Singaporeans worried most about economic woes

Latest feedback survey reveals a growing concern for rising costs of living, unemployment and the sinking economy.

Singaporeans complain that wages are slow to rise compared to cost of goods and that there are can be more safety nets in place to shield the populace from brutal unemployment, according to 1,800 feedback inputs to REACH over a three-month period beginning November 2011 as part of its pre-Budget 2012 survey.

REACH is the official feedback channel for Singapoeans on government policies. Feedback was obtained from online discussion forums, online feedback forms, Facebook posts and e-mail letters.

"Contributors expressed concerns over the rising cost of living, with some opining that Singaporeans‟ wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation. In this regard, contributors called for more measures to curb the rising costs of basic necessities and essential services like utilities, transport and healthcare, and to improve the standard of living for the low-income and "sandwiched" middle-income groups," said REACH in a release.

"To boost Singapore's birth rate and make raising families in Singapore more affordable, several requested for more measures such as cash incentives, additional paternity and childcare leave, more subsidised childcare facilities and waiver of the foreign domestic worker levy. On supporting the elderly, contributors requested for more aid like transport and medical subsidies to help elderly Singaporeans cope with escalating costs, as well as measures to address elder care needs. Many also called for more funds to be channelled towards helping the less fortunate in Singapore," it said.

"Contributors urged the Government to create more jobs for citizens and help companies keep existing jobs during the economic slowdown. There are also calls to raise the quantum and income limit for Workfare incentives and provide transitional schemes to tide citizens over a short period of unemployment. Some contributors request for more to be done to encourage companies to hire and develop Singaporeans, especially in industries where local manpower is available. Several also requested for more training schemes and subsidies to improve the competitiveness of the local workforce," REACH said.

"Contributors called for greater efforts to develop local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), promote entrepreneurship and strengthen Singapore‟s business infrastructure so as to encourage more business start-ups and enhance Singapore‟s economic growth. 9 Some called for more initiatives to raise productivity instead of relying on low-cost labour. Others requested for more measures, such as corporate tax rebates and lower office rentals, to help local businesses cope with the economic slowdown and rising business costs," it said further.