Singapore : Singapore will make foreigners pass an English test to get a skilled worker permit next year, a move seen as addressing a poor services industry and public worries over competition for jobs ahead of possible elections.
The city state is looking to grow its labour-intensive services industry to offset dependence on manufacturing, and said earlier this year it would restrict the flow of foreign workers after the financial crisis hit growth and increased unemployment.
This first step may be a move to appease voters' concerns about jobs not only going to foreigners, but to foreigners who struggle to communicate with locals and shift the balance of population in multi-racial Singapore, analysts said.
"The government is responding to complaints from the public over the inability of many of these foreign service staff to speak in English. They can't serve ethnic Malays and Indians who may not able to speak Mandarin," said Terence Chong, researcher at Sing-apore's Institute of South East Asia Studies
"They recognise this resentment [of job competition], especially during this economic downtime and you have the elections coming up by early 2012. So there is a political need as well."
Many new immigrants are from mainland China, adding to around three-quarters of Singapore's population that is ethnic Chinese, with the rest ethnic Malay, Indian or overseas workers.
Singapore's economy has rebounded this year from its worst ever recession, but some analysts think unemployment could still rise next year.
The unemployment rate among residents rose a five-year high of 5.0 per cent in the third quarter.
Source: gulfnews.com/
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