VNExpress/StraitsTimes-Feb 17
Singapore is offering cash bonuses, tax breaks and longer parental leave to encourage couples to have children, but many are still choosing not to. Despite years of generous support for parents, the decision to have children increasingly has little to do with money, with the fertility rate stuck below 1.M. For many young adults, priorities have shifted toward careers, personal freedom and quality of life, leaving traditional family planning further down the list. Singapore’s experience reflects a broader trend across developed economies. In Singapore, the numbers are especially stark. Preliminary estimates put the fertility rate at about 0.97 in 2024, far below levels seen around independence in 1965, when women had roughly 4.6 to 4.7 children on average, Bloomberg reported. Government leaders have acknowledged the challenge. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said earlier this year that it was difficult to offer optimistic signals as population data for 2025 are still being compiled. At the same event, another minister described the situation as bleak, after a moderator joked that people now seem more enthusiastic about raising pets than children, The Straits Times reported. Low birth rates carry real consequences. Singapore is aging rapidly and is on track to become a “super-aged” society, where one in five residents is 65 or older. To cope, the government has relied more on immigration and pushed faster adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence to support the workforce. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/singapore-is-spending-billions-to-boost-births-and-it-s-not-working-5039333.html
