SINGAPORE: When people ask me about my first semester in university, I recount the experiences of living on campus and the wonders of immersing in a new academic world. 

But what often stands out – perhaps because I’m likely to be tired when I’m recounting the experience – are all those late nights finishing up my work.

In the later weeks of the semester, I developed a habit of heading down to the convenience store slightly after 1am, so that I could take a break and indulge in a little night snack before I resumed my work. 

The 2-minute walk brought me through the common study area as well as a Starbucks. It was an interesting feeling, seeing my peers hunched over their books and laptops and knowing that I was not alone. There was a quiet sense of solidarity that we’re all in this together, fighting for our futures.

On some of these walks I wondered why we didn’t just turn in. Forget about the work, forget about the test and just get some rest.

It was a thought I quickly quashed. In a similar vein, I thought, it would be naïve to think that these late nights would end when we have fought for our futures and attained our desired careers – better get used to it.

Naive indeed. A YouGov survey two weeks ago showed that 41 per cent of Singaporean adults get between 4 and 6 hours of sleep, even though they should be clocking in 7 to 8 hours.

“In a fast-paced metropolis like Singapore, only about half its citizens are getting enough rest,” said Mr Jake Gammon, the Asia-Pacific head of YouGov Omnibus.

The Singaporean, as well as his counterparts in the modern world, faces a paradox: Sleep is simultaneously a necessity we desperately require, and a luxury we cannot afford.

A NECESSITY WE DESPERATELY REQUIRE

We don’t need scientific research to alert us to the consequences of sleep deprivation. We know we just don’t function quite as well when we lack sleep. But even then, the actual statistics can be quite staggering, especially when many different pieces of research are combined.

In his 2017 New York Times bestseller Why We Sleep, neuroscience professor Michael Walker writes that “more than 20 large-scale epidemiological studies that have tracked millions of people over many decades” show that “the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life”. Walker continues, “the leading causes of disease and death in developed nations – heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer – all have causal links to a lack of sleep.”

The cost to mental health is significant too: According to the Harvard Mental Health Letter, sleep problems may increase the risk for developing particular mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as result from them.

Seen in this light, the results of the second Singapore Mental Health study – published on the same day as the YouGov sleep survey – become far more sobering.

It’s clear that Singaporeans and their counterparts from other developed nations desperately need more sleep. But this is where it gets interesting – because we also see it as a luxury we cannot afford.

READ: Want to sleep better? Get a good pillow, a commentary

A LUXURY WE CANNOT AFFORD

Whenever a sleep survey gets published, the implicit takeaway is clear: We need to sleep more. And yet survey after survey, nothing has changed, despite us knowing that it’s something we desperately need.

Night after night, we chose to keep working, even though we very much want to turn in. We know full well that this is the choice we made and yet, it feels impossible to make any other choice.

The students, hunched over their notes and on their second cup of coffee, could very well have chosen to go to sleep early and turn in slipshod work or rush through revision, but that would mean a lower grade. 

On a cumulative basis, this could affect employability. Alternatively, they could cut their co-curricular activities and focus only on academics, but how would that gel with the expectation of a holistically-educated candidate?

READ: My generation has a fear of missing out – on a disrupted future,  a commentary

And what about those already employed? They could always change their job, be an average employee, forgo the promotion – but this just isn’t in the DNA of this “fast-paced metropolis” we call home.

As a nation, we pride ourselves on the hard work of our people, immersed in intense global competition and permanently connected to the technological grid. It is never that easy, just to work less and sleep more. Thus, we believe we can’t afford the luxury of sleep because the price to be paid is just too high.

A PRICE WORTH PAYING?

A necessity we desperately require and a luxury we cannot afford. Is there a way out of this paradox? Absolutely.

In fact, there are two ways out of it, but one must be prepared to pay a heavy price either way.

If you believe you must continue to prioritise work over sleep, then you must accept that you will pay the price in terms of your health and your mortality. And no, your body adapting to sleep deprivation doesn’t mean the health consequences aren’t coming.

If you want to change course and prioritise sleep over work, then you must pay the price of potentially falling behind and not being as financially well-off as your peers. You must settle for less and accept the cost of lower grades and slower promotions.

