Heart of the Matter: What Budget 2023 meant for lower- and middle-income earners

Walter Theseira: “(The Jobs Skills Integrators) is quite an important initiative. What you really want to do is find those workers who are maybe underemployed, on the edge of being retrenched, or they’re currently out of a job, and you want to find the best fit for them. Because there’s an employer out there who really needs their skills, or maybe with a bit of retraining, you can use them very profitably.” 

On how the Budget helps the lower- and middle-income  

Walter Theseira: “Many Singaporeans, the more fortunate of us, will be asked to pay a bit more over the next couple of years for increased social support. We need to agree as a society, that it is worth it to spend more of our money to uplift the less fortunate.”

Dawn Cher: “What I took away from this Budget is that there’s a lot more given to help the low-income and middle-income (citizens). A lot of the complaints typically come from people who don’t get these benefits, but it’s precisely because you don’t need these benefits that you’re not getting them.” 

For the full conversation on what Budget 2023 means for families, businesses and the future, listen to the podcast.