Lee Boon Yang
Singapore
“6 The other guidelines are that there must be a post office sited within 5 km of every private residential estate and within 1 km of any commercial or industrial estate. MAID LEVY CONCESSION (Applications by the disabled) 32.”
“Madam, can I quickly respond to the point on assistive technology? Certainly this is an area of interest. We cannot say that we have the capability at this juncture but we will certainly look into what is possible and work with our ICT sector.”
“Nevertheless, if the spouse of the homemaker is working, he will be eligible for WIS if he satisfies the criteria. Husbands of homemakers are further eligible for tax relief.”
“Sir, I do not think it is quite correct to say that we always expect our own artists to perform for free or do public service. There are, of course, occasions where we do seek Singapore artists and arts companies to contribute to the national causes. For instance, when we went international for Singapore Season in China.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what checks does the Ministry or the National Environment Agency have in place to prevent mistaken payments to hawkers who cease operations due to upgrading works at hawker centers; (b) how did the mistaken payment of $18,000 to Mdm Lee Ah Muey come about; and (c) what will the…”
“While it was also true that initially the reaction or the response of the licensing authority was that foreigners should not participate in such an event at the Speakers' Corner - because there is already an existing prohibition against any foreigners taking part in any activities at the Speakers' Corner - subsequent assessment resulted i…”
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“For example, in the past, the CPTE had recommended that the university broaden the curriculum of their science courses to make it more technology based, so that their graduates will be able to do a much wider range of jobs in the industries. Polytechnics have also come up with new multimedia courses as a result of emerging demand in the IT industry in Singapore. This move initiated through a process of integrated manpower planning, supplemented by coordinated manpower development, will help to ensure that our local workforce possess the right mix of skills and experience required by the global market. Sir, in the long run, manpower planning aims to move Singapore towards a globally competitive workforce. Through the upgrading of the economy, Singapore would reduce our reliance on unskilled foreign workers and increase the overall skill profile in the economy, including both local and foreign workers. A dynamic and skilled workforce will enhance the overall international image of Singapore, one with a world-class economy with a world class workforce.”
“Currently, the Council of Professional and Technical Education (CPTE), which is chaired by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, gives broad recommendations to tertiary institutions on their student intakes, based on demand and supply analyses. Dr Wang quoted the example of the restriction on the number of medical students. I would not go into the details on this subject because it has been extensively debated and discussed in this Chamber by the Minister for Health, the argument on why there should be some restriction on the number of doctors that are trained in NUS and also on the number of foreign institutions whose graduates will be recognised. But what I want to point out here is that manpower planning in general does not always aim to limit enrolment of students at tertiary educational institutions, but rather to ensure an adequate supply of skilled manpower in critical areas of the economy. In fact, sometimes manpower planning do actually increase the range or the spectrum of choice available to students, by encouraging institutions to take on new areas of specialised education and training which they may not have been doing in the past. Because through the process of manpower planning, we have been able to anticipate the economic development in a certain direction, the emerging needs of new industries and that we are able then to transmit these messages to the tertiary educational institutions and encourage them to prepare their students or to start up new opportunities for their students to prepare for careers in these industries.”
“We will create an environment for talent, local and foreign, to excel in their areas of expertise and add value to our economy. We will facilitate employment training, especially for Singaporeans at all levels, so that they are able to compete with foreign talents and workers. Finally, I will respond to Dr Wang, the Member for Bukit Timah GRC. Dr Wang is correct in pointing out that manpower planning will be a complex task. It is not an easy task. Some, in fact, may argue that because of rapid technological changes, and the changing skills that are required by employers, manpower planning might become less relevant. However, we differ. In the context of Singapore's small labour force, manpower planning is crucial. We have seen that this small workforce is insufficient to meet the demands of the economy, and hence there is a need to supplement with foreign talents and workers. Faced with such a situation, we need to have a coordinated manpower planning to ensure that manpower demands are met and, at the same time, retain the desired social fabric and cohesion. Manpower planning is important to bring about an efficient and sustainable balance of manpower demand and supply. To move Singapore up the development ladder, we must be conscious of the rapid changes in technology and to take advantage of this. Manpower planning will hence take a demand driven approach, to keep abreast of the new industry trends and encourage training in new areas of specialised skills to meet the ever changing needs of the globalised economy. To some, manpower planning may be a very mundane and very complex process. But let me point out that in the demand driven manpower planning process, it is very dynamic, and it aims to anticipate and better prepare for the changes in technology and economy.”
“Here, I would like to point out that I agree with Mr Zainul that we have to ensure that our international image remains conducive in our effort to attract foreign talents. Because talented foreigners would want to work and live in a dynamic, secure and culturally rich society. I think we can offer such an environment to attract the best to Singapore. For other foreign workers, we can offer safe, secure and rewarding employment opportunities. The Ministry of Manpower will continue to enhance the workplace environment so that local and foreign workers and talents will be able to give their best in rewarding jobs. In particular, we must make them feel welcome and motivate some of them to sink their roots here. They will make a significant contribution and add value to our economy. The Ministry of Manpower will be willing to work with NTUC and the Singapore International Foundation and any other organisation to realise this vision to ensure that we will be successful in our effort to recruit talents to top up and supplement our own talent and manpower resources. Sir, as part of the coordinated approach to manpower development in Singapore, the new Ministry of Manpower will take on the overall attraction and management of foreign talents and workers. These will include all the policies, programmes and operations related to the flow of foreign talent into Singapore. We will also put up a supplementary budget in due course to ensure that there are sufficient resources for managing the foreign talents and workers in Singapore. 6.00 pm Sir, in summary, as Singapore aims for a world-class workforce, we need to position Singapore as a global talent capital or a talent hub. Singapore is where the best talent will converge, both local and foreign.”
“And in the same context, a Government scheme to set aside some HDB flats to house foreign talents is necessary in view of the high cost of private sector housing in Singapore. Such specific measures to facilitate the relocation of talents to Singapore must be expected in view of the global competition for talents. If we do not make any effort to overcome the intrinsic hurdle and difficulties that we face, then very few foreign talents will actually come to Singapore. Let us not forget, Sir, that the talents that we want to attract are also being courted by employers in other countries. I have mentioned earlier that the IT industry in the US is planning to attract many more foreign talents. But we should also take note that many other countries are also scouring the world for talents to boost their competitiveness. As for National Service, we should not view it as a stumbling block or a disadvantageous factor against our own talents in Singapore. Rather, National Service enhances each and every male Singaporean's overall development through the knowledge and values acquired during the training and, more importantly, a dedicated service to defend the nation. I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that if foreign talents who come to Singapore choose to sink roots in Singapore, then their children, being second generation migrants, will of course have to serve National Service like any other born and bred Singaporean. Sir, in the globalised economy, there will be strong competition for top talent. We have to create the right environment to attract some of the talents to come to Singapore to help us to become more competitive.”
