Piggy Gan : Firms may have to quit

[General Veers]

Singapore
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Feb 3, 2010

Firms may have to quit

They may have to go out of business or move out of Singapore : Minister

<!-- by line --> By Sue-Ann Chia, Senior Political Correspondent

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said that companies that cannot raise productivity may just have to go out of business or leave Singapore. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

IF ANYONE wondered how seriously the Government would push companies to raise productivity in order to fuel future economic growth, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong provided a plain answer on Tuesday. Companies that cannot raise productivity may just have to go out of business or leave Singapore, he said. 'In past economic restructuring, we have also seen businesses moving out of Singapore. That process has to continue,' he told The Straits Times, a day after the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) released its recommendations.

He chaired a sub-committee on fostering inclusive growth, which recommended that Singapore should more than double its productivity growth rate to 2 per cent to 3 per cent annually in the next decade. His group felt that a change needed to achieve that goal is to raise the foreign worker levy to discourage companies from importing too many low-skilled workers. While he acknowledged that the foreign worker policy had allowed companies to thrive and expand the economy over the past decade, he said this could not continue for the next 10 years.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
[email protected]

 

[General Veers]

Singapore
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Feb 3, 2010

Raise levy gradually

More time will enable firms to implement steps to work smarter, say economists and corporate chiefs

<!-- by line --> By Lee Su Shyan , ASSISTANT MONEY EDITOR

Economist Kit Wei Zheng said that the focus will have to be on sectors where foreigners can realistically be substituted with local staff. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

<!-- story content : start --> ECONOMISTS and corporate chiefs have warned that a high-level proposal to raise foreign worker levies to increase productivity carries risks if not implemented gradually. Their concerns centre on two issues - the timing of any increase in levies and which industries will be most affected. 'The approach has to be calibrated and realistic,' said Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng. Mr Kit added that the focus will have to be on sectors where foreigners can realistically be substituted with local staff. So increasing the levy in sectors such as marine or construction will have less of an impact, for example, as few Singaporeans are willing to work in those industries. Mr Kit suggested that the hospitality and retail sectors, on the other hand, could potentially attract more Singaporean workers.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.
[email protected]

 

[General Veers]

Latest comments <table class="Post" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">
ALAMAK...BUT YOU MUST SEE WHO RUNS ST...LAH!!
AND WHY YOU WILL NEVER READ THIS IN THE ST

from Temasek review
Massive propaganda by Straits Times to promote “shift” in ruling party’s “foreign talent” policy


Singaporeans are fed a massive dose of propaganda by the Straits Times today to promote the seismic “shift” in the ruling party’s much maligned “foreign talent” policy.

No less than 10 articles on the recommendations by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) released yesterday was published with the glaring headlines “The Big Shift” appearing on the front page:

The inherent message in these articles is consistently clear: the ruling party will reduce the intake of foreigners in the next decade and focus more on increasing the skills and productivity of Singaporeans.

While PAP leaders had been the strongest advocates for bringing more foreigners into Singapore to boost the island’s declining birth rates, they have made a subtle change in their stance in recent public statements.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his New Year Day’s message to Singaporeans that they remain a “priority” to his administrations.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong exhorted Singapore workers to increase their productivity instead of focusing on being “cheaper, faster and better”.

Even the Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew who told Singaporeans to “bear with the tide of immigrations” as foreigners are “essential” for Singaporeans in August last year is now singing a different tune altogether:

“We’ve grown in the last five years by just importing labour. Now, the people feel uncomfortable, there are too many foreigners. Trains are overcrowded with foreigners, buses too, property prices have gone up because foreigners with permanent residence are buying into the market. The answer is simple: We check the flow of foreigners, raise your productivity, do the job better, so that instead of two workers, eventually you’ll do it with one worker, like the Japanese do,” he said. [Straits Times, 28 January 2010]

Cosmetic changes have been made to the ruling party’s pro-foreigner policies to mark a “clearer distinction between citizens and PRs.”

The ruling party has received much flak lately over its misguided policies which have caused an inordinate amount of suffering to ordinary Singaporeans.

