News

Foreign worker levy for construction sector to be raised by $200

Foreign worker levy for construction sector to be raised by $200

Average levy per foreign worker will be further raised by $60 for the Manufacturing sector and $180 for the Services sector.

CPF contribution rate will increase to 36% in 2011

Employer CPF contribution rate will be raised by 0.5 percentage points.

Government to spend $520m for businesses to enjoy lower tax

Singapore businesses will be allowed to deduct 400% of their expenditures from their taxable income.

A record US$5bn poured into Singapore real estate investment in 4Q 2010

Real estate investment volume in Singapore accounted for 31% of Asia's total volume for the last quarter of 2010.

Total trade skyrocketed to $902bn in 2010

Singapore’s total trade rose by 21 per cent in 2010 after a decline of 19 per cent in 2009.

Singapore economy will expand 5% in 2011:OCBC

The IR-tourism sector, healthy FDI and generous FY2011 budget may push the economic growth on the higher end of the official 4 to 6 % forecast.

72 % of Singaporean companies are budgeting a pay rise for staff

But its not all good news, with 41% of companies having no plans to hire and 6% planning to fire staff this quarter.

Exports fell 2.2% in January m-o-m, but still up 20% for the whole year

The better-than-expected y-o-y growth was led by electronics and pharmaceuticals.

Singapore economy will grow 5.2%:HSBC

Financial services will be the main driver for growth in 2011.

Government warns inflation could rise up to 6 % in 1H 2011

Singapore economy is facing a tighter labour market and inflationary concerns that may prompt further monetary tightening.

Dramatic slowdown in senior recruitment saw job ads fall 9% in 4Q 2010

The demand for senior, high profile roles which are not usually advertised partially caused the decrease in job advertisement volume.

Government forecasts economy could grow 4 to 6% in 2011

But the Ministrry of Trade and Industry warns several downside risks remain..

Singapore economy blew the gates off with 12% growth in last quarter of 2010

But construction slowed dramatically, falling 2 % having grown 6.7 % in the previous quarter.

Non-oil domestic exports may have contracted 7% in January 2011

The Lunar New Year in early February may have caused a pullback in export sales in January.

Privately held businesses eye M&A for strategic growth

A survey said proportion of respondents anticipating making an acquisition in the next three years increased to 29% this year, up 8%.

Government may unveil $7.5bn worth of special transfers

The amount is the highest since at least FY2004, beating FY2008's $7.4 billion.

Singapore households headed to a 'golden age'

Between 2000 and 2010, there was a rise in the proportion of resident households with elderly members aged 65 years and over.