SINGAPORE: Manpower Minister Tan See Leng recently interviewed CNA938, in which he addressed the proverbial elephant in the room: the fear of some Singaporeans, especially PMET (professionals, managers, executives, and technicians) roles, of losing their jobs to foreign talent.
CNA938’s Daniel Martin asked Dr Tan how he would answer the question, “Are you concerned about losing your job to FT?”
The Manpower Minister and second minister for trade and industry said that he “perfectly understands and empathizes” with those who have this concern. He added that people have occasionally contacted him about this issue.
However, the data he cited regarding PMET jobs in Singapore are hardly proportionate to these concerns. Dr Tan said that from 2013 to 2023, there were 380,000 local PMET jobs. In contrast, the number of work pass holders from other countries, particularly those who hold E and S passes, which involve higher salaries, has only increased by 38,000.
This means the ratio is 10 to 1, and for every foreigner in such a role, 10 jobs have been generated for local PMETs, the minister said.
Dr Tan added that the same goes for high-growth sectors such as finance and ICT (Information and communication technology), where 170,000 jobs have been created for locals. Still, only 17,000 have been allocated to foreign talent.
“I know the fear is there,” he said, adding that it can be “okay” to have some apprehension at times, as this could be what spurs and pushes people forward. Nevertheless, he reassured Singaporeans that there are significant safeguards that jobs are not lost or are moved away from locals to foreigners.
Mr Martin asked Dr Tan where this perception came from, “If the numbers don’t bear fruit.”
The Manpower Minister believes a combination of factors is at play. These include the accelerated pace of change in today’s society, multiple disruptions that create political tensions, and “heightened” xenophobic comments on social media, which he said “all add fuel to this.”
Singapore’s economic development has also been rapid, which can worry people. However, Dr Tan said, “We are connected. We are a global economy. We are connected to the world. We are a very open economy, and the fact is that when other places move fast, we move in tandem. Otherwise, we get left behind.”
He added that given the fast pace of change, there may be some sectors where Singapore would like to pivot and transform, but certain skill sets and expertise have not yet been developed in the local workforce. This would mean the need for more foreign professionals working in these sectors while Singaporeans are brought up to speed. /TISG
Read also: Tan See Leng: Those who embrace AI & tech will displace those who don’t