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cO m m E n ta r y
on local and Foreign Talent
In addition, there have been several
controversies regarding intense job
competition amongst locals and
foreigners. Foreigners today make up
21 per cent of our PMET workforce and
this group of them comprise of mid to
higher-skilled workers, complementing
Singaporean workers by bringing skills
that help companies sustain and grow.
Tighter restrictions have been placed
since the rise of many concerns regarding
this issue to ease the job competition.
However, implementing overly restrictive
foreign manpower policies could make
it difficult for businesses to operate
Beyond these, there are also many other
government initiatives that have been
rolled out to encourage more women
and older workers to enter and stay
in the workforce. To name a few, the
Capability Development grant (CDG)
was launched two years ago in 2010, an
initiative by the Workforce Development
Agency (WDA) and is administered by
ASME, was specially designed for SMEs
to help them put in place human resource
(HR) systems to facilitate practices in
preparation for the Re-employment
Legislation. An S$10,000 grant will be
given to participating companies in this
assistance scheme, which will help
defray some of the costs to implement
this HR system.
On a more recent note, in a bid to
promote work-life balance for women and
mothers per se, the labour movement,
sE p | Oc t 2012
En t r E p r E n E u r s’ Di g E s t
here, which could impact the livelihoods
and jobs of Singaporeans if companies
choose to relocate to other countries, a
point that the Paper also raised.
Several SMEs have already raised such
a concern over the past few months,
some even indicating that they are
considering the option of relocating
their operations overseas, to countries
where their overall operational cost is
lower, while others have considered the
possibility of shrinking their operations in
order to sustain their businesses.
Examining the seriousness of this
“A shrinking and ageing citizen workforce affects our ability to seize growth
opportunities. A multi-pronged approach is thus required to sustain the
economic vibrancy necessary to generate good employment opportunities
for Singaporeans. Strategies include helping businesses to restructure and
workers to upskill to improve productivity, encouraging more economically
inactive citizens to enter the workforce, and supplementing the resident
workforce with foreign manpower.”
Issues Paper July 2012, National Population and Talent Division, Prime Minister’s Office
National Trade Union Congress (NTUC),
recommended working mums to be
given six months of paid maternity
leave, with another optional six months
of unpaid leave. In addition, the Ministry
of Community Development, Youth and
Sports (MCYS) announced that recent
amendments to the reimbursement of
claims for Government Paid Maternity
Leave (GPML), making it more flexible for
companies and self-employed women to
make more timely claims.
To narrow the gap between SMEs and
PMEs, the Max Talent scheme that was
launched in April this year is a doubleedged
initiative, aimed on the one hand
– to enhance SMEs HR capabilities, to
retain and attract local talents and PMEs,
a challenge that many SMEs have raised,
while on the other hand – for PMEs to
secure gainful employment. SMEs can
population trend, which has far-reaching
effects to the social and economic future of
Singapore, it is thus important to develop
and implement policies and programmes
to address the consequences.
An Integrated Approach
As part of the government’s initiative to
better implement more multi-pronged
policies, a dedicated website was
launched to discuss all things population
related. This includes areas ranging from
supporting marriage and parenthood and
managing immigration, to encouraging
integration and promoting productivity.
offer many interesting and challenging
career opportunities for PMEs, a fact that
is often not known to some job seekers.
The Max Talent scheme is another WDA
initiative, administered by ASME.
In Conclusion
As we continue to face the challenges
and effects of a shrinking and ageing
population, it is highly important for SMEs
to embrace these structural changes,
adapt and seek information and help
on what is best for their companies
out there in the market. It is also good
for SMEs to participate more actively in
feedback channels and forums, to give
their feedback and insights on challenges
they have encountered to the various
government agencies, and provide
rational advice on how to better raise
productivity and improve labour force
participation in Singapore.
For more information on Max Talent, please contact the Max Talent secretariat at sme.maxtalent@asme.org.sg
For more information on the Capability Development Grant, please contact prepare@edc-asme.sg
Composition of Foreign Manpower
(Excluding Foreign Domestic Workers) by Sectors
Construction
30%
(292,500)
Services
43%
(427,000)
Others
0.4%
(41,000)
Manufacturing
27%
(268,000)
Composition of Singapore’s Total Workforce
As at December 2011, our total workforce was 3.02 million, excluding foreign domestic
workers. Residents (i.e. SCs ard PRs) formed the majority of the workforce at 67%, with
foreign workers making up the remaining 33%.
More than half of the resident workforce were professionals, managers, executives and
technicians [PMETs].
PMET
Workforce
Non-PMET
Workforce
Share of Foreign Workers in various sectors of
Economy [Excluding Foreign Domestic Workers]
( Dec 2011)
Source: Ministry of Manpower
Residents
79%
Residents
57%
Residents
67%
S Pass
Holders
4%
EP
Holders
6%
Work Permit Holders
(Excluding Foreign
Domestic Workers)
23%
Total Workforce (Dec 2011) : 3.02 million
Source: Ministry of Manpower
Non-Residents
43%
Non-Residents
21%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Source: NPTD’s estimates using data from Ministry of Manpower; Non-residents and
PMETs comprise EP and S pass holders.