Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Government targeting a 6.9 million

population by 2030?
o The Population White Papers numbers are
not targets but projections, and could vary,
depending on factors such as our birth rate
and life expectancy, global environment, our
economic structure and social needs.
o These projections represent a significant
slowdown in population growth rate compared to
the last three decades and will be used to plan for
infrastructure, which takes a long time to build.

Why take
action now?
v Growing elderly population, with
900,000 Baby Boomers turning
65 by 2030

Will Singaporeans become a minority in

Singapore?

v Together with low birth rates, our

citizen population will shrink

o We will maintain a strong Singaporean core

at the heart of our nation, with citizens as the
majority.
o A strong Singaporean core also represents the
values that we hold dear, and which are passed
on through our families, schools, national service
and in our communities.
o We will continue the public conversation on
strengthening the Singaporean identity, even as
we keep our society open.

v Need strong steps to manage

total population growth rate
v Decisive action needed to
strengthen Singaporean core,
create opportunities and build a
good home for Singaporeans
The population conversation
will continue on the following:
v Encouraging more Singaporeans
to get married and start families
v Restructuring our economy to
reduce our reliance on foreign
workers, and ensuring that
Singaporeans benefit from growth
v Strengthening our Singapore
identity while remaining an open
society

Are foreigners taking away PMET jobs?

We
must continually review
our approach and adapt
our strategies depending
on Singaporeans changing
social and economic needs,
and how our domestic and
external circumstances
change, while always
putting the interests of
Singaporeans at the heart
of everything that we do.
DPM Teo Chee Hean, 8 Feb 2013

o As at December 2011, Singapores total

workforce was 3.02 million, excluding foreign
domestic workers. Among PMETs, residents
comprised 79% of the PMET workforce while
foreigners accounted for 21%. Among nonPMET jobs, residents made up 57% while
foreigners the other 43%.
o Two out of three Singaporeans are expected to
hold a PMET job come 2030, up from one in
two today.
o Foreign PMETs can contribute skills and
experience to help us open new high-value
sectors which will generate good jobs for
Singaporeans.
o The Ministry of Manpower sets policies to
safeguard the interests of Singaporeans and
avoid an over-reliance on foreign labour.

Why cant we get more Singaporeans (e.g.

women and older workers) to join the
workforce to further reduce reliance on
foreign workers?

Good
Home

o The Population White Paper projections have

already taken into account more Singaporeans
joining the workforce.
o Our projections for those aged 65 and above are
close to that of countries with the best workforce
participation rates e.g. Sweden and South Korea.
o At the same time, we are helping local companies
to improve their productivity.

Are we growing at all costs; cant we do

with slower economic growth, if it means
fewer foreigners in Singapore?
o The Population White Paper recommended cutting
our workforce growth by half from now till 2020,
and down to a third of what we currently have from
2020 to 2030. This is a major shift in our economic
gears and will lower our economic growth.
o Low economic growth has its risks. Beyond a
sustainable level, it may lead to companies closing
down or choosing to relocate overseas for better
opportunities, causing more unemployment.
Singapore may not be able to create good jobs or
raise overall wages, and have fewer resources to
help low-income households.
o As countries around us develop, we may not be
able to attract companies and talent to come to
Singapore if they have better opportunities back
home or elsewhere.
o A globally competitive and vibrant economy will
allow Singapore to sustain inclusive growth, and
create diverse opportunities and good jobs to help
Singaporeans achieve their aspirations.

For more information on the Population White Paper, visit www.population.sg

What did Parliament support?

v Population White Paper as
roadmap to address
Singapores population
challenge, supported by Land
Use Plan

Strong
Families
Core
Singaporean
Workforce

Transport
Improvements

Singapore
Identity

A Sustainable Population for

a Dynamic Singapore
Key Issues of
the Population
Discussion

v Encouraging marriage and

parenthood as key priority,
supplemented by moderate
immigration, to prevent citizen
population from shrinking

v Population projections beyond 2020

used for infrastructure planning, not
population target
v Government to:
Put priority on resolving current
infrastructure strains
Build infrastructure ahead of demand
Ensure benefits (e.g. better job
opportunities and salaries) flow to
Singaporeans
Conduct a medium term review,
taking into account our changing
needs

How was the

Population White
Paper formulated?
v Release of papers on citizen
demography, marriage and
parenthood trends, as well as
economic and social needs

MAR 2012

v Gathering feedback and ideas from

public engagements, the media and
other platforms

How to accommodate our future population?

