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In a televised pre-election roundtable on Apr 27, five political parties shared their conflicting views on balancing Singapore’s …
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Why kept referring to the prepared text ??? 🙄
🇸🇬 Singapore paid a terrible price during the 1964 racial riots — lives were lost, communities were torn apart, and our survival as a nation was nearly destroyed.
That is why mixing religion with politics is a red line that must never be crossed.
On Saturday, 26 April 2025, revelations about the Workers' Party (WP) meeting with preacher Noor Deros raised chilling echoes of the past.
If political negotiations were made along religious lines, WP is not just playing politics — they are playing with fire that once almost burned Singapore to the ground.
Treason is a high legal bar.
But Singaporeans must ask:
🔹 Did the Workers' Party compromise national security?
🔹 Did they open the door to religious interference in politics?
🔹 Have they forgotten the blood-stained lessons of 1964?
Our secular democracy was built on the ashes of those riots.
We must never allow anyone — party or preacher — to tear it apart again. 🇸🇬
All views expressed are personal opinions.
Pap full of Craps
I have been in the IT industry for more than 20 years with many different companies. I would say only a small % is talent. Second, if the core team is foreigners, the key team members will also like to be. PAP always uses the same argument which no one is disputing that but there needs to be measures to ensure that. Agree withichael Thng
Singapore can draw on a range of international best practices to craft a balanced foreign-talent framework that both eases genuine skills shortages and protects local livelihoods, thereby supporting economic growth and mitigating cost-of-living pressures. Key lessons include:
Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) and Technical Intern Training (TITP) programmes, which link industry-driven skills tests with mandatory on-the-job training and a built-in transition path for high-skill roles .
Indonesia’s diaspora engagement schemes, notably the Diaspora Knowledge Network and CD4D temporary-return initiative, which leverage compatriot expertise through structured assignments, trust-building, and clear capacity-building metrics .
Canada’s points-based Express Entry system, which dynamically aligns selection criteria (language, education, work experience) with real-time labour-market demands and has demonstrably raised immigrant earnings and GDP contributions .
Germany’s EU Blue Card and Skilled Immigration Act, which lower thresholds for shortage occupations, broaden eligibility (e.g. recent graduates, non-degree IT specialists), and fast-track permanent residency alongside family-reunification rights .
By synthesizing these models, Singapore can develop a “Tiered Skills & Integration Framework” that:
1. Implements a Points-Plus Testing System
Adopt Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System to score applicants on skills, English/Malay/Tamil proficiency, local-legislation knowledge, and cost-of-living adaptability .
Require sector-specific competency exams (e.g., OSH regulations, fintech compliance) modeled on Japan’s SSW tests to ensure immediate workplace readiness .
2. Creates a Structured “Skills-Transfer Internship”
Emulate Indonesia’s CD4D approach by designing short-term (6–12 month) placements for foreign experts, paired with local protégés, formal mentoring plans, and Knowledge Transfer KPIs (e.g., certifications attained) .
Tie visa extensions to quarterly proof of training outcomes, with automatic revocation for non-compliance.
3. Designates Priority & Restricted Sectors
Mirror Germany’s shortage-occupation lists by creating a dynamic “Singapore Critical Skills List,” updated quarterly, granting fast-track passes (5-year validity) for these roles .
Impose restrictive caps and higher levies in sectors where locals already excel (e.g., OSH, general administration), akin to Japan’s carve-outs in care and construction.
4. Offers Graduated Integration Pathways
Fast-track permanent residency for “Tier 1” high-scoring candidates (e.g., PhD or 10+ years’ experience in deep-tech, biotech) after two years, drawing on Germany’s PR timeline under the EU Blue Card .
Provide family-reunification options contingent on retention of Knowledge Transfer performance, reinforcing social stability.
5. Leverages Diaspora & Return-ee Networks
Launch a “Singapore Diaspora Engagement Platform” to connect Singaporeans abroad with local firms for short consultancy stints, replicating Indonesia’s Diaspora Support and Investment Programmes .
