THE IMAGE OF FOREIGN CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

For many years, the Singapore construction industry has been heavily reliant on foreign workers to fulfil the labour shortage. This is because the industry has been labeled as ‘3D’, namely dirty, dangerous and demanding. As such, it failed to attract locals to enter the industry by choice and most of them shun jobs relating to construction.

Singapore construction industry will continue to rely on foreign workers to fill in the vacancies, therefore it is of importance to ensure that these workers are able to adapt into the society and live harmoniously with the local community. It is also of interest to study the perception of the local community towards the foreign construction workers and uncover the social problems that are associated with these workers.

Findings from media reports and online blog posts revealed the associated social and image problems with the foreign construction workers. Furthermore, through the analysis of the survey results, it was discovered that the problems have been brought about by social bias and the mindset of the general public. Media reports have also influenced the perception of the general public concerning the workers.

The foreign construction workers are perceived to be a dangerous group of people and are shunned by the general public. Therefore, the general public is reluctant to be in close proximity with the workers, citing various concerns. Furthermore, the general public thinks lowly of them, regards them as low-level and is not willing to associate with them.

Therefore, the author hopes to improve the image of the foreign construction workers through the proposed solutions, namely, organize orientation programmes, implement Basic English course and Singapore law course, and promote harmonious living through various channels. It is essential that the image and social problems are well addressed, or it may snowball into bigger or create more social problems in the future.