Recent moves aim at making S'pore more family-friendly
The introduction of 10 weeks of shared parental leave is part of larger moves to create a more family-friendly Singapore, and a shift away from past policies to directly incentivise procreation, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
This is because marriage and parenthood are deeply personal choices, and people have to find their own balance between competing aspirations and goals, he said on Aug 23.
He noted that the Forward Singapore exercise had spotlighted areas of concern for many young parents and families, such as pre-school and education, and a desire to spend time with their children when they are infants.
“So it’s less of the perhaps older, previous approach, where it’s incentives for babies,” he said. “But rather than direct incentives towards procreation... we can use these resources to create a more family-friendly environment in general.”
Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, took over as Singapore’s fourth head of government on May 15, which makes Aug 22 100 days since he took over the leadership reins.
Among the major resets announced at his maiden National Day Rally speech on Aug 18 is a new shared parental leave scheme, to be paid for by the Government.
By April 2026, new parents will get 10 additional weeks of shared leave, which will bring parental leave to a total of 30 weeks, or 7.5 months.
Other changes announced at the NDR include discontinuing the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) in its current form.
PM Wong said on Aug 23 that this wider policy approach to creating a family-friendly environment will include more help for larger families with three or more children, given that costs can pile up quickly for such households.
More details will be given at Budget 2025.
The aim is to, over time, have an environment that is conducive to families, he said.
“(At the) end of the day, we must let Singaporeans decide,” he said. “But hopefully, with that wider environment, more people will be encouraged and motivated to settle down and have kids.”
Asked what are policies that will stay the same even as the Government is prepared to re-examine all assumptions, Mr Wong drew a line between Singapore’s core principles and values, and government policy.
Important principles that will be upheld include meritocracy, multiracialism and incorruptibility, he said.
“These fundamental principles and values cannot be compromised. But how these principles are manifested in policies, I can have a debate,” he said.
He reiterated the Government’s commitment to meeting Singaporeans’ aspirations as distilled during the Forward Singapore exercise, such as a refreshed Singapore Dream where success is defined in more ways.
These include ensuring viable pathways to success, whether in sports, the arts or careers both conventional and unconventional, he said.
For instance, the ecosystem of support is a lot more vibrant for sports today, including companies which are sponsoring athletes, and employing them after they have retired from full-time sports, he noted.
“This is for sports, but we want that same conversation to happen in other fields too,” he said. “So whether it’s in the arts, whether it’s in sports, whether it’s in business, whether it’s in careers, conventional or non-conventional, whether it’s some young person who wants to do a start-up, whatever it is, we want to build a Singapore where everyone can realise their dreams.”
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