SINGAPORE’S new social compact on housing involves arriving at a consensus on how the country’s finite land and limited resources are to be allocated to meet the growing aspirations of current and future generations, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Tuesday (Apr 11).

He was among the five ministers who released their addenda to the President’s Address the day before.

On Monday, President Halimah Yacob had set out the government’s four key priorities at the opening of the second session of the 14th Parliament, touching on the need to build “an inclusive society with opportunities and assurance throughout life” as well as “a broader, more open and more inclusive meritocracy”.

In the area of inclusivity, the Ministry of National Development (MND), Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) gave their commitment to support families through their different life stages, keep social mobility alive and provide seniors with stronger assurances in healthcare and housing.

As for meritocracy, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) pledged to broaden the definition of success, equip Singaporeans to be future-ready at every stage of life, and strengthen assurance for workers and ensure they are “not left to fend for themselves”.

An inclusive society

In his addendum, Lee outlined seven commitments to keep housing affordable and accessible, and for estates to remain inclusive, cohesive and sustainable.

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These include measures to help young families to buy their first home, developing a range of options for singles, seniors and persons with disabilities, along with rejuvenating existing estates to improve the quality of the living environment.

Lee, describing this as part of the “next chapter” of Singapore’s housing story, noted that the Government was making good progress in completing close to 100,000 units of public and private housing, following the severe disruption in the construction sector wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Ultimately, our new social compact on housing represents a consensus among Singaporeans on our priorities as a nation, and how we should allocate finite land and limited resources to meet growing aspirations,” he said. “We must also set aside enough land and resources for future generations, to meet their aspirations and needs.”

At the same time, his ministry will continue to “plan boldly for the long-term”, Lee said, noting that Singapore now aspires to be a “City in Nature” – one with native flora and fauna thriving amid the metropolis. It will also plan for a range of possibilities, and this entails making land-use plans more flexible, to allow for a nimble response to crises and challenges.

Also in the area of inclusivity, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said a major focus in the coming years is effective, preventive care spanning the entire life of an individual, to improve the health of the population. This includes supporting families in cultivating healthy lifestyle habits from the time they are young as well as rolling out the Healthier SG programme of accessible, affordable preventive care for adults.

MOH will also continue to invest in healthcare infrastructure and care capacity, and develop the healthcare workforce, said Ong. The plan is to increase nursing and support-care manpower by 40 per cent to 69,000 by 2030. More opportunities will also be offered to nurses, allied health professionals and doctors to upgrade their skills.

Ong also signalled the need to support and embrace technological advances in this period of major breakthroughs in medical science, while remaining aware of the risks and pitfalls. He said MOH will undertake this long-term effort by teaming up with researchers, physicians, economists, bioethicists, regulatory bodies and the public, to reap the benefits of these new solutions.

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli gave his commitment to strengthen families “as the bedrock of our society”. This ranges from lending support to families facing challenges and needing counselling, to providing accessible, affordable and quality preschools.

He added that MSF will strengthen the social service sector, while enhancing social safety nets for lower-income families and “enable them to bounce back stronger”.

A broader meritocracy

Likewise, MOE is looking to strengthen its partnerships with families, communities and industry to refresh Singapore’s system of meritocracy, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.

He said MOE will continue to encourage “holistic development”, noting that it has moved away from “using a single metric to evaluate the diverse dimensions of our students’ abilities”.

The ministry will also need to “break new ground” in adapting to the changing global landscape, he said.

To enable Singaporeans to seize new opportunities amid economic transformations and labour market disruptions, Chan said the government will strengthen the SkillsFuture movement to make training accessible for adult learners, particularly mid-career workers.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said his ministry will empower Singaporean workers to take charge of their careers and improve their prospects and resilience. He noted Singaporeans can tap employment facilitation programmes to chart their career paths.

For those inclined towards “hands-on work”, Dr Tan said MOM will work with the unions to professionalise skilled trades, so they can attract and retain more Singaporeans in such jobs.

He added that the Government will “invest heavily” to uplift the salaries and skills of lower-wage workers and help them progress in their careers.

Seniors who want to and are able to continue working should also have maximum access to employment opportunities, he said, even as the Government bolsters retirement adequacy to ensure the Central Provident Fund system continues to work for the broad majority of Singaporeans.

While the Government supports the local workforce to constantly improve, said Dr Tan, Singapore remains open to foreign manpower that complements the home-grown labour pool.

However, he gave the commitment that MOM will continue to foster fair, inclusive and safe workplaces to ensure a level playing field for all.