Sunday, at a community event secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Lim Swee Say, expressed that Singapore workers need to be better and faster.

He specified that Singapore has a better chance in the new world economy, despite other countries competing fiercely with it for the next three to five years.

The three areas on which the Singapore's workforce needs to concentrate, to be in good position, are increasing productivity, improving capabilities and enhancing flexibility, continued the labor chief.

He emphasized that this new mindset must cut across all sectors and it applies to all workers.

Mr. Lim expressed, "If we have workers who continue to be trapped in the low-productivity job, in the low-wage jobs, in the low-skilled jobs, whether the worker is a local worker or a foreign worker, he is still an economic problem because Singapore's economy in certain sectors will not be sustainable."

Mr. Lim motivated the workers to target for quantum leap in skills improvement, capability and flexibility, instead of achieving marginal improvement in productivity. Over the next few weeks, NTUC will spell out its plans to increase workforce productivity.