M a rriage &
Parenthood

PA C K A GE

Kicked off
discussions
with various
groups**

APR 2012

Paper on
citizen
population
scenarios

v All views, some of which tug in

opposite directions, were carefully
considered, and helped to shape
the White Paper

JUN 2012

Paper on
marriage and
parenthood
trends

JUL 2012

Consultation
paper on our
demographic
challenge
Launch of
Population.sg
to gather
views**

SEP 2012

Paper on
population and
economy
Public group
discussions**

OCT 2012

Public Townhall
session **

NOV 2012

Paper on
projection of
foreign manpower
demand in
healthcare sector,
construction
workers and
foreign domestic
workers

JAN 2013

Enhanced
Marriage and
Parenthood
Package
Population White
Paper and Land
Use Plan

Resolve current
infrastructure strains
v Increase the number of
trains and buses

FEB 2013

Parliamentary
debate on
Population
White Paper

Medium term
review of
population
policies and
assumptions

** There were a total of 47 dialogue

sessions. By 31 Oct 2012, we received
close to 2,500 pieces of feedback
directly and engaged over 2,200
individuals and representatives of
various groups.

v Improve rail connectivity:

a new segment of rail
line to be opened almost
every year until 2021
v Increase housing supply
and stabilize prices:
110,000 public and
90,000 private housing
units to be built by 2016

v Increase healthcare
capacity
10 additional hospitals and
medical centres by 2020
More nursing homes and
aged care facilities
30% more acute hospital
beds and triple number of
community hospital beds
by 2020
By 2030
v A total of 700,000 homes
to be built

v Further improvement
to rail connectivity: 8 in
10 homes will be within
10-minute walk from train
station
v More healthcare
infrastructure: 4 new
general hospitals and 12
14 polyclinics to be built

v More reservoirs and

waterways opened up
for recreational activities
v Longer park connectors

v Explore more avenues

to build bonds between
Singaporeans and new
immigrants

To maintain a strong
social fabric, we will:
v Strengthen the
Singapore identity and
spirit

v More commercial centres

outside the CBD to
provide employment and
amenities close to home

The following three scenarios illustrate the range of options we have and their implications:

The Business as Usual Scenario

The Balanced Approach Scenario

The Freeze Scenario

We continue to grow our population at past rates.

The Population White Paper recommends the balanced approach a middle path between the business as usual and freeze scenarios.

What this may mean for us:

this meanS:

We stop the intake of additional foreign workers immediately and

limit the number of new citizenships, granting them mainly to foreign
spouses of Singaporeans

v Total population well above

6.9 million

v Over-reliance on foreign
workers

v A significant slowdown in the

rate of population growth

v Potentially higher economic

growth

v Little incentive to
improve productivity

v Slower economic growth while

still creating opportunities and
good jobs for Singaporeans

v Overcrowding and
congestion would increase
and we will reach the limits
of our physical constrains
sooner
v Social cohesion
may suffer

v Raising productivity and

restructuring; helping more
Singaporeans join the
workforce

The Government will build on the

following key pillars in its
population policies:
Strong & Cohesive Society
v Marriage and
parenthood
remains the
Governments
top priority to
sustain a strong Singaporean core
v Moderate inflow of new
citizens, especially those who

have family ties and share our

values
v Enhance integration efforts
Dynamic &
Vibrant Economy
v Significant
slowdown
in foreign
workforce
growth

v Create conducive environment

for more Singaporeans to join
the workforce through better
education & training, familyfriendly work environments,
and job restructuring
v Help businesses improve
productivity and restructure
v Ensure Singaporeans enjoy
the benefits of growth

High Quality Environment

v Address
current
infrastructure
strains
v Plan and build
infrastructure ahead of demand
v Explore new technology and
innovative solutions

What this may mean for us:

v Businesses may close
or choose to leave when
they cannot get workers,
taking with them jobs
that may have gone to
Singaporeans
v Few new and exciting jobs
for Singaporeans
v Construction of housing
or transport infrastructure
significantly delayed

v No additional foreign
healthcare workers
to help care for our
growing elderly
population
v More difficult for
families, especially
those who need help to
look after elderly and
children, to get a Foreign
Domestic Worker