THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: How should Singapore address the issue of foreign workers’ housing and living conditions? Can/should the economy reduce its reliance on work permit holders?
ON April 6, 2020, Singapore’s Manpower Minister Josephine Teo promised to raise the standard of foreign workers’ dormitories after the Covid-19 outbreak is over.
On April 20, Singapore announced a record daily high of 1,426 new Covid-19 cases, of whom 1,369 were work permit holders living in dormitories. It is of paramount importance that the issue of foreign workers’ housing and living conditions be adequately addressed. The first thing is for the government to work with the employers and push through initiatives that mandate better living conditions for the workers. This isn’t just for good business principles; it is simply the morally right thing to do.
It would be a challenge for Singapore to reduce reliance on imported manpower because the nature of their laborious work is such that most Singaporeans would not take up those jobs. Thus we must learn to treat our migrant workers with more compassion. In an impassioned speech on TEDx in 2016, management consultant Raj Singh shared how he learnt about the values of resilience, frugality, sacrifice and empathy from our migrant workers.
To view my thoughts on Business Times, visit this link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mindset-change-needed-towards-migrant-workers-manual-mario-singh/
