1. Introduction
4.7 Comparing Immigration Policies among Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan
4.7.1 Similarities to Immigration Policies among Singapore, Hong Kong and
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policies, the researcher designed the semi-structured interview outline to interview three officials in person or via internet. These officials work in the field involved with immigration affairs in the Government of Singapore or Government of Taiwan; one official once worked for the Singapore government in the past, and two officials now work for Taiwan government (one is in charge of policy-making, and the other one is responsible for implementing the immigration policies. Unfortunately, one volunteer from Hong Kong passed away just before an interview can be conducted; thus, the researcher lost the connection with officials of Hong Kong).The interview result will be provided in the following section.
4.7.1 Similarities to Immigration Policies among Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan
It is well known that highly-skilled people are an important determinant of economic growth and have a high level of spatial mobility (Venhorst, 2012: 2-3).
Research which has focused on an analysis of the economy has indicated that highly-skilled migration has been evaluated as a positive component for receiving countries in general (Katseli, Lucas and Xenogiani, 2006: 10, de Haas, 2007: iii).
Undoubtedly, attractive financial, social, and human capital conditions in either the sending or receiving countries are the major reason for gaining foreign and return brains (Docquier and Sekkat, 2006: 13). In Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan, local people are reluctant to take up low-skill jobs with low wages, so foreign workers often fill these positions (Yeoh and Lin, 2012). Similarly, their migrant labor policies divide foreign workers into ―Class A‖ professionals, and ―Class B‖ unskilled and low-skilled laborers; they all control the scale of labor immigration by the foreign labor dependency ratio, worker levies, and quotas.
Foreign contract workers are selected from the lower end of income distribution
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in sending countries and are typically of low socioeconomic status. In the three countries, these blue-collar foreign workers are paid only slighter higher or even lower than the legal minimum wage; they are only eligible to work for their specific employer, are unable to undertake any extra other form of paid work, and are unable to claim permanent residency. These three countries have strict control of and prohibit the permanent settlement and family reunification of foreign contract workers (Lin, 2012).
The largest need for foreign contract workers are in the services, marine and construction sectors, particularly in 3D occupations. In addition, mainland Chinese people are not allowed to be employed as foreign domestic helpers in these three countries as well due to nationalism and classism.
In the past, highly-skilled foreign workers were mainly from Western developed countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia in these three countries. Nowadays, more highly-skilled workers from the mainland China migrate to Hong Kong and Singapore. Like Singapore and Hong Kong, Taiwan is now pursuing to transform into the knowledge-based economy, and has launched some schemes to revise laws and regulations to attract more foreign talents to Taiwan, including mainland Chinese people. Integrating migrants from mainland China is proving a greater challenge than initially imagined. In fact, criticism of foreigners has taken an increasingly xenophobic tone, and contributed to a decline in support for the government. The greatest public discontent has been towards the growing number of migrants from mainland China. They are widely perceived as being uncouth and ill-mannered in these three countries. Many local people say foreign-born residents take jobs, push up property prices and add new strains on the infrastructure. Somewhat ironically, cultural divides, nationalism and classism run deepest between local people and new immigrants from mainland China. A Singaporean interviewee with many years of past working experience in the Singapore Civil Service responding to this issue as
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follows corresponds to related researches in this study:
Singaporeans are generally not xenophobic in nature. We do welcome foreigners who are able to make valuable contributions to our economy and thereby help to raise the quality of life in our country. The current resentment is against the ridiculous and uncontrolled influx of both skilled and unskilled migrant workers into country without taking into consideration the limited physical size of the country and the adverse consequences arising from such a move. There is competition for jobs with foreigners in practically every sector of the economy and Singaporean of all ages are feeling the heat of it. Coupled with some foreign MNC(s) who preferred to hire candidates of their own nationalities, it further escalated the level of dissatisfaction, emotional stress and resentment among the local population.
China is obviously a rich source of talent pool for the Singapore government who are constantly on the lookout for foreign talents to augment the local workforce. Many young and talented PRC nationals are offered government scholarships at different levels to study in Singapore, and upon graduation they are required to fulfill an obligation to work in Singapore for a specific number of years. With the current hue and cry over the excessive influx of foreign population into Singapore, it has prompted the Government to re-examine some of the proposals and roadmaps outlined in the Population White Paper masterplan.
Latest measures targeted at curbing the number of foreign working population in Singapore include the upward revision of levies payable for the various types of work employment pass/work permits, setting higher quotas for companies’ hiring of foreign workers, discontinuing the renewal of employment permits for some categories of foreign workers and lately, the close monitoring of any unethical practices by foreign companies to hire nationalities of its own kind. I am of the view that it is paramount for the policymakers to strike a balance in ensuring that future population growth in
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Singapore are keep at a level that is satisfactory to replace the low birth rate while not compromising the quality of life here.