Do foreigners bring more problems than benefits to your

country?

In todays globalized world, the presence of foreign immigrants and workers is not an
uncommon sight on many countries, such as Singapore. There are controversies over the
influx of foreigners as many local Singaporeans feel that foreigners are a threat to their jobs
and to the nations social stability. While some of these concerns are valid and justifiable, I
feel that foreigners bring in more benefits than problems to our country.
One of the common complaints that local Singaporeans have against foreigners is that
foreigners pose as a threat to the locals job security. Many locals feel that these foreigners
are taking up jobs that could have gone to the locals instead. This is attested by the influx of
foreign works from countries like Bangladesh, Philippines and India. Hence, it appears that
the foreigners have exacerbated the problem of unemployment in Singapore.
While the job security of local Singaporeans is a valid concern, I feel that concerns like these
are exaggerated. Rather than actually reducing the job vacancies, these foreign workers
often causes a shift in the job types available to local Singaporeans. For instance, many of
these foreign workers are holding onto lower-skilled jobs such as the construction workers
who are mainly from Bangladesh and the domestic helpers who are mainly from Philippines,
Indonesia and Vietnam. With more foreigners taking up the lower-skilled jobs, local
Singaporeans are encouraged to take up the higher-skilled jobs instead. As Singapore is
moving towards a knowledge-based economy, the highly educated workforce is not
necessarily at a disadvantage since they tend to take up the higher-skilled jobs in the
economy. Hence, foreigners do not threaten the job security of local Singaporeans. Rather,
they have only filled the vacuum created by the locals.
Critics, however, may argue that the lower-educated locals may be displaced of their jobs
due to foreigners. While such concern is justifiable, Singapore government has implemented
policies to prevent the lower-skilled locals from facing with unfair competition with the
lower-skilled foreign workers. One such policy is the dependency ratio of foreign to local
workers. As such, maximum proportion of foreign workers is limited while lower-skilled
locals do not get completely displaced from their jobs. Hence, lower-skilled locals are not
completely displaced from their jobs due to foreigners.
Skilled immigrants can also be beneficial to Singapores resources. As Singapore has limited
resources, we depend heavily on human resources for economic growth. Influx of skilled
immigrants can increase our talent pool and stimulate growth of local firms, rending a
growth in our economy. With economic growth, foreign investors and firms may be attracted
to set up branches in our country. The setting up foreign companies such as American
Express and Apple are an attestment to the potential benefits that foreign immigrants can
bring to our country. As such, more job opportunities are created in our country in the long
run. Hence, foreigners such as skilled immigrants can reap potential benefits such as
economic growth and higher job opportunities in the long run.
Furthermore, presence of foreigners can enhance vibrancy of our mosaic of enthic culture
and values. Our traditional mixture of Indian, Malay and Chinese cultures is now further
influenced by pther cultures such as Spanish, French and Italian. This can be seen from the
diverse resturants from different cultures in Singapore today. With increased social vibrancy,
tourism rates are likely to rise, hence rendering a boost in our economy. Hence, influx of
foreigners can bring about social and cultural benefits to our country.
On the other hand, some people may feel that influx of foreign ideals and values may cause
uneasiness among the community. For instance, influx of foreigners has brought about an
increased awareness of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) in our society.
This has also resulted in a greater call for the LGBT residents amongst us to be accepted
and recognised through events such as the annual Pink Dot held in Singapore. This has
resulted in the uproar of many local Singaporeans as the ideals and values influenced by
foreigners are in conflict with the comservative ideals and values the local adopt. As such,
the influx of foreign ideals and values may cause a disruption in our social stability.
While this concern is justifiable and valid, the increase in social and cultural vibrancy
outweighs the problem of social instability in my opinion. While influx of foreign ideals and
values may not be in tandem with the conservative mindsets of local Singaporeans, such
situation may encourage us to become more open-minded and accepting of diverse views
instead. By being more accepting of our differences, we can move towards becoming a
more tolerant society.
In conclusion, I feel that foreigners are an inevitable part of Singapores society. While there
are possible problems that may arise from influx of foreigners, we can not deny that
foreigners bring about a myraid of potential benefits social, economic and cultural growth
to our society. Hence, influx of foreigners increase the cosmopolitan nature of Singapore
and create a more tolerant society.