Debated in Parliament on 18 Feb 2014.
Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Prime Minister (a) if he can give an update on the progress of the implementation of the Population White Paper; and (b) whether there are plans to engender a better and nuanced understanding of the role of both short-term and long-term immigration in the development of Singapore so as to enable sustainable support for our population policy.
Mdm Speaker, the Population White Paper outlined our strategies towards a sustainable population in Singapore. It proposed strategies for a strong and cohesive society with a strong Singaporean Core, a dynamic economy to create good jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans with a calibrated slowdown in foreign workforce growth, and a high quality living environment through planning and investing in infrastructure ahead of demand.
Page: 29
We have taken steps to try and prevent the decline of our citizen population. The 2013 enhanced Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) Package has been implemented to provide more holistic support for Singaporeans to fulfil their aspirations to set up families and have children. We have also maintained a stable inflow of immigrants who are better able to integrate into our society, to stop our citizen population from shrinking and improve the age distribution in our citizen population.
At the same time, we are slowing the inflow of foreign workers to curb the rapid population growth that would have otherwise occurred if we continued to grow as in the past. In 2013, our total population growth slowed to 1.6%, the lowest in the last nine years, due to tightened foreign manpower policies and a weaker economy. Foreign workforce growth, excluding foreign domestic workers, in non-construction sectors halved compared to the year before. The foreign workforce growth was mainly driven by the construction sector, to support ongoing infrastructure developments in housing and transport.
We have stepped up efforts to restructure our economy and improve productivity. We have introduced schemes to encourage companies to move up the value chain, such as the Wage Credit Scheme and the enhanced Productivity and Innovation Credit Bonus. We are also working with employers to nurture a strong Singaporean Core in our workforce, with fair consideration for employment, opportunities for upgrading and a more inclusive work environment.
We are making progress to alleviate the infrastructure strains, with more buses, new segments of rail-lines and new trains, and more homes and hospitals being built. Care has also been taken to enhance our living environment with accessible green spaces and facilities to serve the needs of all segments of our population.
We have taken in the feedback from Singaporeans on the Population White Paper, and will continue to engage the public on the considerations behind our population strategies. We have emphasised the steps taken to slow down our foreign workforce growth and speed up the development of our public infrastructure, especially transport. We will explain important trade-offs, such as maintaining a balance between the manpower needs of our industry and the social sectors, and responding to the concerns of Singaporeans regarding the rising number of foreign workers. This balance is important to ensure that Singapore continues to thrive and remains a good place to live, work and play
Page: 30
in a sustainable manner.
Mdm Speaker, I welcome the Minister's update. I hope that Singaporeans will continue to keep an open mind towards immigration. Can I ask the Minister whether there will be greater efforts in the "software" aspect in trying to get Singaporeans and newcomers, whether they are long- or short-term immigrants, integrate better? The "hardware" of infrastructure is the easy part. We have the financial resources to do that. It is the software part of building a nation that is a lot more challenging. I am sure the Minister appreciates that. I wonder whether she could update us on what the plans are to further enhance integration.
Mdm Speaker, we agree with the hon Member about the importance of integration. Both in terms of our selection criteria of new immigrants, we have special attention on the assimilability of the new citizens that we award to and, at the same time, we continue to meet regularly with the various sectors, both in the employment sector, the companies and employers. We are also encouraging schools to engage the students in community projects together with the foreign students, including the people sector such as the clan associations, new immigrants association and the People's Association (PA). We believe that we have to work with multiple sectors and continue to persevere in this journey of promoting integration not just amongst Singaporeans and foreigners but also across all races and all religions.
PAPERCUTS