“Foreign talents are actively pursued when they bring critical skills which we lack or when they bring intellectual and entrepreneurial capital that will sharpen the competitiveness of our economy. Our priority would remain on fully developing the talent and capabilities of Singaporeans. This begins with the Ministry of Education's effort to provide a sound and relevant education to young Singaporeans in schools, polytechnics and universities. The process carries on when the young Singaporeans join the workforce through programmes on continuing education and training. The key issue here is to ensure that national resources are focused and applied optimally to enable local talents to develop to their highest potential and to fully reach this potential in order to be able to compete and capitalise on the contributions of foreign talent. Mr Shanmugam has asked if the Government will assure that foreign talents will not be given special privileges and as such, they would move up faster or why is it that foreign talent coming to work in Singapore and enjoying the benefits of Singapore do not have to do National Service. I think we have to take a wider perspective when we set out to attract talents to Singapore. Our policy will not discriminate against our own talents, ie, our own workers. For instance, we will certainly not encourage our employers to pay foreign talents, with the same qualifications and capabilities as local talents, more in terms of monetary compensation or benefits. It will just not make commercial sense to begin with. However, most employers who need to bring in foreign talents would need to provide one-time relocation assistance to facilitate the foreign talents' relocation to Singapore. I think this is unavoidable.”
“The employers are simply unable to hire enough from the local talent pool to meet their needs, either due to an outright shortage of such people or the locals find other jobs are more attractive and unwilling to take on these jobs. Without access to the skilled foreign workers, these high-tech companies would not have been able to operate in Singapore. We would not have been able to attract them to invest in Singapore. And at the end of the day, we would not have been able to have such investments, we would not have been able to create the employment opportunities for another 15% or 30% of the company's workforce who are Singaporeans. So by making available a steady flow of foreign talents and workers to investors in Singapore, we are actually helping to create more employment opportunities for Singaporeans. While figures show that there is a shortage by sheer numbers, the question is how do we ensure that foreign talents and workers are not coming in and displacing Singaporeans from the same desired positions. Several Members including Mr Shanmugam and Mr Zainul have spoken on this. We have always subscribed to a free market policy which promotes competitiveness and greater efficiency. This would apply to a certain extent to the manpower arena in the labour force as well. Protectionist measures, whether it is in trade or labour force, would hamper the upgrading of our local workforce and create a false sense of complacency and security. If Singapore wants to become a world-class workforce, our local workers must be able to match up and compete with workers anywhere in the world. We must be able to measure up to global standards. However, the Ministry of Manpower does not intend to flood the labour market with foreigners.”
“We have achieved much higher growth because of the injection of foreign talents and foreign workers. So the flow of foreign talents into Singapore will supplement our own resources and help us to achieve much higher growth rate than otherwise possible. Let us consider some of the recent trends that have been reported in the various business magazines and newspapers in the US. Consider a labour force of the size of the US. Even today in the US, the top executives in the electronic industry in particular are lobbying their government in Washington to relax the quota for the H1B visa, which is meant for foreign professionals to enter the US to work. They have done so because the labour market in the US has become very tight. There is a serious shortage of talents, particularly, in the IT industry. Unemployment rate in the US has dropped to 4.6% which I believe is an all time low. The industries, particularly the IT industry, desperately need foreign talents to meet their manpower needs in view of this very tight labour market. And here is a huge nation with over 200 million people and vast resources, and they are still recruiting foreign talents to supplement their own workforce. Compared to the United States, Singapore, with its unemployment rate of only 1.8% and a very much smaller workforce of about 1.9 million workers only, surely our need for top-up talents must be much more pressing and critical than the United States. Sir, foreign talents certainly will help us to enlarge our economic pie and create greater wealth for all. Let me give an example. In some high-tech electronic companies in Singapore, foreign skilled workers make up 50% to 70% of the skilled labour force.”
“But they have urged that Government's policy or attitude towards foreign talent should not disadvantage local talents or the homegrown talents. First, I would like to stress that local talents will always be the foundation of our manpower pool. Without adequate local talents, we will not be able to compete in the global market. Foreign talents and workers will be welcomed to Singapore to supplement and add value to the Singapore workforce. They are here to supplement our own talent so as to enhance our economic competitiveness. Over the past 10 years, the Singapore economy has outpaced the growth of our own workforce. As a result, the labour market has become much tighter until very, very recently. We have seen unemployment remaining at low levels for many years. Last year, the unemployment rate was 1.8%. Without the contribution of foreign talents and workers, we would not have been able to sustain the growth rate of 8.9% on average between 1987 and 1997. So foreign talents and workers make a very valuable contribution to our economy and they allow us to grow at a much higher rate. So we should look at the issue perhaps from the perspective of stock and the flow. We have a stock of indigenous talented Singaporeans who can contribute to the economy. But as long as we just live within this stock, then our economic growth and the opportunities for prosperity would be limited to what we can produce with our own stock. But if we were to stimulate a flow of talent from all over the world towards Singapore and we bring in the right kind of talent who would supplement what we have in our stock, then we would be able to achieve much more than we can with our own people alone. We will be able to have higher growth, as has been seen in the last decade.”
“This Bizlink Centre was set up under the Ministry of Community Development and the National Council of Social Services. They specialise in looking into the employment needs of the disabled. It offers job-matching services to people with disability who are found suitable for general employment. Those whose disabilities are so severe that they cannot cope in a normal working environment, we try to find them appropriate jobs in sheltered workshops, activity centres, as well as in Bizlink's own production workshop. Sir, based on feedback from Bizlink, if people with disability are prepared to work and have the basic capabilities, we could train them and prepare them for a job which could be as rewarding as those of a normal Singaporean. So my Ministry, or come April the Ministry of Manpower, will continue to work with Bizlink and other Ministries, like Ministry of Community Development, to look into ways to enhance the employment opportunity for the disabled. This would include encouraging and helping employers to create suitable jobs which will meet the needs and constraints of persons with disability. And here I want to emphasise that this is a very important point. We have to get employers to cooperate with us, employers who are generous and willing enough to take the extra step to cope with the challenge of employing those who have some physical handicap. 5.45 pm Sir, I next turn to several Members who spoke on the Government's policy to attract foreign talents to Singapore. They have spoken generally in support of the policy. I do not believe any one of them had questioned the wisdom of this policy to attract talent to Singapore.”
“In fact, from age 30 and above onwards, the female labour force participation rates start to decline, and we have also observed this trend. That is why we have launched the Back-to-Work programme about 18 months ago. We understand the difficulties faced by women because they have to balance the needs of the family and also a career. That is why we have convened an Advisory Committee for the Back-to-Work programme. The Advisory Committee has held quite a number of meetings already to study how to further develop this Back-to-Work programme so that it will be able to meet the needs of the housewives who want to rejoin the workforce in particular, or the kind of training that will be required in order to enable some housewives who have left the labour force for quite some time already to be re-equipped with the skills, so that they can take on the jobs that are available in the job market today. We will certainly convey her suggestions to the Advisory Committee on the Back-to-Work programme, and we will see how we can further expand this programme and make it more relevant to the needs of the women, particularly in light of the potentially higher retrenchments among women in the labour force. The Member also spoke about the needs of those who are physically handicapped, I believe, in trying to look for work for this group of Singaporeans. I share her concern and I agree that we should not overlook the needs and the special requirements of this group of Singaporeans. They can also make a contribution in their own way, and we should have the opportunities for them. My Ministry presently works with Bizlink Centre to provide employment assistance to Singaporean job seekers who have disabilities.”
