Budget 2025 debate: Cheryl Chan on shifting Singapore’s approach to developing talent

Young Singaporeans must be equipped with the skills and experiences necessary to thrive in an increasingly complex interconnected world, said MP Cheryl Chan in parliament on Thursday (Feb 27). She urged the government to forge more strategic partnerships with global companies and subsidise rotation programmes where Singaporeans are hired and placed in roles across the world. She also called for a differentiated approach towards embracing talent and allocating resources to support their development. Ms Chan suggested implementing separate employment pass quotas for MNCs and SMEs, with a more generous quota for the latter. This would enable SMEs to hire more talented foreigners without increasing the overall number of foreign workers in Singapore. MNCs should also be required to train local employees to take on senior roles and pathways should be created to ensure some of this trained talent flows to SMEs. Ms Chan also proposed allowing students who are not academically inclined to enrol in ITE much earlier, as part of efforts to harness and broaden Singapore’s talent pool.