Singapore to keep foreign workers at one-third of workforce

SINGAPORE: Singapore today said it aims to maintain the foreign workers' share in the workforce at the current one-third level, a pace that the city state can accommodate.

"This means that the pace of foreign workforce should grow broadly in tandem with the growth of our local workforce," Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said.

Lim told the parliament that overall annual foreign workforce growth has moderated from 1,44,500 in 2007 to 34,000 in 2014.

The "significant foreign worker growth slowdown occurred in all sectors", The Straits Times quoted Lim as saying.

The employment of foreign workers in the services sector grew by 21,500 in 2014, down from 54,500 foreign workers hired in 2007.

But citing projections from the Ministry of Health, Lim said the number of healthcare professionals needed would increase from 46,000 in 2011 to 78,000 in 2030, while the staff strength of healthcare assistants and nursing aides would need to go up by about 9,000 over the same period.

Meanwhile, the National Population and Talent Division expects demand for foreign domestic workers to rise to about 300,000 by 2030, to assist with care-giving duties at home and supporting families with elderly and children, the report said.