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17-09-2021, 08:49 PM
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/ex...hon-debate
Several WP MPs questioned the ability of Singapore’s education system to address this issue.
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said: “Some ask, 'Why can’t our people do those jobs?' After all, our students score so well on standardised tests. Our much-vaunted education system should have put our workforce in a much better position.”
The Government also needs to track and solve the issue of underemployment, which occurs when workers are not undertaking work for which they are trained, such as an engineer working as a private-hire car driver, Mr Singh said.
His party colleague and fellow Aljunied Group Representation Constituency MP Gerald Giam also noted how the 3,100 places in information and digital technologies undergraduate degree courses last year cannot meet the 20,000 new tech jobs that are in demand each year.
While it is laudable that so many tech jobs are being created, how much does this benefit Singaporean workers if our people are not equipped with the skills to fill them? It will lead to disappointment both by the companies investing in Singapore and our own people,” Mr Giam said.
Addressing this, Mr Wong said that these arguments about providing quality education miss out on the most important issue, which is the “stark reality” that while Singaporeans make a great workforce, “there are just not enough of us”.
“We have (manpower) needs in information technology. We have tremendous needs in engineering. Look at the services sector: Healthcare is growing, we need more people to look after our elderly population. We need more doctors, nurses. We need more physiotherapists. Oh, by the way, low-income issues are a problem, don't we need more social workers, too?” Mr Wong asked.
As for the underemployment question, he said that the Government is already doing its best to train all the mid-career PMETs, highlighting existing efforts in the SkillsFuture movement and the work of the Government’s tripartite partners, which are the unions and employers. However, this does not happen overnight.
“Individuals also have to make the effort in order to make these transitions… It is hard work getting this re-skilling done, and we should not just automatically assume that squeezing foreigners means jobs will go to Singaporeans,” he added.
Several WP MPs questioned the ability of Singapore’s education system to address this issue.
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said: “Some ask, 'Why can’t our people do those jobs?' After all, our students score so well on standardised tests. Our much-vaunted education system should have put our workforce in a much better position.”
The Government also needs to track and solve the issue of underemployment, which occurs when workers are not undertaking work for which they are trained, such as an engineer working as a private-hire car driver, Mr Singh said.
His party colleague and fellow Aljunied Group Representation Constituency MP Gerald Giam also noted how the 3,100 places in information and digital technologies undergraduate degree courses last year cannot meet the 20,000 new tech jobs that are in demand each year.
While it is laudable that so many tech jobs are being created, how much does this benefit Singaporean workers if our people are not equipped with the skills to fill them? It will lead to disappointment both by the companies investing in Singapore and our own people,” Mr Giam said.
Addressing this, Mr Wong said that these arguments about providing quality education miss out on the most important issue, which is the “stark reality” that while Singaporeans make a great workforce, “there are just not enough of us”.
“We have (manpower) needs in information technology. We have tremendous needs in engineering. Look at the services sector: Healthcare is growing, we need more people to look after our elderly population. We need more doctors, nurses. We need more physiotherapists. Oh, by the way, low-income issues are a problem, don't we need more social workers, too?” Mr Wong asked.
As for the underemployment question, he said that the Government is already doing its best to train all the mid-career PMETs, highlighting existing efforts in the SkillsFuture movement and the work of the Government’s tripartite partners, which are the unions and employers. However, this does not happen overnight.
“Individuals also have to make the effort in order to make these transitions… It is hard work getting this re-skilling done, and we should not just automatically assume that squeezing foreigners means jobs will go to Singaporeans,” he added.
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