Singapore - Amid continuing calls for Singaporean workers to be paid more, another warning of the risks of raising wages without an accompanying rise in productivity has come, this time from the very top.

In a May Day message that tackled the issue head-on, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned against merely relying on tightening the supply of foreign workers to achieve better salaries.

Business costs would go up, affecting Singapore's competitiveness, and inflation could rise, he said on Monday.

Instead, PM Lee urged workers and employers to work together to raise productivity, which he said was a more sustainable way to raise wages and real living standards.

-- Courtesy of The Straits Times