SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Tuesday (April 2), Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam asked Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng how MOM would ensure that the majority of new jobs created this year would go to Singapore citizens and residents, including those aged 40 and above.
The Aljunied MP said this in the context of non-residents making up 83,500 of the 88,400 total employment growth last year and the amount the government spends on job creation.
Dr Tan clarified the issue, beginning by saying that “a net increase in foreign employment means that jobs are not going to Singaporeans” is a “fundamentally misguided” view.
MOM’s focus, he added, is whether Singaporeans who want to find employment can do so.
Last year, the country’s resident employment rate was 66.2 percent, the fourth highest rate among economies in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Also, Singapore’s unemployment rate (2.7 per cent) and long-term unemployment rate (0.7 per cent) have stayed low.
“So we are close to full employment. In fact, the Government has invested much effort in safeguarding resident employment.
To illustrate, over the 2020-2022 period, where COVID-19 had an impact on our economy and labour market, resident employment growth remained robust, increasing by more than 110,000 while non-resident employment declined by 3,000,” he added.
The Manpower Minister also mentioned the importance of staying “open to complementary foreign labour to meet the demands of our growing economy and our businesses.”
In 2023, the majority of work permits and passes given were for sectors such as construction.
“These are not typically the type of jobs that Singaporeans want to do,” noted Dr Tan.
Only 22.4 per cent, or 18,700 jobs, are from Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders and the total number of these holders is still lower than before the pandemic.
While resident employment is at 4,900, Mr Giam mentioned that MOM had given no breakdown concerning whether these are professional, manager, executive, or technician (PMET) jobs.
Read related: In Parliament: Tan See Leng says 62% of PMET jobs have gone to locals, up from 55% in 2016
The minister said, “The growth last year in EP and S Pass holders exceeded growth in resident employment as … non-resident PMET employment is still recovering from the pandemic.”
“The larger proportion of growth attributed to EP and S Pass holders last year did not affect PMET resident employment at all,” he added. /TISG