Foreign workforce numbers (2020)

[BigginHill]

Quite a drop year-on-year....

Link: Foreign workforce numbers

[sundaymorningstaple]

Thanks for that. Some sobering numbers there.

[BigginHill]

I bet 2021 will suffer an additional decline - I know several companies scaling down their local presence.

Travel restrictions across SEA cause many regional roles to simply disappear - you can just as easily do your Zoom & Teams meetings from Europe or US.

There's just less of a reason to be here...

[Myasis Dragon]

Looks like populist Singaporeans, complaining about foreigners taking their jobs, are going to get what they want as a result of global economics. In the long haul, this can't be good for Singapore.

[the observer]

Doesn’t seem as bad, for EPs, if you add the PR stock back in.

But notably most sectors took a hit, except for maybe Finance and IT which sailed along fine last year.

[BigginHill]

Incidentally, PR population dropped as well.

PR's of course serve a different/repopulation agenda.

I believe PR imports currently account for about 25% of new citizens pr year - direct effect of low TFR.

[Lisafuller]

I bet 2021 will suffer an additional decline - I know several companies scaling down their local presence.

Travel restrictions across SEA cause many regional roles to simply disappear - you can just as easily do your Zoom & Teams meetings from Europe or US.

There's just less of a reason to be here...

Definitely, even large conglomerates are downsizing now.

[Lisafuller]

Looks like populist Singaporeans, complaining about foreigners taking their jobs, are going to get what they want as a result of global economics. In the long haul, this can't be good for Singapore.

Yes, what they’ve wanted for so long is finally coming true, we’ll see how they like it.

[the observer]

https://data.gov.sg/dataset/foreign-wo ... 6c93ff82b8

Foreign workforce ex work permit holders are down to 2016/2017 levels.

Secondly check this, page 6 of report/ie page 9 of pdf/Table 4.
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/1041 ... ps1124.pdf

The downturn in Sg were the AFC in 98/99, and SARS, 03/04, and GFC 08/09.

Each time, the bounce back in foreign labor is significant (possibly over compensating), per the data. I wouldn’t be overly concerned this time around, it seems to be a common recurrence during/post crisis.

[the observer]

I bet 2021 will suffer an additional decline - I know several companies scaling down their local presence.

Travel restrictions across SEA cause many regional roles to simply disappear - you can just as easily do your Zoom & Teams meetings from Europe or US.

There's just less of a reason to be here...

Definitely, even large conglomerates are downsizing now.

The company I am working for did downsize.
But in the pipeline is a hiring spree for 300-400 techies. The big question is when they plan to pull the trigger.

Bottom line is the company will evolve and I guess the transient expat crowd that doesn’t fit in anymore will move out, and they will import in the ones that fit the new purpose.

Circle of life, and it does sound a bit brutal.

[BigginHill]

Bottom line is the company will evolve and I guess the transient expat crowd that doesn’t fit in anymore will move out, and they will import in the ones that fit the new purpose.

Couldn't agree more.

Growth will return & growth require manpower, local & foreign.

Circle of life, and it does sound a bit brutal.

When we un-pause the player post-covid, it won't resume the same song. Marginal & unsustainable businesses are gone and the World will move onwards on new paths & businesses.

[the observer]

Bottom line is the company will evolve and I guess the transient expat crowd that doesn’t fit in anymore will move out, and they will import in the ones that fit the new purpose.

Couldn't agree more.

Growth will return & growth require manpower, local & foreign.

Circle of life, and it does sound a bit brutal.

When we un-pause the player post-covid, it won't resume the same song. Marginal & unsustainable businesses are gone and the World will move onwards on new paths & businesses.

If I were to gaze into my crystal ball, I think the push for more techies from the subcontinent will be stronger than before. Our moderators will be busy answering the same questions over and over, for years to come, re PRs and what not.

[BigginHill]

Our moderators will be busy answering the same questions over and over, for years to come, re PRs and what not.

I'm seriously surprised the moderators haven't yet put up an AI bot on the "Relocating, Moving to Singapore" subsection.

I bet you could even find some open source solutions!

[Myasis Dragon]

Our moderators will be busy answering the same questions over and over, for years to come, re PRs and what not.

I'm seriously surprised the moderators haven't yet put up an AI bot on the "Relocating, Moving to Singapore" subsection.

I bet you could even find some open source solutions!

The moderators ARE AI bots. You think that they're sleeping... it's really the technogrunts upgrading their software.