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24-07-2021, 02:28 PM
Good to see LMY shoot down OYK
Credibility comes from full disclosure of data
Two weeks have passed since we heard the Ministerial Statements on Foreign Manpower and Free Trade Agreements at the parliamentary sitting on 6 July 2021. I am greatly encouraged by the enormous and sustained interest that Singaporeans have shown in the issues raised by the Ministerial Statements.
Subsequent to the parliamentary sitting, Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng revealed that the Ministry of Manpower and tripartite partners are reviewing the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in order to strengthen measures to tackle workplace discrimination, and he said “it will not be long” before they come back with a recommendation.
A few days later, during a lecture at the Institute of Policy Studies, Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon recommended tightening the qualifying salaries for Employment Pass and S Pass foreign PMETs as well as targeting individuals in firms found to be guilty of discriminatory hiring in favour of foreigners.
It is motivating to feel the winds of change and heartening to see the effect of PSP raising the right questions in parliament. However, simply making some tweaks and adjustments to current policies is not enough. They do not address fundamental problems that stemmed from the lack of foresight in striking a balance in the job market from the very beginning.
PSP’s aim is to seek a thorough review of the impact of the Foreign Talent policy and the huge inflow of foreign PMETs into our labour market over the past twenty years. We wish to see a clear plan of action from the government that can bring about tangible improvements to address the sufferings of affected Singaporeans.
To accomplish this we need more data from the Government. At the 6 July parliamentary sitting, PSP filed 7 questions requesting for hundreds of data points across different nationalities and work pass categories over the last twenty years. In response, the Government provided two Ministerial Statements which revealed only a few scattered points of data.
Besides the lack of data, we also found the presentation of data to be problematic. E.g. data points were presented in convoluted and confusing ways, we requested for data on PMETs but the data given only covered PMEs, and so on.
Hence, at the upcoming parliamentary sitting on 26 July, we will be raising another 8 parliamentary questions to ask for fuller data sets as well as to seek clarifications on the few data points disclosed by the Ministers.
For example, we will be requesting for time series data from 2005-2020 involving professionals, managers and executives (PMEs). Health Minister Ong Ye Kung only provided two single data points from that time period, which is that the total number of PME jobs created for residents (Singaporeans and PRs) and foreigners were 380,000 and 112,000 respectively.
We will also be asking for more details about the 97,000 jobs that the Minister said had been created for residents by the 660 Singapore companies that have invested in India since 2005.
Minister Tan See Leng mentioned that the government does not publish detailed statistics on our foreign workforce, especially by nationality, for “foreign policy reasons”. While this is understandable to some degree, the reason as given is vague. If there are no specific concerns, I would urge the Minister to provide whatever data he can in the spirit of, in his own words, allowing for “meaningful engagement” on the issues. We need to examine the data and ascertain the facts before we can reach meaningful conclusions.
In attempting to present a narrative without comprehensive data to support it, the Ministerial Statements simply do not carry the credibility that such statements normally do. Accordingly, there is also little credibility in any mainstream media reports trying to support the same narrative.
With all due respect, the Government must recognise that it is not good enough to make sweeping statements and give reassurances when it provides scant evidence to back up its assertions.
During the debate, Minister Ong Ye Kung also tried to frame certain questions in a binary way to push me to give simple “yes or no” answers. I believe that Singaporeans are sophisticated enough to understand that we can have nuanced positions on complex issues. For instance, I have repeatedly said in parliament that PSP fully supports FTAs in general. But how beneficial FTAs are depend on their specific terms in relation to our domestic conditions. While FTAs do not take away our sovereign right to regulate immigration, some may still constrain our latitude to formulate and implement our immigration policies.
We also urge Singaporeans not to get distracted by allegations made against the PSP. We have never said that CECA gives “unfettered access” to our labour markets and such constant accusations are regrettable. They shift the focus away from the real and pressing issues that genuinely concern Singaporeans.
The PSP will continue to ask the right questions in the run-up to and during the #PSPJobsDebate to enable us to get a fuller picture of the situation of displaced Singaporeans.
