The issue of controls on skilled foreign labour is "one of balancing the needs of companies against the interests of Singaporeans", as Professor of Economics (Practice) Augustine Tan puts it. He posited that the most straightforward problem is price. Foreigners may simply be better value, and this is meritocratic. However, He noted that this could deprive young Singaporeans of opportunities. Senior PMEs may not be spared either. He noted that "companies have been known to fire more senior Singaporeans and replace them with cheaper foreigners". While looking at the problems surrounding inflows of foreign executives, there is also the question of whether locals themselves might be adding to the problem. One issue is that too many Singaporeans may be aspiring to PME jobs. This might mean that locals trained as engineers, doctors, lawyers and technologists do not practise as such, "exacerbating the skills mismatch" and requiring foreign skilled workers to pick up the slack, Prof Tan said.