READ: Getting more sleep might land you that promotion, a commentary

If too many people take this route, the nation itself may pay a price in terms of what we fundamentally believe in – excellence, always.

Of course, this issue is more complex than any single commentary can present, especially when one considers the low-income and loss in productivity due to sleep deprivation.

Nevertheless, the core dilemma – more sleep or more work – is one which every Singaporean and citizen of the developed world must confront at some point in their lives, to stop and ask just what price they’re willing to pay.

And after all is said and done, we can only hope it was a price worth paying.

Ng Chia Wee is a first-year undergraduate at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Tembusu College.  

SINGAPORE: Mr Chan Cheow Hoe is refreshingly candid. A no-nonsense, cut-to-the-chase type of guy more at home in the cut-and-thrust of the private sector. 

Yet the banking industry veteran is now the deputy chief executive of Product Management at Government Technology Agency (GovTech). He concurrently assumed the role of Singapore’s first Government chief digital technology officer (GCDTO) advising the country’s leaders on digital services and transformation this November.

READ: Singapore ‘well-positioned’ to realise Smart Nation vision, says S Iswaran

In a recent wide-ranging interview with Channel NewsAsia, he shared how he actually spent “seven to eight months” deliberating the decision before making the switch. “The opportunity for change (in the public sector) is there,” he said of the reason that convinced him to move in February 2014.

One example was the “fundamental shift in mindset” needed for how the Government thinks about and delivers services to Singaporeans, and how he has been pushing this change.

The 54-year-old recalled a conversation he had with a senior civil servant early on in his public sector life.

“The person pulled me aside after one meeting and said: ‘Eh Cheow Hoe, you need to change your mindset. You keep talking about customer experience and customer journey, but the Government where got customers?’ Now that scared me.”

CHANGING MINDSETS

Since then, it’s been a journey to get people to think of Singaporeans as “customers” of the digital services GovTech is both developing and has made available publicly such as Parking.sg and Moments of Life (Families).

The GCDTO also brought up another conversation that brought this issue of citizen-centric development to the fore.

Someone had asked him what the difference was between user journey in an Agile development framework and user requirement in a waterfall development method, Mr Chan recalled. 

Waterfall and Agile are known methods of software development. The former relies only on the person or team writing the technical specification to illustrate the problem and how the software aims to solve it. The latter relies heavily on customer feedback at every stage of development that results in frequent tweaks and updates.

“One is inward looking, while the other is external,” he explained, and the challenge has been to get Government agencies to look from outside in when thinking of their citizen services.

One recent example of this a session held in conjunction with Care Corner Senior Activity Centre (Champions Way) to get senior citizens’ feedback on an emergency alert system using sensor technology.

This direction to put citizens’ needs front and centre was echoed by another GovTech deputy director earlier in May. Mr Li Hongyi, who was part of the team that developed Parking.sg, shared how features included in the app were in recognition of people’s needs.

Mr Chan also said the mindset shift needs to take place among citizens too. 

READ: Another Government app? Complain, sure, but after trying it. A commentary

As his team at GovTech work on delivering what is known in tech circles as a MVP (minimum viable product) to citizens, usually in beta form, with new features or improvements on the core service pushed subsequently, he called on people to think of its apps like that of messaging app WhatsApp.

“WhatsApp frequently prompts users to update the app right?” he said. 

Pointing out that citizens don’t tend to equate Government services to a WhatsApp-type one, Mr Chan’s quick reply was: “Well, you should.”

Singaporeans should also get used to the fact that these services would go down at times, as seen recently with SingPass Mobile. More established and popular services like Facebook and Instagram also face such outages after all, he added.   

ANTICIPATING CITIZENS’ NEEDS

It is not just meeting citizens’ needs either. 

Mr Chan said the vision is to deliver Government services to people proactively, and this is best seen today with the Moments of Life (Families) app.

READ: New Moments of Life app gets parents’ blessings, mostly

He shared that he has been pitching this idea of bundling Government services based on a moment in a citizen’s life for the past two years, inspired in part by a personal experience.  

“Most times (people) go to Government is when something urgent happens, and it is usually a moment of life,” he said.

