Do Singaporeans lack skills that foreigners need to fill?

SINGAPORE: A Reddit user recently asked others on the platform, “What do you think are skills that Singaporeans are lacking?”

What they were looking for were the skills that are, in general, related to work, but the answers that other Reddit users gave went far beyond that.

“What are the skill sets that Singaporeans are lacking that need to be filled in by foreigners with the skill sets? Do you consider S pass holders as having skill sets that locals do not have? Do entry-level E pass holders possess very in-demand and rare skill sets?” asked u/midlife82 on the r/askSingapore subreddit.

Instead of work skills, many commenters on the post identified general life skills to be what Singaporeans are lacking.

“Street smarts and situational awareness. Once out of SG, we are the most gullible people ngl,” read the top comment.

When a commenter wrote that Singaporeans tend to “just believe everything blindly and take safety for granted,” another agreed.

They added as well that “There’s also the aspect where people are too blunt and find it hard to accept alternative viewpoints to the SG way of life (like get married, BTO, have kids). Such mindsets in general discourage risk-taking and trap people into a vicious cycle where they cannot empathise and connect with others.”

A Reddit user wrote that many Singaporeans lack critical thinking skills, but added, “I believe that’s true for most people no matter where they’re from though.”

Another added, “Critical thinking for sure — Singaporeans are all brought up to follow rules and that everything must be ‘by the book.’ Common sense is not very common, and most people can’t think outside of the box.”

A commenter tended to disagree slightly, however, writing, “I’m not sure whether Singaporeans lack critical thinking or ideas, I think they’re too scared to take ownership or accountability of their actions in case of failure.

Singaporeans won’t even try for fear of failing. However, they’ll never know if they can succeed because they don’t try…. foreigners are at least willing to try.”

Another added, “Not sure why critical thinking is written as most lacking. Critical thinking is lowering across ALL countries with the rise of social media and LLM.

S pass – More ‘hardworking’ and fewer complaints.

E pass – Higher EQ and can read the room. Able to speak with confidence. Also, due to the mentality that Ang Moh are better. Also, companies like to hire their own ‘country mates’.”

In an edit, the post author added, “After reading the comments posted, most said Singaporeans lack problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills, lack empathy and compassion. How is it vis-à-vis foreigners? I think these are traits rather than skills that will exist in any demographics. Any additional views are welcome.” /TISG

Read also: 3 skills most needed in Singapore’s economy right now