Tight labour market until 2030, two Popes made saints

Mothership Memo: Analysing the important news for you daily.

Martino Tan| April 28, 12:21 PM

Mothership Memo is Mothership’s daily brief on the important headlines of the day. We will also contribute our views on the issues at hand.

 

Labour Chief's May Day Message calls for change in workforce's mindset

In his May Day message, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say said that the labour market in Singapore will remain tight till 2020, and will be even tighter till 2030. To achieve that, he called for Singaporeans to shift their mindsets to "change our economy, our workforce and our society for the better". He also called for employers to better utilise workers and to treat them better.

He said that the labour market tightening will create a faster pace of economic restructuring and it was important that this transition was managed smoothly. He said that "if we get it wrong, our economy may lose our competitiveness, our job growth may slow down, and eventually businesses may either relocate or just completely close down their operation."

A tight labour market means that the supply of jobs outstrip the supply of workers. In economics, this means that workers can demand higher wages. Surely a good sign. In the real world however, employers are always looking to reduce costs and maintain profitability. If they are given access to labour that is cheap, they will not hesitate to turn to them. It is thus important for the Government to ensure that wage levels are not depressed through the use of cheaper foreign alternatives. But it is also a challenge for them to ensure that businesses here don't suffer under over-regulation.

 

Popes John Paul II and John XXIII elevated as saints in historic ceremony

The head of the Roman Catholic church Pope Francis conferred sainthoods on Popes John Paul II and John XXIII at a ceremony in St Peter's square, Vatican City yesterday.

The historic ceremony was attended by around 100 heads of state and government leaders, including the King Juan Carlos of Spain and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, and a crowd of nearly 1 million people. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, 87, also made a rare public appearance. This was the first time that two Popes were declared saints on the same day.

What were the impacts of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII on Singapore?

Pope John Paul II visited Singapore on 20 November 1986. During his brief stop, he met President Wee Kim Wee and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and conducted mass at the National Stadium. Despite the pouring rain, a crowd of 63,000 people gathered at the stadium to attend the Mass, the largest gathering of Singapore Catholics in a venue. The papal visit also set other S'porean records, such as the deployment of about 550 policemen for security, and the police manning of 24 traffic lights so that the Pope’s motorcade did not have to stop between destinations.

The timing of Pope's visit coincidentally coincided with two political events involving Catholics in the region - The Feb 1986 People Power Revolution led by Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin that resulted in the departure of President Ferdinand Marcos and the 1987  "Marxist Conspiracy", where 22 people were arrested and detained without trial under Singapore’s Internal Security Act (ISA) for their alleged involvement in "a Marxist conspiracy to subvert the existing social and political system in Singapore, using communist united front tactics, with a view to establishing a Marxist state". 

Pope John XXIII is the reason why Singapore Catholics can now attend church services in English, Mandarin and Tamil. Pope John XXIII was the driving force behind the Vatican Council II, which allow use of the vernacular rather than Latin for Mass.

 

Top photo from here

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