“The most difficult one I went through was about a year and a half ago when my mum passed away. You’ll be surprised how difficult it is to deal with Government when you realise that, wow, there are so many things to do, and in that moment of grief, you don’t know where to go.

“The most bizarre thing was that when I went to Ministry of Health (for information), don’t have. You know where it is? NEA (National Environment Agency). Because they are the ones that deal with crematorium services and all these stuff,” he said.

Mr Chan said he learned that there are moments in one’s life that you have to go to the Government, and when you do, the citizen would not want to have to deal with so many agencies at that point in time.

So beyond telling people where to find these various services it would be better if he could just deliver those services to people when they need them, he pointed out. And that’s how Moments of Life started, the GCDTO revealed.

“We’re basically transforming the entire service journey from Government for citizens,” he said, adding it is a “very powerful” concept to work off.

Going forward, he envisions providing personalised services to citizens based on information the Government would already have. For example, for a boy at 18, he would be about to enter National Service, so the relevant information and services can be “pumped” to that particular individual, Mr Chan explained.

GIVING LOCAL SMES A LEG UP

Not one to rest on his laurels, Mr Chan is already busy thinking up his “theme” for the coming year.

He shared how he would have a theme for each year he has been in the public service, with the first year focused on evaluating existing IT projects and shutting down those that were not working.

One example he cited was the digital mailbox service, called OneInbox, that was introduced in 2012. Mr Chan shared that the project was “walking dead” for a few years when he joined as it could not scale. There were some loyal users who liked the service, but the GCDTO said he can’t keep the lights on for a project that only has a small number of users still on it.

But shutting down a service in government is “not easy”, he said.

“I pushed to have the service shut down. I know some people hated me for it. But it’s OK, I think it’s the right thing to do.”

To him, lowering or removing as much risk as possible for any project he aims to execute is critical, and this is seen in his attitude towards multi-million government IT initiatives.

“If I spend S$100,000 on (a project) and I shut it down, no one is going to kick up a fuss,” Mr Chan explained. “If I spend S$10 million, people will scream and shout if I shut it down.

“So this whole concept of Agile, start-small-think-big philosophy is something that I pushed like mad at the beginning.”

This then points to the civil servant’s theme for the new year: Communities. Mr Chan said he hopes to bring local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on board the public sector’s tech infrastructure to co-develop features and tools that are needed.

Elaborating, he said the cloud-based Singapore Government Technology Stack is being designed to support both private and public cloud computing projects.

So, for applications or tools that do not require access to sensitive data, SMEs can work on creating tools the Government needs. For instance, if a company wanted to build a payment gateway like what Stripe is offering for Parking.sg, it is able to do so in partnership with GovTech engineers, the GCDTO said.  

He acknowledged that this was an ambitious vision because, as far as he knows, no other Government is doing this.

“How successful it’s going to be? I don’t know,” Mr Chan admitted candidly. “But we’ll try.

“We’ll start small, and if it succeeds, we’ll push forward with it.”

SINGAPORE: For generations, people on this island state have been told to “study hard and work hard”, as they sought a better life for themselves and their families and established a shiny reputation in the eyes of investors.

The message has well and truly sunk in: Despite statistics from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) showing that the number of working hours here has been on a steady decline in general since at least 2010, Singapore workers remain among the hardest working in the world — at least going by the number of hours clocked.

However, there is a need to address the long hours in light of the nation’s demographic changes, experts said.

READ: A necessity Singaporeans cannot afford – more sleep, a commentary

Singapore’s population is ageing, with many young workers’ parents approaching or in their 60s. For these workers to continue putting in the same long hours as their cohorts of yesteryear would mean less or even little time to care for their ageing parents, the experts said.

At the same time, more women are choosing to remain single or have fewer children, and this has contributed to the total fertility rate dropping to a seven-year low last year. While there are many reasons why people choose to have smaller families, the experts noted that one is cited often: Long working hours.

Based on latest available global statistics, Singapore residents in 2015 worked the second longest week in developed cities around the world, clocking in 45.6 hours, trailing only behind Hong Kong at 50.1 hours.

When it comes to country-by-country comparisons, a 2016 report by ManpowerGroup — a multinational human resource consultancy listed on the New York stock exchange — also found that millennials (aged between 20 and 34) in Singapore worked the joint-second longest hours (48) in the world, behind India (52) and on par with China and Mexico.

