Why Singapore Recruits Foreign Talents
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- In a previous video looking at Singapore's birth rate and its consequences, I mentioned the idea of foreign talents. The island country has long sought to make itself a destination for the best talents in the world. Its government says that it is in a "global war for talent" so to attract the stars and high performers.
But the strategy has had substantial political repercussions. Especially online, the criticism of hiring foreign talent migrants is common. Foreign talents receive certain privileges and compete with natives for high paying jobs. Naturally, this has engendered resentment.
In this video we’re going to look at Singapore‘s high value global talent strategy.
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For more videos on Singapore, check out the playlist: czcams.com/play/PLKtxx9TnH76TS34YoUFNgTdAB1qNE4wTK.html
1:38 "To simply yell at each other, and me, does not help anyone. That’s what shouting into a pillow is for. And I suggest you do that if you have anger issues that need to be worked out." 😂
The company I am with is like United Nation though the majority are Singaporean.
We need Singaporean & foreign talents to always put Singapore 🇸🇬 ahead.
The difficult part is to strike a balance that Singaporean will accept that foreign talents are here to stay.
Singaporean here, been following your channel. 2 things came to mind after watching.
1) your reference to TSMC
I honestly think many Singaporeans would be proud to have a Singaporean version of TSMC. But as it stands today Singapore's domestic privately owned industry has faltered (see Hyflux). Unlike the Taiwanese and South Koreans I don't think we have anything that Singaporeans can truly say we "Own & Dominate". If you ask me, underneath all that noise and emotion, Singaporeans probably feel that the foreign talent strategy is really to make up for lost economic ground at the expense of locals. Why it has faltered is a big topic unto itself.
More importantly I think we need to examine whether in today's highly Globalized world, something like a TSMC can still be formed in any country i.e. starting with a bunch of highly talented and specialized foreigners and then grooming a base of local talent to drive progress, to the point where the domestic industry as a whole can dominate in certain areas. In contrast, a place like Dubai comes to mind where foreigners pretty much rule the economic landscape, albeit one that has not much technical base but more of services hub, of which arguably the most important input is first and foremost capital before labour.
In other words I'm saying Singapore seems to have turned away from its earlier strategy of tapping into FDI and Foreign Talents (FT) to build a strong local domestic base but is instead drifting towards a Dubai-esque model of a FDI and FT driven services hub where most people see themselves as transient economic agents exploiting some kind of opportunity. How many FTs would have the long-term view of settling permanently like the pioneer executives at TSMC, let alone grooming local talent? The factors driving this are probably more complex than one CZcams comment can address.
2) Singapore's social landscape
Which brings me to my next point. To me a lot of foreign commentators compare Singapore's FT strategy with other places without first examining the domestic social landscape.
As someone who has worked/lived/travelled in places like Canada, Australia, US, Taiwan, Dubai I have come to realize a sobering truth about immigration and integration. No country in the world has become a stable, peaceful and prosperous high-immigrant society without first having a strong social safety net in place (feel free to prove me wrong, I'm a young guy who hasn't been around long enough).
Dubai for example is a place where the locals enjoy a ton of state benefits, albeit probably paid for with oil wealth. It's not hard to see why you don't observe the same kind of social tension there as in SG recently, even if 80-90% of the populace are expats.
Put it simply, social tensions arise when natives feel that there isn't enough to go around. Imagine putting too many hamsters in 1 box with much less food on the table. A strong, sustainable social safety net helps ameliorate this, without which there is no basis for integration and fostering a unique national identity to convince all the hamsters to respect each other.
The SG Govt has quite frankly been severely averse to the word "Welfare" or "Safety Net" in any form. I think there's enough material on this elsewhere. However I just wanna say that I personally feel the Canadian / Taiwan models are way better than the Dubai-ish model. This is only going to matter more as we live in an era where the forces of Globalization / Liberalization makes life difficult due to rising costs everywhere, especially for an open city state like us.
Our own colonial history is quite instructive. The classic British colonial practice of divide-and-rule strategy (would the SP/EP/work-permit system be a modern example) to extract maximum economic gain fostered a social landscape where certain group(s) felt marginalized and slighted by other group(s). The British also certainly did not invest in the social landscape as much as they should have. I wonder if history rhymes. Again there's plenty of material on this and correct me if I'm off.
Long comment but I appreciate your channel's well researched objective nature and that you bother to get the historical context. I hope some of the anecdotes here are useful.
Interesting. Well, I'm certainly not a high rolling executive like I think y'all are trying to attract, but I really admire Singapore and I'd prefer to stay, if I went there. I would not view it as a stepping stone, as the video said, but as the best possible final destination.
Didn't Hong Kong develop and attract foreign talent without a welfare system? I think the main determinant is strong property rights, and courts that uphold those rights. With that, I think any place can flourish.
It's best we compare with Hong Kong, both competitive city states without natural resources and more or less similar economic strategies. Hong Kong has the added big advantage as China's gateway whereas Singapore not.
You mentioned a few countries that have general welfare but that's because they can afford to.
Adding some more points after revisiting this thread and reading other comments
On comparisons with HK:
It's always instinctive to look at SG & HK side by side. Sure HK is really a shiny glitzy example of a free market economy. But free-market vs state-led ideology aside (as a 30 yr old guy I think this dichotomous frame of thinking is just useless in today's world), I think we again need to look at their domestic social landscape by peeling away the varnish. Now I am not a HK-er and do not profess to understand HK deeply. Yet it is clear to me that the crippling social-political turmoil in recent years is not simply due to the rebelliousness and freedom-obsessiveness of a generation. It is also a result of decades of letting social conditions deteriorate to the point where things spiral out of control. czcams.com/video/sSucwdOrLyY/video.html
On "welfare" or "social safety net":
To my mind there is an important distinction here. "Welfare" as I put it, is more akin to the what certain well-resourced states do where many things are "paid for" by the state like education, healthcare, housing, no taxes (e.g. via oil wealth). I am pretty sure most Singaporeans acknowledge that we cannot go down this path because we have no oil wells.
