Daily Briefing: Managers can expect pay increases of 5% at most; Should you buy or rent your next home in Singapore?

And here's what you need to know about bonds.

Singaporean managers and senior staff can prepare for 5 percent pay increases at most this year as the labor market stabilizes. About 93 percent of companies in Singapore say they will keep or raise headcount this year, according to a survey by recruitment consultancy Michael Page of almost 450 businesses in the city state . Only 36 percent said they will recruit new hires. Singapore's unemployment rate recently hit a six-year high of 2.2 percent, though the country still remains one of the easiest places in the world to find work. Read more here.

There is a reason the overwhelming majority of Singaporeans continue to live with their parents until they’re married—the right to walk around naked at home isn’t worth dying of starvation for. While married couples and over-35s can take advantage of government grants to buy HDB flats, the rental market is another story. The cost of renting the cheapest possible one bedroom condo unit in Singapore in an area as far flung as Bukit Panjang can cost around $1,500 a month, and when you get closer to the city fringe you can end up paying 50% to 100% more. Click here for the full story.

Bonds, which are also known as fixed-income securities, can be one of the safest ways to invest your money. These financial instruments provide a steady stream of income and upon maturity, you receive the principal amount that you had invested. Governments and corporates regularly raise funds by issuing bonds. Older investors and those saving for retirement find these instruments especially attractive because of the safety that they offer and the predictable nature of their returns. Read the rest of the story here.