“There is an obvious difference in the rate here in the sense that when you see most of the retrenchment in the electronic sector, and most of the retrenchment taking place at the production level, and also if you note that there are more women working as production operators, both Singaporeans and also female foreign workers on work permit, it is not surprising to find that if you have higher retrenchment in the sector, you will find more women there being affected by the retrenchment. As to whether retrenched women, in this case it would be, of course, resident Singaporean women who have been retrenched from the electronic sector, have greater difficulties finding jobs, I do not have the specific information on hand right now. But I gather that if they are actively looking for a job, there is very minimal difference in time lag, because the average time taken for a retrenched worker to get a job - this is for 1997 - was 1.8 months, and there was no significant difference between male and female, or between young and old workers. She has also suggested that we look at the long term strategy or specific plan to cater to the needs of the women in the economy and how to attract the women back into the workforce. Let me assure the Member that we will certainly take this approach in conjunction with our effort to map out Manpower 21 plan. Within the Manpower 21 Plan, we will certainly study the specific needs of women, including upgrading their skills in order to prepare them for the higher value jobs that are going to be created in the economy. She has also noted that in the labour force, there are fewer women, particularly above the age of 45.”
“" I should also point out that the same dictionary also provided an explanation that "man" can be used as "a human being irrespective of sex and age". In other words, the "man" in "manpower" is the same as the "man" in "mankind". Chamber's Twentieth Century Dictionary defines "manpower" as: "The agency or energy of man doing work." Sir, the meaning closest to the use of "manpower" in this case came from Collin's Cobuild English Dictionary (New Edition) which I understand from the cover blurb is based on an "unrivalled in-depth analysis of the language of the 90s". So it is very current, very topical. Collin defines "manpower" as: "Workers are sometimes referred to as manpower when they are being considered as part of the process of producing goods or providing services". Indeed, Sir, in our context, workers are all we have as indigenous inputs to our goods and services output. Hence, it is not inappropriate to call the new Ministry the "Ministry of Manpower" to strengthen the links between our efforts and the viability and competitiveness of our economy. Sir, I next turn to the points made by the Nominated Member, Mdm Claire Chiang. She has made several excellent suggestions and observations. To begin with, she asked whether in the context of current economic downturn, what is the impact on women, particularly retrenchment of women.”
“Or should we call it "Ministry of Manpower"? However, when we looked back on why the new Ministry was being established in the first place, the choice became clear. The new Ministry has been given the responsibility of harnessing the full potential of our national manpower resources so that, firstly, we can ensure Singapore's pool of human capital or talent capital will become an engine of growth in a knowledge-based economy. Secondly, the new Ministry is to ensure that our people, Singapore's only resource, will become a strategic competitive advantage in the next phase of our development. With such a strong economic agenda to produce a world-class and globally competitive workforce, we felt that the term "manpower" better conveys the economic linkage and economic force of the new Ministry's responsibility. Manpower is also a term which is clear and easily understood by the people. Needless to say, to be effective as a national manpower agency, we will adopt practices and concepts of human resource development which are appropriate to the Singapore context. Calling the new Ministry the Ministry of Manpower will certainly not detract from its dynamism and dedicated pursuit of its mission. As the old adage goes, "the test of the pudding is in the eating". Whether it is "manpower" or "human resource", what matters eventually is how successful we are in nurturing a world-class workforce to ensure Singapore's long-term competitiveness and prosperity. Sir, in anticipation of such queries which are quite natural, I looked up several dictionaries. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "manpower" as: "The power or agency of man in work or the number of persons available for a purpose.”
“We will ensure that there will be ample training opportunities for our own staff and we will support any national programme to create more opportunities for training of human resource managers and trade union leaders. For instance, the Government is already presently supporting the Singapore Institute of Labour Studies (SILS). Government has given the Institute a substantial grant to start up their endowment fund and this will help them to finance their operations. We will continue to give the SILS the support that they require in order to fulfil its mission of providing training for union leaders to improve their ability to manage industrial relations. Next, Sir, I have to respond to the hon. Member, Mr Chay, from Tanjong Pagar GRC. He made a very eloquent and very persuasive argument why the name "Ministry of Manpower" should be reconsidered. I would like to tell him that, in fact, when the idea of expanding the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour was first mooted, we did actually consider the name "Ministry of Human Resource". It was certainly one of the alternatives. As Mr Chay has pointed out, the term "human resource" appears to sound more progressive and modern and in keeping with the IT and knowledge-based era. It also applies to a wider range of issues such as individual welfare, personal development and personal fufilment. I have to admit that the name "human resource development" is quite relevant to the mission and duties of the new Ministry. Actually for this reason, we had to think over the choice of the name very carefully. We took a long time in deciding what should be the name for the new Ministry. Should we call it the "Ministry of Human Resource" and appears to be fashionable and correct in keeping with the age?”
“30 pm However, Sir, we are not waiting for Manpower 21 to be completed before taking any initiatives because it will obviously take quite some time to go through the whole exercise of identifying the key issues and the priorities, and mapping out a strategy to cope with each of these areas or special needs. We will, in fact, start work immediately in April this year. And one of our first tasks will be to study, integrate and coordinate existing manpower programmes, such as the Skills Redevelopment Programme, the Back-to-Work Programme and the Skills Certification Programme, with our overall manpower vision. In particular, Sir, we will be looking at how to expand the Skills Redevelopment Programme which had started in December 1996. This is particularly urgent because of the economic slowdown and the prospect of increased retrenchment among our workers. We will have to speed up the process of reskilling workers who are likely to face retrenchment so that they can be redeployed effectively to other sectors of the economy which are still in need of workers. If I understand correctly, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon suggested that there is also a need to train Ministry of Manpower's staff, trade union leaders and employees in companies who are responsible for human resource management duties. I agree with her. I think there is a need to train such people who are generally grouped as the human resource practitioners. I agree with her that the Ministry of Manpower, as a national manpower agency, should ensure that our own staff are also well trained, kept up to date with the latest development in human resource, management and also issues concerning manpower.”
“This was because the budget was finalised prior to the recent decision to establish a Ministry of Manpower. Obviously, in order for the Ministry of Manpower to carry out the enlarged functions, with a much bigger responsibility, we will require additional funding. This is not reflected in the present budget. To determine the overall budget needs of the Ministry of Manpower, we will engage various manpower-related agencies such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry, EDB, PSB and the Ministry of Education in a joint planning exercise to determine the full scope of work, including the overall budget requirements for both 1998 and 1999. We will put up a supplementary budget to the Ministry of Finance. In the meantime, the Ministry of Manpower, after 1st April this year, will proceed to carry out its new functions and programmes with the MOL budget as well as the existing programme budgets of the various agencies and statutory boards. Sir, next month, the new Ministry will embark on a comprehensive exercise to develop a strategic manpower blueprint for Singapore in the next century. This blueprint will be known as the Manpower 21 Plan. Mrs Yu-Foo has asked whether the Ministry will involve the trade unions and the employers in such an effort. Let me assure all Members that, apart from inputs from other key Government economic agencies, we will certainly consult the National Trades Union Congress and employer organisations in order to draw up the Manpower 21 plan. Manpower 21 will, in fact, bring together tripartite resources to focus on national manpower planning, development and management issues. This will help to strengthen the spirit of tripartism to help us face up to economic challenges in the future. 5.”
