How can migrated singaporeans contribute to singapore

As readers may be aware, Singapore is known not only for its culture of consumption, evident in the ubiquitous shopping malls, but also for a highrise skyline that could be mistaken for a tropical New York or Shanghai.

Marina Bay Sands, a spectacular hotel-casino-shopping complex featuring an infinity pool and a SkyPark Observation Deck, was completed in During its construction, the sparks and flashes of light from welding and the noise of heavy construction under arclights could be seen and heard well after midnight while foreign workers toiled to meet building deadlines.

Construction workers live in dormitories provided by the employer or a dormitory operator. While there have been some efforts to encourage interaction of locals with the migrant workers 13 who have built the luxury hotels and high-rise tower blocks in which citizens live, real integration has not been universally accepted, and the debate over integration versus segregation has been in the public discourse for some time.

This incident served only to harden attitudes among locals to immigration and was apparently the catalyst for the government to ban public drinking between p. Work permit holders such as domestic or construction workers are subject to constraints not applied to the higher-skilled employment pass holders. They are forbidden from marrying Singaporeans or permanent residents without permission, and any domestic worker found to be pregnant is expelled from Singapore summarily and without exception.

In December , there were , female domestic worker visas and , construction worker visas effective in Singapore; employment passes and other categories of work permit for foreign talents amounted to some , Using the number of valid visas for noncitizens employed in Singapore as a guide, it indicates that the number of foreigners living in Singapore was approximately 1,, Clearly, Singapore has one of the highest percentages of nonpermanent resident foreigners of any nation in the world.

Immigration to Singapore has always been a feature of its role in a global economy as a magnet for people seeking work, even in the nineteenth century. More recently, it has become a node in twenty-first-century labor flows.

Large-scale migration and mass population movements are defining features of contemporary social life and a key dynamic of globalization that has had a profound effect on many nations. This has not been without its critics in Singapore, and there has been a discernible backlash against immigrants from the general population in recent years.

Singapore has an extremely stable economic and political system in which housing, health care, and education, while expensive, are among the best in the world; but, like other nations, it has also been vulnerable to the vagaries of the global economy.

While unemployment is low compared to international norms, an increase in the jobless rate and the threat of more rises is causing some concern among citizens. In early , the Singapore government released a population white paper titled A Sustainable Population for a Dynamic Singapore.

The white paper argued that foreign workers were still needed for economic growth but that there should be a balance between the number of skilled and lower-skilled workers. The government projected the population of Singapore to be 6.

It was noted by some critics that the urban infrastructure was already under pressure and that a steady increase in immigrants would only exacerbate this and create tensions between citizens and foreigners.

On February 16th, , nearly 3, people rallied in a public park to protest against the white paper and its suggestion that immigration should continue in order to achieve annual productivity increases. In some social surveys among Singaporean youth, more than half of those surveyed would leave the country to build their careers if given the chance. In response to this problem, the Singapore government has implemented a number of measures to reconnect with overseas Singaporeans in the hope that some will return in due course.

Initiatives include linking up overseas Singaporeans with prospective employers in Singapore; updating them on the latest national developments; and setting up recreational clubs and social events e. These tactics aim to keep overseas Singaporeans tied to Singapore, whether practically or emotionally. Having greatly liberalized its borders in the past few years, it is not surprising that Singapore's migration reality has become more complex.

The influx of large numbers of new immigrants into the city-state seems set to continue, even as emigration accelerates and fertility rates fall to a new low 1.

In this context, attracting skilled foreigners to live, work, and settle — while keeping low-skilled workers under thumb — will likely remain a priority for the foreseeable future. With the prospect that increased immigration could bring new challenges to Singapore socially, the government is working hard to maintain a state of harmony within what is already a multicultural nation.

While not expected to relinquish their cultures and languages, immigrants have been urged to participate in local events so that they can learn more about the traditions of their adoptive communities.

In , Singapore's National Integration Council was established to promote interaction and national solidarity between locals and newcomers. Additionally, saw the launch of the Singapore Citizenship Journey, an enhanced orientation program for new citizens comprised of online elements, field trips to heritage sites, and community sharing.

Social integration is, however, far from smooth on the ground. To some locals, newcomers — particularly the ubiquitous Mainland Chinese — are commonly seen as uncouth and prone to objectionable behaviors like littering, eating on public transit, and talking loudly on the phone. Similarly, South Asian construction workers and Filipino domestic workers have also been singled out as targets of public backlash. With criminal activity rising, including several high-profile murders in mid, foreigners have also been blamed for the deterioration of public safety in Singapore.

Immigrants have responded with their own set of rejoinders. In August , an immigrant family from China went so far as to lodge a complaint against their Singaporean-Indian neighbors for the smell of curry emanating from their cooking. In response, a Facebook page urging Singaporeans to prepare curry on a designated Sunday drew over 57, supporters. Ironically, Singaporeans of different ethnicities have become more united in this time of discord with immigrants.

Another point of contention relates to the belief that immigrants compete with Singaporeans for jobs. While the state insists that only jobs unfilled by citizens are assumed by foreigners, the government is still frequently criticized for not curtailing the uptake of managerial and professional positions by non-Singaporeans. In particular, unemployment figures are routinely published as an aggregate comprising citizens and PRs, which obfuscates the actual unemployment rate among Singaporeans.

