Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a package of childcare benefits to support families as the city-state grapples with a record-low birth rate and rising concerns over the cost and pressures of raising children.
Each Singaporean child will receive almost 70,000 Singapore dollars ($55,150) in direct assistance through age 17, starting with a SG$10,000 baby gift, Wong said during his National Day Rally Speech on Sunday. The government will also significantly increase paid childcare leave and aims to cut monthly fees for subsidized full-day childcare to SG$150.
“Today, families everywhere are under growing pressure,” Wong said during the annual address, which is typically used to set out the government’s key policy priorities. “We want to make a fundamental shift in how we support families.”
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