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Singapore promotes plans to fine-tune foreign labour policies

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said Singapore would adjust its policies towards foreign workers to address concerns about employment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Singapore promotes plans to fine-tune foreign labour policies ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Singapore (VNA) - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has saidSingapore would adjust its policies towards foreign workers to address concernsabout employment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee saidin a televised speech ahead of Singapore's 56th National Day that the government was aware such anxieties over theforeign worker population have worsened because of uncertainties caused by theCOVID-19.

According to the PM, accepting foreign labourers and new immigrants is a developmentstrategy which benefits Singapore. He also warned that the COVID-19 pandemiccould lead to incidents of racial and religious intolerance. As a result,Singapore will re-frame its foreign labour policies to strike a balance betweenaccepting foreign workers and addressing the economic and social concerns ofthe domestic population.

According to the Singaporean Government's statistics, less than 30 percent ofSingapore's 5.7 million people are non-residents, up from 10 percent in 1990.

Singapore's success as a financial hub has longbeen linked to its openness to global talent. Singapore's low taxes and moderninfrastructure make it one of the most attractive investment destinations inAsia. However, foreign labour has also been a flash point for over a decade amidcompetition for good jobs and better wages, putting the government constantlyunder pressure to explain its approach./.
VNA
#Singapore#foreign labor#migrant workers#immigrant#COVID-19#recovery#Vietnam#Vietnamplus#Vietnam News Agency
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