The Singapore government has accepted all five recommendations from a manpower workgroup to strengthen human capital capabilities and leadership in every workplace.

Working closely on its implementation with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), and industry stakeholders, the Ministry of Manpower said in a joint press release with the organisations that this ensures Singapore's growth continues to be centred in and for its people.

The announcement was made at the launch of a report by the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development (TWG-HC) on Sep. 24.

This includes a requirement that organisations with over 200 employees must have at least one HR professional certified at the IHRP Certified Professional (IHRP-CP) level or higher by Jul. 1, 2028.

Deputy Secretary (Workforce) of MOM and TWG-HC co-chair, Kenny Tan, said: "Leaders at all levels of the organisation — business leaders, human resource professionals and people managers — must drive enterprise and workforce transformation together."

"Workers must embrace new ways of doing things, new jobs and new skills."

Five recommendations

The TWG-HC was convened in February 2025 to address trends such as technology advancements and increased longevity.

The workgroup has engaged over 1,000 people from various sectors of the workforce to inform its recommendations, the media release said.

The five recommendations TWG-HC made aim to benefit more than two million workers, support at least 2,000 enterprises and build the capabilities of 20,000 HR professionals and people leaders.

The recommendations are as follows:

1. Establish the Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI) in October 2025 as a national benchmark

2. Help enterprises build workforce planning capabilities and bring strategic HR expertise within reach of more SMEs

3. Assist enterprises to use AI effectively and responsibly in HR

4. Professionalise the HR practice by establishing a baseline, including having at least one HR professional who is an IHRP-CP or higher

5. Develop people leaders for the future through leadership programmes

Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI)

According to the report, the SOI measures how career mobility is created across 1,500 organisations which employ more than 1 million residents using verified administrative data.

The data's five key dimensions are pay, progression, gender parity, retention and hiring.

The SOI makes it more visible for workers to make informed career decisions and for employers to see where they can do better.

Practical guides and pilot model

SNEF and IHRP will provide practical guides and showcases that help firms anticipate and plan workforce transformation.

IHRP and local start-up co:grow will also pilot a model to match SMEs that lack dedicated in-house HR expertise with experienced HR leaders on a part-time basis.

This gives SMEs flexible access to strategic HR advice without having to hire a full-time senior HR professional.

AI starter kits and leadership development programme

The People-centred AI Transformation for HR (PATH) initiative provides businesses and HR professionals with a pathway for AI transformation, said the report.

It includes AI starter kits that will be introduced by tripartite partners to help enterprises implement AI for high-impact HR use cases.

This is to enable HR professionals to be active partners in their organisation's AI transformation.

In the media release, TWG-HC said IHRP will work with training partners to introduce more accredited training programmes aligned to 12 new AI fluency skill badges.

NTUC will also develop a playbook to help HR professionals navigate the AI transformation journey, to be released in the first quarter of 2027.

As AI becomes more widely used in hiring and other employment decisions, tripartite partners recommend developing guidance on responsible AI use in recruitment.

This includes processes and safeguards to ensure these decisions remain fair and merit-based, said the press release.

A leadership development programme is also being designed for senior HR and people leaders to equip them with the capabilities, resources and support network to develop next-generation enterprises.

Government will provide support for certification

Around 2,000 firms currently have over 200 employees, which account for 45 per cent of Singapore's total workforce.

Over 900 of these already have at least one HR professional certified by IHRP.

To support the requirement of having at least one HR professional certified at the IHRP-CP level or higher by July 2028, the government will recognise equivalent accreditations and provide subsidies for early adoption.

The media release said firms will satisfy the requirement for certification if their HR professionals hold equivalent certifications from other international HR professional bodies that are recognised by IHRP and meet any prescribed bridging requirements.

Singapore residents are also provided significant subsidies to undertake the IHRP certification.

On top of these subsidies, an additional S$100 subsidy will be granted from Oct. 1, 2026 to Jun. 30, 2028, bringing certification fees down to S$163.50 for IHRP-CP and S$272.50 for IHRP Senior Professionals.

The certification is valid for three years.

Organisations may also use their SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to offset remaining out-of-pocket fees for their HR professionals.

All organisations, including those with 200 or fewer employees, will be eligible.

This is also to help firms prepare for the roll-out of the Workplace Fairness Act and changes to the Employment Act.

For more information, the public can visit TWG-HC's website here.

A spokesperson from the Singapore Police Force has told Mothership that they are investigating an incident in which a man allegedly recorded schoolgirls with a pair of smart glasses.

The incident appeared to have taken place in the vicinity of Marymount MRT station and Raffles Institution.

