2. Reflecting on the concept of structural redesign introduced in Chapter 11 and the critical debates regarding the relationship between technology and skills covered in this chapter, what changes might the workers at MicroSpirit face when the company starts using more advanced technology in their manufacturing processes? Known as the ‘Asian Tiger’, Singapore has a long-standing reputation for economic prosperity. It nearly tripled its GDP from £69 billion in 2001 to £226 billion in 2015.

This growth was threatened by Singapore’s declining birth rates, evident since the 1960s. In response, the government eased immigration processes and policies to attract more immigrants to the workforce.

By 2018 there were 1.37 million foreigners working in Singapore, which has a total population of 5.6 million.

Singapore now has the highest proportion of foreign workers in Asia, with the majority of immigrants coming from Malaysia and other Asian countries.

In more recent years, Singapore has seen a decline in its growth, primarily due to a manufacturing slowdown. Manufacturing is its largest industry, making up 25 per cent of its annual GDP and foreign workers comprise almost half of the manufacturing workforce . For the past two decades, the government has been urging companies to move their manufacturing plants to other low-cost countries and spend more of their research and development budgets in Singapore.

With the economy slipping, the job market tightening, and public resentment towards immigrants growing, pressure began to mount on the government to act. In 2019, Singapore’s Finance Minister announced a reduction in the proportion of foreign workers organizations could employ, from the current 40 per cent to 35 per cent by 2021.