Subsidize travel and living costs for return-ee experts who commit to multi-year knowledge-transfer projects in underserved sectors.
6. Integrates Fiscal Incentives & Penalties
Complement tax rebates for local hires (SLETC) with visa-fee surcharges for firms that fail to meet transfer KPIs, inspired by levy-surcharge escalations in Canada and Germany’s Skilled Immigration Act enforcement .
Offer corporate-tax credits for sustained upskilling of Singaporeans under foreign expert supervision, drawing parallels with Canada’s Express Entry bonus for job-offer holders.
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Conclusion:
By combining rigorous pre-entry testing, time-bound internship-cum-training mandates, sectoral prioritization, and clear pathways to integration, Singapore can attract genuine, high-value talent while minimizing cost-driven exploitation. Embedding diaspora engagement and aligning fiscal levers further ensures that foreign expertise catalyses local capabilities, keeping Singapore competitive without undermining the livelihood of its citizens.
Singapore’s workforce comprises over 37% foreign workers, and firms often leverage lower-cost foreign labour to cut operational expenses, disadvantaging local employees and eroding wage growth for Singaporeans . Existing safeguards—such as dependency ratio ceilings, foreign worker levies, and the Non-Traditional Sources list—provide sectoral controls but leave gaps that some companies exploit by hiring the cheapest global talent under the guise of skills shortages . To counteract this, we propose a robust detection-and-enforcement framework integrating MOM and IRAS data, coupled with a Singapore Local Employment Tax Credit (SLETC), modelled on the U.S. Work Opportunity Tax Credit, offering graduated corporate tax rebates for true-blue hires while penalizing overreliance on foreign workers.
1. The Challenge: Cost-Driven Foreign Talent Manipulation
1.1. Wage-Cost Arbitrage
Before the introduction of occupation-based minimum wages for foreign S-Pass holders, firms routinely paid foreign mid-skill workers below what Singaporeans commanded, purely to reduce headcount expenses .
1.2. Sectoral Quotas and Levies
Singapore caps foreign-worker ratios via dependency ratio ceilings and levies that vary by industry; yet companies have structured payrolls and secondments to skirt higher levies, keeping foreign staff counts high while minimizing effective cost .
1.3. Regulatory Gaps
Although tightening controls on lower-skilled foreign workers did boost local hiring in construction and services sectors , loopholes remain: firms can hire non-stage-tested specialists or rotate foreign staff to avoid hitting quotas, undermining the intended protection of local jobs.
2. Detection & Enforcement Framework
2.1. Cross-Agency Data Integration
CPF-IRAS-MOM Linkage: Leverage IRAS’s existing Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Rebate Cash Grant data—where companies must demonstrate CPF contributions to locals to qualify—to cross-check against MOM’s levy and quota records quarterly .
Automated Red-Flag Triggers: If local-employment ratios fall below sector-specific thresholds for two consecutive quarters, the system auto-flags the firm for audit and triggers levy surcharges.
2.2. Transparency & Reporting
Mandatory Workforce Disclosure: All EP/S-Pass–holding companies publish annual breakdowns of local vs. foreign headcounts to MOM’s eService portal, under penalty of permit suspension.
Real-Time Dashboards: A public dashboard highlights firms with repeated quota breaches, creating reputational incentives to comply.
2.3. Sanctions for Non-Compliance
Levy Surcharge Escalation: For firms flagged twice in a year, levy rates increase by 20% for the following year, on top of existing dependency levies .
Permit Cancellation: Continued breach results in automatic cancellation of new EP/S-Pass approvals for one year, enforced via MOM’s eService engine.
3. Singapore Local Employment Tax Credit (SLETC)
3.1. Design Principles
Modeled on WOTC: Like the U.S. Work Opportunity Tax Credit—which grants up to 40% of the first US$6,000 in wages as a tax credit for hires from targeted groups —SLETC rewards companies for expanding their Singaporean workforce.
