History - Immigration

What are the Push factors in counties that made people move to early Singapore?

Natural disasters (Chinese)

Overpopulation (Chinese)

Explain natural disasters (Chinese)

Flooding of the Yellow River of 1887
1. This river is prone to flooding due to the elevated nature of the river, running between dikes above the broad plains surrounding it. The flood killed some 900,000 people, and left another 2,000,000 homeless. A number left China for Singapore to search for new opportunities.

Overpopulation (Chinese)

Overpopulation

• China’s population nearly doubled between 1650 and 1800, but there was insufficient farmland to sustain the rapid growth in population. People living in the southern provinces of China were especially affected. Many of them lived in mountainous regions where there was limited land for growing crops, resulting in many suffering from starvation. Many were forced to leave their ancestral land to look for jobs to feed their families either in cities or overseas (Singapore)

What are some pull factors?

Jobs and businesses opportunities

Explain Success of Singapore as a port

Explain Success of Singapore as a port → China natural disaster

Traders and Shippers were attracted to Singapore’s good geographical location where it acted as the central collection centre for SEA and stopover for the China-India trade route. It was also a free port, meaning traders did not have to pay any custom duties or taxes that they brought into or out of Singapore.

Jobs and businesses opportunities→ Overpopulation in China

As a settlement that was newly set up by the British, there were all kinds of work to be found. Immigrants were easily able to find jobs in Singapore, and traders were attracted by many opportunities to start businesses here.

Why do we need a less restrictive immigration policy?

We must maintain a OPEN IMMIGRATION POLICY to attract TALENTED FOREIGNERS who can contribute to the economy by doing important jobs and helping Singapore grow into an outstanding city. Even though Singapore has many capable people, we simply do not have enough to meet the country’s needs. So, Singapore needs to bring talent from around the world to support and strengthen the local workforce.

What are the two reasons? (there are three)

Grow the economy and create better jobs for Singaporeans

Low Birth Rates

Explain Grow the economy and create better jobs for Singaporeans

Foreign workers support Singapore’s workforce and help local companies succeed. Keppel Corporation and SembCorp are good examples. They are Singapore-founded companies that rank among the world’s largest firms, and together they employ 20,000 people in Singapore. Of these, 5,000 are Singaporeans and 15,000 are foreign workers. Without foreign workers, many of these Singaporean jobs would not exist. However, the reverse is also true: without Singaporeans planning, leading and coordinating the work, the jobs for foreign workers would not exist either; both groups depend on each other.

Explain Low Birth Rates

Despite many efforts, Singaporeans has not been able to produce enough babies for several decades. The results remain discouraging even after 20 years of government measures such as paid maternity leave, childcare subsidies, tax benefits and cash gifts. These policies have helped but not enough to raise the birth rate to replacement level. From a high of 1.96 in 1988, Singapore’s total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 1.14 in 2018, went up slightly to about 1.20 in 2019, but then dropped even further to a historic low of 0.97 in 2025. This is much lower than the 2.1 children per woman needed to replace the population.

In 2019, Singapore’s population grew by 1.2 per cent to 5.7 million, mostly because of more foreign workers. That year also saw the highest number of Singapore citizenship granted in over a decade. These facts show a worrying trend; Singaporeans are not having enough babies, so immigration is needed to keep the workforce strong and support the economy.

Why do we want a tigher immigration policy?

Authenticity of the win

Limiting the number of foreigners encourages companies to invest in training local workers and expanding local employment.

explain Authenticity of the win

Singapore’s table tennis team won the 2010 World Championships, but people questioned if Singapore had really faced China’s top team, or if it was China Team Number 1 vs China Team Number 2. Sports is one of the few arenas where national passion, pride and achievement can be expressed safely and openly. Some feel that it defeats the purpose making foreigners Singaporean to represent the country and win medals. Holding a pink identity card may make these athletes technically Singaporean, but are they truly Singaporean? Can sporting pride really be bought? Many Singaporeans preferred to wait another half-century for an olympic medal rather than celebrate one won by someone not born and bred in Singapore. Ironically, Singapore’s first and only Olympic medal then was a silver won by Tan Howe Liang, who was born in China but moved to Singapore at the age of four.

Limiting the number of foreigners encourages companies to invest in training local workers and expanding local employment.

When the labour market is tight, businesses are pushed to automate and raise productivity. This helped the economy cope with slower employment growth. In recent years, stricter foreign worker quotas and government support schemes have helped companies hire and develop more locals. As a result, local employment rose by 21, 300 in 2017, especially in PMET-heavy sectors like finance, ICT, professional services and healthcare. Local workers also benefited from more skills training and opportunities to move into higher roles. At the same time, the number of foreign workers (excluding domestic helpers) fell by 32, 000 in 2017 - the largest drop in 15 years (excluding the COVID years).

What are some issues that have risen due to the open immigration policy? (there are 5 but we do 2)

Competition from foreigners

Crowding and congestion

Introduce the topic.

The government’s policy of opening the door to foreigners for the past 3 decades may have been a tad too wide and have resulted in some unhappiness among residents.

Explains competition from foreigners

While Singaporeans understand that the economy needs foreign workers, they fear losing their jobs or having their wages pushed down. The government anticipated these concerns and introduced measures to protect Singaporeans. Foreigners are not allowed to enter the workforce freely. Instead, their numbers are controlled through dependency ratios and foreign worker levies. When employers hire a foreign worker, they must pay an extra levy, which encourages them to consider hiring a Singaporean instead. These levies are also set to increase over time. Although some employers may feel the pressure, the measures are necessary to manage the inflow of foreign workers and prevent their numbers from rising without limit.

Explain Crowding and congestion

Many feel that there are too many people in Singapore and not enough space or quiet. They worry whether the country has enough facilities for both citizens and foreigners. These concerns are practical, and the government has taken steps to address them. For example, when it comes to school places, priority is always given to Singaporean children at both the primary and university levels. People also worry about crowded public transport, especially in the MRT. In response, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and transport operators have been working closely with the government to study the issues and find solutions. The government has also committed S$60 billion to expand the rail network, aiming to double its size with the addition of three major new lines.