BritCham hosts Member Dialogue with the Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng

On 7th November our members had the opportunity to engage with Singapore's Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng, in our latest Member Dialogue event.

During this dialogue, members shared their views on the economy and jobs, as they set out to empower businesses to partner workers to tap on opportunities in growth sectors, be globally competitive, and in turn provide rewarding jobs for Singaporeans. Dr. Tan provided background on the recent announcements such as COMPASS​ and the OnePass​, with a moderated Q&A discussion with our Vice President, Haslam Preeston.

This is an example of the continued efforts of the Chamber's Board and Executive Team to maintain close ties with key stakeholders on our members' behalf, so that you may have clarity on important policy announcements and a forum to raise your questions directly to Ministers.

In the Minister's own words:

Had a robust discussion with members of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore (BritCham) on a wide range of manpower issues this morning.

We spoke about changes in the global and local environments as we emerge from the pandemic. And how not all changes are bad, because they prompt us to make mindset shifts, and to think, function, and compete on another level to make things work. This is why we have recently made enhancements to our foreign manpower policies and introduced the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass. These policies updates will help us achieve a highly differentiated economy of the right size, with the right fit, and in the right place.

I hear businesses' anxiety about recruiting and retaining talent. If I may share from my personal experience, I urge businesses to identify your talents, develop your brand, and incentivise your workers accordingly, because they would serve as a sustainable source of competitive advantage. There is also always room for improvement to increase our productivity at work. I urge companies to bring best practices from all around the world here and level up our workplace practices and manpower efficiencies, so that we can compete more strongly on the global stage.

A big thank you to the BritCham again for today's fruitful session!