Alex Au's excellent piece on why Sinkies are suffocating

Confuseous

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The latter groups competed directly against Singaporeans for jobs, and had a wage-depressing effect. (Singaporeans, by my observation, tend to be a lot more understanding about the need for Work Permit holders, since they largely do essential jobs that Singaporeans don’t want to do.)

In response, the government began to tighten up on S-Passes and Employment Passes and introduced the Fair Consideration Framework, which required employers to give locals a bit of a headstart when jobs are advertised. It’ll take time to see whether the measure sufficiently addresses public concern.

But this response is entirely typical of so many other government responses through 2013: A refusal to think deeply about structural issues, reaching instead for quick fixes. In some areas, e.g. regulation of online media and taxi fares, there are multiple quick fixes that only lead to total confusion and deep distrust; in other areas, there are (or will be) unanticipated side effects, which then call for more patching.


- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/as-space-tightens-singaporeans-suffocate/
 
I once woke up to this sort of view daily in the Norwegian summer of one of my gfs, how to feel congested?

green%2Bpasture.JPG
 
The latter groups competed directly against Singaporeans for jobs, and had a wage-depressing effect. (Singaporeans, by my observation, tend to be a lot more understanding about the need for Work Permit holders, since they largely do essential jobs that Singaporeans don’t want to do.)

In response, the government began to tighten up on S-Passes and Employment Passes and introduced the Fair Consideration Framework, which required employers to give locals a bit of a headstart when jobs are advertised. It’ll take time to see whether the measure sufficiently addresses public concern.

But this response is entirely typical of so many other government responses through 2013: A refusal to think deeply about structural issues, reaching instead for quick fixes. In some areas, e.g. regulation of online media and taxi fares, there are multiple quick fixes that only lead to total confusion and deep distrust; in other areas, there are (or will be) unanticipated side effects, which then call for more patching.


- http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/as-space-tightens-singaporeans-suffocate/

Good article except, I think Singapore has been failing for some time.
 
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