I worked in a Japanese multinational company for more than 11 years.

The office was the regional headquarters with more than 700 employees, of whom about 60 were Japanese expatriates (fewer than 10 per cent).

Local offices in the region had an average workforce of 100 employees.

It is true that the executive posts were filled by Japanese expatriates. However, this seems only natural to me for strategic purposes. Singapore conglomerates, too, would put Singaporeans in critical positions in their overseas offices.

In the course of my work, I frequently communicated with my counterparts in the region, and saw improvements in work rate and intellect for many of them over the years.

My conclusion? Foreign investments create more jobs in Singapore, and career opportunities are like a game of golf - it is our game to win or lose.

And at this rate, we are losing our game, and very soon we will lose these foreign investments to other countries. This is the real threat.

Chia Yong Ming