In response to queries, the MOM said it receives about 200 complaints on “excessive working hours” each year, and it looks into infringements under the Employment Act.

For auditor Crystal Wong, 27, the long hours “did not make it easy” for her to expand her family. 

Her son turns one in a month, and she and her husband plan to stop at two after their next child, amid the couple’s growing concerns over their household finances and how much quality time they could spend with the children. She added:

In my previous job, my manager even told me to try not to have a kid in the first half of the year because of the peak audit period.

Ms Wong quit her job and later found out that she was pregnant during her first week at her new job. Her mother-in-law now takes care of the infant before Ms Wong picks him up at 6.30pm every day after work.

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The inverse relationship between long working hours and a healthy family life has long been established.

As National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Tan Ern Ser pointed out, working long hours and being mentally occupied with work lead to less quality time with family members, especially those who need attention the most.

Even when one is physically present, being “mentally or emotionally absent” may have negative consequences on the family,” the associate professor said.

“This amounts to neglecting one’s familial roles as a parent, child and spouse … Given that the family is a critical pillar of society, it is important that Singaporeans invest time on family life, and not take family and marital relationships for granted,” he added.’

READ: Commentary: Want more babies? Help couples build stronger marriages first, a commentary

WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL US — AND WHAT THEY DON’T

For many employees here, spending more time with the family may be easier said than done, what with Singaporeans’ average working hours still among the highest in the world, despite being on a downward trend.

In its third-quarter labour report released last week, the MOM noted that the number of working hours had been falling steadily for almost the past decade.

Singapore employees worked an average of 44.9 paid hours weekly in September, down from 46.3 hours in September 2010. This works out to an average of 8.98 hours a day for a five-day work week in September, and 9.26 hours a day for the same month in 2010. Paid hours refer to standard work hours as well as paid overtime.

The report also captures two other indicators:

1. Usual hours worked: This refers to the hours an employee typically works in a week, including unpaid overtime and hours spent checking work emails or carrying out other regular tasks at home.

2. Actual hours worked: This includes all forms of overtime hours, regardless of whether they are regular in nature or whether they are paid for. The International Labour Organisation regards this indicator as a reflective measure of the amount of labour being input into the economy.

The usual hours worked declined from the recent peak of 46.6 hours a week in 2010 to 43.2 hours in 2017, according to statistics from the MOM. Actual hours worked also dropped, from a high of 45.6 hours in 2010 to 43.0 in 2017.

The ministry attributed the decline to the growing prevalence of part-time work; shifts in job composition with an increasing number of employees working as professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs); and productivity gains made through technological advancements.

Ms Selena Ling, head of treasury research and strategy at OCBC, noted that the emergence of the gig economy, as well as a “larger younger generation wanting more work-life balance”, also played a part in the drop.

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The MOM report was greeted with disbelief by some netizens, with several pointing out that they are working longer hours and how technology has resulted in them having to frequently attend to work outside of office hours via emails or whatsapp messages. 

Professor Ng Yew-Kwang, an economics professor from Nanyang Technological University, said that the slight dip in working hours among Singapore workers was a “natural result” of economic growth or higher per capita income, as people consume more goods and leisure.

“But the decrease … is not very big and hence may not quite meet people’s expectations. Thus, this may (result in) people feeling not enough relief from over-working,” he said.

Labour economists said that in calculating such statistics, the Government follows standardised international measures of work and the labour force, in accordance with the International Labour Organisation.

Dr Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences said a labour force survey is conducted by first asking sampled workers to provide information on their employment and conditions of employment, including work hours. The data collected is then aggregated for the labour force as a whole.

The number of hours worked given by the sampled workers was based on a reference week, such as the week immediately preceding the survey date.

It is questionable whether people accurately estimate their working hours when responding to such labour surveys, “and if not, whether their estimates are systematically biased”, Dr Theseira noted.

As technology allows work to encroach further into daily life — thus blurring the lines between home and office — there could be systematic under-estimation of working hours in recent years in many advanced economies, he added.

