I WAS taken aback to learn last Tuesday that the average wage of a community, social or personal service worker actually dropped 14.7 per cent after adjusting for inflation ('Wages eroded by inflation: MOM'). This comes against a backdrop of rising social ills such as higher divorce rates among couples and increased sexually transmitted diseases among youth. Also, with Singapore poised to launch its first casino in a few years' time, demand for trained social workers will escalate further.

It is widely understood that social workers pursue their professions out of their passion to help and change lives, despite less attractive remuneration compared to their peers in the corporate sector. However, that does not mean they do not deserve better. Like teachers, these people are in the forefront of shaping lives and families. Most will agree it is far more challenging to deal with people issues than with inanimate objects. And that is what social workers do for a living. One can understand why there is an exodus of talent from the social-work community, and I believe much of it is forced by circumstances rather than preference. If one is hard pressed to support oneself or one's family, how can one help others?

I laud the Government for taking steps to stem the outflow of talent in the social and community workforce (as laid out in the recent National Day Rally address). However, after reading about diminishing wages for the average social worker, I believe more can be done. For a start, since Singapore is willing to pay top dollar to attract and retain talent in public service, shouldn't social workers, at least, be paid adequately?

Benjamin Soh

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.