To prepare young Singaporeans for working life, the government will launch a slew of programmes to provide them with opportunities to build mental resilience and real-world experience.

These include overseas programmes, "job taster" opportunities, and an expanded Ministry of Education and Outward Bound Singapore (MOE-OBS) Challenge (MOC) programme.

The initiatives were announced as part of the SG Youth Plan, a five-year roadmap launched on Jul. 25 by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo to help youths navigate an increasingly uncertain world.

More overseas exposure opportunities

By 2030, 20,000 overseas exposure opportunities will be created annually for Singaporean youths.

These will comprise 17,000 short-term opportunities and 3,000 internships, up from 9,000 and 1,500 respectively today.

The opportunities include those under the Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP), the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), as well as overseas internships for IHL students in ASEAN member states.

Currently, about 6,000 students take part in the AEP each year, while around 3,000 youths participate in the YEP.

These overseas opportunities will equip more youths with international experience and cross-cultural skills, preparing them for regional and overseas careers as more companies expand beyond Singapore, said the agencies.

30,000 job taster opportunities

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Youth Council (NYC) will work with partners across the public, private and people sectors to create 30,000 "job taster" opportunities each year by 2030.

"Job tasters" are short, bite-sized career exploration programmes lasting from half a day to a few weeks, which give youths first-hand exposure to different industries, workplaces and day-to-day job responsibilities.

The initiative comes on the back of NYC youth engagements, which found that while 78 per cent of youths recognise the importance of short-term work exposure in shaping their career journey, only 41 per cent felt they had sufficient opportunities to do so.

From Jul. 25, youths can browse more than 2,000 job taster opportunities through the Discover platform. Over 10,000 will be launched this year.

Expansion of OBS programme

The five-day residential MOE-OBS programme will be progressively expanded from July this year, with the full Secondary Three cohort expected to participate by 2030.

About 23,800 Secondary 3 students from 89 schools, or around 65 per cent of the cohort, participated in the programme in 2025.

In 2026, OBS will take in about 28,000 students from 99 schools.

The programme aims to help students apply mental resilience skills learnt in school to manage stress and challenges, while also creating spaces for them to grow social, emotional, and leadership skills.

The expansion follows an earlier announcement in March 2026 that OBS will open a new campus on Coney Island in the second half of 2026.

The new campus will feature advanced ropes courses, integrated climbing systems and other team-based challenge facilities, complementing OBS' existing campuses on Pulau Ubin and East Coast.

The government will introduce an "Adulting 101" programme in Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to better support students as they transition into adulthood.

IHLs include polytechnics, universities, and specialised institutes like Lasalle College of The Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

The programme is one of over 20 initiatives under the SG Youth Plan, which was launched by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education David Neo on Jul. 25.

The plan aims to support Singapore's youths and help them thrive in today's uncertain world. It will be implemented over the next five years.

How to adult

The SG Youth Plan aims to help young Singaporeans build confidence and resilience, said the agencies in a Jul. 25 news release.

To that end, the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and National Youth Council (NYC) will work with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other government agencies to develop the Adulting 101 programme for IHL students.

In a media release, the agencies noted that "many youths feel that transiting to adulthood is daunting".

Key topics that will be covered during the classes include financial literacy and management, healthcare, home ownership, career development, relationships and marriage.

Adulthood among top 3 stressors

Between November 2024 and March 2026, MCCY and NYC engaged over 60,000 youths and collected over 415,000 responses from youths and stakeholders as part of the development of the plan.

The engagement found that adulting was among the top three stressors cited by youths, particularly during major life transitions.

More details will be shared closer to the launch of the scheme.

The government will expand opportunities for young people in Singapore to meet, connect, and build friendships through new community spaces under the SG Youth Plan.

These will be physical places dedicated to youths, where they can hang out, pursue hobbies and interests, or study and play sports together.

Apart from the spaces, the government will also provide support to youths who wish to pursue hobbies and interests, including under a new S$500 "Curiosity Credits" scheme.

The Youth Plan, a five-year roadmap that aims to help youths navigate an increasingly uncertain world, was launched on Jul. 25 by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo.

It involves a slew of over 20 initiatives, which will be rolled out over the next five years.

12 new community spaces by end-2026

Engagements conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Youth Council (NYC) found that Singaporean youths reported shrinking social circles.

8 per cent said they had no close friends.

