Why a business owner mum isn’t jumping for joy over NDR2026 support measures

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced new family support measures during the National Day Rally speech on August 23. While many, particularly parents, were pleased with these changes, one business owner mother took to social media to express her concerns. Math Tutor May (@maythematics) explained that she is grateful for the support, but highlighted three fundamental issues that needed addressing.

The first issue is childcare leave, which will increase to 12 days per parent for families with three or more children. This could potentially lead to manpower shortages, especially in service-based industries like hers. The second issue is the government's reimbursement for employers whose workers go on childcare leave. While this covers a portion of the costs, salaries are not the only expense for employers.

Other costs include rent, marketing, training, software, equipment, management, and admin support. The third issue is the potential for parents to become less competitive in the job market, a personal experience May had when she was placed out of her job while pregnant with her first child. She expressed concern that companies might favor applicants without childcare duties, unintentionally impacting hiring practices.

May did not claim to have solutions, but suggested potential measures like relief manpower support, incentives for cross-training, and more assistance for smaller companies. She emphasized that if the goal is to raise the fertility rate, employment should be made sustainable for families. May concluded that solving both the employee and employer sides of the equation would be a meaningful step forward for Singapore.