rest of the Singaporeans in that company will also likely be displaced once that company becomes not viable. So, this is the difficulty. While it is theoretically possible, there is a third possibility, which is we will tell everyone to improve their productivity as much as they can to release the two workers. Retrain them and then we can take on the new investment and we do not need new foreign workforce. Now, that is ideal. But we also know that in the real world, it is not easy to do because different industries will have different opportunities for productivity growth. Manufacturing will be much higher than services, for example.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the question raised by Mr Liang Eng Hwa has often been raised, not infrequently. In fact, if I recall, I believe the Workers' Party also raised this possibility previously. I do not know if the Workers' Party still advocates this, but I remember hearing this as well, sometime back in Parliament. Mr Pritam Singh can correct me if I am wrong. Let me explain why while this is a theoretical possibility, it is actually very hard to achieve in practice without serious implications and tradeoffs for our economy. Let me use an example to illustrate the challenges and tradeoffs, supposing we adopt this policy of zero-foreign manpower growth. Maybe the best way for me to do is to follow on from the example that I used at the last Parliament Sitting, where I said that: supposing we have a Singaporean working in a job that pays $5,000 now. And we are able to attract an investment that comes in and creates two new jobs at $7,000 and $10,000. But bearing in mind that, essentially in Singapore, we are almost at full employment and our labour force participation rate is already one of the highest in the world. Which means that cumulatively, we have very little spare capacity. So, now what do we do? The Singaporean is now holding the $5,000 job. We have the prospect of having two new jobs at $7,000, $10,000, with a new investment. Supposing, as a thought process, we say that we will not allow any fresh foreign worker to come in. Then, what does it mean? The only way that we can bring in that investment is: first, there must be two Singaporeans available to do those jobs. But the Singaporeans are already in jobs.”
“To grow our economy and job opportunities, we will always need a certain local-foreign complement, both in terms of quality and quantity. To keep it to a manageable level, we must, first, continuously improve the skills and productivity of our Singaporean workers. We are doing this through our education system and continuing lifelong training system, such as SkillsFuture programmes, and we will continue to invest heavily in this area. Second, we must manage the number and quality of the foreign complement to strike a good balance between economic needs and social acceptance. Third, we must ensure that Singaporeans are fairly treated at work and errant companies which treat their Singaporean workers unfairly can expect to face enforcement action and penalties. Last but not least, progressively enable more and more Singaporeans to take on the higher-paying jobs from our investments. This was how we transformed from Third World to First and this was how we secured and will secure a brighter future and better lives for all Singaporeans.”
“Our fresh graduates from universities and polytechnics are progressively filling up these higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs. And we will step up our mid-career upgrading programmes for our middle-age workers to keep pace with these new technologies and new industries. So, we need a balanced approach to our talent strategy. We understand. Too many foreign workers – and not necessarily just the lower-skilled ones – our local workforce feels overwhelmed. Too few, our local enterprises and workers are unable to achieve scale or competitiveness for the global market. Hence, it is a strategy that requires constant finetuning to get the balance right for enterprises and workers. Beyond quantity and quality, we must also diversify our foreign manpower sources and there are good reasons for this. From a business continuity perspective, we must manage the risk of overly relying on any particular source for any particular type of foreign manpower. From a social perspective, we must manage the externalities associated with too high a concentration of any particular foreign labour source. Singapore is a diverse, cosmopolitan and inclusive society. But we must also not ignore the public discomfort that can surface with too high a concentration of any particular foreign worker group. We are keenly aware of these challenges. Again, this is a work in constant finetuning, based on the acceptance of foreigners by our society and the manpower needs of our companies. We will also ensure that Singaporeans are fairly treated. We have the Fair Consideration Framework, which we tightened recently. We will not hesitate to act against companies that discriminate against Singaporeans.”
“And throughout the process, making sure that the red bricks that represent the Singapore Core remain the foundational pillars of our workforce. Is this story far-fetched? No. This was the story of electronics to semiconductors that I shared in Parliament in the last Sitting. For example, Esther Ng and Alice Low – two ladies – went from being operators in Texas Instruments in 1969 to become a document control assistant and a technician in the yield enhancement lab of Micron respectively, earning higher wages than when they first started. They have since retired and they have both contributed to developing the industry for future generations to benefit from. Our local businesses have also benefited from attracting high-quality investments. A local small and medium enterprise (SME), CK Shipping, went from a traditional logistics player to be a specialised aerospace logistics provider for Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited (SAESL), a joint venture between Rolls Royce and SIA Engineering. CK Shipping also worked with Enterprise Singapore to reskill their workers to build capabilities in the new sector, allowing Singaporean workers to benefit from the new opportunities created. Esther, Alice and CK Shipping would not have risen in their stations had we not attracted new investments and progressively upgraded our economy. What was true for the electronics to semiconductor story and shipping is true for all sectors. Today, we are seeing the same story unfolding before us in the data, digitalisation and ICT sectors. This is what we are doing – to grow new sectors like Advanced Manufacturing, Agri-tech and to transform our existing sectors like logistics and hospitality.”