# Singapore set to become a magnet for expat workers



## Editor

Singapore needs to attract more foreign workers to maintain its economic growth in the face of an ageing population, low birth rate and shrinking workforce, officials have claimed. Its government is preparing infrastructure plans that would see the city state reach a population of 6.9 million people by 2030. Singapore’s population has already increased by [...]

Click to read the full news article: Singapore set to become a magnet for expat workers...
Please come back to discuss the story here in this thread.


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## Tas Burrfoot

Editor said:


> Singapore needs to attract more foreign workers to maintain its economic growth in the face of an ageing population, low birth rate and shrinking workforce, officials have claimed. Its government is preparing infrastructure plans that would see the city state reach a population of 6.9 million people by 2030. Singapore’s population has already increased by [...]
> 
> Click to read the full news article: Singapore set to become a magnet for expat workers...
> Please come back to discuss the story here in this thread.


Been out of Singapore for more than 2 months already, not up to date with the latest but from what I heard this news created lots of tension lately.

Last week, there was a protest in Hong Lim Park that reached almost 4K people? It is somehow related to this as well...


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## simonsays

Tas Burfoot: the state media reported it was 1,000 and BBC said 2,000 

Where did the 4,000 number come from ??


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## ani_india

Don’t make any wrong conclusion from this white paper. 

I have seen the whole parliament debate on this white paper. What Mr. Lee has categorically said that people (esp. media) are taking these numbers out of context. The number 6.9M is a projection only, for planning such as infrastructure, and no way the government is going to make any policy changes (read as allowing more immigrants)to have these numbers by 2030.

He also said its too difficult to predict anything beyond 2020, and there ‘ll be many revisions to this white paper.


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## simonsays

when i first landed, the population was touching 4 mil, and the NS line and the EW lines were the only MRTs .. 

Well, later on came NEL, CC, Airport extension, and Joo Koon extension, and add the expressways - KPE, and the extended MBS / ECP .. diversions in the CTE etc .. (Braddel exit .. ) 

And add to it, when NEL opened, when I went on one of the very first 'intro rides' - for miles there were and few few apartments, and Sengkang was pretty much empty .. and so was it for the Boon Lay area - now ?? 

People migrated to those areas so fast that the system is bursting .. even if you take bus 27, by the time the bus gets to TPE, there is not even standing room .. added with the popularity of the CBP the environs for companies moving away from the city, Sengkang / Punggol was the logical choice for new home owners .. and renters .. 

still somehow infrastructure didnt' keep up with the migration / dispersal / concentration of population - it is either in the East or West .. not many are in the North and South 

go to some town centers on Weekends, and the places are jam packed - packed with natives - I think that's the pet peeve of the natives, and it is fashionable to blame it on the population growth .. not that the local population have been migrating internally ..

That's my 2 cents .. though ..


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## Tas Burrfoot

ecureilx said:


> Tas Burfoot: the state media reported it was 1,000 and BBC said 2,000
> 
> Where did the 4,000 number come from ??


I read it from yahoo i think...

might be exaggerated but even 1000 in singapore is bit enough.


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## simonsays

Tas Burrfoot said:


> I read it from yahoo i think...
> 
> might be exaggerated but even 1000 in singapore is bit enough.


yah boy, as long as they didn't step out of the zone, they are safe and good to go


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## civicblade

I'm doing my bit to help make Singapore less crowded.


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## Linuxpro

I guess different people have different reasons for immigrating to Singapore. As for me, well, the following apply:
1.	There are too many feral children in the USA. Why Americans allow their children to misbehave so much in public is beyond me. 
2.	I am child-free. In the USA it is unlawful to pick on gays, parents, racial minorities, etc. In recent years it has been decided that people who choose not to have children are to blame for all the problems in America. We have come under fire.
3.	In the USA people love to go around telling you that you are a member of the “wrong church”. In the six months only one person has asked me, “Have you heard about Christ?”. I looked at him, and said, “I moved to Asia to get away from Christ!”.
4.	I had enough of selective law enforcement due to “political correctness”, and the ability of the suspect to pay the fines. 
5.	Taxes and the cost of my monthly medications were killing me in the USA.


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## civicblade

Hi Linuxpro, 

May I know which part of the USA are you from? There are indeed some Americans who prefer Singapore over the USA but the majority (almost all that I know personally) of Americans who came over here to work do not have a desire to stay in Singapore permanently. 