The MOM survey showed Singapore employees worked an average of 45.1 hours per week, last year. In comparison, workers in South Korea put in 38.9 hours, while those in Japan worked 32.9 hours.

While some Singaporeans might be surprised to know that they clock in more hours than their Japanese or South Korean counterparts — famed for their long-hours office culture — the experts cautioned against making a comparison based on statistics alone.

Mr Song Seng Wun, an economist with CIMB Private Banking, noted that both Japan and South Korea — and their respective capitals of Tokyo and Seoul — have a relatively larger and more diverse workforce compared to Singapore’s.

“I suspect if you look at the statistics from the Tokyo city centre, the hours will be much longer than, say, at the Central Business District here,” he said.

READ: My generation has a fear of missing out – on a disrupted future, a commentary

Similarly, one cannot compare working hours between those in developing cities — such as Mumbai or Hanoi — and those in developed cities, such as Singapore. At “different stages of development”, doing so would not be comparing apples to apples, he pointed out.

“All kinds of activities take place in developing cities … and I suspect the range of hours worked vary enormously. In developed cities, you have more service-oriented jobs, targeted towards those living in the city,” he reiterated.

LONG HOURS ACROSS INDUSTRIES

The MOM report detailed the average weekly total paid hours clocked by employees in different industries.

Based on the report, those working in insurance services put in 40.1 paid hours in September, the lowest among all the industries.

Blue-collar workers continued to work the longest hours. Employees in transport-equipment manufacturing worked the most, at 51.3 hours a week, followed by those in the security and investigation industry, who worked 51 hours a week on average.

Employees in various industries interviewed said they face long working hours, even when these may be not be statistically reflected.

Mr Benjamin Ng, who has been in insurance for three years, noted that the concept of “paid hours” does not necessarily apply to insurance agents. The associate director at AXA Singapore, who was previously a relationship manager at a bank for seven years, said that many work up to 60 hours a week, going for roadshows and meeting clients.

“Most insurance agents are self-employed and earn their money through commissions. The money is good but time spent (on the job) is very long … You decide how many hours you work, depending on how driven you are,” the 36-year-old said.

If he hired salaried agents, they would work more than 40 hours a week, inclusive of training, he added.

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A secondary school teacher of 10 years, who wanted to be known only as Karen as she was not authorised to speak to the media, pointed out that teachers have to frequently work outside their paid hours.

“Almost every day, we spend about eight to 12 hours in school — some colleagues arrive at 6.30am and leave at 6.30pm,” said the 34-year-old. “At the same time, during crunch periods like exams, which happen every term, teachers can easily work three hours after school hours, marking and preparing for exams.”

While they have more free periods when examinations are over, for instance, they would still be saddled with co-curricular activities and other administrative duties.

The MOM report showed that in terms of paid hours, employees in the public administration and education sector worked 41.2 hours on average in September, slightly shorter than the 41.4 hours for the whole of last year.

Lawyers work notoriously long hours, and the problem has been highlighted by the industry as it grapples with high attrition, particularly among younger practitioners. 

In his first two years of practice at a medium-sized law firm, lawyer Genesis Shen said he worked nine to 16 hours daily.

Mr Shen, 30, now a director at another firm Templars Law, said that when their workload peaked, he and his colleagues could “sometimes be working 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week”.

Templars Law is a smaller practice that offers “a lot more flexibility”, which means he now has the freedom to pace himself and not work more than 12 hours a day unless he absolutely has to, he added.

Over in the security industry, long hours are a given, said security guard Surjeet Singh, 58.

Mr Singh, who has been in the industry for two decades, said that typically, security guards work 12-hour shifts, 26 days a month — working out to about six days a week.

The security supervisor with Ademco Security Group works the permanent day shift from 8am to 8pm.

“I’m used to working long hours because I’ve been in the industry for so long, but if I were married and had young kids, I couldn’t cope. I’m alone now so it’s okay. The long hours keep me occupied,” added Mr Singh, whose two daughters and wife emigrated to the United States before he became a security guard.

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TECHNOLOGY: BOON OR BANE?

While rapid technological developments have had mostly positive impact on work life, there have been some downsides.

Mr Ng said that the Internet has greatly increased work efficiency, compared to a decade ago when he first joined the finance industry.