At the same time, about three in five youths surveyed said dedicated youth spaces would encourage them to meet people from different backgrounds.

To meet this demand, MCCY and NYC will work with community partners to establish 12 new "third spaces" across Singapore by the end of 2026.

These community spaces will be venues where youths can socialise, study, pursue hobbies, or take part in various activities such as sports.

The 12 spaces are:

• The Bida Community @ Bidadari Vista Oasis Smart RN
• The Chop Community @ Chong Pang Zone 7 Smart RN
• The Collective @ Woodlands
• etc. by Growthbeans @ Dakota Breeze Smart RN
• Circle @ Nee Soon Central CC
• [x] by Kita @ Stamford Arts Centre
• TOUCHpoint @ Marine Parade
• Hub with a Heart (HWAH) @ Serangoon
• VOX @ Children’s Society
• River Valley Irregulars @ River Valley
• MEMBINA Community @ Kampong Gelam
• *SCAPE

Access to the spaces is free, and youths will also be able to organise their own programmes and activities there.

Revamped Somerset Belt youth precinct by 2028

The government also plans to transform Somerset Belt into a dedicated youth precinct by 2028.

The project follows the 2025 Somerset Reset engagement exercise, during which youths said they wanted a vibrant precinct designed by and for young people.

Spanning more than 8,700 sq m across Somerset Road, Exeter Road and Devonshire Road, the redevelopment will cover the stretch between Youth Park and Somerset Skate Park, including *SCAPE, the graffiti wall, an elevated stage for performances at Youth Park, and the area between Somerset Skate Park and 111 Somerset.

The precinct will host programmes and activities catering to a range of youth interests.

Opportunities for hobbies and interests

According to the National Youth Survey 2025, pursuing a hobby ranks as the third most common aspiration among young people.

However, the National Council of Social Service's Quality of Life Survey 2025 found that only 42 per cent of youths were satisfied with the opportunities available to do so.

To that end, the government plans to roll out about 20,000 social, hobby and interest-based opportunities for youths each year by 2030.

Working with partners, the government will curate activities across areas such as arts, sports, wellness and culture.

These opportunities will be progressively rolled out across the island, allowing youths to join communities based on their interests.

Youths can sign up for the opportunities via the Discover platform.

"Curiosity Credits" for youths in Self-Help Groups

Youths aged 13 to 17 in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) will receive S$500 in "Curiosity Credits" to learn skills in areas that interest them.

These include the arts, sports, technology, culinary arts, and sustainability.

The programme aims to encourage young people to explore interests beyond academics, discover new hobbies, as well as build friendships outside school.

It also hopes to allow youths to broader their interests, build confidence and better understand their strengths and preferences.

The four SHGs in Singapore are Mendaki, Sinda, Eurasian Association, Chinese Development Assistance Council, and cater to underprivileged members of the various ethnic communities.

More details will be shared when ready.

Related story

Over a period of more than 20 years, a 71-year-old Singaporean man sexually assaulted 11 girls, including his daughter, his granddaughters, and four of his nieces.

He also assaulted four students who attended an enrichment centre he ran with his wife.

All the children were aged five to 10 when he abused them.

The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the victims, pleaded guilty on Jul. 24 to 10 charges including rape, sexual assault by penetration, committing obscene acts involving a child, and showing pornography to a minor and outrage of modesty.

23 other charges will be taken into account during sentencing.

The man currently has myelofibrosis, a rare form of blood cancer.

Enrichment centre

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the man and his wife operated an enrichment centre from 1997 to 2021.

They had conducted tuition classes for primary school students and other activities at their house prior to opening the enrichment centre.

The man and his family also resided at the centre at one point.

Daughter

From 1997 to 2005, the man’s daughter resided with him, his wife, and his two sons.

His daughter had her own room.

The man began sexually assaulting his daughter sometime in 1997, when she was around six to seven years old.

He would bring his wife and daughter out in his van to run errands.

After dropping off his wife, he would then molest his daughter.

As she was confused by his actions, he told her that he was “sayang-ing” her, a term for showing affection.

His daughter did not think anything was wrong.

This subsequently escalated to the man having oral sex on his daughter.

On many occasions, the man would either enter his daughter’s room when she was sleeping or ask her to come into the master bedroom when his wife was not around.

He would proceed to show her pornography, molest and digitally penetrate her, and have oral sex with her.

