SINGAPORE: The Government will review housing policies and paid leave measures to better support Singaporeans in starting families, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Monday (Oct 10).
Speaking at a Forward Singapore conversation for social service practitioners, Mr Wong set out the direction for social policies on strengthening families, supporting seniors and improving social mobility in Singapore.
He also promised to look into retirement adequacy for the elderly and to make narrowing income inequality a key priority.
On the issue of encouraging young families to have more children, Mr Wong noted that long wait times for new HDB flats and rising resale home prices are key concerns for many young Singaporeans.
“This is partly due to the disruptions in the building programme brought about by COVID-19 and the pandemic in the two-and-a-half years. But HDB has been ramping up the supply of new flats and will be able to launch more flats to meet the demand soon,” said Mr Wong.
“In addition, we will also review our housing policies to see how we can help first-time home buyers secure a flat quickly and affordably.”
To help parents better balance work and family commitments, the Government will also encourage flexible work arrangements and review paid leave measures.
“This is under review,” Mr Wong said. “It does not mean that we will do everything – because we have to take into consideration all the constraints and needs of different stakeholders.”
In addition, Singapore will consider how financial support schemes for parents can be enhanced, and review and adjust existing marriage and parenthood measures.
“We must make Singapore the best place for families – a society where young couples feel well-supported to start and raise a family, and can give their children the best possible start in life,” said Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister.
He urged fathers to be more involved in parenting, nothing that in most families here, mothers still bear the larger share of caring for the children. Singapore should aim for more equal sharing of parental responsibilities, said Mr Wong.
“This is not something that we can change through policies alone. Ultimately, it’s about how we can engender a broader mindset shift in individual attitudes as well as societal norms,” he added.
Another major area is support for children in their early years, said Mr Wong, assuring parents that more will be done to invest in pre-school education. He promised that fees at government-funded pre-schools will become more affordable and be eventually similar to what parents pay for primary school and after-school care.
“We will take some time to get there … but this is what we are working towards,” he said.