SINGAPORE – Ever since her employer’s son and daughter-in-law returned from the United States in January, her workload in the family’s five-storey house has taken a great toll on her. Yanti (not her real name), a domestic worker, said the family of four rings a bell for her to attend to their every need. Please... » read more
SINGAPORE – The travel sector remains in survival mode with business at rock bottom, staff morale in the basement and leisure jaunts showing no signs of recovery any time soon. As grim as it is, companies are still cautiously optimistic that the good times will roll again once the pandemic blows over. Please subscribe or... » read more
SINGAPORE – The Singapore labour market is on track to recover from the impact of the pandemic, with total employment surpassing estimates and growing for the first time since the virus outbreak hit early last year. But an uptick of Covid-19 cases in May led to tighter restrictions for about a month, possibly putting a... » read more
SINGAPORE – For two weeks, construction worker Ronju, who goes by one name, has had the same routine. Each day, he lines up outside the gym in the 14,000-bed PPT Lodge 1B dormitory in Seletar where he lives, gets his work permit and blood pressure checked, and is led into an air-conditioned area where he... » read more
This is a story of collaboration, trust and cakes made of carrots. It is a tale of art, technique and hairstyles. In truth this might be a yarn about an athletic alliance. Yet at its heart this is a love story between two friends. His name is Tribiani and he weighs roughly 700kg and runs... » read more
SINGAPORE – When Ms Joyce Seah left her job at an oil and gas multinational corporation (MNC) last July, she was afraid she would not be able to secure another job amid the weaker hiring market. The company where she worked as a senior buyer restructured during the Covid-19 pandemic and she was assigned a new... » read more
SINGAPORE – The spy war is likely to heat up as tensions between China and the United States increase, said an academic who specialises in security issues. Mr Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: “South-east Asia, due to its international connectivity, talent pool and importance... » read more
SINGAPORE – Unlike many hawkers who have been badly hit by the dine-in ban, Mr Jason Huang did not experience a drop in the number of orders he receives. The third-generation hawker has been able to steer his 53-year-old family business to safety by offering islandwide delivery. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading... » read more
SINGAPORE – Despite being on four food delivery platforms, Mr Tan Hock Soon receives only two to three online orders each day. Since Covid-19 hit Singapore last year, business has fallen by 40 per cent, said the 49-year-old who runs the Ramen Taisho stall at Maxwell Food Centre. Please subscribe or log in to continue... » read more
SINGAPORE – Residents in Singapore are securing higher academic qualifications, especially university degrees. More can read and write in multiple languages, and bigger numbers are speaking English at home. But there are downsides such as an oversupply of graduates, underemployment, and the potential erosion of mother tongue heritage, experts tell Insight. And interventions are needed... » read more
SINGAPORE – Smaller households – in terms of fewer members – are on the rise. More are staying in condominiums; although for private properties overall, large variations continue to exist between ethnic groups. These findings from Census 2020 raise key issues around stratification, representation and social cohesion, say experts. Please subscribe or log in to... » read more
SINGAPORE – Tesla’s delivery of its first cars here has been delayed by between two and six months, its schedule upset by a worldwide chip shortage, the Covid-19 pandemic and high demand. The American electric-car maker was unavailable for comment, but buyers who have been in touch with the company said it had secured certificates of... » read more
SINGAPORE – For over a year, Madam N tried to get her teenage daughter to stop smoking, stealing and playing truant. She even transferred her daughter to another school to keep her away from peers she felt were a bad influence. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access... » read more
SINGAPORE – After almost a decade in the F&B industry, Peter, 32, now earns a gross monthly salary of about $3,500 – more than double that the O-level holder received when he joined the industry in 2011. And he has done it all, from waiter to bartender and now supervisor. Please subscribe or log in... » read more
SINGAPORE – It was slim pickings for gardener Lim Goh Heng when he joined the landscape maintenance sector in 2010 but his prospects have blossomed somewhat, thanks to a trade union initiative that is changing workers’ lives across the island. There is no doubt Mr Lim and others like him needed a helping hand. His... » read more
SINGAPORE – When a man in his 70s ended up in a hospital here after a fall, staff initially suspected elder neglect. The case was then referred to Ms Kristine Lam, lead social worker at Care Corner Project StART, last year. The non-profit organisation specialises in abuse cases involving vulnerable persons. Please subscribe or log... » read more
SINGAPORE – At the height of e-scooters’ popularity less than two years ago, retailer Mobot could sell up to a thousand of them each month. But after personal mobility devices (PMDs), including e-scooters, were banned from footpaths in November 2019, demand for the devices plunged. Now, Mobot’s e-scooter sales are just 5 per cent of... » read more
SINGAPORE – When Mr Wong, 48, lost his cleaning job after Covid-19 hit Singapore last year, he also lost the roof over his head. The bachelor, who is estranged from his family, had been sleeping on a makeshift bed at the coffee shop he cleaned. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full... » read more
SINGAPORE – Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases, two families with members who are front-line workers are planning to keep their Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations simple. Sergeant Nur Farahdillah Abdullah, 29, a paramedic at Bukit Batok Fire Station, and her family plan to visit her mother and her husband’s grandfather on the first day of... » read more
SINGAPORE – Racial slurs, kicking a woman in the chest, and shouting at an Indian expatriate family to go home. These are not scenes from the streets of an American city, where anti-Asian sentiments have run high amid fears of catching Covid-19, but racist attacks recently reported in Singapore. Please subscribe or log in to... » read more