Graduated Credit Scale:
Tier 1: 10% CIT rebate on wages of newly hired Singapore Citizens/Permanent Residents for the first 12 months (up to S$10,000 per hire).
Tier 2: 20% rebate if 50–75% of the workforce are locals.
Tier 3: 30% rebate if >75% local ratio.
3.2. Interaction with Existing Schemes
CIT Rebate Cash Grant Alignment: Companies already meeting the “local employee condition” for the 50% CIT rebate (capped at S$40,000) receive an automatic base rebate; SLETC builds on this with additional credits for higher thresholds .
Listing Incentive Synergy: Firms completing a public listing and committing to incremental skilled local hires (as required under the new Listing CIT Rebate scheme) qualify for boosted SLETC tiers .
3.3. Administrative Workflow
Pre-Approval: Employers apply via IRAS, specifying projected local hires and wage levels.
Certification: IRAS issues provisional SLETC certificates, linked to CPF contribution records.
Claim and Reconciliation: After 12 months, companies reconcile actual local hires; IRAS issues the final CIT credit against tax payable.
4. Ensuring Integrity & Continuous Improvement
4.1. Periodic Policy Review
An inter-agency panel (MOM, IRAS, EDB) to assess SLETC uptake, local-employment ratios, and adjust credit rates or thresholds annually.
4.2. Stakeholder Engagement
Regular consultations with trade associations and unions to refine sector-specific thresholds and quell unintended distortions.
By combining data-driven detection, graduated fiscal rewards, and swift enforcement, this system targets cost-driven exploitation of foreign-talent policies, ensures Singaporeans remain the backbone of our workforce, and aligns corporate incentives with national manpower objectives.
Summary
Effectively managing foreign talent in Singapore requires a dual approach: (1) prioritizing genuine skill gaps in strategic sectors and (2) restricting inflow in areas where locals possess equivalent capabilities. By tightening pre-entry criteria, mandating measurable knowledge-transfer commitments, enforcing sector-specific quotas, and deploying robust enforcement mechanisms—including permit cancellation for non-performance—Singapore can both attract real global talent and safeguard local employment opportunities. This proposal leverages existing frameworks (COMPASS, Fair Consideration Framework, EFMA) and introduces the “Talent Filtration & Knowledge Transfer System” (TaFiKTS) to ensure that only high-value foreign professionals contribute to Singapore’s growth, while “garbage” or low-value talent is filtered out.
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1. Challenges in Filtering Foreign Talent
1.1. Knowledge Transfer Gaps
Despite programmes aimed at skills transfer, MOM’s 7 May 2024 Parliamentary Q&A reveals that many global experts fail to deliver structured knowledge-sharing, leading to limited upskilling of locals . Industry observers further note that without measurable objectives, knowledge transfer often remains “easier said than done,” diluting the intended benefits for Singaporeans .
1.2. Oversupply in Non-Strategic Sectors
Roles such as occupational safety and health officers, general administrative support, and frontline marketing are predominantly filled by local practitioners familiar with Singapore’s legislation, culture, and business norms . However, a surge of foreign applicants in these sectors has led to underemployment of locals and “license-to-learn” scenarios, where foreign professionals acquire local know-how at the expense of domestic workers.
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2. Prioritizing Critical Shortage Sectors
2.1. SOL-Designated Roles
The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) under COMPASS identifies high-value roles where Singapore faces genuine talent gaps, including alternative protein food application scientists, novel food biotechnologists, ultra-high net worth financial advisers, and carbon project managers . EP applicants in these roles can earn the C5. Skills Bonus and qualify for a 5-year pass, reflecting strategic economic priorities .
2.2. Emerging Strategic Areas
Beyond the SOL, Singapore should target deep-tech domains (quantum computing, advanced semiconductors), biomedical R&D, green finance, and digital infrastructure. Ministerial enhancements announced on 12 September 2022 underscore the need to attract top tech professionals to support these priority clusters .
