ASK a construction worker from Bangladesh or a shipyard welder from Myanmar what he thinks of Singaporeans, and, chances are, more praises than curses will flow.
Bangladeshi Zahir Raihan, 35, for example, finds Singaporeans 'nice and friendly' and declares that he has been very happy in the six years he has been here.
However, ask a Singaporean the same question about foreign workers, and you will probably get a flurry of complaints.
Of late, MPs report that residents have started voicing their unhappiness over how foreign workers are encroaching into their neighbourhoods.
The complaints range from having to put up with unsightly lines of laundry in the corridors to unbearable noise late at night, and littering and drinking in the void decks.
Singaporeans have always been quite clear how foreign workers fit into the economic landscape, as they are needed to support industries like construction and manufacturing.
Just quite how these lower-skilled workers fit into the social landscape has been a considerably more touchy subject.
Whatever amount of tolerance Singaporeans have had for these workers seems to be running out.
Why is this happening? Why are Singaporeans now upset enough to go grumbling to their MPs?
What can be done to solve the problem before the social divide gets deeper?
And at the same time, why do these workers not seem to know how their hosts feel about them?
Insight finds out from MPs, labour experts and foreign workers themselves.
