The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) wants the industry to be more productive, and plans to reduce the number of foreign construction workers here by 20 per cent to 30 per cent by 2020.

"Whoever is left... will be the higher-skilled workers," said BCA chief executive John Keung.

It is also looking at tightening the regulatory framework on building facade inspection to ensure that even as Singapore's buildings age, they will stay in good shape. This framework will apply to both public and private buildings. In the light of this move, courses on facade inspection will be launched later this year.

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