He also made her have oral sex on him.

The man would tell his daughter to not tell anyone what he did to her, as the family would split up and it would be her fault that her siblings did not have a family.

As such, his daughter was scared and did not dare to tell anyone what the accused did to her.

Later raped daughter

In 2000, when his daughter was 10 years old, he sexually assaulted her again.

He would eventually rape her when she was 15 years old and he was 50 years old, in 2005.

This caused her vagina to bleed, and she was in a state of shock and pain.

She kept crying and asked the man why he did that to her.

She then kicked him away and ran to the toilet to shower and clean up the blood.

The man apologised to his daughter after witnessing the blood.

Granddaughters

In 2022, his granddaughters would visit him at his residence about twice a week.

The man was staying with his helper and his wife at that time.

Sometime in 2023, the man and his wife stayed temporarily with his granddaughters' family while they waited to move to a new house.

At one point during that period, his older granddaughter, who was seven years old, was sleeping in a room while no one else was at home.

The man entered the room and locked the door while she was resting on the bed.

He then proceeded to show his granddaughter pornography, molest her, engage in oral sex with her, and digitally penetrate her, causing her pain.

Before leaving, the man told her not to tell anybody about what had happened, or else she would not be his favourite grandchild.

She complied with his request.

The man later admitted that he had feelings for his granddaughter and she was “just the right urge” for him.

He also assaulted his other granddaughter, who was five years old, at the residence during the same period.

When she was watching television with the man, he molested her.

The incident came to light on Aug. 4, 2023, when the five-year-old told her mother that the man had touched her vagina.

Her mother then asked the other children if the man had touched them.

The seven-year-old revealed the man’s actions, and her mother subsequently lodged a police report.

He was 68 years old when he assaulted his granddaughters.

Niece

From 1994 to 1996, when his niece was between nine and 12 years old, she would go to the man’s house for tuition.

The girl would also stay over at his house after tuition to play with her cousins, and they would share a room with the man’s children.

The man began sexually assaulting his niece in 1994 when she was around nine to ten years old.

He would molest his niece and engage in oral sex with her.

His niece was shocked by his actions, but did not react as she was unaware that his actions were wrong.

Sometime between 1995 and 1996, he showed her a comic depicting oral sex and requested her to do the same on him.

He ejaculated into her mouth, and his niece did not like the taste of it.

He told her that it was "white cream".

On another occasion, he gave her S$50 when he saw her crying after she performed oral sex on him and told her not to tell anyone what had happened.

His niece felt uncomfortable, and she came up with excuses not to attend tuition.

She eventually stopped going sometime in 1996.

Sometime in 2012, one of her aunts confronted the man over what he had done to her daughter.

After that confrontation, he apologised to his niece for his actions.

Following this, his niece was seen at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), and it was found that she likely had post-traumatic stress disorder with delayed expression, as the symptoms were more pronounced in Secondary Four.

Her symptoms have resolved, and she currently no longer suffers from mental illness.

Students

In 2006 and 2010, the man assaulted two students who attended his enrichment centre.

They were aged six and 10 respectively.

Both students were molested.

Paedophile

The offences only came to light in 2023, after his granddaughter's mother lodged a police report.

But he was imprisoned twice before for sex offences, the court heard.

The prosecution sought 32 to 36 years’ jail for the man.

He cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old.

According to an IMH report, the man has paedophilic disorder with sexual attraction to pre-pubescent girls and is a danger to children.

The prosecutors cited his granddaughter’s psychiatric report and said she “reported experiencing nightmares and asked if the doctor can remove these thoughts about what had happened from her mind”.

They also pointed out that he took advantage of his position as a tutor in the enrichment centre to victimise the children there.

Ill health irrelevant: Prosecution

The prosecution added that the man had continued committing offences around 2022 to 2023, after he was released from prison for earlier offences.

In 2020, he'd been sentenced to jail and caning for different sex offences. The repeated offences suggest recalcitrant behaviour, they argued.

As for the man's ill health, the prosecution acknowledged that he has suffered from blood marrow cancer since 2021.

But they argued the man’s “ill health is irrelevant” to sentencing and would not be applicable as a mitigating factor.

He is also in stable condition, with no "immediate threat of him dying in the near term".

“The accused’s criminal conduct here must be met with the harshest penal consequences," they said.

