Josephine Teo on employment of foreigners as bus drivers
Minister of State for Finance and Transport, Josephine Teo, on Friday addressed concerns about the employment of foreigners as bus drivers.
SINGAPORE : Minister of State for Finance and Transport, Josephine Teo, on Friday addressed concerns about the employment of foreigners as bus drivers.
Speaking in Parliament, Mrs Teo said it is increasingly difficult to recruit Singaporeans as bus drivers, due to rising career aspirations.
She said this is due to rising educational attainments and rising career aspirations. Other industries, including the construction sector, have also begun to offer better remuneration and better working conditions.
About 280 locals are hired as bus drivers each year, compared to 800 foreigners.
They are primarily from Malaysia and China.
About 1,000 drivers, or 14 per cent of the driver pool, leave each year.
Mrs Teo said: "I think we must also realise that there is a difference between the terms of employment for locals as well as the foreigners. Foreigners are here on contract. So some of them, at the end of the contract, they leave the service. And they are also counted within that 1,000.
"So if you were to look purely at the rates of attrition, then it would seem that the attrition is higher amongst the foreigners. But a large part of it is because they have completed their contracts."