“We will certainly take note of the efforts already put in by the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers' Federation to chart a vision for the future. We will consider the ideas, suggestions and the concerns that they have already drawn up in their NTUC 21 and SNEF 21 in drawing up our own manpower policy. While the Ministry of Manpower undertakes manpower planning and capability development at the national level, the current statutory boards that are already doing manpower training and manpower development work will be able to continue this work. For instance, the Productivity and Standards Board, ITE and EDB will continue to administer their respective manpower training programmes. But it will be done within the overall framework of a national manpower policy. MOM will focus on strengthening existing institutions and training networks, coordinate and streamline manpower management functions and develop a new framework and programme to achieve our mission of developing a world class workforce. Mrs Yu-Foo has also lent her support to the allocation of more funds to the Ministry of Manpower so that it can give more support to the various skills upgrading programmes, and I thank her for this support. Mr Zainul has asked whether the budget, as it stands in the Budget book, reflects the financial support that the Government is giving to the new Ministry of Manpower in order to allow it to carry out its duties. I would like to point out that the budget estimates for the Ministry of Manpower, as reflected in the current Budget book, are actually the old budget for the Ministry of Labour to perform the current functions of the Ministry of Labour.”
“First, I would like to thank the hon. Members who have spoken on the various topics concerning the Ministry of Manpower and other manpower-related issues. In particular, I wish to thank Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Member for Bukit Timah, who welcomed and supported the formation of the Ministry of Manpower. Mrs Yu-Foo and Mr Zainul would like to know what are the key initiatives of the Ministry of Manpower after April 1998, because the Ministry will start functioning on 1st April 1998. The newly established Ministry of Manpower aims to develop a world class workforce to spearhead Singapore's growth into the 21st century. It will undertake manpower planning, development and carry out the regulatory roles in meeting our national manpower needs. The Ministry's new role will include manpower planning to balance the demand and supply of manpower at all levels of the economy, meaning manpower requirements from unskilled, semi-skilled to skilled and talented workers. It will develop a framework and programme for continuing education and training for workers in order to build up a capable and knowledge-based workforce. We will also develop strategies to attract foreign talents to supplement local talents. Sir, the existing roles of the Ministry of Labour, such as regulating and managing the admission of foreign workers, ensuring a workplace environment conducive to productivity and efficiency, and ensuring continuous harmonious labour relations will be enhanced to reinforce the Ministry's overall mission. The Ministry of Manpower will formulate national manpower policy in consultation with principal economic agencies of the Government and also the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers' Federation.”
“There are 7,351 and 7,508 CPF members who have applied successfully for the CPF Education Scheme in 1996 and 1997 respectively. For both years, successful applications for use of CPF for degree courses make up 38%, while that for diploma courses make up the 62% of the total applications under the CPF education scheme. The breakdown of the applicants in terms of diploma and degree courses are as follows: 1996 1997 Diploma courses 4,539 (62%) 4,690 (62%) Degree courses 2,812 (38%) 2,818 (38%) Total 7,351 (100%) 7,508 (100%)”
“It is advisable for students considering taking up such courses to first check out their worthiness before enrolling in any of them. PRIMARY SCHOOL IN SIN MING AVENUE 7. Mr Leong Horn Kee asked the Minister for Education whether his Ministry will build a primary school in the Sin Ming Avenue area, in view of the increasing demand for primary school places from residents in that locality. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: The Ministry has no immediate plans to build a new primary school in the Sin Ming Avenue area. There are currently four primary schools in the Bishan DGP, which covers Sin Ming Avenue. The schools are Ai Tong School, Catholic High, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian and Guangyang Primary. The overall provision of primary schools is sufficient to meet the demand for school places. In the 1997 P1 Registration Exercise, the three most popular schools were filled up while Guangyang Primary still had vacancies at the end of the exercise.”
“This programme is for beginners and consists of 12 swimming lessons. Each lesson, which is conducted during curriculum time, lasts for about 45 minutes. Pupils generally take a proficiency test at the end of the programme. From 1994 to 1997, a total of 44,800 pupils took part in the programme. The number of schools involved each year ranges from 90 to 124. Apart from swimming done as an element in the PE lessons, swimming is also promoted in the school ECA programme. Presently, 145 primary school (74%) and 70 secondary schools (43%) have swimming in their ECA. In 1997 alone, about 20,000 pupils received the National Swimming Survival Award conducted by the Singapore Sports Council. While pupils are taught simple rescue techniques as part of the PE programme, lifesaving is not included in the syllabus. TERTIARY COURSES 6. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked the Minister for Education whether his Ministry has any accreditation system or licensing requirements to control the quality of full-time, part-time and distance learning tertiary courses (diploma, degree and postgraduate programmes) conducted by private institutions in Singapore. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: There are many different overseas tertiary institutions offering a wide variety of courses of study in Singapore. It is not possible for the Ministry of Education to evaluate the quality of the programmes and the teaching. This is particularly so for distance-learning programmes. The Ministry of Education therefore does not have an accreditation system to control the standard and quality of these programmes. The tertiary institutions offering the courses and their local agents are responsible for all aspects of the programme.”
“Main contractors have the resources to house workers abandoned by their subcontractors, or transfer their employment to other subcontractors within the same project or in other projects. It is thus not true that main contractors have no control over the foreign workers employed by the subcontractors. These foreign workers were brought in to work on their projects in the first instance. Therefore, requiring main contractors to share the responsibility with their subcontractors is necessary to avoid abuses and illegal practices. SWIMMING AND LIFE-SAVING LESSONS 5. Dr Teo Ho Pin asked the Minister for Education (a) how many schools conduct swimming and life-saving lessons for their pupils; (b) how frequent these lessons are conducted and what is the duration of each lesson; and (c) whether there are any tests of proficiency for these lessons. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Swimming is not a compulsory component of the Physical Education (PE) syllabus. However, schools are encouraged to conduct various forms of swimming programmes for their pupils. Presently only six schools (one junior college, four secondary schools and one primary school) have swimming pools. These schools conduct swimming lessons during the PE lessons. Schools situated near public swimming pools also conduct swimming lessons. Simple rescue techniques, but not lifesaving, is taught as part of the swimming programme. These swimming lessons are usually conducted once a week for 10 weeks. Each lesson is of about 45 minutes' duration and pupils may take a proficiency test at the end of the programme. At the primary level, most schools conduct the Learn-to-Swim programme for their P4 and P6 pupils after the P4 streaming examination and after the PSLE respectively.”
