Amid pandemic, unemployment and small business bankruptcy curves need flattening

THIS May Day, it is imperative that we thank our essential services and frontline workers, and especially the migrant workers who come to Singapore to build our beautiful city. These migrant workers earn low wages, live in cramped quarters and now have the highest number of Covid-19 cases on the island state.

Their families back home must be worried about their health and well-being, and I hope they take comfort in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's commitment that "we will care for you, just like we care for Singaporeans . . . We will look after your health, your welfare and your livelihood. We will work with your employers to make sure that you get paid, and you can send money home." During these extraordinary times, when a health pandemic disproportionately threatens the lives of those most vulnerable, PM Lee's leadership provides hope and optimism.

Employment outlook