Subsidised Co-living Options for Singles, Addressing Motherhood Penalty, Publicising Shared Parental Leave Take-up Rates as Marriage and Parenthood Ideas

Mr David Hoe asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Government will consider national initiatives to provide subsidised co-living opportunities in tandem with property developers for singles, with community programming and social infrastructure intentionally designed to encourage sustained bonding and social mixing, in view of Marriage and Parenthood survey findings that many singles face limited social circles and insufficient opportunities to meet potential partners.

Ms Elysa Chen asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Ministry has studied the extent of a motherhood penalty or an employer bias faced by mothers returning to work after taking time off for childrearing, including in hiring, pay, job level and progression.

Ms Lee Hui Ying asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Ministry will mandate companies to publicly disclose their parental leave policies and utilisation rates to promote greater transparency and support for working parents; and (b) if so, what is the implementation timeline.

My reply will address Parliamentary Questions Nos 66 to 69 on today's Order Paper and also address Mr David Hoe's three related Parliamentary Questions which are scheduled for the next Sitting1,2,3.

Globally, marriage and parenthood are trending downwards or being delayed. Singapore's Total Fertility Rate fell to an historic low of 0.87 last year. Left unaddressed, it will over time have a significant impact on our society, our economy and the future of Singapore. The Government is committed to addressing this issue. However, it cannot be tackled by the Government alone. It requires a whole of society approach. As announced on 26 February we are setting up a Workgroup to drive a Marriage and Parenthood Reset. Mr Christopher de Souza has asked about the deliverables and timelines of the Workgroup and how the Government aims to galvanise whole-of-society support. We will be announcing composition of the Workgroup and its terms of reference very soon. So as not to forerun that and also because we are still in the process of fine-tuning the workstreams, I would not be providing details today. For now, I will just say that the Workgroup will explore a wide range of options to provide more support across each stage of one’s journey in marriage and parenthood and foster broader societal support.

Mr David Hoe asked about social infrastructure, community programming and co-living to provide opportunities for singles' interaction. The Government has been working with partners to grow spaces for youth to connect and meet new people. For example, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) has been working with *SCAPE to develop the Somerset Belt into a vibrant youth precinct and to grow youth communities of interest in diverse areas. The Workgroup will look into creating opportunities for more social interaction, including the matters raised by Mr Hoe.

Mr Hoe also asked about stronger targeted measures to support working parents on caregiving. We are looking at how to better support parents with caregiving responsibilities, including strengthening existing measures and exploring new ones. However, bearing in mind that different sectors have different operational demands and job roles, our approach will not be to micro-manage but rather to drive progressive and sustainable workplace norms for better alignment of work and personal priorities that both employers and employees will support and embrace.

We will also explore ways to incentivise employers to develop work-life friendly practices and will consider Ms Lee Hui Ying's suggestion to have companies disclose their parental leave policies and utilisation rates.

Ms Elysa Chen asked about the motherhood penalty or employer bias for mothers returning to work. This is a very valid concern. The Workplace Fairness Act, which the House passed last year, prohibits adverse employment decisions on the basis of pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities. This is targeted to be implemented in end-2027. The Workgroup will look into the issue of support for women who want to continue in their careers while being mothers.

On Mr Hoe's query about fertility treatment, currently both men and women who undergo fertility treatments can obtain Medical Certificates, request for flexible work arrangements from their employers or take time-off from work. We are studying how we can get employers to provide better workplace support for those undergoing fertility treatment.

I thank the Members for their suggestions. We will announce details of the Workgroup and the approach to the Marriage and Parenthood Reset soon.