“Work Permits are issued to subcontractors on the support of main contractors for their projects. The main contractors are thus partially responsible for the foreign workers brought in by their subcontractors to work on their projects. However, in the past, some main contractors had not exercised vigilance in the support of their subcontractors' work permit applications. Their careless endorsement of the subcontractors' work permit applications allowed some unscrupulous subcontractors to either inflate their foreign worker needs, or submit applications using false contracts. As a result, they operate as labour suppliers and bring in foreign workers, receive commission, default on levy payments and even abandon the workers, resulting in a host of social problems. To stem this abuse, the Ministry had decided in December 1997 to refer subcontractors' work permit applications to main contractors for verification and hold main contractors jointly responsible for any workers abandoned by their subcontractors. This encouraged main contractors to scrutinise their subcontractors' work permit applications. It also emphasised the important role of main contractors to ensure the proper employment of foreign construction workers by their subcontractors. The measure has met with some success. Since its implementation, approximately 25% of the subcontractors' applications had not been endorsed by main contractors. The main contractors' involvement has helped to reduce the incidence of abuse to some extent. Once foreign workers are brought in by the subcontractors on the support of main contractors, the subcontractors and main contractors would be accountable for the accommodation and placements of foreign workers should they be subsequently displaced.”
“Such form of cable failure is unlikely in Singapore as PowerGrid Ltd, the electricity network operator in Singapore, has instituted the following measures: (a) Firstly, PowerGrid has built a strong transmission network. For example, the CBD network is supplied by multiple 230 kV sources and is interconnected to provide contingencies to take care of unforeseen cable failures or damages. (b) Secondly, PowerGrid's 230 kV transmission cables are installed with backfill designed to ensure efficient heat dissipation and avoid thermal overloading. (c) Thirdly, with advances in technology, Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) cables are now available which enable real-time monitoring of the actual cable temperature. PowerGrid has installed such DTS cable on a 400 kV cable and will be installing it on two additional 400 kV cables and future 230 kV cables. PowerGrid has a rolling 10-year development plan to expand and renew the network to meet Singapore's electricity demand in a reliable, secure and timely manner. For example, PowerGrid is currently developing a new 230 kV substation at Peng Nguan Street to reinforce the network in anticipation of the CBD's rising demand in the years to come. ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING (Deferment of implementation) 3. Mr Leong Horn Kee asked the Minister for Communications whether he will defer the implementation of the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system after 1st April 1998, in view of the current difficult economic conditions which will impact local businesses.”
“I think the Member should from time to time read it to keep himself apprised of the good work that is being done by the NTUC and the massive effort that the NTUC has been involved in in trying to help the workers. There are a lot of details in the report and they are all publicised. It is also duly reported in the media what NTUC has been doing to help workers to upgrade their skills. In fact, I would like to mention that in this report of 6th March, it was stated that they have signed up quite a large number of employers under the new phase to launch further Skills Redevelopment Programme for their workers and currently, a total of 76 companies are participating and 5,000 workers are involved in the scheme. MEASURES TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST MASSIVE BLACKOUT 2. Mr S Iswaran asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what measures already exist, and what additional measures are needed, to safeguard against the occurrence of a massive blackout like that which recently affected Auckland, New Zealand. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Tang Guan Seng) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): The cause of the recent cable failures in Auckland, New Zealand, has yet to be established. According to some reports, they were probably caused by the abnormal drying up of the soil surrounding the cables due to the prolonged hot and dry summer. Consequently, heat could not be conducted away from the heavily loaded cables fast enough. The cable temperature could have risen well above its design specifications, leading to the cascading cable failures.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the SRP is a very well publicised programme. Since December 1996, when it was first launched by the National Trades Union Congress, they have done a lot to publicise the programme, ie, the benefits and advantages of participating in the programme. In fact, if the Member had taken the trouble to read the NTUC News dated 6th March ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under the SRP which is targetted at the older and less educated workers, we have identified workers who may be retrenched and who need alternative jobs. The programme is available to them while they are still being employed by the existing employer and, as a result, with Government's support, 80% of the cost of retraining them for some other jobs would be borne by Government, while the other 20% would be borne by the existing employers. If they are already recruited by a new employer, the new employer can take up the other 20% of the cost.”
“The training is fully supported by the SDF which provides a flat grant of $350 per trainee including an allowance of $100 to each trainee to help defray his meals and transport expenses. Job Skills Training is for the purpose of helping the workers to acquire specific skills required for the jobs. For such training, SDF will provide enhanced funding up to 80% of the course fees for external training programme or $4 per trainee hour for on-the-job training. Sir, in anticipation of more retrenchments in the coming months as a result of the regional financial crisis and slowdown in the economy, my Ministry has recently set up a Tripartite Panel on Retrenched Workers comprising representatives from the EDB, NTUC, SNEF, PSB and my Ministry itself to assist retrenched workers seek re-employment. The Panel will also encourage employers to take advantage of available training incentives to improve the skills of their workers during the lull period. Workers, on the other hand, are urged to take training and skill upgrading seriously so that they can remain employable especially during an economic slowdown.”
“There are presently several Government-supported schemes to assist retrenched workers in enhancing their employability. Under the Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP) funded by Government and managed by the National Trades Union Congress, employers who recruit retrenched workers could apply for training grant to upgrade the skills of the workers so that they could meet the needs of the new jobs. The SRP is targetted at less educated workers in their 30s and 40s, who may face greater difficulty seeking re-employment. Government's support is up to 80% of course fees to be paid by the Productivity and Standards Board (PSB) from the Skills Development Fund (SDF) and up to 70% of absentee payroll subject to a maximum of $4.20 per trainee-hour, paid by EDB. Sir, I have been informed that to date, 1,230 workers have gone through or are undergoing certifiable training under the Skills Redevelopment Programme. Of these workers, more than 50% are above the age of 40 and approximately 70% have below Secondary 2 education. Assistance is also granted to the retrenched workers under the tripartite "Back to Work" Programme launched in September 1996 by my Ministry together with the Productivity and Standards Board, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation. The assistance includes helping the retrenched workers find suitable jobs and encouraging employers to employ retrenched workers through a training grant which enables the workers to undergo Core Skills and Job Skills Training. Core Skills Training includes confidence building, personal effectiveness and basic computer literacy.”
