Government eases regulations on hiring foreign workers

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 28 November 2007 2306 hrs

SINGAPORE: The government is easing regulations across the board on the hiring of foreign workers, in view of a tight labour market.

The overall unemployment rate fell to 1.7 percent in September this year – the lowest in almost a decade. The Manpower Ministry (MOM) said far more jobs are being created than locals can fill.

Amidst this tight labour market, companies said they have been finding it increasingly difficult to employ workers, especially locals.

That is why MOM is introducing a slew of measures to ease regulations on the hiring of foreign workers across all levels.

With growing industry demand for mid-skilled, mid-level foreign workers, the quota of S-pass holders will be increased from 15 percent to 25 percent from January next year.

To ease the manpower pressure in the booming Construction, Process and Marine sectors, MOM will raise the dependency ratio for the Construction and Process sectors from 1 local worker : 5 foreign workers, to 1 local worker : 7 foreign workers from 1 January 2008.

It will also reduce the work experience requirement for workers in Construction from four to two years from next March, and raise the dependency ratio for the Marine sector from 1 local worker : 3 foreign workers, to 1 local worker : 5 foreign workers from 1 January.

As the Manufacturing and Services sectors also expect to enjoy high growth, they will be allowed a higher proportion of foreign workers in their workforce as well.

For Manufacturing, the ratio will be increased to 6.5 foreign workers for every Singaporean hired, and for Services, that figure is 5 foreign workers to one local.

Refinements will also be made to the Personalised Employment Pass.

Launched earlier this year, this scheme helps professionals to continue working in Singapore as it is tied to an individual's merits rather than a specific employer.

Announcing the changes at an event on Wednesday evening, Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen explained why they were necessary.

He said: "There isn't an inexhaustible supply of local workers and it has slowed down this year to about 2 percent. In the World Competitiveness Yearbook for 2007 released earlier this year, Singapore emerged as having the most competitive labour market.

"One of the underlying factors is that companies here have access to the manpower that they need. Indeed, this must be a key concern for any company operating here, especially in the current tight labour market."

Industry players welcome the moves to ease the labour market.

Dr Robert Yap, YCH Group, said: "I'm sure this is something that's good for the industry. Our labour situation is getting very tight. With this tightness, you see job-hopping and all that, so it's affecting people like us who are entrepreneurs trying to build an organisation."

人力部放宽外劳配额

人力部决定松绑外劳政策，提高几个缺少员工情况较严重行业的外劳配额，以缓解这些行业雇主所面对的人手压力。

从政府这次推出的减压措施中受惠的行业，除了人手短缺问题最严重的建筑业和服务业，也包括制造业、加工业和海事业。

人力部将调整这些业者的本地对外籍劳工比例（dependency ratio），让他们聘用更多外籍劳工。另外，为鼓励业者聘用多一些至少有中级技能的熟练劳工，当局也把所有行业的S准证配额从目前的15%调高到25%。这些调整明年1月1日生效。

S准证是人力部发给拥有大专学历和相关工作经验外籍员工的准证，申请这项准证的员工月入必须至少1800元。

人力部长黄永宏医生昨晚为2007年度安永企业家奖(Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year)主持颁奖仪式时，透露这个松绑外劳政策的消息。

他指出，当局是鉴于目前本地劳动市场快速紧缩，而决定推出这些减压措施。

黄永宏说：“这些措施将确保企业能聘用到足够人手，来应付他们业务的增长，这将为新加坡人创造更多就业机会。”

经济持续蓬勃增长为本地就业市场创造更多工作机会，单是今年首三季新添的工作就多达17万1500份，全年的新增工作有望突破20万大关，创下人力部自1978年来开始总结就业数字的最高纪录。就业率也下跌到1.7％，是过去10年来的最低点，回复到亚洲金融危机前的水平。

由于劳动市场紧缩，不少企业近年来多次向当局提出放宽聘用外籍劳工的要求，不过当局一直以情况还不至于防碍业者业务增长为理由，回拒一些行业业者的要求。如今当局立场软化，显示人手短缺情况已经相当严重。

事实上，人力部刚在今年4月才调高建筑业和加工业可聘用的外劳比例，不过这显然不足以应付需求。建设局本月初就宣布展延总值最少20亿元的公共建设工程，以减轻建筑业因资源不足所面对的压力。