The other flavor is what I call "pooling" e.g. "resource pooling" or "risk pooling" i.e social safety net. The best example would be a single payer healthcare system where everyone's premiums go to a central fund and the entire system is coordinated and rationed for long-term sustainability (Wouldn't our CPF also be such? Its issues aside). I.e. the funds come from all citizens, for all citizens, not some oil well. The shortcomings of such policies aside, I personally feel that we could do more in this regard. However, we seem to have succumbed to the irresistible temptation to privatize (e.g. our healthcare) and monetize (e.g. our real estate). Yet if you read historical anecdotes it was not always so.
@@TheJowkeng I want to add that your assertion that we have nothing that "Singaporeans can truly say we 'Own & Dominate'" is not factually sound. I cannot speak for other industries but my own, but over a quarter of the world's precision engineering manufacturing is done in Singapore. These are the companies that manufacture equipment that are used by semicon fabs to manufacture wafers (of which Singapore manufactures 21% of the world's equipment), among others, and many have a much larger profit margin that the fabs themselves.
Of these manufacturers, many of the ones that possess best-in-class or world leading technology are home grown Singaporean ones. I shall not name them since they are my competition, but it will be incorrect to say that Singapore does not dominate in this field.
Another industry in which Singapore is a global leader is in AI and more importantly, AI applications. We are awashed in AI startups, particularly in the computer vision space.
Of course, we all know how we dominate, perhaps not globally but certainly regionally, in the financial services sector. Singapore is a global and regional hub for clearing house services, private equity, oil & gas financing, and the de facto capital for raising series A - and beyond - funding in the region
My point is this: we may not have a single company that dominates the sector, but the ecosystem is strong. In my opinion, having a single dominating company like how Taiwan has TSMC is NOT a good thing, and is actually detrimental. It gives too much power to a single entity, narrows the education system of the country (like how much of Taiwanese universities curriculum is designed for the semiconductor industry), and it cements a very narrow class as the have's and the rest the have not's. Also, in losing diversity of thought, industry, and economic construct, we become much more vulnerable to global forces which we can ill afford.
By focusing on entire ecosystems and strengthening them, we lower the barriers of entries and increases social mobility - both for ourselves and foreigners. That is a much more inclusive strategy.
As an addenda, manufacturing makes up 21% of the Singapore economy, including 5% of the world's semiconductor fabrication (which is substantial for our population). Therefore, your assertion that we are "drifting towards a Dubai-esque model of a FDI and FT driven services hub where most people see themselves as transient economic agents exploiting some kind of opportunity" is a specious one. I accept that it is the predominant rhetoric in social media and in certain public spaces, but once you are involved in various industries at an intimate level, you'll quickly see the government strategies that promote domestic capabilities at work.
I want to add that Singaporean males have conscription (mandatory military service), we have to serve 2 years during our prime (16-23 age range) and have to go back to the military every year after the 2 years of service. I understand the need for talent, but you cannot handicap the locals and then not protect them on the employment battlefield.
Not asking for preferential treatment, but asking for basic protection, if not why be a citizen in the first place?
It is hard to swallow that bringing foreign talents in is “for our benefit” when the benefits only go towards the top and the Govt does not much to alleviate wealth inequality.
At the same time, unlike foreigners, we have to serve NS, reservist, and give close to 40% of our income to a fund that we cannot touch so that the Govt can earn a profit on it.
Yes foreign talents may bring benefits to the country, but who enjoys these? Who pays the costs? An inequitable system will always produce an unhappy population.
You are asking for equity and you are damn right as son and daughters of the soil to demand it!
Don’t lie to yourself countries like Israel we do 5 years mandatory services for men and 3 years for female Ans we don’t need to bring outsiders
Singapore is a typical lazy country
@@ChairmanMoOnly sons. The daughters of Singapore dont have to serve in the military unless they choose to.
@@ChairmanMo Are you saying Singapore should follow the Bumi system of Malaysia? 80% of SG are Chinese immigrants.
As one of those foreign workers living on an EP here in Singapore I'll give my 2 cents here. First, Singapore is a very welcoming country and it is very heartening to see how the locals have accepted us into their country. Having said that in the comments section I have seen some misconception regarding the salaries and work passes.
The amount mentioned for EP (4500 SGD) is not a hard cutoff. The age of the person is also a factor. A 30 year old person earning 4500 will not be eligible for an EP. A 35 year old earning 6000 will not be eligible for an EP. The age matters a lot. A relatively fresh graduate earning 4500 is eligible for a EP. Sometimes if the salary increases do not keep up with years of work experience the EP is not renewed and the company either has to terminate the employee or get him or her an SPass.
Thanks to “smart “ Malaysian government
These was genuinely eye opening...
What this video has missed is the type of foreign talent allowed into a country. Ideally it should be like the top honchos of TSMC as shown in this video. But what happens when all the foreign talent comes from one village of the same country and they control HR recruitment marketing etc. Do you fine it strange that at one time top executives of a big German bank all come from one university- Pondicherry University. The other angle you missed is that Singapore is supposed to have some of the top universities in Singapore but pales in comparison with lower ranked universities from India when they face a foreign HR manager in job interviews. It is no wonder that the local people are so disillusioned with fake talents!
Hi John, you nailed it. "The type of foreign talent"!
Yah agree, but gov shouldn't oversee the screening process of companies. And companies are motivated to get the best and most competent employees to work for them, eventually translate it to dollar and cents. In the capitalist free-market society, It is the company's responsibility to make their own due diligence in order to survive in this harsh business world. They will fail if they cant get the right person to do the job, that is the invisible hand that we talk about in economy101. This is just my 2 cents of thoughts, as normally it is very easy to blame the gov on everything.
I am a free market guy. My interest on this topic is purely economics.
If DB is hiring such people, which you seem to indicate they are 'fake' talent, would it not show up in the worse performance for the team. I would not even recommend my own brother for a job with me if I know he will drag me down.
What bank tho
I am Chinese American and the "Indian manager only hire/promote Indian" situation is an issue in the US as well. You can search on Google and see people in Silicon Valley complaining about this. I know what we call "Indian" are actually many different ethnic groups and those people only hire their own group but for the outside world, Indian are Indian
I'm very interested in this topic. Morris Chang (China born American citizen) left the USA to head TSMC and took a very low salary there. He didn't live an extravagant lifestyle, he had enough money to live off until the end of his life, and he wanted the challenge of turning Taiwan's semiconductor research facility into a money making centre for Taiwan. He's now over 90 and lives in Japan. IMO Morris Chang and Lee Kuan Yee had similar characteristics. They were both highly intelligent, humble, hard-working, visionaries and true leaders who changed the lives of Taiwanese and Singapore respectively but in different ways. We need more people like them as we are very short of real leaders in it for the long term and for the betterment of mankind.
