WORK PERMITS FOR SHOP ASSISTANTS AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES (Request for relaxation)

Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Labour whether he is aware of the serious labour shortage existing today in coffee shops, small restaurants/eating houses and provision shops, as our young Singaporeans are not interested to work in such places, and, in view of the important role such establishments have played in the economic development of Singapore, if he will consider relaxing the issue of work permits to sponsors applying for permits for their prospective employees.

The Minister for Labour (Mr Ong Pang Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I, with your consent and the concurrence of the hon. Member for Khe Bong, take Questions 3 and 4 together as they are related to each other?

Mr Speaker: Do you agree, Mr Ho?

Mr Ho See Beng (Khe Bong): Yes, Sir.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, our policy has been to issue work permits for work as bar girls and no skills requirement is imposed. Given the nature of the work involved, it is a profession which we do not want to encourage our girls to go into. The issue of such work permits, therefore, meets a desirable social objective. I do not think the hon. Member for Khe Bong is suggesting that we should be restrictive in our issue of work permits for work as bar girls so as to encourage more of our own women to work as bar girls. He may wish to know that as at the end of January 1978, there were a total of 943 work permits issued for work as bar girls.

Our work permit policy is also designed generally to promote economic development through providing the required manpower. We are at present facing a tight labour market, especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Factories and construction worksites are of greater importance when compared to service establishments like coffee shops, small restaurants/eating houses and provision shops. According to the last available statistics, in 1973 the value added per worker for manufacturing was $12,796 when compared to $4,292 for coffee shops, $5,306 for restaurants and $5,000 for general provision/ sundry shops. Given their economic contribution and that the supply of foreign workers is not inexhaustible, Government must accord priority to factories and worksites.

Coffee shops, small restaurants/eating houses and provision shops must adjust their operations to cope with the present labour shortage. Coffee shops and small restaurants/eating houses should employ more housewives as part-time help or provide self-service in their establishments. Provision shops should curtail their home delivery service. The hon. Member for Khe Bong has travelled extensively abroad and must have seen how similar establishments operate in the West where labour is even harder to come by. We cannot afford to encourage less then optimum use of manpower in these establishments, especially when we are short of labour. This notwithstanding, we have assisted these establishments to some extent. As at the end of January 1978, the number of work permit holders who were coffee shop and provision shop assistants and restaurant cooks and waiters was 1,412.