Labour crunch takes centre stage in the House

Singapore

WITH Singapore's ageing local workforce projected to start shrinking next year, the labour pool was a hot topic in Parliament, as its debate on this year's Budget began on Tuesday.

More investment in skills training and technology, as well as the retention of older workers and the recruitment of stay-at-home caregivers, were floated by a host of lawmakers in the wake of planned - but controversial - cuts to the dependency ratio ceiling, or foreign worker quotas.