SINGAPORE: A UNIQUE BRAND OF TRIPARTISM

1. Symposium on Human capital theory, policy and practiceWorkforce Renewal in Singapore: Placing Human Capital at the forefront of CompetitivenessAdrian Kuahand Stéphane Le Queux (James Cook University, Singapore/Australia) adrian.kuah@jcu.edu.austephane.lequeux@jcu.edu.au

2. SINGAPORE: A UNIQUE BRAND OF TRIPARTISM TRIPARTITE GOVERNANCE ALLOWING FOR: • ORGANIC POLICING • AGILE COORDINATION “There can be few other places in the world where the social regulation of the labour market has been so consistently and explicitly a central component of national development strategy as it has been in Singapore” (Coe and Kelly, 2000: 414).

3. FOLLOWING… • SOME DATA ON SINGAPORE ECONOMY AND LABOUR MARKET • THE FABRIC OF TRIPARTISM • THE PRODUCTIVITY MOVEMENT • RECENT INTIATIVES AND NEW DIRECTIONS: DECENT WORK AGENDA AND INTEGRATIVE GROWTH

4. LATEST STATS (https://tradingeconomics.com/singapore/productivity)

5. LATEST ECONOMIC OUTLOOK • FocusEconomics panelists expect the economy to grow 2.6% in 2019, which is unchanged from last month’s estimate, and 2.4% in 2020. A prolonged dispute between the U.S. and China or a more notable slowdown in China could weigh on the outlook. https://www.focus-economics.com/countries/singapore https://tradingeconomics.com/singapore/gdp

6. SINGAPORE IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2018: Advancing decent work for sustainable development [16 November 2018] https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_649885/lang--en/index.htm https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_649885.pdf The Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2018 report pulls together the most recent statistics to take stock of developments in labour markets across the most populous region of the world. Asia and the Pacific stands out as the world’s top performer when it comes to economic growth, owing in large part to its dynamic labour markets. Yet despite the plethora of work in the region, work that qualifies as “decent” remains in short supply in many countries. Acknowledging the commitments made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all” under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, special attention is given to assessing the region’s prospects to advance decent work for inclusive growth and sustainable development. Where countries in the region fall short in their capacity to expand decent work and hence inclusive growth – as almost all countries do – the report suggests a course of action for advancing on a policy mix that can help to keep decent work front and centre in the development agenda.

7. SINGAPORE IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

8. The region has benefited from high labour productivity growth. Between 1997 and 2007,labourproductivity (defined as output per worker) in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 4 per cent annually on average, well above the global average of 2.4 per cent. In the past decade (2007–17), the growth of labour productivity, at 5 per cent per year, was even stronger. Among the subregions, Eastern Asia consistently performed best.

9. Labour productivity in Singaporehttp://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/Singapore-Yearbook-Of-Manpower-Statistics-2018.aspx

10. HRD CENTRAL TO SINGAPORE In the absence of natural resources, the deployment of labour has been central to the success of Singapore.Singapore is a place where labour has been put at the center of a productivist agenda to support economic growth. “For a small country like Singapore, acquiring and nurturing human talent is a matter of survival. Without much of anything else, we rely on human ingenuity and effort to build our economy and society. We have therefore made major investments in education, lifelong learning and talent development.” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 2009. Shifting institutional support to Human Resource Development, directed at the Singaporean “core” workforce, to try to buckle the trend.

11. ‘Paternalist’ Corporatism: Tripartism as the backbone of Governance TheNational Trade Union Congress (NTUC) formed by the ruling political party (the People’s Action Party, or PAP) in 1964 that provided the government the thrust to propel its industrial relations initiatives. Singapore National Employer’s Federation (SNEF) incorporated in 1980. The Ministry of Labour renamed the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in 1998: a key government agency for labour and employment issues.

12. Tripartism as the backbone of Governance Symbiotic PAP–NTUC relationship means senior officials in public service are regularly seconded into the NTUC to boost the quality and standing of the NTUC leadership. Abled union leaders are also co-opted into the PAP leadership, fielded as Member of Parliament (MP) and appointed to key offices of Government-Linked Companies (GLC). Key PAP MPs have been made to work in the unions to get to know union leaders and members, and their problems.