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3. Limiting Foreign Talent in Locally-Supported Sectors
3.1. Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)
The Workplace Safety and Health Act and related regulations are uniquely tailored to Singapore’s environment (tropical climate, dense urban settings) and enforced by the OSH Division in partnership with local stakeholders . Given that OSH competencies are transferable via SkillsFuture WSH certification, the inflow of foreign safety officers should be restricted to genuine expert trainers only, not routine compliance roles.
3.2. Administrative & Support Services
National Wages Council data shows that domestically-oriented sectors (construction, real estate, administrative support) have lagging productivity growth compared to outward-oriented ones—indicating that local workers are sufficiently trained to meet demand . General clerical, HR, and marketing roles thus merit stringent foreign-hire caps.
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4. Pragmatic Solutions for Effective Talent Filtration
4.1. Strengthening Pre-Entry Screening
Enhanced COMPASS Criteria: Introduce a Knowledge Transfer Bonus (Criterion 7) requiring evidence of past mentorship outcomes (number of trainees certified, project handover reports), building on the existing C5 skills bonus framework .
Local Knowledge Assessment: Mandate sector-specific tests (e.g., OSH Act, local building codes) for EP/S Pass applicants in regulated industries before issuance.
4.2. Embedding Knowledge Transfer Obligations
Contractual Training Plans: Every EP/S Pass in strategic or regulated sectors must submit a detailed training roadmap (curriculum, milestones, trainee list) as part of the application, linked to permit validity .
Periodic Reporting: Require quarterly submission of Knowledge Transfer Reports verifying completion of training hours, local staff certifications, and tangible deliverables.
4.3. Sector-Specific Quotas and Pass Conditions
Ban for Non-Shortage Sectors: Prohibit EP/S Pass applications in sectors like OSH, general administration, and basic marketing; redirect to Work Permits under Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) quotas for low-skilled roles only .
Tightened Construction Rules: Enforce existing quota, levy, and source-country ceilings in the construction sector and link pass renewals to local supervisory appointments .
4.4. Monitoring, Enforcement & Penalties
Automated Triggers: Leverage MOM’s eService platform to revoke passes automatically if no Knowledge Transfer Reports are filed three months after permit issuance .
Company-Level Sanctions: Impose levy surcharges, blacklisting, and job-advertising embargoes on firms with multiple permit cancellations for non-compliance.
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5. Proposed “TaFiKTS” – Talent Filtration & Knowledge Transfer System
5.1. Key Components
1. Pre-Screen Module: Integrated COMPASS+ and sector knowledge assessments .
2. Transfer Obligation Tracker: Digital portal logging training plans, trainee progress, and certification outcomes .
3. Enforcement Engine: Rule-based engine to trigger permit suspension or cancellation under EFMA conditions .
4. Analytics Dashboard: Real-time sector dashboards highlighting compliance rates and skill-gap fulfillment.
5.2. Operational Workflow
1. Application Submission: Employer submits EP/S Pass with Knowledge Transfer Plan.
2. Pre-Entry Assessment: Applicant takes local legislation and sector skill tests.
3. Pass Issuance: Upon passing COMPASS+ threshold, permit issued with embedded Transfer KPIs.
4. Periodic Review: Quarterly Transfer Reports validated by MOM/sector agencies.
5. Permit Renewal/Cancellation: Renewal only if KPIs met; otherwise, automatic revocation and firm sanctions.
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6. Implementation Roadmap
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Implementing TaFiKTS will ensure that only high-value foreign professionals fill genuine gaps, while local talent remains front and center in sectors where they excel. Robust monitoring, transparent KPIs, and automatic enforcement will minimize abuse, align with MOM’s strategic manpower objectives, and sustain Singapore’s competitive edge.
Sorry to say, CHT
These MNCs are earning millions in profits, slicing off one of the most critical pillars of Singaporean workers' security, our CPF contributions. A lot of these blue-collared job offered by the MNCs are contract-based, temp and are never permanent.
