SINGAPORE - The heightened Covid-19 restrictions in May and June to curb Covid-19 infections have taken a toll on Singapore's labour market.The number of workers employed fell in the second quarter of this year, after registering its first increase in the previous quarter following a decline last year, said the Ministry of…

Tighten salary criteria, target discriminatory hiring to ensure strong Singaporean core: MAS chiefSINGAPORE - For Singapore to be truly innovative, it should turn education and healthcare into major exportable services, digitalise its economy end-to-end, and take the lead in Asia on the green economy.It also needs a strong Singaporean core to…

 SINGAPORE - India foreign workers will be brought into Singapore on a "small scale" and in a "calibrated manner" this month through a pilot programme led by the construction, marine and process (CMP) sectors. If successful, this method will be used to facilitate a steady inflow of foreign workers in a…

SINGAPORE - Misrepresentations of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) have caused much unnecessary public concern, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who highlighted Tuesday's Parliament debate on the matter.PM Lee said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (July 6) that Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Manpower Minister Tan See…

5 myths and facts about the trade pactSINGAPORE - In a ministerial statement on Tuesday (July 6), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung - formerly the deputy chief negotiator for the US-Singapore FTA - and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng debunked misconceptions about the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca).The free trade…

 SINGAPORE - Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng delivered ministerial statements in Parliament on Singapore's free trade agreements (FTAs), such as the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca), on Tuesday (July 6).Here are the highlights:1. FTAs, Ceca made 'political scapegoats'The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has…

SINGAPORE - From 2005 to last year, the finance and infocomm sectors accounted for 40 per cent of the increase in Employment Passes (EPs) handed out to foreign professionals. But these two sectors saw even stronger job creation for local professionals, managers and executives (PMEs), said Minister for Manpower Tan…

SINGAPORE - Great Eastern Life Assurance will be providing free Covid-19 protection coverage for all Singapore residents.Known as the GREAT Covid Care Plan, the post-vaccination protection plan will provide a cash payout of $200 per day of hospitalisation, up to a total of $2,000, should one get hospitalised due to…

SINGAPORE - More foreign workers and foreign domestic helpers will soon be allowed to enter Singapore to work, said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong on Thursday (June 24)."This will ease the immense pressures our companies have been under since the start of the pandemic," he said, adding that…

Delays and stop-work orders because of COVID-19 shows this is the right time to re-think the way we do business, says labour economist, Kelvin Seah.Foreign workers at a construction site in Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)SINGAPORE: For a long time, Singapore’s strategy of augmenting its workforce with a large pool…