Talent is sought by every country. The issue is how they are brought in. Foreign talent is always seen as a threat to local employment. No country will escape this conundrum.
"Talent is sought by every country."
Not true. Some countries (Latin america, Africa) act to push productive people away.
"Foreign talent is always seen as a threat to local employment"
this is how politicians wave ignorant people into hatred to obtain easy votes. In fact it's quite the opposite. Foreign talent increase overall productivity and education and push away any rotten culture. If locals were capable to perform all jobs for a determined amount of payment, then why would anyone else hire a foreign at all?
I wish my country was attractive to foreign talents.
@@seekknowledge8034 "Foreign talent increase overall productivity and education and push away any rotten culture. If locals were capable to perform all jobs for a determined amount of payment, then why would anyone else hire a foreign at all?"
Debatable. It is a common practice, among a number of immigrant cultures in Singapore to hire fellow foreigners regardless of the individual's productive quality solely on the virtue of the employer and employee's shared ethnic and national background.
Had it not been for government mandated quotas requiring a minimum proportion of citizens and PRs to be filled, quite a number of companies based in Singapore and started by foreign nationals, would have been staffed entirely by other foreign nationals of the same ethnicity and citizenship.
Its not the same.most countryman have no obligation to the citizenship but here we have to give 3 years of our lives protecting our country and if our govt don't even most to protect our basics right,why even be a citizen in the first place.in most country citizen have no obligation to their citizenship but here its not
@@ReizePrimus How many local Singaporeans even work as maids? there's a reason why Singapore import maids from Indonesia and Philippines
Why not go somewhere else? You get resident in a tiny island already overcapacity. Think sardine can.
If you visit a housing estate in Singapore, you will find many foreign talents cleaning the estate. In Malaysia, you can find many foreign talents at construction sites. In Hong Kong and US, you can find many talented foreign ladies in households.
And I assume there is not a lot of natives doing those low skill work
thats not foreign talent thats foreign labourer
I am from here and I give a thumb up to your research and commentary.
Excellent video
Any metropolitan area has to be backed by a huge talent pool to provide it with the workforce necessary to sustain continuous development. Relying solely on the local population is simply not possible. It's for this reason, Shanghai has people/workers from all over China, New York and San Francisco Bay Area has people/workers from all over the US (if not the world). People born "natively" in those metropolitan areas are well used to working, living, and yes competing with non local people, people migrated from other cities/states/provinces/countries - as a way of life. The difference in the case of Singapore from those areas is, Singapore is a city state, which means any person non local has to be -- a foreigner. Singaporeans need to understand that for a country like Singapore (a city, essentially) with no hinterland and limited "local" talent pool, recruiting and having large number of non local i.e. foreign workers/talents is not an option - is a necessity.
I agree but on the other hand if you are unable to find a job, you will find a reason to blame the foreigners. I think the solution is to balance the inflow since we will have to depend on foreign talents either way due to our low fertility rate.
Singaporean hate against foreign is very real as malaysian working in singapore is commonly being discriminated. But that doesnt stop malaysia even if they receive a lower pay because of the fx ratio of SGD1 : MYR3. Every foreigner always wanted a high-paid job while local always complain about losing jobs. Ironically even Malaysian discriminates against foreign workers like from Bangladesh. Fear of foreigner taking away job is common. Nice video.
Actually, the problem in Singapore is not so much immigration but it's just that the place is too small. How I wish there was an efficient, progressive, highly capable and strong Malaysian government that could match Singapore then, Malaysia could have welcomed a few million foreign talent easily due to larger country.
Hey at least Singaporean women don't hate Foreign White men :D
This seems to be very similar to some of the issues within the tech industry like facebook in America where they will use visas such as the H1B1 visas to get a bunch talented workers from around the world and can pay them less than American workers driving down wages.
The vast majority of hires are also not for roles requiring high levels of talent, but for entry level positions. Residency from an H1B1 visa is also dependent on employment. If they lose their job, they will likely have to leave the country. This allows companies to "push" the H1B1 visa holders to work longer hours.
@@nathaniels.9897 It is pretty scummmy how these companies treat their foreign employees. I mean cmon.
@Francisco III J Dy don't see you whining when jobs that no singaporeans want to do are filled up by foreign workers because of Singapore's ability to do so? Also, you're not 'forced', at least not by government. You're forced by circumstance. You think you're born in a country with oil or coal reserves to give out pension schemes and welfare for free?
@Francisco III J Dy why wages so low... Answer: a country dominated by ethnic Chinese. Same across Sino Southeast Asia. And across Asia more broadly for that matter. Asian seem to generally adopt a cultural strategy of pay as little as possible.
All I see here is Singaporeans complaining about a subject that most western countries are facing for decades or almost a century now… welcome to the real world, where people are trying to undercut you. While unbalances in living standards exist, there will always be someone willing to work for less. As far as these “what my government should do” comments go, it starts like that and ends with racism pretty soon. It’s always easy to point your finger at someone else.
I enjoyed both the video and the comments posted most of the comments are well written and try to adress the issue from their point of view in a constructive manner instead of just going on with something like they're foreign with different culture and would destroy the local culture and ruin the country
Excellent food for thought
You ought to have mentioned the National Service loophole that some of these so-called Foreign "Talent" (FT) exploit (esp those from a certain billion-people country allegedly full of skilled tech workers). All male citizens and 2nd generation permanent residents (PR) have to serve 2 years military service upon reaching 18 years old. First generation PRs are exempted but their male children are not. So some of these FTs come in without their male children (on purpose), get settled down and then have their male children come over later (after graduation) by applying a tech job and they therefore become another first generation PR thus exempting themselves from National Service by a technical loophole. If these male children already have further male children in their original country, they can do it again for another generation, and then come to Singapore to high-five each other over dinner while native born Singaporeans protect them from external threats while these FTs savor their highly paid tech jobs.
don't forget to include singaporean girls as well, they also are not subjected to any mandatory service to the nation, they enjoy citizen benefits (better than foreigners) while not having to pay any cost, being able to be free-riders at the expense of singaporean men
Singapore population growth by natural births is about 33+ thousands per year and citizenship granted to immigrants is 18+ thousands past few years.
