Singaporean, PR or foreigner? Labels in data threaten wedge: Minister Chee Hong Tat
- ‘Let us not go down the path of other economies which are struggling with the politics of division and envy’, the senior minister said
- His comments came after the trade minister and an opposition MP argued in Parliament over the city state’s foreign worker policy
Chee said in a Facebook post that the release of such data and distinguishing between Singaporeans and non-citizens in the workforce would drive a wedge between different groups in society, reiterating a point made by Chan on Monday.
“In growing our economy, we constantly balance multiple trade-offs, including the extent to which we bring in foreigners to complement our local workforce,” Chee wrote.
He also pointed out that most international labour market statistics are not broken down by nationalities.
He added: “What matters most are the outcomes for our workers. On this, the results are encouraging – Singapore remains globally competitive in attracting investments, unemployment has remained low, wages of Singaporean workers are going up and good jobs continue to be created now and in the future.”
Singapore has achieved these outcomes by staying united and working together, he said. “Let us not go down the path of other economies which are struggling with the politics of division and envy.”