13. Leadership Legacy: Confucian, Authentic, Pragmatic, Long-term nation building “The task of the leaders must be to provide or create for them a strong framework within which they can learn, work hard, be productive and be rewarded accordingly. And this is not easy to achieve.” The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew “A society to be successful must maintain a balance between nurturing excellence and encouraging the average to improve.” The Wit and Wisdom of Lee Kuan Yew

14. Manpower and the Productivity Movement From 1979, the government strategically induced a shift in Singapore’s economy towards high technology, high value-added production which required a parallel shift in the management and development of the labour market. For Singaporean workers the shift meant upgrading their skills, both in technical proficiency and in the cultivation of ‘right attitudes’. The regulatory means for skills formation and character building were government agencies, the NTUC and the SNEF. Workforce development increasingly became a tripartite endeavour.

15. Manpower and the Productivity MovementSource: Ohno and Kitaw (2011)

16. The Productivity Movement: recent initiatives An Inter-Agency Productivity Taskforce formed in 2009 formally proposed initiatives that included ‘Skills Future’ under the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), led by the SNEF. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) was set up to promote the wider adoption of fair and progressive employment practices among employers.

17. The Productivity Movement: recent initiatives Next, a tripartite National Productivity and Continuing Education Council was established to boost skills and enterprise productivity, and develop a comprehensive system for CE and training. Concurrently, a raft of policy measures was introduced to improve Singapore’s productivity output (e.g. providing tax exemptions and incentives for companies to innovate and embrace technology; establishing funding mechanisms for the Singaporean workforce to constantly upgrade their skill).

18. The Productivity Movement: recent initiatives • Skills and the Future of Work: Strategies for Inclusive Growth in Asia and the Pacific (ILO, issued 20th November 2018) • https://www.ilo.org/asia/publications/WCMS_650239/lang--en/index.htm

19. (REGIONAL) CHALLENGES… • MIGRANT LABOUR • VULNERABLE LABOUR • INCLUSIVE GROWTH

20. International Migrant Stock: The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates.  2.544m 2.165m 1.711m 1.352m 0.991m 0.519m Source: World Bank Grouphttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SG&view=chart

21. Singapore is increasingly dependent on a migrant workforce: has doubled from 2000 to 2015 to reach 38.5% of total active population. Source: World Bank Grouphttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=SG&view=chart

22. Although the numbers continue to decrease, some 930 million workers – nearly one in two (48.6 per cent) workers – remained in a “vulnerable” status of employment as either own-account worker or contributing family worker in the region in 2017.

23. More than two in three (68.2 per cent) workers in the region were in informal employment in 2016. This was above the global average of 61.2 per cent (ILO, 2018). Informal employment is closely linked to vulnerable employment.

24. Decent Work Agenda & Inclusive Growth • The MOM and the ILO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific agreed tolimplement a Partnership Agreement for a Collaborative Programme on Labour and Workplace Practices between 2011 and 2013. The cooperative activities cover a number of labour and workplace areas, including occupational safety and health (OSH), tripartism and social dialogue, productivity, employability and skills development. https://www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/news/WCMS_157945/lang--en/index.htm • The ILO and the Singapore Ministry of Manpower have enjoyed a longstanding cooperation to foster the decent work agenda in Asia and the Pacific. Since 2011, they have developed their collaboration in the areas of occupational safety and health, tripartism and social dialogue, labour market information and labour migration.Finalized in consultation with the workers’ and employers’ organizations of Singapore, the renewed partnership agreement runs until the end of 2020. It will enhance capacities of social partners in ILO and ASEAN member States in the field of labour and promote the Decent Work Agenda.It will also strengthen Decent Work aspects of the ASEAN regional integration process through exchange of knowledge and South-South cooperation. https://www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/news/WCMS_631487/lang--en/index.htm

25. Examples of inclusive practices in Singapore • To better manage the partial ‘incorporation’ of migrants. NWC lifting minimum wage in some sectors dominated by migrant labour. The NTUC and the SNEF have established a Migrant Workers' Centre to facilitate the training of migrant workers and educating them about fair employment practices. Some NTUC affiliates began to recruit foreign workers into their memberships. • Initiatives towards ageing workforce, young people with disabilities.

26. Conclusion: in a nutshell Policy diffusion in Singapore happens rapidly because of closely knitted relationships between the tripartite actors. This institutional machinery is obviously working and policies cascade down efficiently. Yet, evidence suggests that labour influx has provided the input for economic growth. Singapore government is aware that the volume of labour and associated migration become a social dilemma. Hence, the productivity and skills formation agenda is getting even more central to governance. Four initiatives are pivotal to HRD: SkillsFuture, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, the Work-Life Works! portal and WorkPro. For the SkillsFuture Policy, see www.skillsfuture.sg/