Challenges to social mobility in Singapore

Singapore had achieved impressive economic growth together with a high level of upward mobility since her independence in 1965. However, the growth process might have become more uneven, in addition to diminishing growth for a matured economy like Singapore, which is also a highly open city state su...

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Main Authors: HO, Kong Weng, TAN, Marcus Kheng Tat
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2021
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2394
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soe_research/article/3393/viewcontent/Challenges_to_social_mobility_in_Singapore_noteadded.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soe_research-33932022-01-05T01:21:11Z Challenges to social mobility in Singapore HO, Kong Weng TAN, Marcus Kheng Tat Singapore had achieved impressive economic growth together with a high level of upward mobility since her independence in 1965. However, the growth process might have become more uneven, in addition to diminishing growth for a matured economy like Singapore, which is also a highly open city state subject to competitive forces from other economies. Singapore has fared well recently,evident from the 2020 social mobility findings reported by the World Economic Forum and the decline in Gini coefficients for the past decade. We discuss the education system in Singapore and the recently formed National Jobs Council, both important institutions for the advancement of social mobility, followed by some forthcoming policies on foreign manpower, and other related policies totackle inequality and issues on social mobility. COVID-19 brought forth four consecutive Budgets addressing not just immediate and short-term concerns but planning for the recovery and growth in the future. We examine challenges to social mobility: future growth prospects and processes, fiscal sustainability expecting greater social spending, and opportunities of the middle-income class together with other familial challenges in Singapore. Using a simple model which endogenizes inequality and upward mobility, we analyseimportant past events and future scenarios: past influx of and future reduction in migrant unskilled workers, preference shift toward equity, early education intervention, and jobs in the future. We recommend a dedicated office to coordinate and evaluate various social mobility programmes. Strengthening the social compact via policies encouraging concern for others will bring a positivespill-over on both social well-being and social mobility in Singapore. 2021-09-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2394 info:doi/10.4324/9780429266584-9 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soe_research/article/3393/viewcontent/Challenges_to_social_mobility_in_Singapore_noteadded.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection School Of Economics eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Social Mobility Singapore COVID-19 Social Compact Migrant Workers Inequality Middle Income Class Inclusive Growth Asian Studies Growth and Development Work, Economy and Organizations
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic Social Mobility
Singapore
COVID-19
Social Compact
Migrant Workers
Inequality
Middle Income Class
Inclusive Growth
Asian Studies
Growth and Development
Work, Economy and Organizations
spellingShingle Social Mobility
Singapore
COVID-19
Social Compact
Migrant Workers
Inequality
Middle Income Class
Inclusive Growth
Asian Studies
Growth and Development
Work, Economy and Organizations
HO, Kong Weng
TAN, Marcus Kheng Tat
Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
description Singapore had achieved impressive economic growth together with a high level of upward mobility since her independence in 1965. However, the growth process might have become more uneven, in addition to diminishing growth for a matured economy like Singapore, which is also a highly open city state subject to competitive forces from other economies. Singapore has fared well recently,evident from the 2020 social mobility findings reported by the World Economic Forum and the decline in Gini coefficients for the past decade. We discuss the education system in Singapore and the recently formed National Jobs Council, both important institutions for the advancement of social mobility, followed by some forthcoming policies on foreign manpower, and other related policies totackle inequality and issues on social mobility. COVID-19 brought forth four consecutive Budgets addressing not just immediate and short-term concerns but planning for the recovery and growth in the future. We examine challenges to social mobility: future growth prospects and processes, fiscal sustainability expecting greater social spending, and opportunities of the middle-income class together with other familial challenges in Singapore. Using a simple model which endogenizes inequality and upward mobility, we analyseimportant past events and future scenarios: past influx of and future reduction in migrant unskilled workers, preference shift toward equity, early education intervention, and jobs in the future. We recommend a dedicated office to coordinate and evaluate various social mobility programmes. Strengthening the social compact via policies encouraging concern for others will bring a positivespill-over on both social well-being and social mobility in Singapore.
format text
author HO, Kong Weng
TAN, Marcus Kheng Tat
author_facet HO, Kong Weng
TAN, Marcus Kheng Tat
author_sort HO, Kong Weng
title Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
title_short Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
title_full Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
title_fullStr Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
title_full_unstemmed Challenges to social mobility in Singapore
title_sort challenges to social mobility in singapore
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2021
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soe_research/2394
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soe_research/article/3393/viewcontent/Challenges_to_social_mobility_in_Singapore_noteadded.pdf
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