How many death per year? Just curious
We have cases where talents lying about their talent only getting caught after years of working, companies HR using unscrupulous means to push locals out and hire their own country people. Expats forming enclaves and not respecting culture norms, disrespecting the general populace. Companies requiring workers pay back part of their salary to hire cheaper works. All these going on for years and authorities increase investigation after the backlash dig these cans of worms and stories.
Got to pity the expat maids and construction workers, trying to best to earn a living. Can't say the same for overly paid expat which don't respect local norms and look down on locals.
I am from Perú and i didnt know how bad was It . Creating cultural guettos can hace very ill consecuences for the country.
You mean like the ethnic Chinese did to the indigenous population over many decades? Or, how did the country become 72% Chinese?
@@eggplant240 it happened through a myriad of reasons, but the two that comes into mind is economic opportunities and colonialism.
@@eggplant240 "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Singapore", "Population of colonial era Singapore". It has been like that for 200 years. No one has forced anyone out of the country or anything close to that. We cannot stop people from creative imagination but creativity does not equal facts.
It seems to me it's the government forcing the foreign enclaves. Why would you respect "cultural norms" when you're surrounded by your own? Gosh, being forced to live in this "holland town" must surely be culturally enriching.
🙏🙏wow its good effort to regeneration society
Immigrantion is a hot and sensitive issue and policy across the developed nations like Singapore. In the US, it has become an every 4 years' presidential election battles between the companies and economic where needed them and those who dont.
In the US I think it is more a battle over illegal/undocumented immigrants then legal ones. Probably because legal ones as a percentage of total population is still quite small.
@@johnl.7754 Legal foreign-born population in the US is at ~14% population. THis is significant, amongst the largest in the world.
@@johnl.7754 What is not mentioned is it' pretty easy for "foreigners" to apply and be a US citizen.
in Singapore, near impossible. And any possibility will depend on your ethnicity (being Chinese is an advantage)
@@jennypai1776 not sure about it but did read that many people (probably rich and/or highly educated) from Hong Kong were immigrating there.
Well TSMC vs CHRT comparison, let me give a simple analogy, like in a soccer team, its how u pick and chose the team to be able to gel together and work together that determines the real winner. Just simply buying the highest paid talent without understanding how the team is going to work together doesnt buy success. In this case TSMC's top management has a good grasp and understanding and was able to achieve outstanding results.
Singapore is depressing, no wonder seeing such a low birth rate. Look at your schools and the insane kids have to keep up with. Not a great place to be a child... Just my thoughts
Quite balance analysis. I think most Singaporeans welcome foreign talents to the country but question is how many and definition of talent:
I am interested in how does the USA (especially the costal states) see their foreign talents?
As a free market capitalist, I am all for free movement of labor. But also understand the reasons behind some of the back-lash. Hence want to get a perspective from the USA since they have a lot of imported talents too.
Nobody cares, and nobody will ask. Strangely, the coasts are the least free market parts of the US. I'd recommend going to the more "conservative" parts - that means free markets, low taxes, and full human rights - and has nothing to do with race, which I mention because I've found that when east Asians say they're conservative, they usually mean racist. That's really not an issue here, despite what the media says.
It is a mix of everything in the USA, my company hires hard to find skills like machine engineers from Russia/Ukraine/Israel. Some companies hire from school like in South America, Asia, India to do hard work with low pay like coding jobs and then the kids hope to get citizenship after a few years and then be free to look for better jobs that pay a normal salary but it isn't always that easy. The tech cities in the USA are also very expensive to live in so for the first years they tend to share a room until they can look for a better job.
Foreign talent is like adding spice to your meal .. Add the right amount and it greatly improves the meal , but if you dump the salt shaker you waste the meal , and you go hungry
HOW DARE YOU!!!! Just kidding. Good and informative video, my dude.
Have heard from a lot of South Asians working in Singapore that mood against foreigners especially non-East Asians , has been negative.
How do Singaporeans treat South Asians?
@@arbaz79 not positively, but those Singaporeans will ask you "how are South Asians immigrants treating Singaporeans?"
Hey, if you want to be some white woman staring and looking at us servicemen in disgust when we sit down on the train after bookout, dont blame us when we dislike foreigners
With how they treat their own citizens, you wouldn't think that the country values its people at all.
they see their people as a cattle to be goaded.
From my observations, a lot of discontent could be due to many local companies hired based solely on cost and not really competence. Despite the national strategy to hire foreign talents ( a strategy that I am supportive), many observed that the quite a fair bit of foreign talents that were hired aren't really that talented. They often rely heavily on the local workforce to help them do their job. Instead of imparting expertise, it seems like the complete opposite is happening. So I think there is nothing wrong in the government policy, but how individual companies execute the strategy needs a lot of improvements.
The discontent is because many of the expats are Brown. You know this. Everyone knows this.
If you replaced all the Indian expats with PRC ones, the national cries would barely be heard.
@@eggplant240 I may have a different opinion from you. But even if what you say is true. I think the employers should shoulder majority of the blame
The Personalised Employment Pass is realy interesting:
On the Employment Pass they look at your credentials and the kind of job you would be doing and your age etc.
For the Personalised Employment Pass they only look at your income. That's it.
Sad to see the brighter parts of this world having low fertility rates while the poorest breed themselves to Malthusian conditions... Innovation and wealth only get you so far.
When you have the highest average IQ in the world, and stop making high IQ babies, the only way to go is down.
@@xenuburger7924 Anti-Flynn Effect is real too
Right now the rising nutrition of the poorer countries might counter iq decline. Also decline in religion in some countries might spur innovation.
@@xenuburger7924 Yes, literacy rates are increasing all over the world and often the brighter bits of these countries go working in the West.
why does Singapore hire maids ? Because Singapore does not have sufficient maids. Why does they hire talents ? Singapore does not have enough talents!