1: I have been in San Francisco Bay area and Austin for work and have not seen children misbehaving. There is one incident whereby I was being made fun of because of my hair style (I want believe it was my hair and not my ethnicity that drew the mocking) by a group of teenagers in a car. 

2: It is hard to believe that this happens in a major city in the USA. 

3: Christianity is alive, well and growing in Singapore. "Have you heard about Christ?" was one of my commonly encountered "pick up" line from my teenage to young adult days from enthusiastic evangelist. If you speak with an American accent in Singapore, most Singaporean would assume that you are Christian, perhaps this why you were spared the introduction to Christ. See "City Harvest" and "New Creation" amongst many other mega-new age churches in Singapore.

5: Yes, I agree. Income tax is extremely low in Singapore, it has to be one of the lowest in a developed country. Sales tax is relatively low compared to other developed countries but we pay exceptionally high taxes for optional "luxury" like cars and exceptionally high prices for public housing. 

Singapore is still a very attractive destination for professionals and migrant seeking a dynamic economy away from the dread and doom of Europe and to a lesser extent USA. 



Linuxpro said:


> I guess different people have different reasons for immigrating to Singapore. As for me, well, the following apply:
> 1.	There are too many feral children in the USA. Why Americans allow their children to misbehave so much in public is beyond me.
> 2.	I am child-free. In the USA it is unlawful to pick on gays, parents, racial minorities, etc. In recent years it has been decided that people who choose not to have children are to blame for all the problems in America. We have come under fire.
> 3.	In the USA people love to go around telling you that you are a member of the “wrong church”. In the six months only one person has asked me, “Have you heard about Christ?”. I looked at him, and said, “I moved to Asia to get away from Christ!”.
> 4.	I had enough of selective law enforcement due to “political correctness”, and the ability of the suspect to pay the fines.
> 5.	Taxes and the cost of my monthly medications were killing me in the USA.


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## Linuxpro

I lived in Arizona. They have three religions there (Catholic, LDS, and everyone else). I grew up in a poor part of town outside if Phoenix. If you did not have two children by 25, then you are referred to as "gay" or a "late bloomer". 

Phoenix has a huge Mexican population. The average American residing Mexican woman gave birth to about 7 children back in the 60's and 70's. The birth rate is now down to about 3 for Mexicans residing in the USA.

I recent years the child-free have come "under fire" in newspaper articles, etc.

I planned to move to Northern California were people are more liberal.

I bought most all my medicine in Mexico. Two three months worth of one of my medications cost me $90. The same med cost about $3 in Mexico.

The health insurance was costing me $400 a month. The total cost of taxes, insurance, and retirement cost me 45% of my salary. At the end of the year I usually received a refund of about $500.

Now that I live in Singapore, encounter perhaps one or two children a day on the lift, or on the train. They stand quietly.


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## OIEHOUO

I agree with you on the part of income tax, but medical cost in Singapore is low?

If you don't have a job paying your medical insurance, it's killing man. Whether the company is paying your insurance or not is really depending on the companies. Singapore is one of the countries with the most expensive medical cost..


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## Linuxpro

OIEHOUO said:


> I agree with you on the part of income tax, but medical cost in Singapore is low?
> 
> If you don't have a job paying your medical insurance, it's killing man. Whether the company is paying your insurance or not is really depending on the companies. Singapore is one of the countries with the most expensive medical cost..


My health insurance is free, though my employer. Insurance pays $32 for an office visit, and a typical visit is only about $40. We are isolated from the insurance company, and my employer handles everything. I do not know the name of the insurer. 

However I am having a problem with the fact that I visited the emergency room last November (I had dislocated my shoulder). I went back to the hospital for several follow on treatments, x-rays, etc. I have paid for 100% of it myself. The insurance is still pending approval. I had to stop my treatments due to the fact that the cost was adding up. I have almost no feel in my left arm. I am at a lost of what to do. If this was the Phoenix, I would go to their office and smash things up (not harming anyone in the process, I do not believe in violence).