“Mr Koo Tsai Kee (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, CIPC funds are allocated to all the CCCs and not only to grassroots organisations in the PAP-controlled constituencies. It is up to the CCCs to decide which community improvement projects within their constituencies they want to support. Since its inception, the CIPC scheme has benefited all the CCCs, including the hon. Member, Mr Chiam See Tong's area. In view of the economic downturn in FY 98/99, the Government has trimmed its expenditure on some projects. CIPC has also carried out a review of its budgetary requirement for FY 98/99. Under this review, useful projects from the CCCs will still continue to receive CIPC funding. The amount of CIPC funds allocated for this financial year, that is, FY 97/98 is $40 million. My Ministry has asked the Ministry of Finance for a budget of $36 million for the coming financial year. The amount to be allocated for the coming financial year will be tabled for Parliament for debate and approval by the Minister for Finance. The amount of CIPC funds paid out in FY 96/97 was $39.9 million. Mr Chiam See Tong: Can I ask the Parliamentary Secretary, in regard to Potong Pasir, whether the CCC has any outstanding request for CIPC funds?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the regional economic crisis will affect Singapore's growth this year. Barring further adverse developments, we can expect the economy to grow, at between 2.5% and 4.5%. This is significantly lower than 1997's growth of 7.8%. However, the situation is unlike in 1985 when we experienced negative growth and had to cut back on employers' CPF contribution rate. Arising from the 1985-1986 experience and with tripartite support, we had implemented a flexible wage system. Today, 76% of Singapore companies practise flexible wage system with variable components accounting for 16% of the total annual wage cost. The flexible wage system was put in place in anticipation of a period of slow growth, such as the current situation. This system enables a company to trim its wage cost in difficult times by reducing the variable components. Companies encountering difficulties or poor performance should first adjust the variable components in order to achieve wage reduction. They should also look into other cost cutting measures in their operations. The Government has no plans to adjust the CPF contribution rates. I would like to assure the House that the Government would consider the drastic measure of reducing CPF contribution rates only as a last resort. DISBURSEMENT OF CIPC FUNDS 10. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether, in light of the economic downturn, the CIPC funds will be disbursed to grassroots organisations in the PAP-controlled constituencies at the same level as previous year; (b) how much CIPC funds will be allocated this year; and (c) what is the amount of CIPC funds paid out last year.”
“As the law already enables a retrenched employee with 3 years' service to claim retrenchment benefit and affected workers are paid such benefit based on the financial position of the company or in accordance with the collective agreements, the suggestion by the Member for Hougang that employers pay retrenchment benefit to employees with at least 10 years' service, is not in the interest of workers.”
“We have taken this approach to enable companies and the affected employees to have greater flexibility in determining the appropriate amount, taking into account the financial position of the company. Thus, the quantum of retrenchment benefit payable for a non-unionised employee is subject to negotiation with his employer. Where a non-unionised employee is dissatisfied with his compensation, he can always appeal to my Ministry for assistance. My Ministry's Labour Relations Department will, through conciliation, help the employee to pursue claim for retrenchment payment. In the case of a unionised employee, the amount of retrenchment benefit is determined through collective bargaining between the union and the company. The prevailing retrenchment benefit payable to affected workers in the non-unionised sector varies from a few days' salary for each year of service to one month's salary for each year of service. In the case of the unionised sector, the norm of retrenchment benefit payable is two weeks to one month's salary for each year of service, unless the financial position of the company warrants a lower quantum. In practice, the quantum of retrenchment benefit stipulated in collective agreements is higher compared to the quantum paid to those who are not unionised. This in itself is an incentive for workers to join trade unions. It should also be pointed out that employees with less than 3 years' service, while not eligible to claim for retrenchment benefit, are in practice also paid some form of ex-gratia payment.”
“Retrenched workers who are older or lacking in skills will have to make special efforts to acquire useful skills or upgrade their skills to improve their employability. The Tripartite Panel will also look into ways of assisting such workers. EMPLOYMENT ACT (Compensation to long-service employees whose services are terminated) 5. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Labour whether the Government will consider amending the Employment Act to require employers to pay compensation to employees who are terminated by the companies that they had served for ten years or more. The Minister of State for Labour (Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe) (for the Minister for Labour): Sir, an employee's service may be terminated for a variety of reasons such as poor work performance, ill health or redundancy. Under any of these circumstances, the employer is required to give notice of termination or salary in lieu of notice. Notice of termination is usually provided in the employment contract. In the absence of such a provision, the period of notice will be in accordance with the Employment Act. Where an employee's service is terminated on ground of poor work performance, he will not be given compensation. In the case of an employee whose service is terminated on ground of ill health, his employer would usually grant an ex-gratia payment to assist him financially. For termination on ground of redundancy, an employee who is covered by the Employment Act is eligible to claim for retrenchment benefit if he has a minimum of 3 years' service. The Employment Act does not stipulate the quantum of retrenchment benefits payable.”
“Sir, in 1997, 9,784 workers were retrenched. This was 11% lower than the 10,956 laid off in 1996. However, the number of workers retrenched has increased since the onset of the regional economic crisis. In the fourth quarter of 1997, 4,278 workers were retrenched, compared to 5,506 during the first three quarters of the year. Total employment in Singapore increased by 122,800 in 1997 compared with 102,600 in 1996. The economy continued to enjoy full employment as reflected in the low unemployment rate of 1.8% for the whole of 1997. However, the last quarter of 1997 saw higher unemployment rate of 2% reflecting the increased retrenchments during that quarter. Fortunately, for most of 1997, we experienced strong employment growth and a tight labour market. Many retrenched workers found alternative employment quickly. Based on CPF's records, 79% of the local workers retrenched during the first three quarters of 1997 were re-employed by December 1997. The re-employment rate for older workers aged 50 and above was lower at 66%. Among the workers who were re-employed, the average time taken to secure new jobs was 1.8 months after being retrenched. There was no significant difference in the average time for workers in the various age groups. As a result of the on-going regional economic crisis and a less than vigorous rebound in certain sectors of the electronics industry, we saw more retrenchments since the beginning of this year. As the economy is likely to grow at a slower pace this year, we are also expecting more retrenchments for the rest of the year. My Ministry has therefore decided to set up a Tripartite Panel comprising representatives from EDB, NTUC, SNEF, PSB and the Ministry itself to assist retrenched workers seeking re-employment.”
“Mr Speaker, with your permission, may I take both Question Nos. 3 and 4 together?”
“The Panel would also explore alternatives such as adjustment of wage costs under the flexible wage system to avoid retrenching their workers, re-deployment and implementing shorter work week. Employers will also be encouraged to take advantage of available training incentives to improve the skills of their workers during the lull period. The workers, on the other hand, are urged to take training and skills upgrading seriously so that they can remain employable in an increasingly difficult economic situation. SEASON PARKING TICKETS AT RESIDENTS' RATE FOR TAXI HIRERS 37. Mr Seng Han Thong asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will allow taxi hirers to purchase season parking tickets at residents' rate for car parks in the central area as the majority of taxi drivers are not registered owners of vehicles and thus are unable to enjoy the residents' rate under paragraph 4 of the Parking Places (HDB) Order 1997.”
