Gear up to be transformed

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: How will tightening foreign worker hiring impact firms in the services sector? What's a viable long-term solution to the services industries' manpower challenges?

Victor Mills Chief Executive Singapore International Chamber of Commerce

Reducing the number of foreign workers and S-passes per company will impact the food & beverage and retail industries the most. They are the key service industries in which Singaporeans are not keen to work and for which widespread automation is not a practical option. Our society's attitude to service jobs needs to dramatically change. They have suffered far too long from being equated to domestic helpers' roles which is, in itself, unjust. Service jobs need to be better paid and each worker needs to e happy to serve in order to be productive. These are the only truly sustainable, long-term solutions.