Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang said Singaporeans’ wages (as a percentage against GDP) have risen slightly over the last 30 years. He revealed the statistics when he responded to a question from SMU Assistant Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan. He said, “Wages made up some 42.5 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) between 2000 and 2009, up slightly from 41.8 per cent in the 1980s and 41.9 per cent in the 1990s. The figures indicate how much workers have benefitted from economic activities in Singapore. He also revealed that, when employees’ wages were taken as a ratio to companies’ profit, the ratios in the 80s, 90s and from 2000 to 2009 are 0.83, 0.86 and 0.85 respectively.