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1/3/10
Poll Results: What do you think of the government's announcement that there will be fewer foreign workers in Singapore in the next 5 years?

With its small size and population, Singapore has always been reliant on foreign labour, a fact which the government has long acknowledged. However, the foreign workers are not always greeted with open arms by Singaporeans, who perceive them as threats to their livelihood.

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Some reasons cited includes fall of wages due to the influx of foreign workers and loss of job opportunities to the cheaper foreign labour. Still others feel that they are a cause of social problems, such as drinking and making too much noise in their housing estate.

Thus, when the Singapore government announced earlier this year that it plans to decrease the amount of foreign labour in five years, 55% of the 740 respondents to the JobsCentral poll on this issue supported this move. This shows that the majority of the Singaporeans polled have been generally unhappy with Singapore’s reliance on foreign labour.

However, slightly over a third (35%) of respondents disagreed with the government’s plan to reduce foreign labour, citing that foreign workers are an integral part of Singapore. This is a valid concern as last year, foreign workers made up over a third of Singapore’s workforce. This is a nearly 10% increase from five years before and hints that it will not easy decreasing the numbers of foreign workers drastically in Singapore.

The government is aware of the difficulties facing this move and aims to compensate for the decrease in quantity of foreign labour with an increase in quality of workers. They announced a plethora of grants and subsidies during the 2010 Budget speech slated to encourage Singaporean companies to increase productivity. However, gains in productivity can only come over a long period of time, a consideration which the government has acknowledged.

Do you agree with the results of our poll? Share your views with us on the JobsCentral Forum here: http://forum.jobscentral.com.sg/showthread.php?p=10254#post10254

The private education sector in Singapore has been growing swiftly over the past decade. However, recent events have led to much scrutiny of the sector, and calls to raise the standards of private education institutions here.

In light of these developments, which are the preferred private schools in Singapore currently? Who are the people interested in pursuing further education and why do they want to do so? Which are the most popular courses and how much are they willing to spend on their next level of qualification? What are the key factors of consideration when deciding which institution to apply for?

The JobsCentral Learning Survey Report answers these questions and more.

With 7,761 respondents, we believe this is the largest and most comprehensive private education survey in Singapore. Packed with interesting information and insightful analyses, this is a survey report that all prospective students and stakeholders of private education institutions will not want to miss.

CLICK HERE to download a complimentary (regular price: S$3,300) copy of the Survey report.

To find out more about academic and professional development courses, visit JobsCentral Learning here.

1/2/10
Poll Results: Do you think that Google pulling out of China is a good move?

When Google announced its plans to stop censorship in China due to several cyber attacks on its server, it caught the world by surprise. Compounded by Google’s threat to pull out of China altogether, the focus of attention on Google was intense.

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In light of the controversy, Google was soon supported by Yahoo! and the US. Opinions have been sharply divided over whether this has been a good move, and respondents to our poll were equally divided, with 45% supporting the move and 43% against it, while 12% remained undecided.

On one hand, pulling out of China would cause Google to lose out on the lucrative market. Although dissenters argue that with Google’s 30% market share [1], pulling out is less of a loss for Google than it is made to be, Google has fought hard for that 30%, having self-censored itself in order to enter the Chinese market. This has, in turn, attracted much criticism, and by threatening to pull out, it has partially restored Google’s reputation for being committed to the free flow of information.

With the setting up of Goojje, a knock-off site that emerged only a day after Google threatened to pull out of China, the issue of intellectual property has also been raised. Baidu, Google’s greatest competitor, has made no secret of its similarity to Google[2], and has dismissed innovation as oversold, another sticking point for businesses investing in China.

With the United States lodging a formal protest to China over Google’s cyber attacks, this has swelled into a global, partially political, debate on internet censorship, and its link to human rights. Whatever the outcome, as a high-profile company, Google has set a precedent for US businesses dealing with China.

Do you agree with the results of our poll? Share your views with us on the JobsCentral Forum here: http://forum.jobscentral.com.sg/showthread.php?p=9905#post9905

Recent reports have indicated that Singapore’s economy is recovering gradually from the economic crisis, supported by growth over the fourth quarter of 2009, and a drop in unemployment figures as the Integrated Resorts start hiring. But does this translate to optimism among workers with regards to pay increments?

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Of the 267 respondents who participated in our poll, more than half (57%) expect a pay increment this year. Workers who suffered pay cuts last year might expect employers to restore their salaries to pre-crisis levels, now that the overall economic outlook is positive. Some may also expect employers to offer pay increments in order to retain workers who might become more mobile as the economy picks up.

But almost one-third (31%) do not expect any pay increment, suggesting that some Singaporeans still have conservative salary expectations after the economic crisis.

The remaining 12% are unsure, reflecting a cautious outlook on the Singapore economy. This mirrors Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s recent comments on how difficult he felt it would be for Singapore to grow at pre-recession rates of 5%[1], despite predicting a 3 – 5% growth for the economy in 2010.

Do you agree with the results of our poll? Share your views with us on the JobsCentral Forum here: http://forum.jobscentral.com.sg/showthread.php?p=9802#post9802