叶汉荣（杨厝港单选区议员）问颜金勇，鉴于一些跨国公司最近决定迁移总部、撤出业务或裁减在新员工，贸工部：

(a)是否研究过促使跨国公司作出这些决定的关键因素？

(b)政府为挽留这些公司而采取的措施是否达到预期效果？

(c)是否有人担心新加坡劳动力与其他国家的工人相比，在技能方面正在失去竞争优势？

颜金勇（副总理兼贸工部长）：2024年第二季度的裁员人数为3,270人，而2024年第一季度为3,030人，2023年第一季度为3,820人。相比之下，2024 年第二季度的总就业人数增加了 11,300 人，是 2024 年第一季度增加的 4,700 人的两倍多。2024 年第二季度，超过一半的被裁员居民能够在六个月内找到工作。

新加坡仍然是一个具有吸引力的投资地点。2024 年上半年，新加坡经济发展局吸引了 54 亿新元的固定资产投资 (FAI) 承诺，并有望实现今年 80 亿至 100 亿新元固定资产投资的中长期投资承诺目标。今年宣布的投资项目包括：云服务提供商亚马逊网络服务公司计划在未来四年内为其在新加坡的现有云基础设施追加投资120亿新元，用于云计算和人工智能项目；制药公司阿斯利康计划投资20亿新元建设抗体偶联药物（antibody drug conjugates）生产基地。这些投资将为新加坡人带来良好的就业机会。在月总收入超过12,500新元的本地人中，约有60%受雇于外资企业。

新加坡的劳动力是跨国公司 (MNC) 在新加坡投资的一个重要原因。根据欧洲工商管理学院（INSEAD）发布的《2023 年全球人才竞争力指数》（2023 Global Talent Competitiveness Index），新加坡劳动力的竞争力在亚洲排名第一，在全球排名第二。

由于各种原因，包括跨国公司在内的公司可能会选择关闭或减少在新加坡的业务，例如市场动态的变化导致公司业绩不佳，或公司全球战略的转变导致其运营结构的变化。在这种情况下，政府与公司和工会密切合作，帮助被裁员工提高技能和进行工作匹配。

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry in light of the recent decisions by some multinational companies (MNCs) to relocate their headquarters, withdraw operations or retrench workers in Singapore (a) whether the Ministry has studied the key factors driving these decisions by MNCs; (b) whether the Government’s initiatives aimed at retaining these companies have achieved their intended outcomes; and (c) whether there are concerns that the Singaporean workforce is losing its competitive edge in terms of skills compared to workers from other countries.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: The number of retrenchments in the second quarter of 2024 was 3,270, compared to 3,030 in the first quarter of 2024 and 3,820 in the first quarter of 2023. In comparison, total employment grew by 11,300 in the second quarter of 2024, more than double the increase of 4,700 in the first quarter of 2024. In the second quarter of 2024, more than half of all retrenched residents were able to secure jobs within six months of being retrenched.

Singapore remains an attractive location for investments. The Singapore Economic Development Board attracted S$5.4 billion in fixed asset investment (FAI) commitments in the first half of 2024 and is on track to meet its medium- to long-term investment commitment goal of S$8 billion to S$10 billion in FAI this year. Investments announced this year include plans by cloud service provider Amazon Web Services to invest an additional S$12 billion into its existing cloud infrastructure in Singapore over the next four years for cloud and artificial intelligence projects, and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca’s planned S$2 billion manufacturing facility for antibody drug conjugates. These investments will translate into good jobs for Singaporeans. Some 60% of locals earning a gross monthly income of above $12,500 are employed by foreign-owned firms.

Singapore’s workforce is a key reason why multinational corporations (MNCs) invest in Singapore. INSEAD's 2023 Global Talent Competitiveness Index ranked Singapore’s workforce as the most competitive in Asia and the second most competitive globally.

Companies, including MNCs, may choose to close or reduce their presence in Singapore for various reasons, such as changes in market dynamics leading to poor performance by the firm, or shifts in the company’s global strategy leading to changes in their operating structure. In such situations, the Government works closely with the companies and unions to assist the retrenched workers with skills upgrading and job matching.