Black-rimmed glasses

A video of it was circulated online and showed a man in a dark-coloured t-shirt and shorts trailing a pair of girls, who appeared to be dressed in Raffles Institution uniform.

The man could be seen holding a phone up to his chest while following the girls from behind.

He then turned around while pressing the frame of his black-rimmed glasses, before walking off in the opposite direction.

This was after he was approached by the person filming him.

Parents concerned

On Instagram, Singapore Parents — a parenting advice blog — wrote that the man appeared to be wearing "smart glasses or AI glasses capable of recording video" and that the man's "close proximity and behaviour trailing the students" had triggered public outrage.

They included a screenshot from the video where the rim of the man's glasses appeared to have a pinhole — purportedly where a camera lens may be embedded.

*Editors Note: The teen has been found*

Rainbow Centre, Singapore, a social service agency serving persons with disabilities, is appealing for help after one of its students was reported missing.

The social service agency posted on Instagram on Sep. 23 that 18-year-old Low Zhi Peng had not been seen since 8:40am on Tuesday, Sep. 22, near Khatib MRT Station.

Low is described as approximately 170cm in height and as having autism.

He was last seen dressed in his school uniform — a blue shirt and pants — with a red jacket.

"Zhi Peng loves taking the bus, do keep an eye out for him," wrote Rainbow Centre

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Rainbow Centre, Singapore (@rainbowcentresingapore)

Those who have seen Low are asked to call his parent at 6482 2592 or 9430 4290 or the police at 1800 255 0000.

"Kindly stay with him until help has arrived," requested the post.

A 54-year-old Singaporean woman was sentenced to three months and two weeks’ jail for giving a 58-year-old former St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) facilities manager more than S$52,000 in bribes.

Renee Song Mui Kuan faced four charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

She pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced on Sep. 23.

The remaining charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Sales manager

Song was a sales manager of an interior furnishing firm at the time of the offences.

In court documents seen by Mothership, in January 2018, the facilities manager, Ng Cher Him, approached Song and first broached the idea of receiving money in exchange for helping award more jobs and projects to her firm.

Song agreed with Ng, fearing that if she rejected his idea, he would stop awarding jobs or recommending her firm for projects at SJI.

Jobs

Afterwards, Ng would inform Song of jobs and projects at SJI and invite her to submit quotations.

On certain occasions, Ng would instruct Song to mark up a quotation for a particular job or project, which Song would then pay to Ng in cash.

Ng also did not specify the markup on some occasions, which led Song to decide the amount to be paid to him, inflate the quoted price, and pay the markup to Ng in cash if he asked for such gratification.

After her firm was paid for a job or project, Song would withdraw the cash constituting the markup and hand it to Ng in his office at SJI.

On some occasions, she would pocket the markup if Ng did not ask for it.

Gratification

On 10 occasions between Jan. 7, 2019 and Jul. 21, 2020, Song corruptly gave Ng gratification totalling S$18,420.

The firm submitted invoices totalling S$228,717 for the jobs and projects.

On 12 occasions between Aug. 18, 2020, and Sep. 7, 2022, Song corruptly gave Ng gratification totalling S$34,480.

The firm submitted invoices totalling S$502,840.04 for the jobs and projects.

Investigation

On Sep. 30, 2022, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) received information that Ng was involved in corruption-related offences.

CPIB proceeded to investigate him.

Song was also subsequently investigated.

On Jul. 28, she made restitution of S$39,300 to SJI.

Deter

The prosecution sought three-and-a-half months to four-and-a-half months’ jail for Song.

They argued that Song was “unfairly awarded” the jobs and projects at SJI.

“Other vendors which might have been more suitable or able to give more competitive prices lost opportunities,” they said.

The prosecution added that Song’s actions “perverted” Ng’s duty to be “independent and fair” in his prior role as a facilities manager at SJI.

“Such offences must be met with stiff sentences to ensure that like-minded offenders are deterred from corrupting agents of government institutions, including schools, from abusing their positions for personal gains, which would otherwise have the potential to erode public confidence in the institutions of government and give rise to public disquiet,” they said.

According to The Straits Times, Ng was sentenced to one year, three months and four weeks’ jail for corruption offences in October 2025 in relation to the case.

He reportedly received more than S$67,000 in bribes from other vendors, including Song, engaged to carry out various projects at SJI.

A former Republic of Singapore Navy chef and his army captain ex-boyfriend arranged to meet and sexually abuse a then 15-year-old victim in a Punggol carpark.