Lol
@@matalinongtsunggo4503 I have worked in SG, And what I said is true, Talents who are on Employment pass they are not 100% talents, 40% is due to lack of labor for that opening jobs.
Why talents not go somewhere else? You get resident in a tiny island already overcapacity. Think sardine can and it's not sustainable!
As a Singaporeans born in the 80s. I can see Singapore change so much that when walking around Singapore especially in the Business Hub it feels like I am in another country and I am the minority.
If spore closed its door to foreigner, then Singapore is just a village island
Orang Cina from Singapura are some of the biggest whiners and crybabies on the planet. You are 75% of Singapore. An overwhelming super-majority formed because of decades of rampant immigration from China. Yet you're complaining about being a "minority" in a country where you own and control everything. Delusional to the core.
@@mitsuil6854 I am orang cina in Singapore and I totally agree with you. Too many loser crybabies like the original comment poster, cannot fend for themselves, and blame the world for their own uselessness.
@@mitsuil6854 rampant from China? I see the worker from construction site, town council maintenance, a lot of electricians and labour shipyard are not from China. Very often those work on road maintenance are not from China at all.
@@kongwee1978 Problem is I dont think most of you would want to take up a job in those areas to begin with...
Problem is if we don’t transit quickly enough in industrialisation 4.0 n keep bringing in foreigners from not so advanced economy we keep ourselves mired in lower part of value chain. The part on bringing in more people to increase tax base should have a rethink Becos increasingly we see the cost unaccounted for at first surfacing. I hv no doubt ft strategy will change n there r signs govt is wiser on this issue now. Definition of who is ft is key.
People who have kids needs to have a lot more perks , this should help
Will be nice if the 'Foreign talents' that Singapore hires are actually talents as the words suggest.
Calling inbound foreigners with 4.5k - 5k starting salary "Elites with a capital E" eh? Adjusted for employer CPF contributions, it's the local equivalent of a mediocre uni grad at best (especially for knowledge based roles).
4.5-5K are already questionable. 10K above most likely are talent. These talent are closer to the directors or CEOs.They won't any how hire this level of people.
wait, you guys fresh grad's starting at 4.5-5k SGD?
SG citizen fresh grads start with 4.5-5k SGD? No wonder companies prefer to hire foreigners
@@unimpressedsquidward3059 that salary only from doctors and some other highly inflated niche jobs. Business and engineering grads starting with 2.5k generally.
@@unimpressedsquidward3059 foriegners also same 4.5k to 5.5k. Local lower wages. 2.7k
Talent is a mass noun, so it should be singular.
Expatriate - Translation: An Immigrant from a rich country.
expatriate = same color skin
immigrant = different color skin
As a Singaporean who works in tech, I believe that our foreign talent strategy has really only benefited Singaporeans. I don’t think that we “lose” jobs to foreigners who are willing to accept lower pay. Instead I strongly believe that those jobs often have few strong candidates among the local population, and that we would benefit from having the job filled by the best people in the field from abroad.
I can share many policy criticisms of the PAP government, but their foreign talent strategy is not one of them. I sincerely hope that our political opposition steers away from using the foreign talent boogeyman in their political campaigns, and focuses instead on many of the other issues our country faces.
honestly those clowns who complain that they can't get jobs mostly are so incompetent that they can't come close to getting roles in those high paying sectors that they think are full of FT. its just a distraction from their xenophobia
Totally agree with your point, if sg wasn't so open many of these mnc and jobs would not even exist here to begin with what more even letting these buggers complain about this issue 😂😂
Interesting but is it worth it for the Talents and the state ?
What I can't tolerate is the be little of Singaporeans and the wow effect over Foreign Talent and even Foreign labors. I couldn't stop wondering why Singapore Gov't solely rely on FT yearly but not leverage on having FT to transfer the skillsets and knowledge to Singapore and train Singaporeans of those needed skillsets.... One thing i am certain is Singapore have always been 1, 2 steps behind of advance technologies and it is probably due to its play safe play with more info way of thinking that they can't be adventurous enough to walk in the dark and charter into the unknown....That makes Singapore a late comer in every possible opportunities or create new industries.
The way the Gov't acts is very typical as almost all the Leaders came from sensible, logical academic backgrounds, the country is so short of adventurers and entrepreneursl innovators that are willing to take and make risk and dare to explore and venture out of the box and safe zone... The cabinet that make up mostly Retired elites, generals and civil servants lack the courage to step out of their safety zone which is the culture they also lead the citizens into...The so call Kiasu, Kiasi, Kia laokui. (Afraid of failure, afraid of Death, afraid of Shames)...
Every year I can hear the Prime Minister telling us how taught the situation is and will be and only things I can hear from him are fears and negativity then end with a we will see this through and no one will be left behind....Its not going to bring Singapore in to the competition of world leader in industries and economics...That's not how the top business leader will say....That only be shadow the future and demoralize people of the country... Fear cannot and should not be the factor or power to drive people...Its hope, possibilities and courage that drives people to a better tomorrow.....
No one know how to build planes or rocket or solar panel but someone did try from nothing and create somethings....Why Singapore can't be the one that create something(technologies of their own and sell it to the world). With all the wealth of the country, investing heavily on home grown innovation and inventions, Ambitious to challenge beyond techs such as outer space techs, Global climate recovery tech, ultra bio tech advance AI tech whichever beyond today's technologies would be more meaningful and worth wide than to follow other successor's footstep like a hyena. Groom home grown scientists and researches instead of importing all the 3 tier scientists and researchers (so called FT that their own country don't even treasure)....
The sky is no longer the limit(that is so decades ago!!!), why are the leaders of Singapore still having vision under a sight shorter than a telescope? So I can't agreed with Singapore's current point of view about Foreign Talent and be little on the Singaporeans that are the support of the country....Why aren't you grooming Singaporean into talents the world desire instead of chasing talents elsewhere???? We have one of world's smartest children and young generations but you just belittle your own talents and did not seriously looked at grooming your future generation into top notch leaders of industries...What is wrong with you PAP??? Why are not teaching out students all the outdated theories and not allow our students to questions and challenge the text books and lecturers of these theories? Why are you not giving more and generous scholarships to all the local Singaporeans and send them to all the top countries and coorperations like Microsoft, Apple, Lockhead Martins Boeing, NASA.......etc for internships and studies ??
