SOCIAL safety nets and foreign workers are two areas that the government is reviewing, while staying true to principles such as pragmatism and openness, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in Parliament on Wednesday, setting out his views on the topics that have dominated both recent public discourse and the debate on the President's address. Read more at The Business Times.
He warned that Covid-19 will not be the last public health crisis, and Singapore must learn from this experience to be prepared for future pandemics.
In the post-Covid new normal, more economic uncertainty and turbulence is expected, while long-term trends of an ageing population and rising healthcare costs continue. Singapore will need to strengthen social support, but the emergency measures introduced in the crisis cannot continue indefinitely. He charged that the opposition asks to see the reserves before deciding to support the government's Budget and tax plans, calling this"fundamentally the wrong approach".
Employment Pass and S Pass numbers have come down since Covid-19, but work pass schemes must still be adjusted, he said: because there is more slack in the job market, but also because more Singaporeans are now able to take up PMET jobs. That is why qualifying salaries are being tightened. And beyond the economic argument, there is a more fundamental question of national ethos, he added."We have always been a people open to the world, welcoming others who can add value to our society, and bring the best out of us."
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