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Serious Sinkies Not Driven Anymore ... Kenna Sucked High & Dry

Pinkieslut

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Who wants to be middle-class? Why Singapore has lost its drive for better

Middle class families and aspirations have long been an integral part of Singapore’s culture. But against a backdrop of employment issues and lower global growth, there may be less incentive to step up in society.


By Argee Abadines

Good jobs are rare these days, especially in Singapore. A combination of the forces of globalisation, and a weakening domestic economy, have wreaked havoc on the country’s hard-working middle classes. The complaints of many families are that the advancement of technology and education means people are more skilled and expect a return on this investment, but the jobs are going to foreigners because they are willing to accept lower pay.

It is basic economics; as the supply of middle-class, educated and aspirational employees increases, the well-paying jobs these people seek and compete for will be harder to land. And where job security and mobility used to be the key defining factors for Singapore’s middle-income groups, National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser says such luxuries are on the decline.

There are fewer new jobs and more people to catch in the social safety net

These worries abound thanks to a lack of new jobs being created, fewer promotions, and the slow rise of wages in general. This leaves many middle class Singaporeans feeling stuck in their current jobs, hoping that the economy improves. Some are starting to consider finding work abroad.

The thing is that the rich will continue to be rich because they have the money, the connections and the financial know-how to lessen their taxes and protect their wealth. Meanwhile, the poor get assistance and social nets from the Singaporean government. In this set-up it is the middle class who bear the brunt of the increase in taxes; their contribution is needed to subsidise the lower income groups. But in the current climate, Singapore’s policymakers need to support this under-pressure group or risk them losing their status altogether.

Fewer people will want to move up the social strata, feeling less connected to society as a result

One implication of a weakening middle-class is that the lower income group will have less aspiration to improve their position. After all, they know that it is harder to sustain life on that level and may prefer to stay in the lower income group knowing that the government has their back. Singapore has quite a high gini coefficient and worse, taxes and other transfers do not do much to reduce income inequality. As such, a growing population in the lower income bracket puts pressure on the resources of the government and decreases the resources available for growth and innovation.

According to Singapore Management University economics professor Ho Kong Weng, another implication of a weakening Singaporean middle class is that they have less sense of belonging to their nation. This loss of national identity threatens the national fabric of the country when middle-class families make up the backbone of society. If this situation were to spiral, less nationalism could lead to a brain drain and weaker engagement in nation-building activities. Only sound economic policies that cater to all income groups will strengthen a sense of belongingness and unity.

The government is looking to manage job competition from expats

According to Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, every S$1 that a middle-income family pays in tax, whether directly or indirectly, they get back at least S$2 in subsidies in education, healthcare, and retirement. He compared it with Finland where the return on their tax is around S$1.30. This makes it seems that Singaporeans get a better deal, but unlike Finland, Singapore is a popular destination for expats.

This increases competition for jobs and depresses salaries as companies prefer to hire foreigners. Not only are they willing to be paid less than local graduates, but unlike their local competitors, they do not feel entitled to a well-paying job just because they went to a good university. Optimism of this kind may once have been possible, but companies today have to remain competitive as slowing world trade and economic activity hit their profit margins.

The government is aware of the problem and has put in place provisions to limit foreign labour hiring with its Fair Consideration Framework. This forces companies to prioritise Singaporeans when recruiting for jobs and creates incentives to boost innovation and productivity. If all goes well, this should pay off.

Larger efforts to grow the economy will be needed

At the same time, industry and political leaders will need to look to working with China on increasing regional and global trade. The ASEAN bloc will also have a role to play, allowing Singapore to boost its exports to other member nations and lessening the impact of an increasingly protectionist America under Trump.

In Japan, a developed nation comparable to Singapore, a similar pattern has unfolded. And according to strategist Kenichi Ohmae, few of the middle-class income group have stepped up to the next strata. Instead, most of Japan’s middle-class population went down to the lower groups. This phenomenon is known as the ‘M-shaped Society.’

Other nations face the same problems, and the results are worrying

Taiwan is also on the same trend as polarisation between wealthy and low-income groups grows, and the impact of an ageing population is felt in the export-reliant economy. Hong Kong’s name can also be added to this list, and the divide between groups there is particularly significant. The outcome seen overseas is that middle-class families are facing huge falls in their income, with some even dropping into situations of poverty. Could Singapore go the same way?

Clearly, the problems the island-nation is facing are not unique. The challenge is, therefore, to put ideas and systems in place which ensure the trust of the middle class in their future. And they must not only see the benefits of moving up in income status but have the right tools and environment to be able to do so.
 

ckmpd

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Singaporeans have done their part to study hard and work hard. But the high taxes, levies, high transportation and rentals by the pap govt has made costs of businesses prohibitive and killed SG
 

bic_cherry

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Singaporeans have done their part to study hard and work hard. But the high taxes, levies, high transportation and rentals by the pap govt has made costs of businesses prohibitive and killed SG

Excessively high foreign worker levies and the employment ratio requirement means high SME business costs/ costs of living and encouraging of excessive numbers of low skill, lazy Singaporean workers who prefer to game the system by allowing themselves to be registered as phantom workers so that employers can employ foreign work permit holders to do the work while they sit @ home doin nothing (as a phantom worker)/ even workfare recipients because salary as phantom worker is low... This behavior is encouraged by many PMETs unhappy/ complaining about their lot because foreign PMETs are being imported in excessive numbers (no need levy/ employment ratio to employ employment pass holders)...
 
