Timely call to keep an eye on social equity amid entrepreneurial push

AT long last - some frank talk in Singapore about the potential downsides of tech-driven entrepreneurship and the gig economy. And, for once, the criticism has nothing to do with dollars and cents, but the issue of social fairness.

After a seemingly breathless rush to embrace all things tech and startup-related, at least three voices on Tuesday expressed concern about the adverse effects these could have on social equity.

First, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam admitted that he is "not yet a fan of the gig economy", while speaking at McKinsey's Innovation Forum. While "gig" used to exist exclusively in the parlance of musicians - referring to a temporary engagement to play music for one night only - the word has come into mainstream use of late, thanks to the proliferation of short-term, on-demand jobs offered by disruptors like Uber and Foodpanda.