2. Literature Review
Theories of migrant workers has been discussed extensively in general discussions, newspaper articles and even scholarly articles. Benefits of having foreign workers are abundant. Historically, women have been the one raising the family by taking care of the children. However, as the cost of living increases in Singapore, it becomes inevitable that some of these women have to join the workforce to earn an additional source of income. With the introduction of the Foreign Domestic Maid Scheme in 1978, this has allowed Singapore women to participate in the workforce and contribute to the growing economy of Singapore. (Chan G.H., Chia P.S., Ng L.L, 2003) This shows that such foreign labor can have an indirect impact on the economy, by freeing up more skilled local labor to benefit the economy. Research and studies conducted also suggest that immigration can generate benefits from specialization when native and foreign workers specialize in different tasks and occupations. (Peri G., 2017) This can be linked to the earlier point of the foreign domestic worker. Foreign workers are beneficial to an economy when certain jobs that have to be done are unwilling to be done by locals. For example, locals are less willing to work in industries such as construction, manufacturing and as domestic helpers. (Chua S.P., Low S.H., Seah X.L., Tok A.K., 2013) As birthrates remain stagnant and even fall in Singapore, it is highly important for foreign immigration into Singapore due to the positive net benefits it can bring for a country. (Jordaan J.A., 2017.) Furthermore, benefits of foreign workers should not be ignored as they are needed in some sectors that the locals are not willing to work in such as construction, plantation and domestic helpers.
Figure 1:
(Jan 26, 2017)
Figure 2:
(March 15, 2018)
2.1. Research Gaps
This research has shown the economic benefits and gaps that foreign workers can fill in the Singapore Economy. Most of the research done has focused on the economic benefits of Foreign workers. However, it does not discuss about the social benefits that foreign workers can bring and the necessity of them.
3. Methodology
Data was retrieved from the Singapore Department of Statistics, Ministry of Manpower and other scholarly articles. Interviews were also conducted to answer questions pertaining to the research gap as data was not readily available. Interviews also served to get a feel of people’s thoughts and feelings on the ground. People interviewed were from a diverse background, ranging from Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Owners, Expatriates and foreign domestic helpers. All of these data collected from interviews was extrapolated and categorized. However, due to the wide array of answers and wide array of audience, instead of categorizing answers into minute detailed categories, this report focuses on how the different aspects in which they are beneficial in the social stand point.
4. Results
SME Owners reflected that foreign workers were a necessity for their business and for the growth of a nation. In the construction industry, SME owners commented that locals were unwilling to work in that industry due to the grueling work. They also highlighted that Foreign Workers had a good attitude towards tough work as they were used to working tough jobs even in their country. Hence, from the social perspective, it was inevitable to have foreign workers in Singapore, and their good working attitude towards hardship was something that Singaporeans could learn from. Expatriates who were working in the finance and education industry reflected that they felt that from a social perspective, by bringing their different work ethic into a different country, they were able to pass this on and combine it with the local work ethic to form a more efficient workplace. Also, the different view points helps the people within a country develop. Foreign domestic workers said that even though childcare seemed like a simple job, but if you think of it on a deeper level, the values that a foreign domestic helper can impart to a child is very important and highly useful for future development and growth.
5. Discussions
These study aims to delve deeper into the necessity of foreign workers and the larger spectrum of benefits they can bring. These points brought up interviewees cast a new light into the benefits that foreign workers can bring into a country. The difference between their views and the mainstream media views were that, they were more focused on the long-term goal, rather than the short term immediate goal of economic well-being.
6. Limitations
Only 10 people were interviewed. These results may be skewed and not reflective of the larger population’s point of view.
7. Conclusion
An all-rounded approach will benefit those who are actually looking at the benefits of foreign workers and what they can bring into a country. By doing so, they will not be focusing on the mainstream economy, and look at the social benefits which in the long run will benefit the economy as well. Due to its limitations, findings from this paper should be used with discretion