An out-of-the-blue pandemic that makes all plans go awry requires ever-evolving decisions and policies that despite the best of intentions can produce mixed results.
The hunt for homes and keeping living costs low continue to remain important issues, with the former owing not just to affordability but also project completion delays because of limited resources.
The global economy has taken a hit creating a paucity of career opportunities and in the absence of expected earnings, this predictably remains a priority for Singaporeans. Overall inflation in the country climbed to 3.8% in November, outdoing October’s 8-year high of 3.2%.
The larger question though is that if a changing world is indeed the new normal, and the acceptance of it is the only way forward, then how does one really adjust and make sense of it? An overall bleak outlook, however, doesn’t reveal much in terms of specifics and when asked about the concerns of major significance, Singaporeans are clear, with their top 6 being:
As many governments introduce a slew of measures to ease citizens’ burdens especially among the economically disadvantaged, the COVID-19 Recovery Grant and the Courage Fund, both initiatives of the Singapore government for the unemployed as well as lower income and needy groups, helped provide financial assistance based on specific eligibility criteria.
Overall, a support package of S$1.1 billion was rolled out for businesses and workers in 2021.
While timely government assistance is always a welcome and much appreciated move, how are things changing for the general population? Well, it’s a mixed bag with housing affordability, growth of salary/wages, and income inequality perceived to be on a downhill trend. Singaporeans believe that these all-important areas need a greater focus while affirming that other spheres are continuing to show a marked improvement. Here’s the overall outlook in a nutshell:
As a country that scores high on many parameters, it is not all doom and gloom. Singaporeans believe that despite a raging pandemic that has burdened numerous healthcare systems around the world, our healthcare system is getting better as are the quality of education, transportation, and overall infrastructure.
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Author: Blackbox Research Team
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