Jamus Lim questions about increasing childcare leave for parents to boost fertility rates

SINGAPORE: In a Parliament session on Tuesday (6 Aug), Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, stated that any proposed enhancements to leave provisions, including increases in childcare leave, must carefully balance supporting parents’ needs with the impact on employers’ manpower and operational requirements.

Associate Professor Jamus Jerome Lim, Member of Parliament for Sengkang GRC from the Workers’ Party, asked the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance about the possibility of increasing childcare leave entitlement for parents of second or subsequent children to promote fertility.

Responding on behalf of the PM, Ms Indranee acknowledged that many parents with young children need support in balancing work and caregiving responsibilities.

To address this, the government has progressively increased parental leave provisions over the years.

The most recent enhancement took effect on 1 January 2024, when Government-Paid Paternity Leave was doubled from two to four weeks on a voluntary basis, and Unpaid Infant Care Leave was extended from six to twelve days per parent per year during the child’s first two years.

“We are presently studying how to strengthen parental leave support for those with infants who typically have high care needs,” Ms Indranee stated.

She emphasized the need to balance any potential increases in childcare leave with the impact on employers’ manpower and operational requirements.

Beyond legislated leave provisions, Ms Indranee encouraged exploring sustainable solutions like flexible work arrangements (FWAs).

The Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests will be mandatory from 1 December 2024, aiming to facilitate discussions between employers and employees to find mutually agreeable arrangements.

Ms Indranee also highlighted the importance of fostering a family-friendly workplace culture and encouraged employers, supervisors, and colleagues to support working parents utilizing these measures.

She stated that the government will continue working with Tripartite Partners and community organizations to support Singaporeans’ aspirations for marriage and parenthood.

Singapore’s birth rates decline by 5.8% as total fertility rate drops below 1

In 2023, Singapore experienced a notable decline in live births, highlighting ongoing demographic challenges.

The number of live births fell to 33,541, representing a 5.8% decrease from the 35,605 births recorded in 2022.

This decline is further underscored by a crude birth rate of 7.4 per 1,000 Singapore residents, which is lower than the previous year’s rate.

A significant development occurred in February when it was announced that the resident total fertility rate (TFR) had dropped below 1 for the first time in Singapore’s history.

This milestone marks a critical juncture in the nation’s demographic trajectory, as a TFR of 2.1 is generally required for sustainable long-term population replacement.

While the exact number of babies born in 2023 has not been disclosed, the drop in the TFR signals serious challenges for Singapore’s population sustainability.

Population experts suggest that Singapore could benefit from learning from other countries in terms of increasing and equalizing parental leave.

They also recommend encouraging earlier marriages and addressing the costs and stresses associated with having children as potential measures to make a significant impact.

Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, a senior research fellow with the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore, noted that despite the country’s increasingly generous baby bonus scheme and other incentives, they do not match the extensive parental leave offered in countries like South Korea and Japan, or the benefits provided in Nordic countries.

Dr Vignehsa pointed out that Singapore’s 16 weeks of paid maternity leave and four weeks of paid paternity leave have not substantially advanced beyond these outdated standards.