Singapore - Risks of relying on foreign workers, says MP Heng

SINGAPORE: Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Heng Chee How, has warned of the risks of continuing to rely on foreign manpower to fuel economic growth.

He stressed that Singapore has to improve productivity and innovation while there's still time.

Citing a recent trip to Chongqing, Mr Heng said Chinese officials told him that the city's success at attracting investments and jobs from the coastal cities was based on cheap land, financing and manpower.

But the officials acknowledged that this "cheap sourcing" strategy was not sustainable in the long-term - it was a means to buy time to develop higher value production and services.

Mr Heng, who is the MP for Whampoa, said a Singapore core workforce must be built, and move away from relying on foreign workers.

Mr Heng said: "What makes us think that the economic development that will occur in the home countries of our foreign labour sources would not naturally reduce the need and desire of their populations from wanting to leave home and work abroad? 

"And if that happens, and if we are still bound to a model that critically depends on their free and abundant availability, would we not be exposing ourselves to unacceptable risks? And even if that does not happen, would we not at least be slowing our pace of innovation and transformation simply because of the painkiller than we can consume for the moment?"

- CNA/de


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