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## Linuxpro

BBCWatcher said:


> Arizona is not, say, Vermont. That's one advantage with a big country. If you don't like the weather in a particular area, for example, you've got choices. As mentioned, there are whole communities without children in the U.S. if that's what you prefer. Yes, there are a few strange people (racists?) in parts of the U.S. (and maybe in Singapore as well) who think that having children is some sort of numerical contest.
> 
> I must admit I'm not wired to find children inherently distasteful, so I don't relate to that. As long as adults are mortal, children are rather important. Considering that plenty of adults misbehave at least sometimes, I'm inclined to cut children some slack.
> 
> I would have to agree with OIEHOUO. While Singapore's medical care is perhaps more affordable than medical care in the U.S., that's not saying much. And it depends on your circumstances. If you're 65 or older the U.S. medical system becomes more affordable. If you qualify for VA medical benefits it's terrific in the U.S. If you're Singaporean and need fertility treatment, Singapore is wonderful. (Kids again. )
> 
> But, in general, I wouldn't pick either the U.S. or Singapore if you value affordable medical care.


I am a veteran. If I retire in the USA I can stay in a VA rest home. 

Hahahah Fertility treatment! Hahahaha My vasectomy was the best $250 I ever spent.


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## civicblade

There is a severe shortage of specialist clinics that caters to middle-low income earners or should I say patients who are seeking treatment through the public health care system. 

My father had to endure a pain-stakingly long wait for a consulation appointment with a collorectal specialist going through public hospital emergency system. He was feeling severe pain in his abdomen for which I had to bring him to the emergency department of a public hospital. The doctor who attended to him couldn't diagnose the problem and the hospital scheduled an appointment 4 weeks later. For the next couple of days, the pain persisted and I brought my father to another public hospital emergency department hoping for a better response to his situation. 

The same sequence unfolded again whereby this time the appointment date with the hospital colorectal specialist is 3 weeks instead of 4. 

With our family having low income at that time (I just started work and my parents were recent retirees), we didn't know what else we can do other than suffer the long wait to have the problem looked at in a public hospital. 

It wasn't until my uncle (my father's brother and well off) suggested that we bring our father to Mount Elizabeth (in Orchard road) to see a private specialist. Not wanting to see our father suffer the pain and the anxiety of the wait, my uncle took my father to Mount Elizabeth and he is able to have a consulation with a private specialist on the same day and a endoscopy arranged for the next day. On the third day, a flush of the digestive system was carried out and my father recovered well. I am grateful for my uncle who help brought my father to a private specialist and helped with the medical bills.

To date, this experience was almost 8 year back and we have lost faith in Singapore's public health system providing for low income and middle income people in the country.


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## Linuxpro

I find it amazing that in the USA all Americans do is complain about how crappy they think the health care is, and how crappy they think schools are.

Every time I travel, I see one or two locals wearing shirts with American flags on them. I have asked a few of them what motivated them to wear the shirt. Most of them say they bought it when they went to the USA, on a short term visit, for medical treatment, to take a course, or to go to a convention of some kind.

I have talked to people who drive their children hard to get them scholarships to go to school in the USA. Others have told me that they put their children in branches of American school in their own country.

Maybe some Americans should travel more often.


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## OIEHOUO

I hope ur shoulder gets well!


my wife had to go through a simple treatment last year. it is something repeating every year, and it used to take us about us$500 when we were back in korea. it was bloody expensive to our standards. the medication needed for the treatment was not covered by national health insurance and that was the main reason.

last year when we went and see a doctor for the same treatment in Singapore, it was s$18,000!! not even $1,800!!

so both cases were out of insurance, solely reflecting the difference in medical cost in two countries. Korea has a very good social health insurance and if the treatment was covered by it, it would've been like $10.

Jesus so actually it was way much cheaper that we just pack things and fly back to Korea and get the treatment and eat a lot of food that we had missed.


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## KylieMorris

Editor said:


> Singapore needs to attract more foreign workers to maintain its economic growth in the face of an ageing population, low birth rate and shrinking workforce, officials have claimed. Its government is preparing infrastructure plans that would see the city state reach a population of 6.9 million people by 2030. Singapore’s population has already increased by [...]
> 
> Click to read the full news article: Singapore set to become a magnet for expat workers...
> Please come back to discuss the story here in this thread.


Ageing population could be a great threat to the economy of Singapore as stated above. Singapore needs to have foreign workers to keep their economy on track. But the biggest question here is: How would the foreign workers afford living at such high prices? Could Co-Living help them? Your suggestion for the best co-living space could help the workers.


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