The case was adjourned to Sep. 7 for sentencing.

The Cabinet reshuffle announcement on Jul. 22 saw promotions, a name change, and even the return of a familiar face.

But one thing remained unchanged: PM Wong is still Minister for Finance.

This observation prompted a reporter to ask the Prime Minister why he chose to continue helming the finance portfolio despite his "heavy workload".

PM Wong's response was only that he's "always looking to find someone who will be ready to be finance minister" and that the search is still a "work in progress".

When will he hand over the reins to the finance ministry? A look back at his predecessors offers clues.

Looking at past finance ministers

Singapore has had eight Ministers for Finance before PM Wong assumed the mantle, with tenures ranging from slightly over a year (Tony Tan) to just under 17 years (Richard Hu).

But tenures of 10 years and above are not the norm.

Aside from Richard Hu, only one other finance minister crossed the 10-year mark — Hon Sui Sen (slightly over 13 years).

Excluding Hu and Hon, the average tenure of the remaining six finance ministers is slightly over five years.

If we were to focus only on the last three finance ministers before PM Wong (Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and former Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat), the average tenure between them was about six and a half years.

PM Wong himself has been serving as finance minister for slightly over five years. Taking reference from history, could we be seeing a successor soon? Perhaps even late next year or early 2028?

Taking reference from SM Lee's tenure

There's only one other Prime Minister who also held the role of Minister for Finance in Singapore's history, and that is Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

SM Lee became the finance minister in November 2001.

Three years later, in August 2004, he took on the role of Prime Minister.

He served in both capacities for nearly three and a half years until December 2007 when he passed the finance portfolio to now-President Tharman.

Similarly, PM Wong held the role of finance minister for exactly three years before he became Prime Minister in May 2024.

He has been juggling both roles for more than two years now. If he were to follow SM Lee's trajectory, again it would indicate the possibility of a new Minister for Finance as soon as end 2027.

Who's delivering the Budget?

Analysing tenures alone can only get us this far. Another important clue lies in Parliament House, specifically the person delivering the Budget.

Contrary to popular belief, the Minister for Finance does not deliver the Budget all the time.

History shows us that the gargantuan task of preparing and delivering the Budget sometimes fell to junior ministers, for the purpose of succession preparation.

Former finance minister Hon Sui Sen (who served for a staggering total of 13 years) delegated his final two Budgets to Tony Tan, the first in March 1982 and then in March 1983.

Seven months later, in October 1983, Tan took on the top job at the Ministry of Finance.

SM Lee also delegated his final Budget in February 2007 to his successor Tharman, who was then Second Minister for Finance.

10 months later, Tharman took over from SM Lee as Minister for Finance.

Of course this is not a foolproof method of determining succession. The vast majority of finance ministers in Singapore's history delivered the Budget themselves without delegating to a successor.

But it is a good indicator, taken in tandem with other clues, of PM Wong's succession plans for the all-important finance portfolio.

All in all, we will definitely be keeping our eyes peeled come February next year.

Another second minister

Perhaps another clue lies in PM Wong's decision to add another second minister to the Ministry of Finance.

The reshuffle will see Jeffrey Siow serve as Second Minister for Finance, alongside Indranee Rajah.

PM Wong said at the press conference that one might "look at the tea leaves" and speculate whether a second minister could be in the pipeline to take over.

"The reality is these are all roles and responsibilities where we want to expose office-holders," he said. "We want to assess their suitability, and over time we hope that some of them will be in a position to take over.”

"I am always doing that for different ministries and certainly whether it is MHA, MOF or others, I will work with the team, assess their suitability, assess their readiness, and in due course, if they are ready, some of them may well take over to lead the ministry."

A woman in her 60s lost more than S$1 million of her life savings in two weeks to a scammer who used a Member of Parliament's (MP) photo as their WhatsApp display picture.

She only found out the truth after she went to a Meet-the-People session and appealed for her bank account to be unfrozen.

The case came to light after Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Cai Yinzhou shared it on Facebook on Jul. 23, and later spoke to Shin Min Daily News about how it unfolded in a report on Jul. 24.

Told not to tell anyone

The ordeal began in March when the scammer, posing as a police officer, told the woman she had an outstanding arrest warrant against her and warned her not to tell anyone.

From then on, she sent the scammer a daily selfie at home to "prove" that she was cooperating with investigations.

