Young Scots left Scotland and founded great conglomerates in the United States.

The Chinese diaspora was the catalyst for momentous economic transformation in China.

Jaffna Tamils manned essential civil service posts in the colonial offices of South-East Asia.

Singapore was built from the efforts of migrants leaving their homelands.

They brought their talents and resources, which were often nothing but a pair of hands.

Today, we are definitely better off than our forefathers.

Our workforce has been trained and educated.

We can do much more than just the jobs in our midst. We can further contribute individually and collectively to the region.

Jobs here are certainly important, but the Ministry of Manpower can do only so much within the city (MOM must do more to help S'poreans get jobs, by Mr Tan Soon Hock; July 25).

To better our livelihoods, it is time we looked beyond our shores.

Cyril Seah Kwei Hiok