China News Service, August 9th. According to Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao” report, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong talked about the pressure of the new crown epidemic on Singapore’s society and the three major problems that need to be resolved in his National Day speech on August 8, local time. , Including alleviating the anxiety of Singaporeans in the face of competition from foreign employees, helping low-paid workers, and how to deal with racial and religious issues.
When talking about the competition brought by foreign employees, Lee Hsien Loong said that foreign employees help promote Singapore's economic development and bring more opportunities to Singapore.
Foreign talents and skills complement the local labor force, which will encourage more companies to invest locally, thereby creating more jobs for Singaporeans.
Lee Hsien Loong said: "This is a virtuous circle. Singaporeans understand that for our economic needs, we must accept talents and skills from all over the world."
However, foreign employees and local employees complement each other, but may also compete with each other.
The government realizes that when local employees lose their chance to be hired or promoted, they feel that they are being treated unfairly.
Because some foreign employees and their families have not yet been fully accustomed to Singapore's social norms and fully integrated into the local society, they occasionally have frictions with Singaporeans.
Lee Hsien Loong said: “I understand the worries of the Chinese people and the problems in this area. We will adjust our policies to better manage the quality and number of foreign employees and prevent them from over-concentrating in certain areas. If we handle these problems well, we can Continue to introduce foreign employees and new immigrants. This is necessary."
Lee Hsien Loong said that xenophobia would harm Singapore’s fundamental interests, damage Singapore’s reputation as an international and regional hub, and ultimately cause people to lose jobs and many opportunities.
Lee Hsien Loong said: "More importantly, this runs counter to our openness and acceptance of different values. These are the values we maintain and allow Singapore to continue to prosper and progress."