Mr Chairman, the continued decline of our TFR to a new low of 0.87 in 2025 is the clearest signal yet that financial incentives alone have not and will not move the needle.
They are important, but they do not address the concerns of younger Singaporeans like myself which I had raised in the Budget debate last week - that we will not have the time or energy to be present parents. For many of us, the structure of working life in Singapore makes parenthood feel like a compromise, not a choice.
Last week, Minister Indranee called for a society-wide reset on how we view and support marriage and parenthood. I hope the Government will lead by example with the reset, beginning with a new lever: time. Specifically, to move from intention to impact on flexible work arrangements.
The current tripartite guidelines give employees a right to request and a process for consideration, but do not govern outcomes. The enforcement mechanism, when that process is not followed, is for an employee to approach TAFEP. We should not underestimate what approaching TAFEP costs an employee. It creates tension. It risks being seen as difficult.
I had filed a PQ to ask how many complaints TAFEP had received on the improper handling of such requests since the guidelines took effect in December 2024. The answer: one. And it was a case about the format in which the rejection was communicated, not the substance of a rejection.
Sir, I do not believe this means that the guidelines are working perfectly. I believe it means that they are not being used. One complaint is not a sign of success – it is a sign of a barrier too high to clear.
While legislation alone cannot change workplace culture, it can set a floor. It can signal that the Government is serious about the mindset reset to support Singaporeans in building and growing their families. As a starting point, I have two suggestions:
- First, move the framework from guidelines to legislation, with statutory force. This means making non-compliance actionable. An employer who fails to engage properly, or who rejects a request without genuine business grounds, should face consequences.
- Second, make flexible work a presumptive right for parents of children under three, where the nature of their jobs allow. Not absolute or unconditional, just a starting position that the employer must justify departing from, rather than a benefit an employee must request.