Over two weeks in April, she made 32 separate transactions, and even personally delivered her jewellery and other valuables to locations specified by the scammer.

In total, she lost over $1 million of her life savings.

Wanted help unfreezing her bank account

The truth only came out when the woman turned up at Cai's Meet-the-People Session (MPS) on Jul. 21.

She wanted him to appeal to the bank on her behalf to unfreeze her bank account.

It was only as she kept talking that the fuller picture emerged. She mentioned that a police officer had contacted her, and that there was supposedly an arrest warrant linked to a money laundering case.

Cai asked to see her chat history, and found that the person she had been having exchanges with was using a WhatsApp profile picture of an MP.

The scammer had also used a Ministry of Law photo as their WhatsApp banner, likely to seem more official and trustworthy.

There, she learnt that there was no arrest warrant, and no genuine police officer had ever contacted her.

Cai said he had asked her if she had any friends or family she could have turned to.

She said she did, but hadn't told them, possibly out of reluctance or a lack of trust that they would understand.

Urged people to look out for one another, especially seniors

In his Facebook post, Cai urged the community to look out for one another and to verify anything that feels off before acting on it.

He also stressed that no one should let themselves be isolated from the people they trust, which is a tactic scammers frequently use to stop victims from seeking help.

"Scams can happen to anyone. Please look out for one another, especially our seniors. If something feels off, verify before you act. And never let anyone isolate you from the people you trust," said Cai.

Three people, including two Singapore doctors, have been charged with planning a gathering for the consumption of drugs.

The three were part of a group arrested at Orchid Country Club following a police raid.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail and 10 strokes of the cane.

The accused are Loke Wei Kang, 33, and Lee Wei Sheng, 35, and Le Vie, 33. All three are Singaporean, according to The Straits Times (ST).

Loke and Lee are doctors.

The three also face charges of drug possession and consumption, though they are not contesting the consumption charge.

What happened

Loke, Lee, and Vie were part of a gathering at Loke's parents' house on Apr. 9, 2024.

At 10pm, the police turned up at the house to investigate a noise complaint. The trio then decided to leave.

They wanted to find another place to take drugs in order to relieve stress.

Specifically, they wanted to take ketamine and "Happy Water", a concoction that contains multiple types of drugs including Ecstasy, methamphetamine, and prescriptions drugs like diazepam.

Vie met her supplier at a nearby park and bought two packets of ketamine and three packets of "Happy Water".

After 11pm, the trio and a fourth person decided to move to Orchid Country Club, where Lee had booked a room for them.

Vie later met her supplier again, this time at Orchid Country Club, to buy two more packets of ketamine after the trio could not find the first two packets, which were subsequently found in Loke's car.

At around 3:50am, the police raided the room and arrested all four.

Court documents did not mention if the fourth person was charged, according to ST.

All three disputed the allegation that they planned the gathering in order to take drugs. During the trial, they argued that they booked the Orchid Country Club room to have a party and only decided to get the drugs after.

What they face

Planning a gathering for drug consumption carries a minimum sentence of three years in jail.

Drug consumption carries a minimum jail term of one year.

The trial is set to continue on Jul. 30.

Last year, salary and wrongful employment dismissal claims in Singapore rose to its highest levels since 2019.

This is according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM)'s joint Employment Standards Report, released on Jul. 24.

A total of 13,083 employment claims and appeals were lodged with MOM and TADM in 2025.

This marks an increase from 3.12 per 1,000 employees in 2024, to 3.44 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

More dismissals, retrenchments

MOM said that the rise in employment claims was closely linked to the increase in dismissals, retrenchments, and business closures in 2025.

As such, it was likely due to labour market conditions amid business reorganisations and restructuring, rather than a "broad-based deterioration of employment standards".

The report further noted that 43 per cent of claims were lodged by local employees, while the remaining 57 per cent were lodged by foreign employees.

Salary claims

Of the total appeals, 10,801 were salary claims, which saw an increase from 2.63 per 1,000 employees in 2024 to 2.84 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

The rise was largely driven by foreign employee claims, which surged from 4.64 per 1000 employees in 2024 to 5.16 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

Local employee statistics saw a comparatively more moderate upward trend, from 1.59 per 1000 employees in 2024 to 1.61 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

Among foreign employee claims, the construction sector continued to see the highest number of salary appeals at 46 per cent.

