SINGAPORE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's demand for foreign manpower, such as those working in the healthcare and construction sectors and foreign domestic helpers, is expected to increase, the government said on Monday.
The demand for healthcare workers is expected to grow from 50, 000 in 2011 to 91,000 in 2030, partly due to the ageing population, the National Population and Talent Division said in a report.
The division, a department in the Prime Minister's Office, said the projections are not targets but illustrate the growth and change in demand for workers in these sectors based on certain assumptions drawn from the country's demographic and demand trends.
The demand for foreign domestic workers could rise from 198,000 in 2011 to 300,000 by 2030. The demand for construction workers is expected to rise from 250,000 in 2011 to about 280,000 in the next two to three years.
The Ministry of Health said that it planned to expand the annual intake for nursing and encourage more mid-career conversions to build up manpower in the healthcare sector.
The government has a plan to build 105 eldercare facilities over the next four years.
Halimah Yacob, minister of state for social and family development, said the government will also work with eldercare service providers to raise productivity through various initiatives.
The Singapore government has tightened its foreign manpower policy over the past two years, and some of the labor-intensive industries are complaining of a shortage of workers.
Weekly Photos of China: Nov 5-11
Sina Microblog
Tencent Microblog
Feedback
RSS
