Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) fell to a record low of 0.87 last year, from 0.97 the year before. Ms Indranee said this carried "deep ramifications" for the country if left unaddressed.
She identified housing, caregiving and preschool education as three areas where changes could be made earlier than others.
When asked to name a target fertility rate, Ms Indranee declined to put a figure on it.
"What would really, really be good is if we have more babies than we had last year, and if our TFR figure is better than it was last year," she said.
Ms Indranee listed six measures of success for the workgroup.
The first is for young people to have opportunities to form relationships and potentially find a life partner. She noted that many young Singaporeans find it harder to meet people once they enter the workforce, and are uncertain about who they might encounter on dating apps.
The second is for people to associate parenthood less with fears about "competition, stress and horror stories", and more with the joys of raising children and the support available to them.
Third is a significant reduction in the stigma around fertility treatment, alongside more progressive workplace practices to support employees undergoing it.
Fourth is reducing the "maternity penalty" faced by women. Ms Indranee proposed the concept of a "detour" – normalising women taking two or three years away from work to have and raise a child, with the assurance of a supportive employer upon their return.
Fifth is a shift in workplace culture so that work and family goals are seen as compatible rather than competing.
“Right now, it seems the conversation is always binary. When you talk to employers and employees, it's almost as though if I have family time, somehow work has to be sacrificed, or if I'm doing work, family has to be sacrificed. And honestly speaking, that shouldn't be the case,” said Ms Indranee.
Employees should be able to leave work before dark to spend time with their families, and enjoy weekends and public holidays without work interruptions except in emergencies, she added.
The sixth is better and more progressive human resource practices and work design, given that some existing norms may be outdated.
“Now, work can be much more flexible. You can do things online, you can do things on computers, you can leverage AI to work,” she said, while acknowledging that the degree of flexibility varies by sector.
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She identified housing, caregiving and preschool education as three areas where changes could be made earlier than others.
When asked to name a target fertility rate, Ms Indranee declined to put a figure on it.
"What would really, really be good is if we have more babies than we had last year, and if our TFR figure is better than it was last year," she said.
WHAT SUCCESS WOULD LOOK LIKE
Ms Indranee listed six measures of success for the workgroup.
The first is for young people to have opportunities to form relationships and potentially find a life partner. She noted that many young Singaporeans find it harder to meet people once they enter the workforce, and are uncertain about who they might encounter on dating apps.
The second is for people to associate parenthood less with fears about "competition, stress and horror stories", and more with the joys of raising children and the support available to them.
Third is a significant reduction in the stigma around fertility treatment, alongside more progressive workplace practices to support employees undergoing it.
Fourth is reducing the "maternity penalty" faced by women. Ms Indranee proposed the concept of a "detour" – normalising women taking two or three years away from work to have and raise a child, with the assurance of a supportive employer upon their return.
Fifth is a shift in workplace culture so that work and family goals are seen as compatible rather than competing.
“Right now, it seems the conversation is always binary. When you talk to employers and employees, it's almost as though if I have family time, somehow work has to be sacrificed, or if I'm doing work, family has to be sacrificed. And honestly speaking, that shouldn't be the case,” said Ms Indranee.
Employees should be able to leave work before dark to spend time with their families, and enjoy weekends and public holidays without work interruptions except in emergencies, she added.
The sixth is better and more progressive human resource practices and work design, given that some existing norms may be outdated.
“Now, work can be much more flexible. You can do things online, you can do things on computers, you can leverage AI to work,” she said, while acknowledging that the degree of flexibility varies by sector.
Continue reading...