Singapore Manpower Minister Tan See Leng says implementing stricter rules on hiring lower-skilled foreign workers will lead to increased recruitment of the local workforce.
“One key finding of our internal studies on foreign workforce policies is that tightening access to lower-skilled foreign workers is more likely to have a positive impact on local employment outcomes compared to tightening access to higher-skilled foreign workers. This is because businesses were able to substitute lower-skilled but cheaper foreign workers with locals, and therefore improve production processes accordingly,” Tan said.
The minister was asked, during a session of Parliament earlier this month, for the results of government studies on foreign worker quotas.
Tan added that the Ministry would not tighten controls on higher-skilled foreign professionals.
“This has informed our approach of remaining open to high-quality, foreign professionals, while maintaining a disciplined stance in regulating the number of work permit holders through quotas and levies,” he said.
