Foreigners on LOC are taking over unemployed Singaporeans? - ST Forum

Current unemployment rate: 3% / Including PR: 2.8%

The recent Straits Times Forum introduced the opinion by the reader: Are schemes enough to help S'poreans with employment?

He highlighted the latest stats report by MOM - the unemployment rate for Singaporeans is 3 per cent, and slips to 2.8 per cent when permanent residents are included.

Then asked the question, "Why is the unemployment rate among PRs lower than among citizens?"

As we have been aware since a few years ago, SkillsFuture training courses and job fairs have been introduced to help Singaporeans improve their skills to find jobs.

"Are these effective in helping Singaporeans secure employment?"

Then he noticed:

- There were 372,100 foreign PMETs holding the Employment Pass and S Pass working in Singapore. (as of end 2017)

- There were also 30,700 foreign holders of other work passes, which comprise Letters of Consent(LOC), Training Work Permits and Training Employment Passes.

And he highlighted the increase of other work pass holders - up from 9,300 in December 2012.

The reader posed an interesting question: Can't those jobs from foreigners on "other work pass" be taken over by those unemployed Singaporeans?

On the online media platform called theOnlineCitizen.com, the article ends with another counter question: can't those unemployed or underemployed Singaporeans, especially those Singaporean PMETs driving Grab currently, take up the jobs done by any of the 372,100 foreign PMETs?

The feedback/voices on the above online article are also interesting.

Read more on the original source here:
https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/are-schemes-enough-to-help-sporeans-with-employment

https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2018/06/27/cant-unemployed-or-underemployed-sporeans-take-up-jobs-done-by-any-of-372100-foreign-pmets-here/