On Sep. 22, 26-year-old Singaporean Owen Toh Wei Song was sentenced to 12 months' jail after pleading guilty to a charge of sexual penetration of a minor.

Two other charges — one under the same provision and another for filming the act — were taken into consideration for sentencing.

His ex-boyfriend, Chaw Chia Jun, 41, also known as Jim, is set to plead guilty on Oct. 10, 2026, with his bail extended.

In response to Mothership's queries, a MINDEF spokesperson said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) "holds its service personnel to high standards of discipline and integrity".

"Service personnel who commit offences will be dealt with in accordance with the law."

MINDEF added that Toh was suspended from all duties following his arrest in 2024, was subsequently released from regular service, and is no longer with the SAF.

Mothership understands that Chaw is also no longer in the employ of the SAF.

Met on online forum

Around April 2024, the secondary four student searched for ways to make friends online.

He was directed to a website that described itself as an online forum intended for mature Singaporean gay men.

According to court documents, the victim browsed through profiles on the forum and selected Toh's.

The profile contained a link to Toh's Telegram profile, and the victim initiated contact.

Asked for personal particulars in early conversations

In their early conversations on Telegram, Toh asked the victim for his personal particulars, including his age.

Toh found out that the victim was a secondary school student about to sit for his N-Level examinations later that year.

Court documents said that the accused did not ask the victim to produce identification, nor did he take steps to independently verify his age.

Their conversations then switched to sexual topics.

The victim told the accused that he was interested in bondage and blindfolding and was keen to explore it.

Toh said he was not experienced in that area but knew his ex-boyfriend, Chaw, was.

The two men had been in a relationship for about one year between 2021 and 2022, but remained in contact after their breakup.

Toh asked the victim if he was comfortable meeting Chaw, and the victim agreed.

Subsequently, Toh messaged Chaw and told him about the boy's interests.

He also told the boy that Chaw was 32 years old.

Caressed victim's thighs

Toh then arranged a meeting date between all three.

Sometime before Jun. 5, 2024, Chaw drove to Yio Chu Kang MRT station, where he picked up Toh and the victim.

While Chaw was driving, he caressed the victim's thighs.

Chaw parked at the uppermost deck of a multi-storey carpark in Punggol where there were no other vehicles and no one else in the vicinity.

They alighted from the car, and Chaw told the victim to strip fully naked.

Court documents stated that the victim did so in the open, appearing nervous and shivering slightly.

Toh performed a sex act on the victim while Chaw filmed the act on his phone.

When Chaw asked the victim to do the same to him, the victim declined.

More sex acts ensued, including between Chaw and the victim, before they returned to Chaw's car.

A few days later, Toh asked Chaw for a copy of the recording; Chaw sent the recording over, and Toh saved it to his desktop computer.

Report filed

On Oct. 23, 2024, at around 12:13am, the victim lodged a police report at his neighbourhood police centre.

This happened after his mother and sisters grew concerned over his behaviour and the gifts he'd received from an adult man.

They confronted him, and the victim admitted what had happened.

Investigations led to the arrests of Toh and Chaw.

Toh was arrested on Oct. 25, 2024, and he was released on bail the same day.

He was charged in court on May 25, 2026.

Prosecution's address

The prosecution sought a sentence of 14 to 16 months' imprisonment against Toh, citing the victim's vulnerability arising from his age and situational circumstances.

Court documents also acknowledged the fact that the offender acted together with Chaw in committing the offence.

The offence also involved "gratuitous degradation" as the acts were committed in the open, immediately outside the car and filmed.

The prosecution also argued that the boy had been visibly nervous while the sex acts were being performed, yet Toh did not desist.

According to CNA, Toh's lawyers sought not more than 10 months' imprisonment, stating that it was the victim who went online, contacted Toh and expressed interest in exploring the sexual acts.

The lawyers also asserted that their client's offences were restricted to this one encounter.

An offender faces up to 10 years' jail, a fine, or both for causing a minor below 16 to perform sexual penetration.

A 57-year-old woman was found dead in her home in Ang Mo Kio after neighbours reportedly noticed flies and a smell outside her flat.

In response to Mothership’s queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they received a call for assistance at Block 464 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 at about 10:50am.

The woman was found lying motionless in a residential unit and was confirmed dead at the scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Strong odour outside flat

A neighbour, Zhuo (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that he and his family noticed a strong odour two to three days before the incident and attributed it to a dead rat.

Zhuo said his 80-year-old mother found the unit’s door ajar on Sep. 23 when she went to exercise in the morning.

A foul smell emanted from inside the house, and flies were buzzing around.

His mother sensed something amiss and called the police, Zhuo told Shin Min.

