Transcript FOREIGN TALENT!

FOREIGN TALENT!
How will foreign talent affect Singapore’s development?
What you will learn today:
What are the benefits of Foreign Talent?
How will Foreign Talent hinder Singapore’s development?
How Singapore has affected the Foreign Talent & their way of
living?
How & why Singapore attracts Foreign Talent over?
Introduction
Foreign Talent can help Singapore economically, socially and
culturally.
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However, it should not be over-hyped.
They are essential for the continuation of Singapore's
prosperity and progress.
Singapore has a small range of talents and skills.
 To make up for what we do not have.
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Why so we need to attract foreign
talent?
To make up for the lack of talent or skills of our locals, which
will help in boosting our economy.
To improve the workforce in Singapore as a whole.
Singaporeans will strive harder.
Government wants Singapore to be a more cosmopolitan and
vibrant city.
Immigrants are not the threat. The threat lies in
the people who discriminate against locals in
favor of foreign talents.
How did Singapore
managed to attract
foreign talents over?
Think through what’ve learnt in
Social Studies.
Singapore has leading
universities that are
able to gather foreign
talent in Singapore.
How Singapore affect foreign
talent & their standard of living?
 Provide job opportunities.
 Developed Singapore allowed them to raise their standard of living.
Emphasizes on the development of Singapore.
Negative impacts of
Foreign Talent
Cash Outflow
Capital Investment
Crime Rate
Labour Costs
Cash Outflow
Not significantly excessive.
Substantial part of income will
be spent in Singapore due to
high cost of living.
Capital Investment
Over-reliant on foreign labour
Foreign labour cheaper
 Led to little capital
investments
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Not as efficient as machines
Crime Rate
Increase in Crime Rate
> 900 foreigners arrested for crimes like
armed robbery, molest, vehicle thefts,
shoplifting & possession of weapons
between January – June 1996 (ST, 3rd
October 1996)
Increase in immigration offences, like
overstaying & illegal employment. (ST, 11th
September 1996)
Labour Costs
Do you agree that by employing
foreign labour reduces labour
costs?
As the wages of foreign workers
are lower than locals.
Labour Costs
Misconception
Employers had forgotten to impute hidden costs of
employing foreign workers.
Costs Included:
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Accommodation
Foreign Worker Levy
Quality & Productivity Costs
Resources to Care for immigrants & integrate them into
our community
Benefits of Foreign Talent
Economic Growth
Education
Culture & Tolerance
Working Mothers
Create awareness
Foreign Expertise
Economic Growth
Plays significant role
Increased inflow of foreign talent
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Added 1.5% to 2% to economy’s growth
since 1992
Education
Teachers have positive influence on foreign students.
For Example, Mr. Kurt Kuehne @ Hua Yi
Culture & Tolerance
Interaction with foreigners exposes us to their culture, makes us more
tolerant of them.
Interaction allows us to appreciate the differences in culture in terms of
language, religion and festivals.
Better understanding of their working styles & attitudes.
Local television benefited from the talent and expertise of many foreigners
who help to improve standard of local art.
Working Mothers
Availability of foreign maids >
working mothers.
Use of foreign domestic help on
social implications for family.
Example, upbringing of the children
& impact on family unit.
Create Awareness
For example, Li Jia Wei (foreign talent) won a Silver
Medal in the Olympics’08, in which brought Singapore
to known to the world.
Foreign Expertise
Significant impact on locals
For example, the construction of the Singapore Mass
Rapid Transit (MRT) would not have been possible
without the contribution of foreign labour.
Contributes to Singapore in terms of:
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Technology
Research and Development
Education
Sports
Other factors affecting
Foreign Talent
Cross-Nationality Marriages
Improve Competitiveness
Sports
Retraining
Job & Promotion Opportunities
Congregation of Foreign Workers
Property & Rental Market
Cross-Nationality Marriages
Presence of foreigners working
here have resulted in more
cross-nationality marriages.
For Example, professionals &
workers
Improve Competitiveness
With the introduction of foreign talent, locals would feel
insecure about their jobs and strive to improve themselves in
order to keep up with the competition.
As a result, many of them would strive to upgrade themselves,
so as to be better equipped to take on the competition.
Competitiveness in the country among the people increases.
Sports
Foreign coaches & players improved standard of sports in
Singapore.
For Example: Li Jia Wei (Table Tennis), Tao Li (Swimming) &
Ronald Susilo (Badminton)
Exposure to foreign players can improve the skills of local
players.
Concentrating too much on foreign players can lead to a lack of
exposure for local players.
Retraining
Dependence on foreign labour led us
to neglect retraining of locals
Retraining on locals is not an issue as
foreigners are not competing for the
same jobs.
Most foreigners are recruited to fill up
jobs not wanted/cannot be filled by
locals who lack the requisite skills or
expertise
Jobs & Promotion
Opportunities
Jobs & Promotion Opportunities are affected somehow.
Hiring the foreign workers is cheaper than to local
workers.
Government’s selective immigration policy helps to
ensure that locals are not easily displayed by foreign
labour.
Congregation of Foreign Workers
Provides business opportunities for many local shopowners.
Example @ Boat Quay, The Golden Mile Complex
houses, Thai supermarkets etc to carter the needs of
other nationals working here.
Property & Rental Market
Important to make a distinction between
foreign labour and foreign investors
Foreign investors responsible for pushing
up property prices
Property markets are protected from
foreign ownership. The hike in property
prices is largely cause by local spectators
Group’s View
Singapore should not over-stress on the need for
foreign talents as it can do damage to the social fabric
in Singapore.
For example, Singaporeans may feel like second-class
citizens instead of the owners of the country.
I believe this is
the moment that
you’re waiting for.
HOMEWORK!
Do you think foreign
talent hinder
Singapore’s
development?
Why so?
Proudly Presented By:
Lee Seow Ting (06)
Loh Hui Ming (08)
Sharon Yeoh Ming Hui (14)
Matilda Tang Swee Sun (17)
4E3’09! 