How do Singapore's poor families get by?

[grahamw48]

Things have certainly changed since I lived there in the 1950s.

Oh, and sorry to say it, but I wonder if contraceptives are available in Singapore.

Six children ?

'the problem had got worse in the past decade because of globalisation and the influx of lower-cost foreign workers who have suppressed the wages of many blue-collar Singaporeans. It is meant that the income of the poorest 20% of Singaporeans had stagnated, he said'.

Sounds like something THIS country will be experiencing very shortly.

[Dedworth]

Six children ?

Muslim ........

[raynaputi]

'the problem had got worse in the past decade because of globalisation and the influx of lower-cost foreign workers who have suppressed the wages of many blue-collar Singaporeans. It is meant that the income of the poorest 20% of Singaporeans had stagnated, he said'.

Sounds like something THIS country will be experiencing very shortly.

When I worked in Singapore on 2007-2008 in the IT industry, we found out that what caused the salary range to become low was because of this. Many Indians/Pakistanis who went to Singapore were accepting half of what supposed to be the average monthly salary for an IT consultant. We got to talk to some of our Indian colleagues and found out some of them with the same level as us were earning only S$2000 which was half of what I was earning (take note, they have families and I was single). And when I tried to apply to other IT companies after my contract ended, they were also offering salaries around S$2000 which should not be. One reason why I returned to the Philippines because I will never afford living there with a salary that low.

[Terpe]

When I worked in Singapore on 2007-2008 in the IT industry, we found out that what caused the salary range to become low was because of this. Many Indians/Pakistanis who went to Singapore were accepting half of what supposed to be the average monthly salary for an IT consultant. We got to talk to some of our Indian colleagues and found out some of them with the same level as us were earning only S$2000 which was half of what I was earning (take note, they have families and I was single). And when I tried to apply to other IT companies after my contract ended, they were also offering salaries around S$2000 which should not be. One reason why I returned to the Philippines because I will never afford living there with a salary that low.

That's one of problems in UK now.
Too high a percentage of the labour force on low wages. Mid-to lower paid have become compressed.
Whichever government is in power after 2015 they'll need to manage a economy needing public spending yet with significantly less income via HMRC from tax revenues.
The top 1% of income tax payers accounts for almost 30% of total tax revenues.

There's a potential for government policies to follow the money and widen the gaps between the haves and have nots. IMO