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winnipegjets

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According to Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, every S$1 that a middle-income family pays in tax, whether directly or indirectly, they get back at least S$2 in subsidies in education, healthcare, and retirement.

How come I don't feel that my standard of living has gone up then?
Tharman didn't mention that your pigeon hole generates 2X profit for government. Also, your CPF earns them 5 percent return every year.
We are not doing well because the government sucks up our money in so many ways, just not in taxes.
 

shittypore

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How come I don't feel that my standard of living has gone up then?
Tharman didn't mention that your pigeon hole generates 2X profit for government. Also, your CPF earns them 5 percent return every year.
We are not doing well because the government sucks up our money in so many ways, just not in taxes.

Tis shameless Botak is the biggest black snake, ask him how much he's being paid p.a. and compare to the price of his house? While most Sinkies take a life time to pay off their pigeon hole.
 

eatshitndie

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Excessively high foreign worker levies and the employment ratio requirement means high SME business costs/ costs of living and encouraging of excessive numbers of low skill, lazy Singaporean workers who prefer to game the system by allowing themselves to be registered as phantom workers so that employers can employ foreign work permit holders to do the work while they sit @ home doin nothing (as a phantom worker)/ even workfare recipients because salary as phantom worker is low... This behavior is encouraged by many PMETs unhappy/ complaining about their lot because foreign PMETs are being imported in excessive numbers (no need levy/ employment ratio to employ employment pass holders)...

the ratio for service sector (non f&b) is 12 to 1. and foreign workers are doing much of the heavy lifting work. in order to have more productive (foreign) workers my family business ends up having a large pool of phantom sinkie workers who kiau kar, play hide and seek, do their own things and chobolan half the day as they have to do shelving, sales calls, promotions, deliveries away from hq. but they still get full pay and cpf. productivity and on-time deliveries handled by foreign workers are great and customers are happy. customers however kpkb about sinkie workers for not showing up, late deliveries, zero rapport. knn, i ask hq to force them to use company issued iphones and run an app 24 by 7 where we can track their movements. true enough, they are either hanging out at home or at eateries more than half the day.
 

bic_cherry

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My response @ sgfuck...
Honestboy said:
"Meanwhile, the poor get assistance and social nets from the Singaporean government. In this set-up it is the middle class who bear the brunt of the increase in taxes; their contribution is needed to subsidise the lower income groups. "

When the lazy and useless keep asking for help, they thought the government is paying for them. It's not, it the middle-class who bear the brunt.

As the population of middle class thins out, then it is back to the dark ages of government by feudal lords/ caste system where people's future are pre-determined BEFORE birth by the caste that they are born into.....

caste-system-2-728.jpg
source: https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/rahul1250/caste-system-14274347
 

JohnTan

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but unlike their local competitors, they do not feel entitled to a well-paying job just because they went to a good university.

My children are entitled to well-paying jobs. They went to the best elite schools in Singapore and they get good grades. Get the fuck out of their way.
 

syed putra

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Malaysian students are recruited to work in singapore the moment they graduate especially from the private institutions. Before they leave, they were given housing and car loans by multinationals to prevent them from job hopping i suppose. And were given enough to rent homes in singapore. Maybe its because they can converse in multiple languages and dialects.
 

frenchbriefs

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the middle class is imported nowadays?they are called the blardy stinking shitskins.....what exactly is a sinkie middle class?that term doesnt exist in my dictionary.
 

bic_cherry

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From HWZ:
falcom2002 said:
“The world’s hunger is getting ridiculous,
There is more fruit in rich man’s shampoo than in
a poor man’s plate.”

There is this saying "Anyone can find the dirt in someone, be the one that finds the gold".


There are people who will starve to death daily,
not because they are lazy but because of
unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.

There are people who have to pick up and eat food from rubbish bins daily. We don’t truly understand how blessed we are in.

As human beings we often don't understand why we are to feed the poor and help people who are in need.

Feeding the needy especially the poor and the old age folks is part of serving one another.

Didn't we know that as we serve others we are serving the Creator of all living things in this Universe?

We still see homeless people in the street and in
the housing estates why not buy them something to eat?

How often we think of compassion for the needy whenever we go to the fast food store to buy things we don’t need like junk food and other stuff?

Have we ever wonder why we should use our wealth to help someone who really needs it?

Shutting our ears to the hungry and needy is allowing selfishness and stinginess to stay in our heart.

Let us all renew our minds and think differently.
Let us all think of different ways to bless the poor instead of relying on this effort to be totally make by the government.

Remember the truth is told in these words:

"Do not pass by a man in need, for you may be
the hand of God to him."

"Whoever oppresses the poor insults his maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors him".
Biblical concordance in this one as appended below; would be interesting to know how other religions similarly define this explanation/ definition of 'karma':
From Matthew 25:31–46:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sheep_and_the_Goats
"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
 

ramai

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I feel so sad for Generation Y. High income but high housing price and jobs that might even disappear in the future. Even taxi and Uber won't be there to provide jobs once they automate their businesses with self-driving cars.
 
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