PAP Spin - Big population is good

[winnipegjets]

Large population 'may not be a bad thing'

By Joy Fang
My Paper
Tuesday, Mar 05, 2013

POPULATION DEBATE

Having a large population may not necessarily be bad, as it could lead to better- developed infrastructure and employment opportunities, said an economics expert yesterday.

And people who view a large population with negativity are basing those views on "fallacies", said Professor Ng Yew Kwang, the Winsemius Chair Professor of Development Economics in Nanyang Technological University's Division of Economics.

Prof Ng was speaking at a panel discussion on the Population White Paper which was organised by the Economic Society of Singapore and held at Orchard Hotel.

He noted that with a smaller population, there would be correspondingly fewer roads and lower bus and train frequencies. The degree of competition between companies would also be less.

But with a larger population, such as through immigration, these issues would be addressed and entrepreneurial migrants would set up businesses that create hiring opportunities.

These migrants would also "provide locally unavailable skills which make certain business ventures possible", he said.

The director of the economics division at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Thia Jang Ping, who also spoke, said the Workers' Party's proposal to supplement the workforce by getting more women and the elderly to work and freezing foreign-worker numbers at last year's level, has limitations.

He said there was a "potential structural job mismatch" as the skill profiles and aspirations of women and seniors do not match the type of jobs and sectors that many lower-skilled foreign workers are engaged in.

So, if there is a tightening of foreign hires, it would be difficult to get women and seniors to fill the void left by these foreign workers, in sectors such as construction and food and beverage.

Mr Laurence Lien, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre's chief executive and Nominated Member of Parliament, stressed the need to change Singaporeans' mindset towards jobs traditionally done by lower-skilled workers.

"The problem is, we are stuck in this mentality that these are jobs for the low-skilled and not for Singaporeans," he said.

"We don't respect those professions and (those in the job) don't have pride in their work."

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[winnipegjets]

Having a large population may not necessarily be bad, as it could lead to better- developed infrastructure and employment opportunities, said an economics expert yesterday. And people who view a large population with negativity are basing those views on "fallacies", said Professor Ng Yew Kwang, the Winsemius Chair Professor of Development Economics in Nanyang Technological University's Division of Economics.

This moron is still living in his ivory tower. There is no fallacy. The population has increased from 3 million to 5.3 million in a decade. And the infrastructure and employment opportunities did not keep up. So, stop this bs. Even the government has admitted that!

He noted that with a smaller population, there would be correspondingly fewer roads and lower bus and train frequencies. The degree of competition between companies would also be less.

Because we don't need that many roads with smaller population. What competition? The facts do not bare that out. Inflation is averaging 5 percent ...competition should have kept it low.

But with a larger population, such as through immigration, these issues would be addressed and entrepreneurial migrants would set up businesses that create hiring opportunities.

We have a larger population now ...and 90 percent of the foreigners are NOT entrepreneurs! Foreigners come here to displace sinkees, not create jobs. This moron academic should be displaced by a cheap Indian or Chinese academic.

The director of the economics division at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr Thia Jang Ping, who also spoke, said the Workers' Party's proposal to supplement the workforce by getting more women and the elderly to work and freezing foreign-worker numbers at last year's level, has limitations.

The civil service is supposed to be apolitical ...this guy is criticizing the WP Paper. He should be fired. When the WP takes over government, they should get rid of the senior bureaucrats.

He said there was a "potential structural job mismatch" as the skill profiles and aspirations of women and seniors do not match the type of jobs and sectors that many lower-skilled foreign workers are engaged in.

Structural? That's pure bs. The government imports millions of foreigners to depress wages ...they even admitted that they thought nursing is a low-wage job. There is no structural job mismatch. Stop the import of foreigners and let wages rise according to demand and supply and sinkees will do those jobs.

Mr Laurence Lien, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre's chief executive and Nominated Member of Parliament, stressed the need to change Singaporeans' mindset towards jobs traditionally done by lower-skilled workers.

The government treats lower-skilled workers like lepers ...and the people likewise follow.

 

[moolightaffairs]

Large population 'may not be a bad thing'

By Joy Fang
My Paper
Tuesday, Mar 05, 2013

POPULATION DEBATE

"The problem is, we are stuck in this mentality that these are jobs for the low-skilled and not for Singaporeans," he said.

"We don't respect those professions and (those in the job) don't have pride in their work."

if those job u mentioned paying 3k a mth with annual leaves and medical benefits.
i think any Singaporean will take up the job and have pride in their work.
anyway our labour law is draconic and backward.
the gov should review it and make it on par with developed countries.
scrape the foreign workers levy, pay everyone the same with only one labour law for everyone.

 

[laksaboy]

This population 'debate' reminds me of the casino 'debate' some years ago.

If you're going to do what you've planned anyway, why get your minions to convince us that it is a good thing?

Here's something much closer to the truth:

Economics Myths In The Great Population Debate (Donald Low)
http://www.ipscommons.sg/index.php/...conomics-myths-in-the-great-population-debate

Myth #1: If we don't have sufficiently large injections of foreign labour, business costs will rise, some businesses will shut down or move out of Singapore, and Singaporean workers will be laid off.

Myth #2: Economic growth is a zero-sum game

Myth #3: Denser, larger populations create significant economic benefits for cities

Myth #4: Spending on healthcare and social services are costs which have to be financed by higher taxes, and are therefore a drain on the economy

Conclusion

These myths exist because they seem to be intuitively correct. They appeal to our everyday experiences, and are consistent with popular accounts of the economy. These popular accounts include the idea that cities or countries are locked in economic competition with one another, or that jobs must be protected in order for workers to be protected. Our experience with health and social care as costs we try to avoid also explains our intuition that at the national level, this must also apply. But these stories, although consistent and coherent to us, are neither correct nor valid. As cognitive psychologists have found, people tend to rely on explanations that are consistent with their own experiences or with conventional wisdom, rather than on careful deliberation and reasoned analysis.

Economics is not, and should not be, the only lens through which we examine, analyse and debate our country’s population policies. But when we do apply economics analysis, we should try to get it right.

Who do you believe: Donald Low or Ng Yew Kwang?