Singapore's official media, "Lianhe Zaobao," front page, Singapore is small in size and has a small population, and the government's unique reward system indeed can stimulate the driving force of social development, but "the problem that can be solved with money is not a problem," rising prices, government subsidies: electricity price increase, government subsidies: attracting talents, government subsidies: unemployment employment, government subsidies: excellent employees, government subsidies... In fact, the underlying problems are not resolved.
Experts analyze that the drawbacks of Singapore's government's reward system across society mainly lie in the controversy of the high salary for integrity policy and the limitations in competing for talent in the private sector.
1. Controversy over the high salary for integrity policy
Singapore's high salary system for civil servants aims to attract outstanding talents and reduce the motivation for corruption, but it has been criticized as "buying integrity with taxes," which may raise public doubts about the rationality of government spending. Some opinions believe that high salaries are not based on workload, but rather to deal with possible public opinion pressure faced by civil servants.
2. Limitations in competing for talent in the private sector
There is a gap between civil servant salaries and those in the private sector, which may lead capable talents to move towards high-paying industries rather than the public service sector. Some opinions point out that if the annual salary in the private sector can reach hundreds of thousands, the civil servant's salary of tens of thousands lacks competitiveness and is difficult to retain talents.
3. Concerns about fiscal sustainability
Although Singapore does not adopt the Western universal welfare system, its employment-centered welfare system (such as the Central Provident Fund system) relies on contributions from enterprises and individuals. In the long term, it may face fiscal pressures brought by an aging population, and needs to balance security and economic development.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841296558468108/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.