productivity Archive

  • In Part 2, PM Lee touched on healthcare affordability, the future of SMEs, foreign immigration and job security.

    Question Time with Prime Minister (Mandarin) – Part 2 of 4

    Posted on April 17, 2011 | 4 Comments
    In Part 2, PM Lee touched on healthcare affordability, the future of SMEs, foreign immigration and job security.

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  • Ian Choo considers the case for the living wage. Globalisation and market forces have been the two forces that have been blamed for depressing wages at the bottom of every society, including Singapore.

    Why not a living wage?

    Posted on September 18, 2010 | 6 Comments
    Ian Choo considers the case for the living wage. Globalisation and market forces have been the two forces that have been blamed for depressing wages at the bottom of every society, including Singapore.

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  • Christopher Pang questions whether the minimum wage law indeed will improve general well-being of the economy, and ponders if the minimum wage indeed raises productivity. Often, the worst outcomes result from the best intentions.

    Min. Wage, Max. Damage

    Posted on September 10, 2010 | 18 Comments
    Christopher Pang questions whether the minimum wage law indeed will improve general well-being of the economy, and ponders if the minimum wage indeed raises productivity. Often, the worst outcomes result from the best intentions.

    Continue Reading...

  • An educated work force is not essential for economic growth. Neither is a high saving rate. Manufacturing is not the most influential economic sector. These contrarian conclusions come from a book by William W. Lewis, the founding director of the McKinsey Global Institute, a division of the McKinsey & Company consulting firm.

    The paradox of prosperity

    Posted on March 17, 2010 | No Comments
    An educated work force is not essential for economic growth. Neither is a high saving rate. Manufacturing is not the most influential economic sector. These contrarian conclusions come from a book by William W. Lewis, the founding director of the McKinsey Global Institute, a division of the McKinsey & Company consulting firm.

    Continue Reading...

  • Recently, a new buzzword has emerged in the local media – productivity. It all begun in December 2009 when the Reform Party publicised its economy policy proposals at a party seminar which attracted quite a significant fanfare locally. The fanfare for productivity peaked twice - first during the public annoucement of the release of the Economic Strategies Committee’s report and now during the Parliamentary Debate on Budget 2010.

    The question of productivity

    Posted on March 9, 2010 | 5 Comments
    Recently, a new buzzword has emerged in the local media – productivity. It all begun in December 2009 when the Reform Party publicised its economy policy proposals at a party seminar which attracted quite a significant fanfare locally. The fanfare for productivity peaked twice - first during the public annoucement of the release of the Economic Strategies Committee’s report and now during the Parliamentary Debate on Budget 2010.

    Continue Reading...

  • Singapore’s re-invention won’t be easy – but it doesn’t matter. Singapore has made mistakes in its attempt to push its economy in new directions. Attempts to promote the Singapore exchange to Chinese firms looking for a foreign listing, led to lower standards and a series of scandals, as I discussed here: Why you must tread carefully in emerging markets. The better Chinese firms have listed in Hong Kong and New York and won’t be back. The budget’s focus on productivity reinforces one thing. Singapore has failed to produce a single world-beating large company. Its largest government-linked companies (GLCs) are often inefficient and lack innovation. Their existence squeezes smaller, more innovative private-sector rivals. That’s unlikely to change until the politics does, irrespective of how much money is thrown at the problem.

    A cheap play on Asian growth

    Posted on March 1, 2010 | No Comments
    Singapore’s re-invention won’t be easy – but it doesn’t matter. Singapore has made mistakes in its attempt to push its economy in new directions. Attempts to promote the Singapore exchange to Chinese firms looking for a foreign listing, led to lower standards and a series of scandals, as I discussed here: Why you must tread carefully in emerging markets. The better Chinese firms have listed in Hong Kong and New York and won’t be back. The budget’s focus on productivity reinforces one thing. Singapore has failed to produce a single world-beating large company. Its largest government-linked companies (GLCs) are often inefficient and lack innovation. Their existence squeezes smaller, more innovative private-sector rivals. That’s unlikely to change until the politics does, irrespective of how much money is thrown at the problem.

    Continue Reading...