Lim Boon Heng, the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and a Cabinet minister, said "we have structural unemployment, an issue...we did not have in the past," the Straits Times newspaper reported.

Structural unemployment refers to those who can't find work because they don't have the skills for the jobs that are available. It affects most modern economies to some extent.

"I think we have to look at the issue (of foreign workers) differently, and say that 'Are there some jobs in Singapore that we can... leave for Singaporeans to do?'," the paper quoted Lim as saying.

Wealthy, high-tech Singapore has long been accustomed to negligible unemployment, but in recent years it has ticked higher and is now 4.5 percent.

The long-term jobless rate - those without work for at least 25 weeks - is 1.5 percent. The indicator is a useful proxy for structural unemployment and has climbed fivefold from 0.3 percent a decade ago.

Older, less-educated Singaporeans are finding it tougher to hold down jobs as lower-skilled positions are transferred to lower-cost countries.

At the same time, Singapore typically hosts thousands of foreign workers, most of whom tackle the dirtier, low-paid positions such as cleaning, construction and gardening that citizens tend to shun.

Lim said more should be done to place locals "who are not suited to higher-skilled jobs" into work they can handle, the report said.

Rules govern how many Singaporeans companies must hire before they can tap foreign workers. These rules may need to be adjusted Lim said, according to the report.

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