SINGAPORE - MIGRATION IN 1999

As in other Asian countries, the issue of irregular migration took up most of the attention the government dedicated to foreign workers.  As early as in February it was reported that the number of irregular migrants caught in 1998 was approximately 23,000, 60 percent more than those caught in 1997 (14,000). An increase of irregular migration was foreseen, due to the crisis that ravaged Asia in 1997, and control measures were stepped up. Irregular migrants originated mostly from China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Myanmar and used the Causeway and Johor Straits as points of entry. Specific organizations from Indonesia involved in smuggling migrants were identified. Typically, they deploy recruiters in the provinces to promise unemployed persons high paying jobs. Prospect migrants pay three month wages in advance and are taken to Batam or Bintan, placed in safe houses waiting for the right moment to cross, usually at night time. Chinese, instead, fly to Kuala Lumpur and then are taken to Johor Baru where the operators will smuggle them into Singapore. Stepping up the severity of penalties against irregular migrants and smugglers, immigration authorities recommended punishing those involved in smuggling with 10 years in jail and caning, up from two years in jail and $6,000 fine. In January, those detained at Portsdown Prison included 314 migrants serving sentences for cheating and theft offenses, while 914 were awaiting repatriation. As of August 1999, 5,500 irregular migrants had been arrested.

The presence of foreign workers in Singapore has continued to rise in recent years and in May approximately 530,000 foreign workers were present in the country. Some 80,000 of them are highly skilled, employed in the finance, business, commerce and manufacturing sectors. Around 200,000 are construction workers, while domestic workers number approximately 100,000. The rest are engaged in the service sector and marine industries. To decrease the number of unskilled workers, the government raised the levy for the employment of unskilled workers to S$470 and set a target of 45 percent skilled workers in the construction industry by the year 2005. The Construction Industry Training Institute (CITI) introduced a six-month course to upgrade the skills of workers, who will have to take a written exam and pass the practical test to get a skill evaluation certificate. Contractors fear that many workers might fail the exam because of language problems, and suggested that test be also given in Bengali aside from English, Mandarin and Thai. The incentive for employers is to improve productivity and lower the levy they must pay, since the levy for skilled workers is only S$30 a month.

The search for foreign talents sparked a debate in Singapore between those afraid that foreigners might take away jobs from Singaporeans and those who consider skilled foreign workers necessary to keep the economy growing. According to the Department of Statistics, without foreign skilled workers GDP growth in 1996 would have been 5.3 percent instead of 7.5 percent. In the meantime it was estimated that within 12-24 months employers would have 17,950 more jobs to offer, particularly in manufacturing and education.

In a move to streamline operations and save costs, the Immigration and Registration Departments merged into a new department, Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR), which will issue a new card to permanent residents which will save them from applying for re-entry every time they leave the country.

To diminish problems concerning abuse to domestic workers, the Ministry of Manpower released an information kit for employers, detailing their responsibilities and providing cultural tips to understand domestic workers better. Similar kits were later released for employers in construction and manufacturing. However, some problems remained for domestic workers, including fatal accidents as 20 maids died from falling out of high-rise buildings while cleaning windows or hanging out clothes.