Foreign Talent in Singapore
Monday, 22 August 2011
The introduction of foreign talent into our society has always been a controversial and hot issue among locals in Singapore. There is a whole host of reasons for this dislike towards foreigners. Firstly, foreigners are a strain on our already limited resources. They steal the best jobs in our economy from us, they buy homes that should be rightfully ours, and they even occupy space in the MRT every day. Another popular complaint is that they come to Singapore only for short-term benefits. To rephrase this crudely, they take what they need and then leave. Many Singaporeans grumble that foreigners steal our salaries and resources before going back to their home countries. The third and final complaint that is that the quality of the foreign talent coming into Singapore isn't up to standard. Thus, why should we let these foreigners leech from our society, taking our resources, when they do not help us?But are all these reasons genuine thinking, or are they just prejudiced judgments? Even though some of these concerns are real and have been acknowledged by the government, is Singapore in such great need of foreign talent that we can afford to sacrifice so much for them?
I think that foreign talent is key to Singapore's economic progress and the growth of Singapore's society. The more talent we have in society, the more vibrant and diversified our economy will become. If Singapore only relies on the talent that it can produce from locals, it will not be able to improve. Instead, it will stagnate, and will face increasing competition from the countries around us, eventually getting overtaken by them. For a country like Singapore, with limited resources, it will not do for our economy to depend only on local talent. Only by drawing in foreign talent can Singapore improve and compete with our neighbors.
Another reason why we need foreigners in Singapore is because they provide jobs for us. A statistic released by IM Flash Singapore explained that for every foreign worker employed by their project proponent, 1.5 local jobs were created. Another statistic showed that two-thirds of the technician and manufacturing jobs were done by foreigners. Because of the mass labor force that foreigners provide to drive our economy, it attracts more companies to set up businesses in Singapore, thus providing jobs for local citizens. Foreigners are also good in Singapore because they take up jobs that the locals would not be willing to take up. Maids, construction workers, road sweepers, taxi drivers... the list goes on. These jobs are low-earning, blue-collar jobs that are extremely demanding yet pay very little. The people who take up these jobs are usually left in the doldrums of societal status.
In fact, Singapore has only got to where it is today because of its willingness to open their doors to foreigners. In the 1960s and 1970s, Singapore was one of the few countries in Asia that brought in foreign multi-national corporations from countries in the West, such as Germany, France and America. In contrast, the other countries in South East Asia frowned upon this approach as they did not want "alien" companies to come into their countries and spoil their "nationalistic values". Only countries like Taiwan and Hong Kong had similar approaches as Singapore, and these states are all now extremely successful in the region.
To conclude, Singapore's economy cannot progress without the influx of foreign talent. Only with more talent in our society can we grow and expand. Our economy can also be diversified and more vibrant when we draw in foreigners from all over the world. This will attract more companies to set up businesses in Singapore, thus providing even more jobs for Singaporeans. Issues such as them stealing jobs from us are not really important; two-thirds of the managerial and professional positions are taken up by Singaporeans. And shouldn't we welcome them into our society and help them integrate? After all, they have come to Singapore to become Singaporean. Why shouldn't we help our fellow countrymen by lending them the necessary resources, especially when they help us so much?