Though Singapore has been accepting immigrants since the 1980s and 1990s, the pace only picked up after 2003 when PM Lee assumed his position and unveiled an ambitious plan to increase Singapore’s population to 6.5 million people via immigration.

The floodgates were opened suddenly without warning and with no active measures taken to safeguard the interests of Singaporeans who are urged to compete directly with the cheap foreign workers.

Inadequate number of HDB flats were built to meet the rising demand, leading to sky-rocketing prices and pricing many ordinary Singaporeans out of the market as a result.

In 2008, only about 3,100 new flats were built when there were over 90,000 PRs and 20,000 new citizens.

The latest reversal of the ruling party’s stance on immigration and foreign workers is nothing more than a tacit admission of their policy failures.

With the elections nearing, it has no choice but to appease the electorate in order to secure another “overwhelming” mandate to rule as it wishes without any checks and balances.

Singaporeans cannot afford another 5 years of unchallenged PAP rule without any opposition to rein in on its excesses or they may really find themselves becoming a minority in their own country in the near future.


</td></tr><tr><td style="vertical-align: top;" align="left">Posted by: sharlynrj at Wed Feb 03 05:23:38 SGT 2010



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[Brightkid]

Noticed a sudden overdrive of 'recommendations' from MIW themselves to 'support' the local in almost every possible ways...which the locals has been complaining (some called it whinning) for the past 4 years ?

Some of these who 'champion' the fight for benefits for the locals are exactly the same people who'd caused the situation as it is now and told the locals off, justifying for the PAPa.

All of these are only 'recommendations', very likely to campaign on these 'fight for the people', drag it out past election and win it and PM/MM/SM will say not possible unless you want HDB price to clash, Singapore back to kampungs.....blah blah blah.

All back to square 1 and locals remained unemployed and 'FT's continue to swamp the city (as an old man called it).

Watch my words.

 

[halsey02]

Piggy Gan is telling us, like this:

"Expert singers, choking smokers , Don't you think the joker laughs at you? (ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha), See how they snort like pigs in a sty, see how they snide.I'm crying.
(exerpts from "I Am A Walrus" by The Beatles)

 

[Watchman]

Keep the good work of hiring scholars and paper chasers !

 

[Watchman]

Noticed a sudden overdrive of 'recommendations' from MIW themselves to 'support' the local in almost every possible ways...which the locals has been complaining (some called it whinning) for the past 4 years ?

Some of these who 'champion' the fight for benefits for the locals are exactly the same people who'd caused the situation as it is now and told the locals off, justifying for the PAPa.

All of these are only 'recommendations', very likely to campaign on these 'fight for the people', drag it out past election and win it and PM/MM/SM will say not possible unless you want HDB price to clash, Singapore back to kampungs.....blah blah blah.

All back to square 1 and locals remained unemployed and 'FT's continue to swamp the city (as an old man called it).

Watch my words.

Americans thought Obama was new change for America .

1 year down the road .

Obama will still be asking more stimulus package like any other presidents .

 

[makapaaa]

Is this not the same pig that tells productive Sporns to fcuk off and be replaced with al cheapo FTrash? The coming of the elections can do wonders huh? What is he going to say if the 66% Goondus give him a blank cheque in the elections again?

 

[Watchman]

 

[batman1]

As I say again ,IF WE BELIEVE WHAT THIS PIG SAY,THEN PIGS CAN FLY !!!

 

[streetsmart73]

Is this not the same pig that tells productive Sporns to fcuk off and be replaced with al cheapo FTrash? The coming of the elections can do wonders huh? What is he going to say if the 66% Goondus give him a blank cheque in the elections again?

hi there


1. aiyoh! sinkies pay a mil to some pig man to fart such crap again and again.
2. talk without any concrete stuffs to pull such establishments out of the pits.
3. sinkies boleh!

 

[sinren67]

MIWs must had conducted a survey and found that many ppl cited they will vote for opps which caused them panic.

 

[Watchman]

 

[angie]

"This is my final warning to you all, stop calling me piggy!!"

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