Paradoxically, a more tolerant side of Singapore emerges when it comes to the rights of unskilled and low-skilled foreign workers. Civil-society action has sought to address the adverse working conditions of foreign-born domestic workers — about , in Singapore today, mostly women and mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka — since the early s. Many have benefited from the social and advocacy support offered by nongovernmental organizations like Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics and Transient Workers Count Too.

Not only have these groups raised public awareness about the plight of foreign domestic workers, state agencies are now more inclined to attend to cases of abuse.

Similar help has also been extended to the other , work-permit holders. Some issues being addressed include workplace safety, wage and foreign-levy policy, accommodation standards, and the regulation of unsafe truck transport for migrant workers. While their efforts are comprehensive in scope, the success of civil society in Singapore remains tied to the will of a strong state. Foreign-born domestic workers, for instance, have long been deprived of regular days off as part of their employment.

This particular aspect of domestic work will change beginning January , when a new law mandating days off will take effect. But such extended, hard-fought battles highlight the difficulty that advocacy groups face in lobbying within a depoliticized space. They also hint at how citizens' distrust towards immigrants can further rigidify officially sanctioned surveillance curbs on foreign workers. On the policy front, the question of increasing numbers of Singaporeans taking flight and the corresponding need to recognize dual citizenship remains an outstanding issue.

Slippages between immigration policy goals and reality exert another constant strain. The various categories of work permits, as well as alternative passes that allow foreigners to enter as dependents, job seekers, entertainers, and private-school students before switching to worker status, suggest that Singapore's immigration policies go beyond mere talent-scouting or the filling in of unpopular job sectors, as often touted by officials.

In contrast to this openness, the emerging trend of working-class men who are disadvantaged in the local marriage market turning to foreign brides from nearby countries faces greater institutional hurdles. While the state has been anxious to stop the decline of marriage and fertility, marriage migrants from less-developed countries are not automatically granted residency or citizenship papers and may have to confront a long and uncertain pathway to citizenship.

For couples with at least one Singaporean child however, the foreign spouse may be eligible to apply for a three-year Long Term Visit Pass-Plus, a new immigrant pass that will be available beginning April These policies reflect the clinical approach that Singapore adopts, whereby migration policies are frequently made based on particular economic criteria and rationale, rather than on strictly humanitarian or family-reunification grounds. In sum, as Singapore comes of age in its development, new opportunities and problems have once again opened up the former colonial city to mobilities.

While Singapore has long depended on external resources to satisfy its needs — for its workforce, jobs, education, talent, and even marriage — the country's goal to augment its population today presents much more complex risks, uncertainties, and challenges, often exacerbated by inconsistent policy outcomes.

Indeed, the streams flowing through the highly globalized city have become decidedly more turbulent in recent years. Its population growth rate, at. Thus foreign workers are integral to the conduct of the economy. With 76 percent of its residents ethnic Chinese, workers from the mainland are desirable. With a total population of 5.

The numbers of foreign workers in Singapore have led to rising irritation on the part of Singaporeans themselves, who complain that foreign workers are taking opportunity away from them. In the low-paid construction and other manual labor jobs, however, employers complain that they can't find Singaporeans who want to do manual labor, especially at the pay rates they offer. Non-citizens now comprise 36 percent of the population compared with 14 percent in The government is actively looking at ways to attract them back to contribute to the local economy.

As part of this effort, Leong, who heads the IPS centre for social indicators research, the IPS Social Lab, has initiated a survey to reach out to them and understand their motivations for relocating as well as their perceptions of their Singaporean identity. Ultimately Singapore is a small country with a land area of just square kilometres. This is already an increase of about 24 per cent since , largely through land reclamation. There is a limit to how much immigration can be tapped as one of Singapore's economy-boosting tactics.

In a population white paper, the government projected an increase in the population to 6. This caused immediate public debate on the efficacy and sustainability of such a policy. This clarification shows the recognition that any future immigration policies must be tightly coupled with infrastructure development to maintain social harmony, in addition to proactive management of migrant integration.

Only then will immigration continue to play a win-win role in its national and not just economic development. Global-is-Asian Staff. Jun 23, Topics Policymaking. Why Singapore emphasised its immigration policy When Singapore's economy had to evolve from manufacturing to high-tech and value-added activities in the late '80s, the government started pursuing a clear and distinct immigration policy. The economic and social impact of immigration Singapore's economic miracle since independence from colonial rule is well known.

Social harmony and integration strategies Singapore's approach towards managing new immigrants and foreign talent can be summarised into two key strategies. Limitations of the Singapore experience It should be noted that Singapore's experience in implementing and managing immigration policies as an economic driver does have its limitations in terms of transferability and context. A shift in political narrative towards migrant integration The political cost of pursuing a pro-immigration policy to boost the economy struck home in Singapore's General Elections.

Upgrading and increasing the pool of local talent In addition to investments into upgrading and retraining the skillsets of local citizens for sectors facing a talent shortage, the Singapore government is now also looking to bring back Singaporeans who have chosen to live and work abroad.