Singapore’s lifting of some firms’ foreign worker quota is no free lunch

Speakers: Dr Faizal Yahya 18 Dec 2022

The recent unveiling of the Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) scheme may be a sign that the Singapore government is taking on a more merit-based approach to support industry leaders, giving them access to resources like foreign manpower while further differentiating them from laggards that will continue to be constrained by foreign manpower curbs, notes Dr Faizal Yahya, Senior Research Fellow at NUS’ Institute of Policy Studies. According to Dr Yahya, the increase in skilled foreign labour quota should be viewed positively as a measure to maintain Singapore’s importance as a global node in Asia, but companies that benefit from the M-SEP scheme must understand their obligation to invest in Singaporeans and provide opportunities for their career development.

Learn more