Food and beverage services made up 10 per cent and the professional, scientific and technical activities sector accounted for nine per cent of the claims.

According to the report, most salary disputes arose when employment ended, including disagreements over final salary payments and cases involving employers facing financial difficulties.

Salary claims

While there was an increase in cases from last year, 88 per cent of the salary claims were resolved at TADM. The remaining 12 per cent were referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT).

Around 92 per cent of employees fully recovered their dues, a slight dip from 94 per cent in 2024.

According to MOM, a "fully recovered" salary refers to the amount agreed between parties during mediation, or the amount ordered by ECT.

5 per cent of claimants recovered their salaries partially through settlement payments from security bond insurers and main contractors, or received financial assistance through TADM’s short-term relief fund or the assistance fund administered by the Migrant Workers’ Centre.

The remaining 3 per cent of employees, who were mainly high-income earners, did not recover their owed salaries.

The total recovered sum to employees increased from S$19 million in 2024 to S$22 million in 2025, consistent with the higher number of salary claims lodged in 2025.

MOM stated that non-payment of salary is an offence and MOM will investigate and take enforcement actions where appropriate, including warnings, composition fines and prosecution.

MOM also restricts access to foreign manpower for employers who do not fully pay their employees' salaries.

Wrongful dismissal claims trended higher for locals than foreign employees

There were 2,168 wrongful dismissal claims in 2025, up from 1,720 in 2024.

The increase was driven by a rise in claims made by local employees, from 0.54 per 1,000 employees in 2024 to 0.64 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

Meanwhile, foreign employee appeals saw a similar upward tick of 0.27 per 1,000 employees in 2024 to 0.44 per 1,000 employees in 2025.

Similar to previous years, locals made up the majority of such claims, MOM said.

Of the wrongful dismissal claims lodged in 2025, 67 per cent were resolved at TADM.

The remaining 33 per cent were referred to ECT for adjudication. This is a slight dip from 2024, where 71 per cent of cases were resolved at TADM.

In 65 per cent of cases resolved at TADM, employers were found to have fulfilled their contractual or statutory obligations, or were withdrawn after mediation.

The remaining 35 per cent involved some form of settlement by the employer such as making goodwill payments, allowing employees to resign or clearing up miscommunications.

Top image via One Raffles Place

Over 100 new refill stations for detergent and household products will be progressively opened in Singapore over the next 12 months.

Singapore manufacturing company Lam Soon announced on Jul. 23 that it has led a S$1 million investment into refill station startup Ecoworks to build refill-station infrastructure across the island.

Lam Soon produces eco-friendly and plant-based products under the brand bio-home, including dishwashing liquid, laundry detergents, and floor cleaners.

The new Ecoworks x bio-home stations will be fitted at locations frequented by residents and shoppers.

The first station is currently in operation at Pinnacle@Duxton, and dispenses bio-home laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid.

It will offer bio-home products starting from S$4.20 per 800ml, which is over 30 per cent less than retail price, according to the brand.

Plateauing recycling gains

Lam Soon's investment comes as Singapore's recycling gains have plateaued, the company said.

According to them, the national domestic recycling rate has remained at around 11 per cent, far from the government's goal of 70 per cent by 2030.

More upstream solutions are needed to fill this gap, including reducing and reusing packaging before waste is created, they added.

"Ecoworks has identified what is required for reuse to scale — convenient, standardised infrastructure in every neighbourhood."

Current machines

Ecoworks currently has a number of refill stations at locations like the National University of Singapore, the Singapore University for Technology and Design, and Frontier Community Club.

The existing refill stations allow you to fill bottles with Ecoworks's house-brand laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid.

According to the website, the products are biodegradable, plant-based, and produced using renewable energy.

Users can bring their own bottles to purchase the refills. Prices start from S$3 per litre.

Singapore's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) dropped to a new low of 0.87 in 2025.

The issue quickly became a matter of priority to the government. In April this year, a new workgroup was launched in a bid to tackle the problem.

Workgroup chairperson Indranee Rajah called for a marriage and parenthood reset and said the crisis requires "all of society" to play a part, not just the government alone.

She pointed to a number of potential reasons for the low birth rates, including cities like Singapore having a faster and more intense pace of life.

But one Singaporean dad, 38, thinks it's not that couples don't want more children — it's just hard to find the room.

