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- DPM Gan Kim Yong highlighted Singapore’s record-low fertility rate, ageing population, and the need for carefully managed immigration.
- Minister Indranee Rajah detailed enhancements to the marriage and parenthood package, workplace flexibility, and broader efforts to support parents and family formation.
- Minister Chan Chun Sing outlined plans to strengthen officers’ global exposure, community engagement, and digital skills.
Singapore’s public service, population policies, and support for families were among the key areas of focus at the Committee of Supply Debate 2026 in the recent days. With resident fertility falling to a historic low and population ageing accelerating, the debate signalled a reset in how Singapore intends to future-proof its workforce and social compact.
In this article, HRO summarises some of the key takeaways for employers to note from the following leaders' speeches:
- Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong,
- Indranee Rajah, Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for National Development, and
- Minister Chan Chun Sing, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service
Population concerns: Low birth rates and ageing
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong highlighted Singapore’s demographic challenges as a pressing concern for the nation’s future. He noted that last year, Singapore recorded around 27,500 resident births, the lowest in its history, bringing the preliminary resident total fertility rate (TFR) for 2025 to 0.87. This marked a sharp decline from 0.97 in 2024 and 1.24 a decade ago, reflecting a sustained drop in birth rates alongside an ageing population.
DPM Gan explained that with a smaller working-age population supporting a rapidly growing elderly cohort, the nation faces both economic and social pressures.
“Low birth rates and an ageing population will profoundly reshape our nation, our society and our economy in the years ahead,” he said.
He emphasised that, even with immigration, citizen population growth has slowed from an average of 0.9% per year in 2015-2020 to 0.7% last year, showing potential population contraction by the early 2040s if no interventions are made.
DPM Gan outlined the government’s dual approach of supporting Singaporeans in forming families while managing immigration to sustain a stable citizen core. Measures include enhanced parental leave schemes, support for housing, education, and healthcare. At the same time, immigration will be carefully managed to supplement the workforce without overwhelming infrastructure, with pathways for permanent residents and new citizens designed to encourage integration.
DPM also discussed the need for a diverse foreign workforce to meet the country’s economic and social needs. While local workforce growth has slowed, foreign workers fill critical roles across sectors, from maintenance to construction, ensuring companies can scale and the economy remains competitive. Policies such as adjustments to Employment Pass and S Pass salaries, and the Complementarity Assessment Framework, are intended to ensure that foreign talent complements rather than competes with local workers.
Marriage and parenthood reset
Building on population issues, Minister Indranee Rajah detailed the Government’s marriage and parenthood reset, which aims to support individuals in forming families while balancing career, financial, and personal priorities.
The Government is introducing comprehensive support measures, including:
- Enhanced Baby Bonus Scheme and MediSave Grant for Newborns
- Paternity leave doubled and made mandatory
- New 10-week Shared Parental Leave (SPL) introduced
- Large Families Scheme (LFS) in place
- Additional S$500 of Child LifeSG Credits for every Singaporean child aged 12 and below this year
Minister Indranee also addressed societal mindset, highlighting efforts to reduce pressures from the education ‘arms race’ and encourage a more holistic approach to raising children. The Government will form a dedicated workgroup to engage employers, the people sector, and wider society in shaping policies that facilitate family formation. Surveys will be strengthened to better understand attitudes toward marriage and parenthood.
She shared: “We want a family-friendly workplace culture to become part of the DNA of all local companies. It should also be a shared responsibility – from senior management and HR managers, to line managers, co-workers and parent-employees themselves.”
Preparing the public service for a complex world
In his speech, Minister Chan Chun Sing highlighted the importance of equipping Singapore’s public officers to navigate rapidly changing global and domestic landscapes.
Minister Chan said that to keep Singapore prepared for the future, the Public Service must focus on three areas: understanding the world, understanding the people, and understanding technology.
He explained that global understanding sharpens decision-making and equips leaders to seize opportunities while safeguarding national interests. Initiatives include overseas postings, attachments to international organisations, and stints in private and people sectors. Currently, nearly four in ten officers in central leadership development programmes participate in structured overseas exposure.
Understanding citizens is also critical. Public officers increasingly engage communities through the Singapore Government Partnerships Office, which received over 1,600 partnership proposals in 2025. Services are becoming more accessible and user-friendly: 99% of government-to-citizen transactions are now digital, and a 10th ServiceSG Centre opened in Ang Mo Kio to provide frontline assistance.
Technology is being embedded across the service, with compulsory digital and AI training for officers at all levels. Senior leaders are also expected to accelerate digital upskilling to ensure readiness for future challenges, including AI-driven governance and digital service delivery.
“To ensure Singapore is ready for the future, our Public Service will equip our officers to understand the world, understand our people, and understand technology,” Minister Chan concluded.
With fertility at a record low and demographic pressures mounting, the Committee of Supply debates have placed population resilience at the centre of Singapore’s long-term strategy.
As more ministries take the floor in the coming days – covering areas such as manpower, education, healthcare, and economic transformation, HR leaders and employers will be watching closely to see how policy signals translate into workforce realities.
Stay tuned for our continuing coverage in the coming days.
Lead image / Gov.sg YouTube
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