Despite having the highest number of immigrants in its population (in terms of the immigrants/total population ration), Singapore does not seem to have a better alternative because of lack of required number of professionals in the local populace. The government is encouraging it people to produce babies to maintain the levels of indigenous population. In contrast to required 60,000 births per annum to maintain the population at its current levels, the births in Singapore seem to have flattened at nearly 40000, which is a cause of concern for the authorities.
What is giving sleepless nights to authorities is the continuing trend of stagnant or falling productivity. Singapore knows what this meant for Japan in 1990 and thereafter. With skilled labor turning up in lesser numbers, the major thrust of the policy makers in Singapore is on providing high quality education to the local people to enable local people to land up high end jobs as skilled labor or as professionals. This is being sought to be achieved by investing around 3& of the GDP in Japan.
What is giving sleepless nights to authorities is the continuing trend of stagnant or falling productivity. Singapore knows what this meant for Japan in 1990 and thereafter. With skilled labor turning up in lesser numbers, the major thrust of the policy makers in Singapore is on providing high quality education to the local people to enable local people to land up high end jobs as skilled labor or as professionals. This is being sought to be achieved by investing around 3& of the GDP in Japan.
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