The Government highlights ongoing initiatives to support work-life balance and parenthood aspirations.
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting family-friendly workplaces as a cornerstone of its strategy to support working parents and encourage parenthood. This assurance comes in response to a series of forum letters in The Straits Times advocating for stronger workplace support for families.
One letter called for collaborative efforts between the Government, employers, and the community to create a “Singapore Made For Families,” where marriage and parenthood are both achievable and celebrated. Another highlighted Japan’s model as a potential roadmap for fostering workplace practices that enable young couples to have more children.
Addressing these concerns, Ms. Amelia Tang, Senior Director at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) National Population and Talent Division, outlined the Government’s progressive measures in a forum letter published on Sunday (Jan 8).
“Our surveys and engagements with couples have similarly shown that managing work and family commitments is one of the key considerations when making parenthood decisions,” Ms. Tang stated.
Enhanced Parental Leave and Flexible Work Options
Among the recent policy advancements is the doubling of government-paid paternity leave to four weeks and the extension of unpaid infant care leave to 12 days annually, effective from January 2024. These measures aim to alleviate the challenges of balancing work with parenting responsibilities.
Additionally, tripartite efforts—comprising the Government, employers, and unions—have introduced several initiatives to support work-life harmony. Examples include the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs (2018) and the Tripartite Standard on Work-Life Harmony (2021).
Looking ahead, Ms. Tang announced plans to roll out the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) requests this year. These guidelines aim to standardize processes for employees seeking FWAs and provide employers with clear expectations for managing such requests responsibly.
Encouraging a Family-Centric Workplace Culture
The Government has emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach to embedding family-friendly values within workplace cultures. Ms. Tang noted, “We will continue to work closely with tripartite partners to encourage employers to build family-friendly workplace cultures and implement human resource practices that allow them to achieve their business objectives and support their employees at the same time.”
By implementing these initiatives, Singapore seeks to create an environment where work-life balance is attainable, supporting families in their journey toward parenthood while fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society.
