NEVER mind the legions of imported bankers, engineers, stevedores and nannies. Singapore’s attraction for these pillars of a successful hub is well documented. However, it obscures the country’s shifting labour needs.

The next front in the battle to recruit and retain talent doesn’t target elite brains or sweaty brawn, but reflects its profile as a rapidly ageing society. The new hot commodity is healthcare.

Singapore’s punishing demography, and the need to address it, was underscored on Wednesday (Feb 28) when a minister revealed that a key measure of fertility had tumbled to yet another record low.