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Singapore, Singapore
Dr John Yam Poh Nam, Ph.D. (University of South Australia), MBA (University of Strathclyde), B. Eng, Electrical (National University of Singapore) 任保南博士 南澳大利亚大学, 斯特拉思克莱德大学, 新加坡国立大学 Council Member of The Workers' Party, Served as Inspector of Police - Singapore Police Force (1981-83)

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Why jobs are not taken up by Singaporeans?

From an empirical observation, the number of foreigners in Singapore has increased over the past few years. Unfortunately, some Singaporeans have the impression the foreign labour force has successfully but unfairly taken away jobs which could have been done by Singaporeans themselves.

To assuage these concerns, could the relevant authorities provide immigration and employment statistics to justify the high number foreign workers?

- the number of new value-adding jobs created in the transportation, banking, infocommunication, hotel, restaurant, entertainment and manufacturing industries over the past 5 years

- within each industry, the breakdown of the new jobs created by job descriptions, like operators, supervisors, managers

- the breakdown of the income earned in these new jobs, by income group, for example, S$1000-2000, S$2000-3000, etc

- the breakdown of the percentages of these new jobs created held by foreigners and local Singaporeans

- the differences in salary between local and foreign workers for the same job, eg SBS bus drivers, infocommunication engineers,

This increase is often explained by the fact that foreigners are needed to make up for the labour shortage situation seen in some professions. This shortage is often blamed on the fact that Singaporeans are not keen to take up these professions. Are there valid reasons viz-à-viz salaries and standard of living to explain why these jobs are not taken up by Singaporeans? How do we ensure that the high influx of foreign workers is not pressing down the value of the local Singaporean job market?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Forefathers sacrificed their Lives for our Freedom

With the Hiroshima atomic bomb
explosion on 6th August 1945 and the Japanese
surrender on the 15th August, our 9th August
National Day celebration
has another meaning to Singaporeans. Let's take a moment to reflect
on this part of history with a Chinese poem to remind our youths as well as remembrance of our forefathers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom….

南洋漫天烽煙起,
星州海島滿目風雨飛,
獅城醒覺決心本生死,
獻上熱腸壯士氣,
犧牲小我建仁義,
為保家國輕抛英雄熱血淚,
唯獨今朝少年未記起,
烈士千古,
芳草末殘碑.
- 任保南博士

Monday, August 2, 2010

風雨中的守望

雨在泣,
人在千重嘆.
風雨苍痕花亦殘,
绿岛失青蔥,
民生不再依然,
懷著希望,
抬眼天際.
上苍守护.
何日青天再重返.
- 任保南博士