The Big Read: Amid intensifying global talent war, Singapore faces juggling act in hunt for world’s best and brightest

The Big Read: Amid intensifying global talent war, Singapore faces juggling act in hunt for world's best and brightest

Ethos BeathChapman’s Mr Kochar pointed out that “when it comes to starting something new that has not really been done prior to by the firm, this cannot be done by simply one top executive”.

He said: “They would require their own ‘army’, otherwise 100 per cent a minimum of 20 or 30 percent (of a team). ” 

But he added: “(The rollout of) 1 Pass is also about saying … we have a working army, today we’re getting a chief to lead the particular army. ”

IMPLICATIONS OF WOOING ELITE GLOBAL TALENTS

Earlier this particular month, Dr Tan  said in Parliament  that as part of Singapore’s global talent “offensive”, agencies such as the Nationwide Arts Council and Ministry of Training will help identify not simply high-earners but “exceptional talent” in areas such as the arts, sports and science,

These high-achievers is not going to need to meet the S$30, 000 monthly income criterion for ONE Pass, and will help drive Singapore to “new frontiers, draw in higher investments … (and) create a very varied range of opportunities designed for Singaporeans”, said the particular Manpower Minister.  

Mr Song of CIMB financial institution said this signals Singapore’s effort to back up the growth associated with non-business fields, considering the fact that their top talents will be accorded similar treatment with company leaders in terms of work passes.

Nevertheless , there are concerns through some of those interviewed about potential side effects of  Singapore’s targeted strategy of going after top-tier talents, be in company or other fields.    

“I would argue that by setting it up as being a sort of ‘platinum card’ may cause envy and resentment down the line, ” said Mr Dark of Blackbox.

“Even if the quantities accepted are relatively small, talented (locals) may feel, rightly or wrongly, that such a scheme indicates they will be overlooked for top jobs in favour of a foreigner, ” he said.  

Mister Black’s views had been echoed by sociologists interviewed.

Relate Professor Laavanya Kathiravelu at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) College of Social Sciences said that the ONE Complete initiative may inadvertently “be seen as  creating a two-tiered labor force, even among foreign skilled professionals working here”.  

She also portrayed concern that it may lead to a situation where a corporation would lean towards parachuting readily available top talents from somewhere else to take up top roles, instead of trading time and assets in training Singaporeans to move up the step ladder.

Dr Rebecca Grace Tan through National University associated with Singapore’s (NUS) College of Humanities plus Sciences  said that while the ONE Pass happens to be “quite restrictive” with regards to qualification criteria plus validity period, “it is not clear the incentives for foreigners will stop here”, since Singapore continues to be within a “global talent hands race”.  

“This is especially therefore given the hypermobility of the super-rich. For instance , James Dyson moved to Singapore in 2019 and  returned back  to the United Kingdom in 2021, ” the lady said.

“Instead, we are likely to see more and more incentives rolled out to attract plus retain foreign talent, much like what we noticed in Europe which accumulated in the supply of permanent residency based on how much migrant workers invested. ”

Questions on ensuring skills transfer are also raised in Parliament, with MP Jamus Lim (WP-Sengkang) wondering if such exercising requirements can be codified into law, while other MPs suggested time-limited EPs to ensure skills transfer.

In response, Dr Suntan cautioned “against too deterministic an approach” as skills exchange is not a simple or linear process.

Over the years, government leaders have repeatedly anxious that developing nearby talents remains important, even as it shoes on the global experienced workforce to help drive the economy.

Most recently, Deputy Primary Minister Lawrence Wong reiterated that investing heavily in human being capital locally “has and will continue to be the cornerstone” of the Government’s development strategy.

Mr Wong, that is also the Finance Minister, was speaking last week at the launch of the financial services sector’s second industry change for better map. At the start, it was also introduced that  S$400 mil has been committed to developing local professionals as part of the sector’s five-year formula.

Meanwhile, a continuing bugbear when it comes to talking about the presence of foreign talents here is the concern more than housing and leasing prices.

Property or home analysts cautioned the fact that push to catch the attention of global talents, especially the top tier types, would drive up demand for casing in Singapore.  

Ms Christine Sun, senior vice president of research and analytics on OrangeTee & Connect, expects the leasing market to feel the impact first, “especially for the luxury segment given (the top global talents’) higher salaries and expat packages”.

Saying yes, Mr Lee Sze Teck, senior movie director for research at Huttons Asia, declared that rentals for various other market segments will probably rise as well, although to a lesser degree than luxury homes.

Mr Nicholas Mak, head associated with research and consultancy at ERA, stated it might be too early to speak about the impact of the ONE Pass initiative on the property market. Nevertheless, he observed that foreign purchasers “are already energetic in buying and promoting high-end residential properties”.
 
Mr Mohan Sandrasegeran, senior analyst pertaining to research and content creation at One Worldwide Group, cited public data which showed that 180 new homes were bought by foreigners in the second quarter of this year.   “This was the highest quantity of units purchased by foreigners since the 3rd quarter of 2019, when there were an overall total of 182 products transacted, ” this individual added.