Why are you only interested in making Singaporeans laborers or loyal servants and rely on Foreign Talents(3 rated in their own countries) and worship them like gods? Which country would give up their own talents? Why are you avoid answering this question? The talents that you get from other countries are they really talents?
no one is obliged to be your teacher, end of the day depends on how hardworking you are to actually ask around at work and learn. can't expect anyone to serve as a part time teacher on top of their work, that is not their duty to do so. their responsibility is carrying out the role well
If is really about talent, is OK.
Instead majority hire high paid cheapo. Even hire fresh grad from 3rd world with ZERO experience can be classified as talent !!!??? It has nothing to do with talent.
narrator could use a microphone 'pop' filter
I feel that a few points should be raised. The first is that male Singaporeans are obliged to serve a mandatory 2-year national service stint in the military which disadvantages them in the local job market vis-a-vis those who have no such obligation. They are also saddled with a 10-year reservist obligation which takes no great degree of intelligence for one to realize that it is not particularly helpful for employment. The second point is that there is limited evidence for the claim that the foreign talents have a high degree of complementarity to the skill set of local workers, i.e., they bring in specialized skills that the locals lack. This is not something that has been studied emipirically to any degree in spite of repeated claims by the foreign talent policy proponents in many circles. The last point is the purported claim that the foreign talents transfer skills to local workers. Again, this is not something for which empirical evidence has been shown.
Serving in the military results in Singaporeans who are two years older than non-Singaporeans. Not sure how this 2 extra years is a disadvantage when reading Job Descriptions? Because Job advertisements generally request x number years of experience for a role, not how old the applicant is.
In addition, the military teaches transferable skills for job applicants: leadership, perseverance, team work, self-confidence. It is these differentiating soft skills/qualities that companies value.
The NS is a cruel joke for Sporean men. It serves no real purpose other than nation building. It's a way for local men, overwhelmingly spoiled, asset rich brats, to form a local identity. This is why when locals argue with foreigners, one of the goto arguments is "I am a National Serviceman. This is my country."
Singapore is under no serious threat and would not be able to survive a serious conflict with almost any other regional country.
In this regard, NS is a total waste.
don't forget to include singaporean girls as well, they also are not subjected to any mandatory service to the nation, they enjoy citizen benefits (better than foreigners) while not having to pay any cost, being able to be free-riders at the expense of singaporean men
@@pkny81 thats utter nonsense .... differentiating??? you mean to say that the mentioned skills can only be attained through national service? or that going through national service will definitely teach these skills ??
The mindless brainwashing you have been subjected to is laughable. No employee other than a boomer with the same thinking as you would see NS as a strength and preferentially pick a male candidate over a female because they presume that NS will exclusively provide skills you mentioned.
The fear of being a stepping stone is short sighted. Drawing the line between those who stay and those who leave makes it less likely they will stay. This is not a slave state, they are free to leave if they choose. But take a look at the bigger picture, if you are friendly and accomadating, they are more likely to want to be part of you. And sometimes if they don't, it may be for other reasons like family, loyalty, assets, and not always about Singapore.
Exactly. And, it's fair to say they are NOT generally friendly or welcoming. Especially if one is brown.
One of the only reasons wealthy expats retire here is because the taxes are low and they can travel from (read: leave) Singapore as often as possible.
@Francisco III J Dy “majority of local are unemployed “ that is not true , i work in the hospital and foreign workers like nurses are extremely vital in running the hospital but majority of singaporeans do NOT choose to be nurses hence they have no choice but to obtain foreigners. Majority of singaporeans DON’T want to the dirty jobs such as nursing and want the high life aircon jobs. This is mainly for the healthcare industry.
@@spots- I was looking for this comment
Singapore's population grew 0.8% in 2020. The larger question in my mind is: who is the country bringing in? Are they individuals who are committed to living in Singapore and fully integrating into society? Do they help Singaporean companies innovate, go global and bring in technological know-how? Will they call their children Singaporean or retain their foreign identity? Is it best if the country brings in foreign talent that helps make Singaporean companies stronger or is it better if the country brings in rich people who use Singapore as a retirement home? I think those questions are worth thinking about.
As long as people coming in a country do not bring problems and adapt to the way of living of the local country and how things are there, they will benefit the country. I want to come to Singapore and work in the semiconductor industry soon. Companies there are expanding a lot. It is normal they need new workers. People complaining that foreigners steal their jobs never had to look for a job in another country.
That is what people do best. Blaming others but not themselves. I am recruited as a skilled talent elsewhere. Not that I don't love my home country, I do. However the area of my skilled is not available in my country yet (as much as I would love to the pioneer, it is taxing to work with people who usually thinks if you are older you know better than those who are not mentality.
@@daisuke910 Sorry just curious. What's your area of expertise?
@@cookie12986 multidiscplinary field in cancer research and biological engineering. The UK seems to look for people with the biological/bioprocessing engineering lately.
Though my upcoming job is on cancer research and genomics.
It's all very rosy now that we have CECA!
Their presidential faculty program has failed to attract talented scientists despite offering astronomical compensation (300k/year).
When i came to Singapore in 2004, the Sg govt was into this graciousness campaign. Needless to say, that campaigned failed. If locals are more welcoming and gracious, im sure many foreign talents will convert to bring citizens my case as an example. I came to Sg in 2004 and close to submitting my citizenship papers around 2007-2008, but i changed my mind because of the friction between locals and foreigners.
@@facta-non-verba your reservist training is a piece of cake. Haha
Man, you talk so big but no one will go to Singapore for it’s so expensive and it’s impossible for people to live there.
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
@@Asianometry Actually, the problem in Singapore is not so much immigration but it's just that the place is too small. How I wish there was an efficient, progressive, highly capable and strong Malaysian government that could match Singapore then, Malaysia could have welcomed a few million foreign talent easily due to larger country.
Why talents not go somewhere else? You get resident in a tiny island already overcapacity. Think sardine can and it's not sustainable!
Singapore govt doest get public opinion from CZcams comment so you shouldnt care about good/bad comment on Singapore public policy.
