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<TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Feb-4 8:30 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 9) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>44213.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Feb 5, 2011
Budget will help grow, transform economy: PM
<!-- by line -->By Zakir Hussain
-- ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJAN
<!-- story content : start -->
THE upcoming Budget will have measures to grow and transform the economy, including ways to help Singaporeans gain the skills and the ability to do better for themselves, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
There was a need to especially help those at the lower end of the wage and skills spectrum.
And the best way to achieve that 'is to uplift their skills and redesign their jobs and improve what workers are able to do,' he said on Thursday.
Mr Lee, who spoke to reporters after visiting workers on the first day of the Chinese New Year, gave little away when asked if there would be a bigger Budget hongbao this year but said: 'I think everybody will be hoping for bigger hongbao, and I'm sure the Finance Minister will know what to do.'
Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will present the Budget on Feb 18.
Mr Lee had assured in his Chinese New Year message on Wednesday that the Government would strive to mitigate the impact of inflation in the Budget.
He said that after a good year last year - economic growth was a record 14.7 per cent - the Government had more scope to implement schemes that would help Singaporeans, especially lower-income households, cope with rising costs.
But his message on Thursday was on jobs, skills and training as critical factors to help Singaporeans move forward.
'In the new economy, the one critical factor that can help you upgrade is capability and your productivity. So we have many measures to help the low skilled upgrade themselves and become more productive, so they become more competitive and can get more income.'
There are also other schemes, such as utilities rebates, and the Workfare income supplement which augments the pay of older, low-wage workers.
All these measures will be improved gradually, he said, although when asked if there would be changes to Workfare in the Budget, he noted that the scheme was revised just last year.
'I don't think we will revise the scheme every year. But of course if we are looking for an inclusive package, then it (the Budget) will look after every group, including the low-income group, including Workfare recipients.'
Mr Lee's comments were made at the Bukit Merah depot of waste management company SembWaste.
He has made it a point to visit workers who perform essential duties on the first day of the Chinese New Year to thank them for keeping Singapore going when others are celebrating. He was accompanied by labour movement leaders.
At the depot, he presented hongbao and oranges to 200 truck drivers, crew and maintenance and office workers.
He also flagged off 25 trucks making the morning garbage collection run, joined workers to toss yu sheng (raw fish salad) and spent about an hour chatting with them.
'It's an essential service. The rest of us are enjoying the festival and being with our families, but they're working hard, keeping Singapore clean, keeping our systems going,' Mr Lee said.
They told him about their wages - which for the more experienced can exceed $2,000 - and their bonuses, which were 'not bad'. And when he asked about their hopes for the year, they said 'better bonuses than last year'.
Mr Lee hoped Singapore would have a good year, but added that 'we will have to work hard for it'.
They were also looking to raise their skills and productivity level, he noted.
Several were undergoing a safety and training programme to improve their skills and were aiming to help the company lower the accident rate by one-third.
'It's not easy, but if they can do it, there are savings to the company, and there are also benefits because you avoid the accidents. And the benefits will be shared with the drivers too,' he said.
Among those he met was waste collection captain Abdul Rahim Md Salleh, 34, who started as a crew member seven years ago. With training, he has moved up the ranks - to be a driver, and now a captain. He plans rosters and stands in if there are not enough drivers.
'It's a secure job and the training helps me do my best for the company,' he said.
At the end of the visit, when asked for his hopes for the Year of the Rabbit, Mr Lee replied: 'When the time is right, we hope to get to the front of the race. In the long term, we hope we will grow steadily. If we can continue to be cohesive, we will have better performance than before. This is not just a hope, but our target.'
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Budget will help grow, transform economy: PM
<!-- by line -->By Zakir Hussain
-- ST PHOTO: RAJ NADARAJAN
<!-- story content : start -->
THE upcoming Budget will have measures to grow and transform the economy, including ways to help Singaporeans gain the skills and the ability to do better for themselves, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
There was a need to especially help those at the lower end of the wage and skills spectrum.
And the best way to achieve that 'is to uplift their skills and redesign their jobs and improve what workers are able to do,' he said on Thursday.
Mr Lee, who spoke to reporters after visiting workers on the first day of the Chinese New Year, gave little away when asked if there would be a bigger Budget hongbao this year but said: 'I think everybody will be hoping for bigger hongbao, and I'm sure the Finance Minister will know what to do.'
Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will present the Budget on Feb 18.
Mr Lee had assured in his Chinese New Year message on Wednesday that the Government would strive to mitigate the impact of inflation in the Budget.
He said that after a good year last year - economic growth was a record 14.7 per cent - the Government had more scope to implement schemes that would help Singaporeans, especially lower-income households, cope with rising costs.
But his message on Thursday was on jobs, skills and training as critical factors to help Singaporeans move forward.
'In the new economy, the one critical factor that can help you upgrade is capability and your productivity. So we have many measures to help the low skilled upgrade themselves and become more productive, so they become more competitive and can get more income.'
There are also other schemes, such as utilities rebates, and the Workfare income supplement which augments the pay of older, low-wage workers.
All these measures will be improved gradually, he said, although when asked if there would be changes to Workfare in the Budget, he noted that the scheme was revised just last year.
'I don't think we will revise the scheme every year. But of course if we are looking for an inclusive package, then it (the Budget) will look after every group, including the low-income group, including Workfare recipients.'
Mr Lee's comments were made at the Bukit Merah depot of waste management company SembWaste.
He has made it a point to visit workers who perform essential duties on the first day of the Chinese New Year to thank them for keeping Singapore going when others are celebrating. He was accompanied by labour movement leaders.
At the depot, he presented hongbao and oranges to 200 truck drivers, crew and maintenance and office workers.
He also flagged off 25 trucks making the morning garbage collection run, joined workers to toss yu sheng (raw fish salad) and spent about an hour chatting with them.
'It's an essential service. The rest of us are enjoying the festival and being with our families, but they're working hard, keeping Singapore clean, keeping our systems going,' Mr Lee said.
They told him about their wages - which for the more experienced can exceed $2,000 - and their bonuses, which were 'not bad'. And when he asked about their hopes for the year, they said 'better bonuses than last year'.
Mr Lee hoped Singapore would have a good year, but added that 'we will have to work hard for it'.
They were also looking to raise their skills and productivity level, he noted.
Several were undergoing a safety and training programme to improve their skills and were aiming to help the company lower the accident rate by one-third.
'It's not easy, but if they can do it, there are savings to the company, and there are also benefits because you avoid the accidents. And the benefits will be shared with the drivers too,' he said.
Among those he met was waste collection captain Abdul Rahim Md Salleh, 34, who started as a crew member seven years ago. With training, he has moved up the ranks - to be a driver, and now a captain. He plans rosters and stands in if there are not enough drivers.
'It's a secure job and the training helps me do my best for the company,' he said.
At the end of the visit, when asked for his hopes for the Year of the Rabbit, Mr Lee replied: 'When the time is right, we hope to get to the front of the race. In the long term, we hope we will grow steadily. If we can continue to be cohesive, we will have better performance than before. This is not just a hope, but our target.'
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