By Daryl Boey

I am a father of two toddlers, aged 11 and 28 months.

My wife and I are expecting our third baby this December.

We initially intended to have two children only. We purchased our four-room resale flat at Kallang/Whampoa in October 2022.

Back then, we did not have the means to buy a larger five-room flat.

Nor were we expecting to have our third child so soon, within the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP).

But given the government's recent introduction of enhanced parental benefits — increased leave, monetary support and so on — we became more open-minded about having a larger family.

Space crunch

Right now, we are facing a space crunch.

With our third child due in December 2026, the permanent head-count (including our domestic helper) will jump to six.

This hits the absolute maximum occupancy limit permitted by HDB for a four-room flat.

This doesn't even count the live-in confinement nanny (temporary) and potentially an additional live-in domestic helper we are considering hiring.

Between the equipment and space required for three young children, our current home will no longer be a conducive or safe environment for our children's development.

We are hence looking to move to a five-room flat in the vicinity to continue being near to my parents and the girls’ preschool.

Restricted by MOP

Because our MOP only ends in January 2028, we applied for a waiver.

We weren't asking for a handout—just the permission to sell our place at current market prices and to buy a bigger HDB resale flat with our own means.

But HDB rejected our appeal on May 19, 2026.

In its rejection, HDB questioned our proposal for a separate infant room, and dismissed my need for a work-from-home space as a mere "lifestyle choice".

This is despite the fact that I work from home three to four days a week.

HDB suggested that we could "surrender" our flat to HDB.

But this is financially impossible for us, as the standard HDB compensation framework doesn't reflect current resale market values or the loans we have already serviced.

As such, surrendering the unit would result in a severe financial loss.

Based on our financial situation, selling our flat on the open market is our only viable path to upgrading to a larger flat without sinking into severe debt.

Sought help of MPs

I eventually escalated the case to the the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Meet-the-People Session (MPS) and Minister Josephine Teo.

The Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng MPS team later responded, saying they would assist in processing the request and raise the case to HDB for official reconsideration.

But the second appeal was also rejected.

An existential crisis?

During a family day event which we attended, Minister Josephine Teo and the MPs of Jalan Besar GRC congratulated us and thanked us for “serving the nation” when we told them we were expecting baby number three.

But when families actually answer the call to have more children, the bureaucracy shuts the door on them.

Yes, it is true that thousands of families past and present have "made do" with smaller spaces.

But continuing to justify such a rigid and strict policy is looking backward.

Public policy is supposed to progress, not regress.

If our society relies on past (or present) hardships to justify current rigidities, it would defeat the purpose of evolving government support.

As a family, we have answered the call to have a larger family.

If a citizen's commitment to raising three children under immense spatial constraints does not qualify as an "exceptional circumstance", how can this country claim in good faith that it is doing everything possible to resolve the "existential crisis" of our persistently low TFR?

HDB's response

In response to Mothership's queries, a HDB spokesperson emphasised that HDB flats are meant for long-term owner occupation.

The MOP upholds this intent and ensures that flat buyers purchase HDB flats with the intent of living in the flat, while deterring the "speculative purchase of HDB flats".

"Flat buyers are informed of the MOP requirement at various stages of their flat purchase journey for both new and resale flats," the spokesperson said.

With regard to MOP waiver appeals, HDB assesses these on a case-to-case basis. Waivers have been granted for reasons such as financial hardship, divorce, or demise of a flat owner.

In Boey's case, HDB said it had "carefully considered their circumstances but are unable to accede to their request, to ensure fairness to other flat buyers".

While it had extended the option of allowing them to return their flat to HDB, they did not take up the offer, and continued to appeal for the MOP waiver, the spokesperson said.

Different housing needs

To cater to the housing needs of growing families, families with three or more children, or who are expecting a third child — like the Boeys — may apply for a flat under the Third Child Priority Scheme.

The scheme sets aside up to 10 per cent of BTO flats, and up to 10 per cent of Sale of Balance flats for eligible first and second-timer families.

"HDB recognises that families' housing needs may evolve over time," the board said.

"For larger families that fall slightly short of meeting the MOP, HDB is prepared to exercise flexibility and will assess each case on its individual merits.

We remain committed to supporting Singaporeans at different life stages, and will continue to review our housing policies and schemes to ensure they remain accessible and relevant."