Immigrants and foreign workers: Let’s talk real numbers | geraldgiam.sg

PM Lee used Canada as an example of a country that has benefited from a very liberal immigration policy. He said that Microsoft located their research centres in both Redmond (in the US) and Vancouver (in Canada), ostensibly to be assured of an adequate supply of skilled immigrant workers regardless of differences in immigration policies across the border.

Let’s look at some of the numbers that were not disclosed in the speech:

• Canada, one of the most immigrant-friendly nations in the world, allowed in 500,000 workers and immigrants in 2009;[1]
• Singapore admitted an average of 150,000 new arrivals each year between 2005 and 2009, with a peak of over 220,000 in 2008;
• Singapore’s population is just under five million. Canada’s population is 34 million.[2]
• Canada is the world’s second largest country by landmass. It is 14,325 times the size of Singapore.[3]

Immigrants and foreign workers: Let’s talk real numbers | geraldgiam.sg.