Theme: Immigration and Labour Market Challenges in Singapore

Speaker: Hui Weng Tat, Dean of Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University

Moderator: Meng Ke, Assistant Professor of SPPM

Date: Monday, December 12th

Time: 14:00-16:00

Venue: Room 302, SPPM

Language: English

Dialogue Synopsis:

The economic success of the small open Singapore economy in the past four decades is well known. It has earned a global reputation for its effective government machinery, extensive public housing, efficient institutions and disciplined workforce. Singapore is now at a critical juncture in its economic development path. In recent years, infrastructural and space constraints have raised questions on its future growth prospects. The existing presence of large numbers of low-wage foreign workers has also surfaced concerns over its contribution to the rise in income inequality. Increased competition for jobs from foreign graduates has led to calls for further curbs on foreign labour inflow. This presentation examines the main drivers of Singapore’s economic growth in the past decades and the prospects and challenges for its future growth. The policy responses to inclusive growth and the implications on productivity of recent policies and developments will also be discussed.