“The regional currency crisis is likely to slow down Singapore's growth rate this year. Companies, especially those with business exposure to the region, will be affected by the currency turmoil. Some may have to restructure their businesses and downsize. So far, there is no evidence that local workers, particularly the older ones, have been singled out for retrenchments. The main reasons for the retrenchments were business failure, industry downturn and companies undergoing restructuring. Of the 9,784 workers retrenched last year, 68.7% of them were local workers with the remaining 31.3% being foreign nationals. I believe the Member for Nee Soon Central is concerned that before the retirement age of 62 is legislated on 1st January 1999, some employers may quickly discharge the workers so as to avoid retaining them up to the age of 62. This should not happen. In fact, my Ministry is encouraging companies to voluntarily extend the retirement age to 62 even before 1st January 1999. So long as the older employees are productive and can continue to contribute to the company, employers are unlikely to terminate their services. Such a move would be short-sighted as the employers would find it difficult to recruit experienced workers when business conditions improve. In the event that an employee is unfairly dismissed by his employer on account of his age or for other reasons, he can seek assistance from the Ministry under the Employment Act or the Retirement Age Act. In anticipation of more workers being retrenched in the months ahead as a result of the regional financial crisis, the Ministry has set up a Tripartite Panel comprising representatives from the EDB, NTUC, SNEF, PSB and MOL to assist retrenched workers seeking re-employment.”
“By helping us to grow the economic pie, foreign talents can contribute to job opportunities and rewards for Singaporeans. Foreign talents do not always cost less than locals. In fact, the top talents we are eyeing are in demand globally and they command high wages. Companies in Singapore would have to compete vigorously to attract these talents. In the same way, companies would also need to step up efforts to retain local talents who are equally mobile and in demand. The real challenge facing Singapore would be one of attracting and retaining talents, whether foreign or local, to sustain and enhance our economic competitiveness. Rather than feel threatened, Singaporeans should rise up to the challenges ahead, and upgrade their knowledge and skills to raise quality and productivity. The exposure to competition will invigorate our workforce, sharpen our skills and stimulate dynamism within the economy. A globally competitive workforce, incorporating local and foreign talents, is the key to our longer term success. INCREASE IN ELECTRICITY TARIFFS 21. Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether Singapore Power Ltd, in increasing the electricity tariffs by an average of 5.4% from 1st February 1998, has taken into consideration the difficulties faced by the local industries in their attempt to reduce operating costs to ride out the regional financial turmoil; (b) what is the basis of such a high rate of increase in the electricity tariffs; (c) whether the cost savings resulting from increased productivity and operational efficiency of Singapore Power Ltd can be passed on to the local industries in this difficult period; and (d) what is the mechanism in place to prevent any unjustifiable or untimely increase in the electricity and gas tariffs.”
“The Government has explained on several occasions that foreign talent is needed to supplement the local pool of talents. Our small workforce of 1.9 million is a major limiting factor. With increasing global competition, our economic growth will be severely constrained by a shortage of talent. There is a limit to what we can generate ourselves through our universities and polytechnics. For instance, NUS and NTU can generate about 9,000 graduates yearly. This is much less than the projected requirement of 17,000 graduates per year by Year 2000 to sustain economic growth. Foreign talents are thus needed to supplement our very own so that economic growth can be sustained. The infusion of foreign talents will enhance our competitiveness. In an intensely competitive globalised economy, Singapore has to stay ahead by restructuring our economy towards more knowledge-based and technology-intensive industries. Already, some competitors are fast becoming a real challenge in many areas where we have had comparative advantages. We need to tap new growth areas and move on to higher value added activities in order to stay ahead. To transit successfully into a knowledge-based economy, we need the infusion of top talents to supplement our own citizens. Imported talents will bring with them new ideas, innovation, and good practices that will help us in our upgrading efforts. They can help us to remain competitive in the face of future challenges. Singaporeans should not feel threatened by the admission of foreign talents. Employment of foreign talents is not a zero sum game. Rather than displacing local workers, foreign talents fill up the gaps in our manpower resources and help us to achieve higher rates of economic growth.”
“While existing approaches have served us well, we must consciously review their relevance as the world around us changes and the regional economic crisis begins to affect us. We must examine our mindsets and make innovative use of theour tripartite framework to address national manpower issues. My Ministry, therefore, welcomes new ideas and suggestions put forward by MPs on how tripartism could be elevated to a higher plane to help develop a more efficient and highly competitive workforce. Hon. Members have made many suggestions. We will study these carefully and we will discuss them in the appropriate tripartite fora, such as NWC, tripartite committees and working groups that have been formed to address specific issues. Where feasible, we will implement these new ideas for the benefit of workers and employers. We will continue to strengthen our work for a stronger tripartite relationship and institutions by exploring new areas for tripartite cooperation. Sir, I support the motion.”
“The development of such a world-class workforce requires total commitment and efforts on the part of Government, trade unions, workers and employers. The Government, in considering the need for an enlarged Ministry of Labour with manpower planning and development function, will also study closely how to involve the participation rate of the labour movement and employers' organisation in the formulation and implementation of manpower policy, including workers' training and skills upgrading programmes. This is in line with our tripartite approach in meeting the challenges ahead and will enable us to reap the full benefitssynergy of tripartite cooperation. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in summary, tripartite cooperation has benefited Singapore in at least three major areas. It has brought about industrial harmony, thus creating a favourable investment climate for rapid economic growth. It has enabled the three social partners to work closely together to overcome adversity during bad times and share the fruits of economic success in good times. Equally important, ourthe tripartite framework ofor cooperation has enabled the three social partners to participate in and contribute to the formulation of national policies. The tripartite partners' participation and contribution have enabled us to more effectively tackle complex and difficult national issues that have long-term implications. Sir, the task ahead of us is to build on the already sound tripartite foundation. We must strengthen the bonds between workers, employers and Government, so as to build a more resilient and adaptable framework fornetwork of industrial relations to prepare Singapore for the challenges of the 21st century.”
“We must therefore fully develop our manpower resources so as to hone our competitive edge and remain relevant in an increasingly competitive global environment. This is why, as Mr Lim Boon Heng, Secretary-General of NTUC, and several other MPs before him noted, the Prime Minister welcomed the suggestion made at the PAP Convention last Sunday for the Government to consider establishing a central national agency to undertake the task of manpower planning, development, and management. At present, these crucial economic functions are undertaken by several Ministries and Government agencies. For example, the EDB is responsible for anticipating meeting the manpower needs of new investments; the Productivity and Standards Board is tasked with skills and productivity upgrading; the Immigration Department is in charge of granting Employment Passes to foreign talents; whilst the while the Ministry of Labour, apart from many other duties, is responsible fortasked with regulating the inflow of mainly unskilled foreign workers. Such an arrangement is not entirely satisfactory and can result in a mismatch and lackslack of coordination and an an overall strategic direction. We shouldneed to look at manpower issues from a total national perspective and adopt an integrated and comprehensive strategy for meeting the national manpower needs in numbers and quality.approach to achieve better results. An integrated approach would ensure that manpower planning, development, and management remains well-coordinated and relevant to the needs of an evolving economy. Sir, by adopting an integrated approach, we can develop a world-class workforce with capabilities and skills to succeed in the new global knowledge economy.”