Being an ordinary middle class or lower class is not significant. No matter you are a citizen or not, the elite leader is first concerned about their benefit and security. Under SG style, it is Plutocracy or dictator democracy just like other nations. The rich rule the poor. That is the bottom line. To be free and happy, design your own life and find the right place that offers your need.
Actually, the problem in Singapore is not so much immigration but it's just that the place is too small. How I wish there was an efficient, progressive, highly capable and strong Malaysian government that could match Singapore then, Malaysia could have welcomed a few million foreign talent easily due to larger country.
Singapore can build up.
I don't know if this is noticeable to others but here's like this high pitched noise coming from your mic. It makes it hard to watch your videos so you might need to fix it.
Thanks for letting me know. I don't hear it but let me see if I can change up the equipment.
@@Asianometry That's great, thanks!
Many foreigners I know are actually packing their bags. Prejudice and "Chinese coloured" patriotism especially among the young generation, which usually should be the most adventurous and open social group, are obvious. The atmosphere in Singapore has changed a lot.
The Chinese across Southeast Asia have been waiting for the motherland to become strong enough before turning up their xenophobia.
Ethnic Chinese are Chinese first and nationals second. They've been waiting decades for the power dynamic to shift so that they could kick out all the Westerners or make life very uncomfortable for us.
@@eggplant240 Even my 12yo son feels it. He's mixed, people don't know he's Singaporean. I do not know how long I can still find happy "explanations" for him. That might be over when he 14, 15.
we need more foreigners, but I don't think they want to come to Singapore cos we are small and a lot of work can be done remotely so many don't want to come anymore.
Actually, the problem in Singapore is not so much immigration but it's just that the place is too small. How I wish there was an efficient, progressive, highly capable and strong Malaysian government that could match Singapore then, Malaysia could have welcomed a few million foreign talent easily due to larger country.
Its beyond their calibration. The import has to trickle sooner than later. If not the supermajority will be lost by the govt.
Singapore needs to hire foreigners to do many jobs that require excellent communication skills. Just look at CNA where the presenters and anchors are all foreigners. Singaporeans speak English with a very think Chinese accent that only Singaporeans can understand. The funny thing is that Chinese Singaporeans cannot speak Chinese very well either. Tell Singaoreans to write an equation, they can do an excellent job. But they cannot communicate in either written or spoken English. The government knows this and tries to improve things, to no avail.
I would say foreign talents have benefited me here in Singapore's education sector. Having highly educated individuals from all over the world coming to our universities to teach our generation's youth have greatly increased our quality of education.
All foreign talents welcome but need overtime, check & balance by independent 3rd party & e-transparent to the public. Cannot totally trust politicians
Politicians arent the ones doing the checks man. 3rd party checks are conducted, but it is easier said than done when it comes to verifying overseas certificates when the overseas representative of the institution can be paid to lie. No 3rd party check is foolproof. This whole fake cert thing doesnt just apply to FTs, locals do it too, the difference is one goes viral while the other doesnt.
If you need knowledge and no has it locally bring in someone who's form a place that doesn't bother to show appropriation for them, learning and invest in this and 2 generations later some other place can so the same to your mistreated geniuses .
It just workers.
Narrative here toeing the line of the govt here, rather well..
Narrative? Well maintaining first world living standards comes with a cost, its very easy to grand stand on self righteous ideologies but when the rubber hits the road only the strong willed survive.
It's unfortunate and ashamed that a society as advance as Singapore with many times per capita of knowledge workforce than that of the USA and European is having so much self-doubt about growing and building on it's own unique competitive advantage and edge.
Many Asians are so used to being told and taught that they lack innovative and creative ideas that the inferiority complex has taken roots deeply amongst even the most educated of their politicians. Bloody shameful!
Self-doubt is the first step towards attaining a self-fulfilling prophecy!
A fool with the tools is still a fool. A genius who lacks confidence is no smarter than an idiot!
Population 5.6M including 1.6M Foreigners.
Not Including PRs n New Citizens.
That's a ratio of ~1:2
Foreign Levy collected upto $1,200/mth Per head.
Simple Calculation will tell U >$10 Billions per year collected while suppressing Local Wages
Suppressing local wages? Simple calculation but lacking simple basic logic to know what funds the 1001 social welfare policies along with looking at the growth in average wages over the years, and failing to understand simple logic that wages are based on demand and supply forces in the labour market. Privileged Singaporeans need to get all their subsidies and freebies taken away from them maybe they'll understand the meaning of suppression.
@@johnwig285 what freebie ? Nothing .
Why talents not go somewhere else? You get resident in a tiny island already overcapacity. Think sardine can and it's not sustainable!
Many of my foreigner colleagues immigrate here to Singapore under scholarship, got the passport and then immigrate to the the western world.
hi
I don't want to insult anyone, just to share my observation.
Singapore (similar as with many former colonies) is still locked in the colonial mindset that what comes from (former) colonial powers, or let's be less racially sensitive: everything that comes from white expat "talent" is much much better than local grown talent.
That's why you have enclaves of white, mostly brits/americans/aussies/kiwies, earning loads of money there, living the life they could only dream of living at home. And they are not that much talented at all, they're mostly mediocre employees on a high position.
The discontent among locals is due to false sentiments and skewed perspectives. Locals think foreigners are stealing their jobs when in reality foreigners take up jobs that Singaporeans either dont want to fill in such as construction work and nursing or they don't have solid experience in areas like AI. For instance, we need foreign expats in AI in the first place to train & develop our locals. Sure, more foreign expats are coming into the country, but it is literally due to the fact that there are more MNCs coming to SG, which at the same time brings proportionately more jobs for Singaporeans. But locals just dont see the logic because they view it from a myopic pov and use the increase in FTs as a yardstick instead of looking at the jobs created for locals. The fake cert argument is easily debuked as that applies to locals as well, just that it doesn't gain traction and doesn't go viral compared to an FT faking their cert.
Wait until all MNC start to move to Bangkok, Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur, they will cry for mercy. Wait for it
Are you stupid or what? Despite commenting so much, you don’t even know the realities on the ground or are you paid by the govt to bullshit? The local discontent is surrounded around the PMETs, not areas such as construction and nursing. These areas have always been filled with foreigners which is totally fine with the locals. Locals seek to join the PMET sector, not toiling under the scorching sun as a construction worker. Have you been to Changi Business Park? That’s all you need to know. There’s a huge difference between bringing in expert foreign talent, especially in areas where local expertise is missing, and opening the floodgates to anyone and everyone. Do you know how much the government earns from foreign worker levies? That’s another clue for you if you’re still in your own little bubble.
