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发表于 29-10-2012 14:54:11|来自：新加坡
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Govt may curb inflow of S-Pass holders
toh yong chuan and janice heng
26 October 2012
Straits Times
Spike in number of foreign workers on such permits raises concerns
THE Manpower Ministry (MOM) is looking at tightening the inflow of S-Pass holders in a bid to further slow down the increase of foreign workers here.
And to deter firms from employing locals on token pay just to hire more foreign workers, MOM will raise the minimum pay at which locals can be considered full-time workers when calculating a firm's foreign workers quota.
Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin disclosed these impending moves to The Straits Times in an exclusive interview this week.
Explaining the tightening of SPasses, Mr Tan said: "We have seen a spike in the numbers."
The number of foreigners on S Passes shot up by 14,200 to hit 128,100 in the first half of this year. These foreigners earn over $2,000 a month in supervisory or junior professional, managerial and executive (PME) jobs.
There are worries among Singaporeans that S-Pass holders are taking up decent-paying junior PME jobs that could have gone to locals.
When pressed for details, Mr Tan would only say: "We are looking at options."
He also spoke about tightening up on S Passes at a convention attended by small- and medium-sized enterprises yesterday morning. He said: "We should have an update on this perhaps in the first quarter of next year."
Another upcoming change has to do with the fact that the number of foreigners a company can employ is tied to the number of full-time locals hired, according to ratios that vary across different industries.
Currently, only local workers earning at least $850 a month are considered full-time.
Mr Tan hinted that the minimum monthly salary "will increase", but he would not elaborate on how big the increase might be or when it would be implemented. But he promised to talk to unions and employers before setting the higher minimum wage. "I think we will be able to talk about it sometime early next year," he said.
The moves reinforce the Government's commitment to a tight foreign labour policy which began in 2009 and has left some businesses feeling squeezed.
"There will be no U-turn as far as the manpower tightening is concerned," Mr Tan said.
But he emphasised that MOM will keep an eye on the economy and does not intend to jeopardise its health.
"If there is any prospect of a downturn, you do not want to accentuate (it) further," he said. "So you want to make sure that the policies are sensible given that climate."
Mr Tan acknowledged the tensions between keeping Singapore business-friendly and controlling foreign worker numbers.
But the ultimate consideration, he said, must be the well-being of Singaporeans.
"On a net basis, does it still benefit our people? I think that has to be the question. If it doesn't, then I think we have to relook the equations."
The tightening on S Passes does not surprise Mr Chan Chong Beng, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises: "The signal is very clear to companies that they have to make an extra push to make the best use of their local workforce and increase productivity." |
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