“A tripartite effort with inputs from all three parties - Government, unionsworkers and employers - is more likely to succeed in making workers and employers more aware of the importance of skills upgrading. One such example of a tripartite effort was mentioned by Mr Lim Swee Say. This is the Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP) which is initiated and administered by NTUC, supported by the Government, and and the employers. Under the SRP, workers with lower education in low value-added industries are given training in skills that are needed by the new high-value added operations. SRP will enhanceIn the process, these workers' skills and employability would be greatly enhanced to we could avoid the problem of structural unemployment. SRP is an example of how tripartism can synergise the resources of Government, trade unions and employers to achieve the objective of Our objective is to produce a well-trained and highly skilled workforce. This will enable us toenable Singapore to attract high quality investments which would create more and better paying jobs for workers. Government will expand on the scope and outreach of the SRP to reach out to more workers and employers. We will develop, apart from the SRP, new programmes to provide training and skills upgrading for mature workers to help them to cope with the changes in the future. Sir, next I would like to touch on an integrated approach in manpower training. Manpower is ourwill always be Singapore's only resource - I think this was mentioned by the Nominated MP, Mr Tay Beng Chuan. It canwill also be a major limiting factor in our growth and could become an impediment to new business investments and business expansion.”
“If nothing is done, many of the low-skilled and low-educated workers may not be able to remain employed asthe economy upgrades, to cope with increasing competition from countries with larger and lower-wage workers force the pace of changelabour force. As our economy upgrades, there is a real danger that lower educated and less-skilled workers would be displaced and may end up being the new unemployable in the workforce. This is the structural unemployment currently experienced by many European countries, which has been observed by Mr Cyrille Tan and the other speakers. However, knowing that this can happen, we can, and we must, take steps to avoid or minimise this undesirable outcome. What we have to do is to upgrade workers' skills. As several Members have pointed out, nearly 40% of the labour force have less than secondary education. We will have to invest more in workers' training and skills upgrading.ence, it is crucial for us to upgrade workers' skills. This is another area where the spirit of tripartism can provide a synergistic effect. The effort to upgrade workers' skills requires changes in the attitudes of the workers and the employers. It will require, in fact, a strong spirit of tripartism to achieve the best results. On its own, Government would have great difficulties in overcoming resistance from workers who may not be convinced of the need for skills upgrading or are just simply unwilling or unable to find time to undergo such skills upgrading upgrading. Likewise, Government will also have difficulty overcoming employers' mindset, such as unwillingness to release workers for training because they are unsure of the benefits or unwilling to bear their share of the cost.”
“Foreign talent will add experience and skills to our economy and enable us to achieve faster growth, create more jobs and add value to the economy. The availability of foreign talents to supplement local talents will make us more attractive to foreign investors. We must continue to open our society and economy to foreign talents. Some Singaporeans may not quite understand why we should give away jobs to foreigners, especially during this period of economic uncertainty. This is where a strong NTUC, with strong grassroots support, can help the Government and employers to reach out to the rank-and-file to explain the benefits that foreign talents bring to us and how they can help us to become more competitive. The trade union movement has an important role to play in explaining to workers the rationale of our efforts in attracting foreign talents and to allay the fears that foreigners may displace some Singaporeans. Sir, I next turn to an area which many Members have spoken about, that of employability and skills training. Several Members have noted that inwith an increasingly knowledge-based economy, workers with lower education who are currently employed in low value-added industries, may not be able to take up jobs in the high value-added industries of the future if they do not upgrade their skills. I think this is a very relevant point. In fact, BERI in its annual ranking of workforces round the world has also noted that our workers are not well placed in terms of skills and work attitude. These are areas that we have to make improvements on.”
“Because job-hopping to a certain extent is very much a phenomenon linked to a tight labour market and a rapidly growing economy. When jobs are scarce, not many people are likely to hop around. The current surveys by the newspapers reflect the thinking of the workers on the ground that their concern today is more on job security than bonuses and wage increase. I think the problem of job-hopping may well be on its way out and that may be replaced with a more critical concern on security. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Mr Cyrille Tan, in moving his motion, also spoke in support of the need to bring in more foreign talent to supplement our local manpower. I think this requires courage and it also highlights the far-sightedness of our trade union leaders. In the present environment, to stand up and say, we support the Government's move to bring in more foreign talents, requires courage. Because as a union leader, the standard reaction would be to protect their members first and therefore keep foreigners out. But here he is prepared to argue that in order to ensure that the economy can remain competitive in the future, we should continue to maintain an open-door policy towards talent and to welcome more talent to come to Singapore to supplement our limited manpower resources. I think this is the characteristic of the far-sightedness of the trade union movement in Singapore. Instead of adopting a defensive and sectional interest attitude, labour leaders have always embraced the national perspective and taken the stand of, for instance, welcoming foreign talents to supplement the local workforce. Sir, with limited manpower resources, it is essential for us to attract talent to Singapore.”
“I would say, yes, it is entirely possible and feasible, but the question is whether our situation is so serious and so severe that we need to take such a drastic step. In 1985-86, we were in recession with negative growth. But presently, although we are facing serious economic challenges and drastic change in the economic environment, the likelihood of Singapore being able to achieve growth in the coming year is still very strong although, as I said earlier on, growth will be slower and harder to come by. So at this juncture, perhaps it is premature to talk about reducing workers' CPF, but certainly the fact that each worker is contributing 20% plus another 20% from the employer to the CPF represents opportunities for us to reduce wage cost, if there is absolute need to do so. And it would be considered if the situation deteriorates to that level. As I said, Mr Deputy Speaker, growth will be slower this year, and perhaps for quite a few more years, before normal growth pattern in the region resumes. So here I want to make a point that in view of the new circumstances, the new economic environment, workers must moderate their wage expectations and be prepared to work harder and more productively. The current regional economic crisis may also result in more companies having to downsize and retrench workers. My Ministry will help affected workers to seek re-employment. We will consider setting up a tripartite panel to coordinate re-employment assistance to retrenched workers. At the same time, the easing of tight labour market, in view of retrenchment and slowing down of the economy, may well mean that the concerns expressed by the Nominated Member, Mdm Claire Chiang, about job-hopping will solve itself.”
“This relationship complements the already strong tripartite relationship which has served us so well. For this reason, the People's Action Party will explore various ways and means to strengthen its links with the NTUC. For a start, as the Prime Minister has indicated last Sunday, we will be organising joint seminars to discuss important issues confronting workers and the economy. Such seminars can provide additional inputs for our economic policies to further reinforce our tripartite relations and also to enhance workers' understanding of key issues confronting the country. We hope that through such interactions, we will be able to reinforce the symbiotic relations between the PAP and NTUC. Sir, to ensure that the economy remains stable, on an even keel, in such troubled times, the needs of companies must also be addressed and Government and workers must help employers to cope with increasing competition which follows from the recent massive devaluation of regional currencies. The Nominated Member, Mr Tay Beng Chuan, had asked Government to review its levies and charges in order to assist businessmen and to reduce the costs of doing business. I have already earlier on mentioned that Government will take the new economic conditions into consideration in formulating its financial policies for the coming year. Government will do what is necessary to assist employers to cope with the economic downturn. The Nominated Member, Mdm Claire Chiang, had said that in 1985-86 we were able to reduce the CPF contribution from 25% to 10%, a 15% cut, and she asked whether it is still feasible today to reduce cost by cutting the CPF.”