The stench was apparently so strong that air fresheners could not cover up the smell.

Zhuo also revealed that the deceased had lived with her parents, but after both of them passed, she had been living alone ever since.

Second death at Ang Mo Kio in three days

Just two days earlier, a 72-year-old man was found lying motionless in a residential unit at Block 530 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Responding to queries from Mothership, the police said they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at the location on Sep. 21, 2026.

The elderly man was reportedly living alone and was only discovered after neighbours spotted blood seeping out from under the main gate into the common walkway.

An automatic mahjong table is suspected to have caused a fire at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Ang Mo Kio on Sep. 22, leaving the homeowner's children trapped in the unit.

About 20 people evacuated

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 10:45am at Block 254 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

Upon its arrival, black smoke was seen emitting from the living room of a seventh-floor unit.

The fire, which involved items in the living room, was extinguished with a water jet.

Two people were found in the bedrooms during firefighting operations and were assisted out by SCDF personnel.

They were assessed for smoke inhalation and taken to Singapore General Hospital.

About 20 residents from the block were evacuated by the police and SCDF as a precaution.

An SCDF firefighter was also assessed for heat exhaustion and conveyed to Woodlands Hospital, similarly as a precaution.

He was subsequently discharged on the same day.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Automatic mahjong table suspected to have caught fire

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the owner of the affected unit, surnamed Zhuang (transliteration), said the fire was suspected to have originated from an automatic mahjong table in the living room.

His family of five lives in the unit.

Zhuang, 51, bought the table from a mall about a year ago for more than S$800.

However, the table was not plugged into a power socket at the time of the fire and did not run on batteries, he said, adding that he was unsure how it had caught fire.

Zhuang said the living room and master bedroom sustained extensive fire damage, and the family is currently staying in temporary accommodation arranged by HDB.

Renovation works are expected to take about four months, and the family hopes to return home before Chinese New Year next year.

A neighbour living directly below the affected unit, surnamed Huang, told Shin Min that he rushed upstairs after noticing the fire to check on the situation and alert other residents.

Huang added that he saw the fire raging from outside the unit.

According to his account, the window shattered from the heat, after which a gust of wind caused the flames to flare up and spread.

Another neighbour called Zhuang to inform him about the fire.

"About five to seven minutes later, [Zhuang] rushed back and tried to open the door. However, the fire in the living room was too intense and we could not get in at all. Fortunately, SCDF arrived at that moment so we left the rescue operation to them," Huang said.

Two stuck in the flat

Zhuang told Shin Min that his two children who were in the flat at the time were his eldest daughter, 21, and son, 18.

Fortunately, neither sustained serious injuries.

They were taken to hospital for observation and were expected to be discharged on Sep. 23.

Zhuang added that his son missed one of his A-Level papers on the morning of Sep. 23 as he had to remain in hospital for observation.

"I feel that the most important thing right now is to focus on his emotional and mental well-being. Whether or not he takes the exam is less important," he said.

MP visited affected residents

Kebun Baru Member of Parliament Henry Kwek also visited the affected residents.

In a Facebook post on Sep. 22, Mr Kwek thanked SCDF and police officers who responded to the incident, as well as HDB and Ang Mo Kio Town Council staff for their quick assistance to the affected family.

He also reminded residents to take note of basic fire safety measures at home, particularly when cooking or using sources of heat.

Improper wiring could increase risk of electrical faults

The technical director of electrical service company Power Electrical told Shin Min that automatic mahjong tables contain internal motors and electrical components, and that improper wiring, high power consumption, or poor product quality could all potentially pose a fire hazard.

He noted that automatic mahjong tables sold in Singapore are commonly manufactured in Japan or China.

Some Chinese-made models operate at 230V, while Japanese-made models typically use a lower voltage.

As these differ from Singapore’s local voltage specifications, extra care is needed when using them, he said.

He also cautioned that even when the automatic mahjong table is not switched on, leaving it plugged into the power supply could still result in a fire if there is a problem with the electrical circuit.

A 47-year-old man alarmed residents when he started throwing large items down from his house in Block 393 Bukit Batok West Avenue 5 on Sep. 21.

These items included clothes, shoes, a sofa cushion, a hair dryer, a bicycle, and a child's scooter, according to Shin Min Daily News.

"At first it started with just shoes, but later even a bicycle was thrown down," a neighbour told Shin Min. "When [the residents] saw that, we rushed to call the police."

In response to Mothership's queries, both the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received calls for assistance at around 11am.

The police later established that the man had locked himself inside his own residential unit and refused to open the door.

