SINGAPORE (CNS) – Pope Francis praised Singapore and its citizens for their hard work and ingenuity, but he urged them to be mindful of the poor and of the migrant workers who do much of the hard labor.
“I hope that special attention will be paid to the poor and the elderly — whose labors have laid the foundations for the Singapore we see today — as well as to protecting the dignity of migrant workers,” the pope told government and civic leaders Sept. 12. “These workers contribute a great deal to society and should be guaranteed a fair wage.”
More than 40% of Singapore’s workforce is made up of foreign workers, many of whom are migrant workers with a two-year work permit, which does not allow them to bring their families with them or to switch employers once they arrive in Singapore.
The government also does not mandate a minimum wage for work-permit holders.
They primarily work in construction, manufacturing, domestic service and in the shipyards.
Pope Francis had arrived in Singapore — often named as the world’s fourth wealthiest nation — from Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest countries.