Public frustration in Singapore today has a number of causes. For starters, for all its growth, Singapore has become one of the world’s most unequal societies. While its per capita income is among the world’s highest, per capita consumption and wages as a share of gross domestic product — both better reflections of the ordinary citizen’s lot — rank much lower. A massive influx of low-wage foreign workers in recent years — which has helped swell the population from 4 million to 5 million in just a decade (imagine adding 75 million people to America’s 300 million and you get a feel for the disruption) — has put downward pressure on middle- and lower-income Singaporeans’ wages. It’s also created a sense in some quarters that Singapore may be heaven for the multinational elites who set up shop here but hellish for too many of the natives who serve the food or sweep the streets. Full story
OPINION: Singapore’s next frontier - Matt Miller
Public frustration in Singapore today has a number of causes. For starters, for all its growth, Singapore has become one of the world’s most unequal societies. While its per capita income is among the world’s highest, per capita consumption and wages as a share of gross domestic product — both better reflections of the ordinary citizen’s lot — rank much lower. A massive influx of low-wage foreign workers in recent years — which has helped swell the population from 4 million to 5 million in just a decade (imagine adding 75 million people to America’s 300 million and you get a feel for the disruption) — has put downward pressure on middle- and lower-income Singaporeans’ wages. It’s also created a sense in some quarters that Singapore may be heaven for the multinational elites who set up shop here but hellish for too many of the natives who serve the food or sweep the streets. Full story