He was assessed to be posing a danger to himself, prompting officers from the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit, and SCDF to be activated.

At about 5:05pm, the police managed to enter his unit and arrested him for committing a rash act.

Safety precautions

SCDF officers deployed two safety life air packs at the bottom of the block.

Rescuers from its Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) also rappelled from the man's unit as a precautionary measure, SCDF said.

According to Shin Min, the police cordoned off an area on the ground roughly the size of half a basketball court.

When residents walked past Block 393, the police told them not to linger in the area for their safety.

Nonetheless, many residents stood just beyond the cordoned-off area to observe the situation around the man's unit.

Stand-off

Around 2:25pm, a shirtless man appeared at the window of a unit on the 20th floor, Shin Min reported.

He was initially seen sitting on a sofa in the living room, then gradually moved towards the window.

He then rested an arm against the window, and at times looked to be muttering to himself. After a while, he walked back inside the house.

Photos from Shin Min show the man staring out the window while SCDF officers stood on a ledge above with a safety net set up.

The police reportedly later entered the unit by force, by sawing through the metal gate at the front door.

No injuries were reported. Police investigations are ongoing.

A 45-year-old Singaporean woman was sentenced to a 12-month mandatory treatment order for hurting a 78-year-old woman at a coffee shop in Tampines.

Ng Pei Lin faced three charges consisting of public nuisance, rash act and theft.

She pleaded guilty to one charge and was sentenced on Sep. 23.

The rest of the charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Commotion

In court documents seen by Mothership, on the morning of Jul. 6, 2024, Ng was walking around Happy Hawker Coffee Shop located at Block 872C Tampines Street 86.

Ng then shouted, causing a commotion in the coffee shop.

She also slammed one of the tables and threw a lighter onto it.

Ng then confronted the victim, who was in the coffee shop, and asked her why she was badmouthing her.

The victim replied that she did not badmouth Ng.

This angered Ng.

The victim then walked towards Sheng Siong supermarket, and Ng followed her.

Pulled victim's shirt

At about 7:30am, Ng pulled the victim’s shirt from behind, causing the victim to fall onto the ground.

The victim could not get up and shouted for help.

A man who was having breakfast at the coffee shop rendered aid to the victim.

She then told him that Ng pushed her.

The victim also told the man that her leg was hurting and she could not stand up.

The man then took a chair for the victim and helped her sit down.

At about 8:01am, the man alerted the police to the incident.

The victim was conveyed to the hospital.

Ng was arrested on the same day and was admitted to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric assessment from Jul. 6, 2024, to Aug. 13, 2024, and from Aug. 20, 2024, to Sep. 11, 2024.

Injuries

Upon examination, the victim was found to have tenderness over the left knee and thigh, as well as mildly displaced fractures of the left superior and and inferior pelvis.

Orthopaedics treated the injuries conservatively.

Upon further examination, the victim was also found to have central canal stenosis of the lumbar spine.

She underwent two surgeries as a result.

It is unclear whether the victim’s pelvic fractures were caused by Ng’s action.

A clarification medical report also stated that the victim had sustained injuries to her lower back as a result of the incident.

Investigations revealed pre-existing but previously undiagnosed spinal conditions that were aggravated or made symptomatic by the fall.

Schizophrenia

The prosecution called for a mandatory treatment order suitability report for Ng.

They said Ng had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and the IMH doctor had “opined that there was a contributory link between the accused’s mental condition and the offence”.

“In the present case, there is no evidence, at this stage, to suggest that rehabilitation would not be a real prospect, or that rehabilitation is eclipsed by other sentencing principles,” they said.

An elderly man living alone in an Ang Mo Kio HDB flat passed away at home.

He was only discovered after neighbours spotted blood seeping out from under the main gate into the common walkway.

The man, 72, was found motionless and was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

A neighbour, who declined to be named, told Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) that his mother last spotted the old man on Sep. 17, 2026.

He stated that the man would not typically leave the windows and doors open, but tended to switch on the lights and television in the living room.

When the neighbour's family noticed that his house was dark on the evening of Sep. 18, they felt that "something was wrong".

There was no sign of the man over that weekend as well.

It was only on the afternoon of Sep. 21 that they noticed a smell and saw blood pooling from underneath the gate.

A police report was quickly made.

Mental health

The neighbour further shared with Shin Min that the man was not in a good mental state and that social workers would frequently visit to check in on him.

He had been living alone for about five years, after his family members moved out.

Responding to queries from Mothership, the police said they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 530 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on Sep. 21, 2026.

A 72-year-old man was found lying motionless in a residential unit and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.