Go for quality, not quantity. Employers need to adopt the change in mindset so as not to rely on foreign workers as a cheaper alternative as this would not be fair to Singaporeans.
This was the message the Chairman of the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) Yeo Guat Kwang had for employers at the MWC Deepavali celebrations at Farrer Park Field on 18 November 2012.
“What we want is foreign talents to really help us to meet the shortage, not just mainly numbers. So it is not a numbers game,” he said.
The MWC was set up in 2009 and has assisted 1,200 foreign workers per year from 2009 to 2010. But the number rose to 1,500 from 2011 to 2012.
Mr Yeo cautioned that while the centre has been scaled up to assist and house more workers, it may not be able to sustainably provide to meet the increasing demands in the long run. Mr Yeo highlighted one way that employers could help mitigate the issue was to bring in foreign workers with the right skills.
“More importantly, they must bring in the right workers because I think workers with better skills and jobs will not be so prone to ill-treatment and abuse,” said Mr Yeo.
He also urged the Ministry of Manpower to consider setting a qualification requirement for work permit renewal to ensure the quality of workers.
To tackle the issue of the tightening of foreign manpower in the job market, Mr Yeo shared that another source of manpower employers could look to are the foreign spouses of Singaporeans.
“As long term social visit pass holders, they also need to apply for work permits but they do not need to pay a levy,” said Mr Yeo. “These individuals are not subject to the same controls as the typical work permit holder,” he added.
Mr Yeo shared that the Ministry of Manpower had agreed in principal to consider the area in greater detail.
