Singapore boosts 'baby bonus' scheme
2013-01-21 15:02
Singapore - Singapore on Monday announced increased cash
bonuses for parents of newborn babies and introduced paternity leave as part of
a package of measures to boost population and reduce dependence on foreigners.
Parents of Singaporean babies born since 26 August last
year will receive a cash gift of $4 900 - a rise of 50%, which applies to
each of a couple's first two children.
The financial incentive will rise to $6 506 for a
couple's third and fourth babies, as the government attempts to offset the high
cost of raising a family - one of the gripes often aired by young couples in
the city-state.
At least one parent must be a Singapore citizen to be
eligible for the handout.
The government will subsidise one week of paternity leave
for fathers of babies born from 1 May this year, the National Population and
Talent Division (NPTD) agency also announced in a press release.
In addition, new fathers will be eligible to stay off
work for a second week by taking a chunk of the standard 16-month maternity
leave granted to their wives, it added.
Housing issues were also addressed in the $1.63bn
Marriage and Parenthood Package.
Couples with at least one child below 16 will be given priority
to buy government-built apartments, where most Singaporeans live.
Foreign labour
Many couples keep their families small until they get
their own flats.
"We hope that the enhanced marriage and parenthood
measures will help create a more conducive environment for Singaporeans to set
up families," Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said in the press
release.
Singapore's birth rate of 1.20 children per woman,
according to 2011 figures, is well below the 2.1 figure needed to sustain the
native population.
The low rate has forced the city-state to bring in more
immigrants in recent years.
But the numbers were reduced following a social backlash,
with foreigners blamed for problems including overcrowding, straining public
services and driving up housing costs.
Singapore, which relies on foreign labour to power its
economic growth, now has a population of 5.3 million, of whom only 3.3 million
are citizens.
By 2030, 20% of Singaporeans are forecast to be 65 years
or older, according to official statistics.