When foreign hires are not subjected to the same scale of pay-cuts and CPF obligations?
How is that fair?
Furthermore, under the current hiring framework by MOM, the ratio stands at 1 Singaporean : 2 foreigners.
How is this considered fair competition for Singaporeans trying to secure a stable and sustainable income, especially when there has been a surge in PR grants awarded to foreigners last year?
If priority is not given to actual Singaporeans — the true citizens who built and funded this nation — then what future are we securing for our own people?
A Tsunami of Myanmarsee at my Mrt last few weekends. Met alrwady sooo congested uncomfortable already then these huge wave join in. What are so many doing here Omg😅 😮😮
There are 0.7 millions of Indian-born PMETs, and not forgetting those mainland immigrants in here on our shores
Population increase to 6 millions suddenly, 9,0,000 of locals now driving Grab – Something is wrong.
What the round table talk is of no use as the leopard spot will never change and the only useful wy is to get more opposition s in than they will work hard and think hard before they change any policies.
why 4 minutes for PAP and only 1 minute for the oppositions, afraid ah? 1 minute 50% voters will vote them 4 minutes PAP can go eat grass.
Get rid of hiring foreigners to head HR departments. They will tend to hire their own kind
parliament close n there is no mp or minister and why is some party so special to be given 4 times more speech n also closing it last n nobody can debunk their fake
They gave us vouchers only few hundred dollars how to solve the long term problems, these vouchers are our taxpayers money not government,two years after election government will increase price of everything.
From PAP speech, i doubt there will be any difference going forward.
" EXTINCT VOLCANOES "
ALL " YES " MEN n WOMEN VOTED Yes for 9% GST
MORE PAP MPs, GST 11% … THEN 13% THEN 15% GST
It's time for vote change, it's time for Singaporean first!!!
Skillsfutures and upgrade of skills will only work if individuals who had gone through career conversion will be hired into the new industry. Currently, most individuals are unable to get a new conversion career even after they are done with THE CCP
I used to work in a US MNC where many foreigners form the mid to upper management, and Singaporeans are mainly in the lower pay grades.
When they do hire fresh grads, a lot of the permanent positions goes to the foreigners. Singaporean fresh grads usually take up 6 months renewable contract positions.
This means a lot of those fresh grads taking up contract positions do not have employee benefits such as insurance, flexi benefits, retrenchment benefits, staff discount, etc. and is also excluded from company events such as D&D, symposium, bonding activities etc.
And these 6 months contract continues to get renewed on and on for years, even if that said contract employee is proven to perform (if not why renew their contract right). This goes on until they are 3 years into contract renewal, where they will be asked to go, cos they can no longer justify why a contract role can go on for so long. Then they hire the next person on contract and the cycle continues. All these while, they continue to hire fresh grads every year from all over the world, with these available positions not even offered to those existing Singaporean contract employees.
My point is, on paper and in theory, a lot of policies seems to be in favour of Singaporeans, but the reality is very very very far from it.
Hong Tat can "simply go"
CHT using the same old dirty trick again by saying more PMET jobs have been created for 'residents' which includes PR (PR are also foreigners) and Singaporeans. Please tell us how many of these jobs went to Singaporeans specifically.
PAP talk just roti prata now say like that after voting turn around
The PAP still lump the locals and foreigners together when it comes to employment statistics. Are they trying to hide something?
PR MAKING MONEY FRM HDB BUY AND SELL💰💰💰
If 380k jobs are created versus FT 30k, why then so many complains on the ground? How the statistic is being recorded, is it right? Barometer on the ground tell a different picture.
At the very least, address how companies and PAP being so favourable towards but keep saying they put Singaporean first?
Chee still avoid replying about the CECA impact and that the mentality of companies bias over foreigners than Singaporeans. I don't want such Gov. Dishonourable.
pap has also been the culprit inhiring foreign pmets. even talent to the disadvantage of locals. pap has been gas lighting the locals that they only priorise lovals over foreigners. Better to vote for change!!