@@whatthefitt Im sorry that anyone who doesn't say what u like or fit ur narrative is automatically stupid or some govt mouthpiece. Flawed logic from the start. I clearly stated fields like AI, that one not PMET meh? I dont think u understand such a simple point, u do realise that the presence of construction workers & nursing etc plays a part in the discontent? U can wayang or BS others, but not me, are you sure you are aware on what's happening on the ground to acknowledge that there's correlation in the number of foreigners be it PMETs or construction and the discontent among locals? Because, ppl like you, only look at things anecdotally instead from a statistical pov and bigger picture. All you see is more foreigners on the street which u then translate to more jobs stolen by foreigners. Aint rocket science. I literally explained about how our AI field lacks expertise hence we need FTs to train and our develop our local scene. If u spend more time reading what i wrote and researching instead of listening to Facebook sentiments and politicking like a typical Malaysian, maybe ur ignorance will be educated
@@whatthefitt seems like majority of the sentiments are against “changi business park “ but if you look at stats majority of singapore foreign talents are malaysians “south asians/indians” in “changi business park” are less than 5% of foreign talents. The south asians stand out from the crowd due to appearance and hence they are an easy punching bag to majority singaporeans without realising the actual facts. the negative sentiments seems to be just plain emotions and feelings and not logical and practical. without foreigners sg economy would start going down, the only reason covid has not affected our economy is due to foreigners without them we will be back to a fishing village 🎣
Why Singapore hire only White men in top positions ??
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the more the more better
Singapork core... Steal n claim 🤣 pulau org kaya jer....
sg 4 million citizens+permanent residents..1.6 million others..foreigners buit singapore.. construction workers, nurses, doctors,maids, cleaners, service industry.. sg is 2 small 2 survive without foreign workers
It's kind of funny seeing singaporean complaining about foreigners stealing jobs, when they themselves are only a second and third generation immigrants. Singapore was built by and for foreigners. If not for the british colony bringing in foreigners from China and India, it would be just another malay state in Malaysia or Indonesia.
Talking nonsense with no proper understanding of history. Singapore is an independent country since 1965 when it was one of the poorest countries in the world.
Singaporeans are nevertheless citizens, and these are citizens’ rights including privileges in terms of resource/opportunity priority. Along with 2nd generation PR fighting fit males, Singaporeans and certain PRs see themselves having contributed towards nation building beyond economic contributions, that included serving military, adhering to national values and ultimately, staying in Singapore for good, for better or for worst.
Foreign talents residing and working in a host country anywhere, including Singapore, are economic prospectors. Some called them economic opportunistic. Some called them economic refugees. But that happens just about anywhere whereby people move from a less developed economy to a better developed economy.
As for conscription, I think Singaporean and 2nd generation PR males are better than many other conscripting nations. The last time I heard Taiwanese males were keen in military that they reduced the serving period. South Korea conscription is tough but there are cases of abuse. As for Thailand’s conscription, males are chosen based on the lottery to serve in the military, faints on the spot. Or even resigning to sex change fate to avoid it altogether - hey, I think that’s funny too!
😄
They are hardly talents, foreigners yes! The only asset that works in Singapore is real estate, the rest is a poor investment compared with any global peer equivalent
Neutral ?
@Francisco III J Dy video was describing content as though from propaganda template with data by incumbent. Legacy how island nation came to this point was skipped, and became "that is the way it is"
No racist and xenophobic.
Brexit.
Dang, I'd love to go live and work in Singapore. Or Taiwan - those are my two favorite countries. But I wouldn't want to be resented by the real citizens there...
This whole topic is a “we live in a society” meme… asians complaining about immigration LOL
They don't even train the local workforce and say they need foreigners. How ridiculous you dump a good 100k students in local universities only for the bulk of them to not meet your labour market and to be taking on job they are overqualified for.
Frankly as a citizen it is ridiculous and insulting most of us feel like second class citizens while individuals with no vote are being better treated and given more resources than we do.
There should be fair and equal treatment between citizens and foreigners.
singaporeans have it better off than foreigners pls. its a known fact there is foreigner quota so if a singaporean candidate is equally competent or just slightly less competent than a foreigner candidate, the singaporean will be considered. If otherwise then usually the singaporean candidate is alot worse...
I can feel what Jon is thinking, you damn spoiled brats, come and try taiwan and you will know whats the real hard life!!!
What about your mom
Foreign talents? Are you talking about the Bangla that works in construction or the Indon maids or the whites in Clark quay that everyone seem to worship or the Chinese mainlanders that flaunt their Lamborghinis
Oh our Singaporean overlord, please give your kind eye at the underpaid but qualified and hardworking population of India and her neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal etc.
chena chena lagche
I don't have to care about Asia as my time on this Earth (thankfully) is short. I can just go for hikes or electric bike rides. Après-moi le déluge mes amis. Ask your parents about why you were needed. I have no kids who would need to ask me. The last generation. And then silence. No techno utopia for little Jack and little Jill (it has worked out fine until now right? hahaha)
Ive been to SG once and hopefully my last. Almost nobody smile and Everyone look depressed except tourists.
LOL that is the most ridiculous example of confirmation bias
China has a better chance of solving the fertility/wealth problem than Singapore, because China doesn’t focus on Profits above People. There is a definitely something wrong with govt collecting more money.
Then move to China if you like it that much, CCP influence agent.
@@mitsuil6854 Make Singapore more like China, don't need to leave. :)
Is this video sponsored by Singapore government ?
Waiting for nasty Singaporean comments 😂
@Francisco III J Dy nobody is hiding the truth, pls give an example
@Francisco III J Dy is already disclosed. Go look for it. You can write down the question but don't know where to find the answer? You 12 years old?
@Francisco III J Dy you think i am your walking Wikipedia izzit??
I think this is the reason why singapore doesn’t allow dual citizenship,the don’t want their educated population leaving the country for life for more Liberal countries, that have more to offer.
America wouldn’t care less about Asian human rights if Singapore had oil !