SMEs seek flexibility in foreign labour policy for O&M sector
The need to ride on yards for higher FW ratio ties SMEs' hands
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Singapore
THE large number of ships transiting through Singapore creates demand for ship repair, conversion and upgrading services here, offering industry players some buffer against cyclical shipbuilding activity. Yet, some small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are finding it hard to tap these opportunities because of how the foreign worker (FW) policy for the marine sector is structured.
Policymakers, mindful that the nature of offshore & marine work does not appeal to locals, have over the years assigned a higher FW dependency ratio ceiling of 77.8 per cent for what is classified as the Marine Shipyard sector. This works out to up to 3.5 FWs allowed for every local on hire.
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