The Business Times
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Why Singapore’s workforce needs both openness and a strong local core

Workplace integration must become a core economic capability to solve the country’s manpower crunch

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    • Without access to foreign workers and global talent, growth will slow, innovation will weaken and Singapore’s position as a business hub will come under pressure.
    • Without access to foreign workers and global talent, growth will slow, innovation will weaken and Singapore’s position as a business hub will come under pressure. PHOTO: BT FILE

    Kok Ping Soon

    Published Mon, Jul 6, 2026 · 04:07 PM

    [SINGAPORE] In the latest IMD World Competitiveness rankings released in June, Singapore ranked first overall. Yet, the global business executives surveyed identified the adequacy of the country’s labour force as a key weakness for sustaining long-term growth.

    While productivity gains and artificial intelligence will help, no advanced economy has fully offset a shrinking and ageing workforce through productivity alone. For Singapore, manpower will increasingly be the binding constraint.

    That is why openness to foreign manpower is a matter of economic necessity.

    Singapore Business FederationSingapore manpowerLabour Marketforeign talent

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