At the turn of every year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong makes it a point to send a message to Singaporeans.

Despite him being on leave in Japan right now, this year's no different.

Once again, we bring you what you need to know from his message, in a four point, 60-second rundown:

1. He talked about the economy.

It's the top concern of many Singaporeans right now certainly, acknowledges PM Lee. He says that despite the uncertainty, our economy is likely to grow by more than one per cent in 2016, even if it's less than hoped.

On the labour market, PM Lee says that there have been strains, but jobs are still being created and unemployment remains low. He went on to outline a range of policy schemes that are in place to help Singaporean workers tide through the tougher times, like:

- Adapt and Grow;

- Place and Train;

- Career Support;

- Under the SkillsFuture umbrella, initiatives like Earn and Learn, study awards and fellowships;

- Industry transformation maps;

The Committee on the Future Economy will also be releasing its recommended long-term growth strategies soon.

While the chances of the Trans-Pacific Partnership being ratified by the US are now dim, PM Lee pointed out that Singapore is still seeking other opportunities for economic cooperation with countries like Australia, China and Indonesia.

2. He touched briefly on housing, education and the "hiatus-triggered" presidential election rule.

In his message, PM Lee said that in 2016, 26,000 households got their flats, while 150,000 are benefitted from the Silver Support scheme.

On education, he said that this year saw 17,000 more children attending MOE, anchor and partner operated kindergartens. He also noted our students' stellar achievements in the TIMSS and PISA international aptitude tests.

On the Elected Presidency, he says he is looking forward to Singapore having a Malay Head of State in 2017.

3. He reminded us to look outside of ourselves.

Noting global trends, such as how people in other countries are leaning towards shutting themselves off and protecting themselves from foreign competition, PM Lee urged Singaporeans to remain open, in order to keep Singapore economically competitive.

"In any case, small countries like Singapore cannot close ourselves up. Our best choice is to stay open, to continually reinvent ourselves, and to stand out among the countries of the world."

He also stressed that the threat of terrorism to the region has heightened in the last year, noting that race and religion are prominent issues that impact politics and create tensions within our neighbouring countries.

4. He gave shoutouts to Joseph Schooling, Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh.

Because why the heck not? They were the highlights of our sporting calendar for the year, making history for our nation.

He also paid tribute to innovative Singaporeans, and those who have been tirelessly pounding the ground, spending this year teaching our elders about the Pioneer Generation Package (you might have seen them at your void deck before).

Happy New Year, Singapore — love, PM Lee.

You can watch him delivering his entire message here:

Top photo: Screenshot from video trailer

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