Staying open and forging a way forward amidst uncertainties

trade, Singapore, economy

During The Economist’s Asia Trade Insight Hour series, a webinar was held on the economic outlook for trade. Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Trade and Industry, noted that global trade has lifted millions out of poverty. There is, however, a growing number of people who oppose trade because of the uneven distribution of benefits. […]

What to do if you are retrenched in a time of Covid-19

job, career, help, skills, NTUC, training, covid-19, programme, retrenchment, e2i, role

As more and more countries and companies are being impacted by Covid-19 which is proving to be a long term battle, news of retrenchment abounds. On 11 August 2020, it was announced that the Singapore economy contracted by 13.2 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the April to June quarter, worse than the 12.6 […]

In fast-evolving ground realities, standing still is not an option

Chan, Singapore, Change, Job, Chun, Tension, World, Work, Sing

The world has changed irrevocably. The geopolitical environment that has allowed Singapore to thrive in the last 50 years has changed. To thrive in a fast-evolving landscape, the nation will need to continue to innovate with a purpose by turning possibilities, fuelled by passion, into reality. Geopolitical tensions Tensions between major powers are rising. Hopefully, […]

No, Singapore isn’t returning to the pre-COVID days

Singapore, World

A steep slump as the Singapore economy contracted by 13.2% year-on-year in Q2, 2020. This makes for our worst quarterly performance on record as Singapore narrowed its economic forecast for 2020 to a contraction between 5 and 7%. Grim outlook. It reflects the devastating impact of Covid-19 as well as the deeper forces reshaping the […]

My National Day as a Singaporean Malay

Race, Community, Minority, Position, Singaporean

In my country, I am respected as a minority, not persecuted. In my own native language, millions of Singaporeans joined together to sing the National Anthem, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of myself. Credit: NDP Being a Singaporean Malay born, raised, and living here, I have never felt my loyalty questioned. Some individuals’ […]

No matter what challenges arise, Singaporeans will prevail and united

National, Day, 2020, Singaporean, Singapore, United, Prevail, Together, Lee, Hsien, Loong

In his 2020 National Day Message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that Singaporeans come together every year, rain or shine, to celebrate the making of our nation, and renew our commitment to Singapore. As we celebrate National Day this year (“2020”), we are faced with a global COVID-19 pandemic. No matter what challenges arise, […]

Strong foreign exchange reserves kept us from starvation: Lee Kuan Yew

Crisis, Food, Prices, Lee, Singapore, Increase

Is there a reason Singapore holds reserves? The reserves of Singapore serve three purposes: To provide a buffer against crises; Provide a stream of investment income to finance a part of government budgets; Maintaining confidence in Singapore’s exchange rate-based monetary policy. A reserve is therefore a rainy day fund, an endowment fund, and a stabilization […]

Progressive supra-nuclear palsy diagnosed in Dr Lee Wei Ling

Lee, Hospital, Paediatric

A Facebook post by Dr Lee Wei Ling revealed that she had been diagnosed with progressive supra-nuclear palsy. In its early stages, progressive supra-nuclear palsy is similar to Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms include slow physical movements, impaired vision and balance, resulting in a tendency to fall. Following this, there is a risk of choking, aspiration, pneumonia, […]

Foreigners bore brunt in RWS’ retrenchment exercise; Singaporean core increased.

Job, Retrenchment, Employee, Exercise, RWS

Foreigners bore the brunt of last month’s Resort World Sentosa’s retrenchment exercise. Think for a moment. If we have an all-Singaporean workforce, today, more Singaporeans would be jobless. Foreign workers have always acted as a buffer against local retrenchment in a recession. This was the case during the global financial crisis in 2009. Consequently, unemployment among […]