LOC's being refused

[JR8]

and the fact is, for the past 10 years or so wages have been depressed pretty much significantly, even without correlating to rising cost of living .. forget about living life the max ..

This certainly has nothing to do with DP's and almost everything to do with the large influx of foreign workers that were permitted in... specifically, I think, to keep labor costs down to keep Singapore competitive.

It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. Let labor costs rise so that the locals make a decent living and Singapore becomes noncompetitive and expensive in so many areas... from retail to F&B... not to mention the costs of doing business.

I'll say it again... one of the most corrosive economic aspects of Singapore has been the unbridled, and unjustified, rise in property costs... it directly and indirectly drives up the cost of everything else, from food to transport to salaries for employees who need to make ends meet.

So... you may be right about depressed salaries, but DP's on LOC have very little, if anything to do with it... and when the primary wage earner sours on Singapore because their spouse cannot find any employment, Singapore will lose a lot more economic benefit than a few dollars that an LOC might "cost".

It's all talk over a beer... and... the consensus amongst my friends and acquaintances is that Singapore is becoming an undesirable destination... costs too high... perceived anti foreigner sentiments... and a quality of life that isn't what it was even five years ago.

I've said it before. Allow the electorate to believe that you've made them rich and they'll vote for you for ever.

[v4jr4]

They may well end up killing two birds with one stone, but they'd both be geese - the ones that lay the golden eggs.

+1

And sooner or later, as EP's are tightened up on the small businesses that support the MNC's in many ways, the availability of talent via contract will become hard to find. Coupled with rent that is astounding, I can see MNC's looking for greener pastures, maybe even in JB, if not Penang, KL, or even HK... not on the island.

I'm not pretty sure how things will go from here *me packing*

[JR8]

... and the voter will only stop voting as such when the party does something so egregiously off-side that it conflicts with the voter's moral values, or more likely embarrasses the voter having to try and justify it to others.

[zzm9980]

One scheme I've recently become aware of is that certain firms are jacking up the salary for EP applicants with the express intention of then also hiring the wife who is on LOC. EP applicant can list a nice salary of S$4k+, but the firm then hires the wife with an LOC at $1k a month to do the same work. The company often already employees both husband and wife back at their home office(s) in the home country.

I'll let intelligent readers figure out the country. Perhaps MOM already has, and is denying LOCs based from EP holders of a certain profile.

[v4jr4]

And so, we will see the result in Q4 -> MNCs expected to be more prudent in hiring in Q4

[Callput]

When I started reading this article, it appeared to me that there is now hope for foreign spouses.

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/ED ... Guat-Kwang

But, no, it is only for foreign spouses of Singaporeans

[ecureilx]

When I started reading this article, it appeared to me that there is now hope for foreign spouses.

http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/ED ... Guat-Kwang

But, no, it is only for foreign spouses of Singaporeans

then again, even for Singaporean's there are hordes who have problem getting their spouses here in LTVP or otherwise ..

ICA has to allow that first, right ??

BTW, Yeo Guat Kwang is an NGO Chief !!!!