Foreign Workers in demand

COMPANIES that rely on foreign workers want the Government to let them hire more of them, according to a survey.

The call is particularly intense from contractors and manufacturers, who feel the quota should be adjusted for specific sectors. Foreign workers form up to 70 per cent of the workforce in these two sectors.

Overall, almost half of the businesses surveyed are unhappy with the foreign worker quota policy.

They want it raised in order for them to meet orders, which have been increasing in the past few months as Singapore's economy claws its way out of the red.

But such a move could hurt Singapore's competitive edge, said economics professor Davin Chor from Singapore Management University.

'Long-run growth depends on the capacity of our economy to consistently improve on our productivity and the way we tap into cutting-edge technologies,' he said.

*From The Strait Times- 9th December 2009