Foreigners plug gap as locals shun jobs in Singapore's social service sector

Mr Thein Lwin (left), a staff nurse at Tembusu Home who is from Myanmar, with the home's superintendent Alvin Tan. Out of about 60 staff in all at the home, Mr Tan said, about half are foreigners from Myanmar and the Philippines who perform the dutie
Mr Thein Lwin (left), a staff nurse at Tembusu Home who is from Myanmar, with the home's superintendent Alvin Tan. Out of about 60 staff in all at the home, Mr Tan said, about half are foreigners from Myanmar and the Philippines who perform the duties of healthcare attendants, nursing aides or staff nurses. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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SINGAPORE - Demand for social services is expected to grow in the coming years and the sector's workforce will expand in tandem as Singapore's population ages rapidly.

With fewer people in Singapore keen to take up care and support jobs in the sector, there is a need to plug the gap with foreign manpower, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).

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