Credibility comes from full disclosure of data
Two weeks have passed since we heard the Ministerial Statements on Foreign Manpower and Free Trade Agreements at the parliamentary sitting on 6 July 2021. I am greatly encouraged by the enormous and sustained interest that Singaporeans have shown in the issues raised by the Ministerial Statements.
Subsequent to the parliamentary sitting, Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng revealed that the Ministry of Manpower and tripartite partners are reviewing the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in order to strengthen measures to tackle workplace discrimination, and he said “it will not be long” before they come back with a recommendation.
A few days later, during a lecture at the Institute of Policy Studies, Monetary Authority of Singapore managing director Ravi Menon recommended tightening the qualifying salaries for Employment Pass and S Pass foreign PMETs as well as targeting individuals in firms found to be guilty of discriminatory hiring in favour of foreigners.
It is motivating to feel the winds of change and heartening to see the effect of PSP raising the right questions in parliament. However, simply making some tweaks and adjustments to current policies is not enough. They do not address fundamental problems that stemmed from the lack of foresight in striking a balance in the job market from the very beginning.
PSP’s aim is to seek a thorough review of the impact of the Foreign Talent policy and the huge inflow of foreign PMETs into our labour market over the past twenty years. We wish to see a clear plan of action from the government that can bring about tangible improvements to address the sufferings of affected Singaporeans.
To accomplish this we need more data from the Government. At the 6 July parliamentary sitting, PSP filed 7 questions requesting for hundreds of data points across different nationalities and work pass categories over the last twenty years. In response, the Government provided two Ministerial Statements which revealed only a few scattered points of data.
Besides the lack of data, we also found the presentation of data to be problematic. E.g. data points were presented in convoluted and confusing ways, we requested for data on PMETs but the data given only covered PMEs, and so on.
Hence, at the upcoming parliamentary sitting on 26 July, we will be raising another 8 parliamentary questions to ask for fuller data sets as well as to seek clarifications on the few data points disclosed by the Ministers.
For example, we will be requesting for time series data from 2005-2020 involving professionals, managers and executives (PMEs). Health Minister Ong Ye Kung only provided two single data points from that time period, which is that the total number of PME jobs created for residents (Singaporeans and PRs) and foreigners were 380,000 and 112,000 respectively.
We will also be asking for more details about the 97,000 jobs that the Minister said had been created for residents by the 660 Singapore companies that have invested in India since 2005.
Minister Tan See Leng mentioned that the government does not publish detailed statistics on our foreign workforce, especially by nationality, for “foreign policy reasons”. While this is understandable to some degree, the reason as given is vague. If there are no specific concerns, I would urge the Minister to provide whatever data he can in the spirit of, in his own words, allowing for “meaningful engagement” on the issues. We need to examine the data and ascertain the facts before we can reach meaningful conclusions.
In attempting to present a narrative without comprehensive data to support it, the Ministerial Statements simply do not carry the credibility that such statements normally do. Accordingly, there is also little credibility in any mainstream media reports trying to support the same narrative.
With all due respect, the Government must recognise that it is not good enough to make sweeping statements and give reassurances when it provides scant evidence to back up its assertions.
During the debate, Minister Ong Ye Kung also tried to frame certain questions in a binary way to push me to give simple “yes or no” answers. I believe that Singaporeans are sophisticated enough to understand that we can have nuanced positions on complex issues. For instance, I have repeatedly said in parliament that PSP fully supports FTAs in general. But how beneficial FTAs are depend on their specific terms in relation to our domestic conditions. While FTAs do not take away our sovereign right to regulate immigration, some may still constrain our latitude to formulate and implement our immigration policies.
We also urge Singaporeans not to get distracted by allegations made against the PSP. We have never said that CECA gives “unfettered access” to our labour markets and such constant accusations are regrettable. They shift the focus away from the real and pressing issues that genuinely concern Singaporeans.
The PSP will continue to ask the right questions in the run-up to and during the #PSPJobsDebate to enable us to get a fuller picture of the situation of displaced Singaporeans.
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