Apart from being highly mobile and working out of the office most of the time, insurance agents like him can “get a lot more things done online” now, such as with sales submissions.

“Last time, this was done in hard copy. You had to meet the customer, do the documentation, take it back to the office and do the processing. That could take a few days. Now we can submit claims online and it’ll take maybe an hour,” he added.

However, as people can now read and respond to work emails or read work documents on their mobile devices outside the office, there is a “growing extension of the workplace into other areas of life through always-on email, phones, and other connections”, Dr Theseira pointed out.

Significant improvements in technology in the legal industry may not translate into shorter working hours for lawyers, said Mr Shen. The industry has evolved such that lawyers now charge less than what they used to for certain cases, which means they have to take on more cases to maintain the same level of income.

NUS sociologist Dr Tan noted: “I think, as a general rule, ‘working smarter’ and leveraging IT would allow us to work fewer hours and still be competitive. However, I reckon that for jobs where human ‘mental’ inputs matter greatly, and our competitors have moved even faster, there would be a need to work longer hours, at least until AI (artificial intelligence) and advanced IT solutions kick in.”

As far as Blackmagic Design Asia director Richard Lim is concerned, technology is “a great thing” and it is company culture and personal discipline which determine whether technology disrupts personal time.

“People have been working long hours and neglecting family life even when such technology isn’t available. It is how you use it that matters,” said Mr Lim. His firm, an Australia-based digital cinema company and manufacturer, hires about 30 full-time workers.

READ: Don’t need to worry about screen time, it’s how you use them that matters, a commentary

DEEP-SEATED CULTURE

Are long working hours simply necessary for businesses here to remain competitive, or are they part of the nation’s work culture?

Mr Paul Heng, managing director of NeXT Career Consulting Group, believed that working fewer hours would hurt Singapore’s competitiveness among other Asian countries, as labour costs and productivity are “two key components of business competitiveness”.

On the other hand, Dr Theseira pointed to very competitive economies with a low number of hours worked, such as Germany. The European country worked the shortest average weekly hours globally last year: 26.1 hours.

“It’s hard to generalise because increasing hours worked doesn’t always mean that those additional hours will be spent on highly productive activities,” the labour economist added.

While the number of hours an employee works daily depends on the job and many other factors, experts and those in the workforce pointed to several deep-seated cultural practices in Singapore that increase time spent in the office.

Ms Karen Blal, regional director of CIPB Asia, a professional body for human resource and people development, highlighted a typical scene she had noticed in Singapore: Colleagues going for long lunches together.

Ms Blal, who has worked in other Western countries such as France and the United Kingdom, referred to Singapore workers being “more collegiate in the work they work”.

“They seem to have a lot more social interaction in the workplace than there is in various other countries that I’ve worked, which is a good thing. On the other hand, it could be one of the reasons why people work longer hours, because they are doing that with their colleagues, and tend to stay longer,” she said.

Another phenomenon she noted was “presenteeism”, where employees stay in the office even after their work is done — till their bosses leave.

Senior talent manager Fadhil Azmi, 34, concurred that there is pressure on employees to stay on longer when bosses work beyond office hours. “And it’s also when the culture is to stay extra hours to get work done, even when the work can be completed the next day,” he said.

In his previous jobs — he was a regular in the Singapore Armed Forces for eight years, before becoming an events manager — most of his colleagues “found it easier” to deal with vendors, clients and trainees during office hours. They would then leave work till after the meetings “since everyone stays back anyway”.

“It became something expected of us. To leave (soon) after office hours gets you ‘marked’,” Mr Fadhil added.

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An auditor at a multinational finance services company, who wanted to be known only as Elaine, said that some people “don’t leave early because it creates the wrong impression”.

For those in the finance sector like her, while long hours are a must during peak periods, such practices continue even during non-peak periods. Unable to take the “unsustainable” hours, Elaine left her first job at a Big Four accounting firm after four-and-a-half years.

“Working long hours is about work pressure, and it’s built into the culture,” the 28-year-old added.

Then again, even when bosses tell their employees to leave earlier, they often are reluctant to do so, said criminal lawyer Kalidass Murugaiyan. He runs his own law firm, Kalidass Law Corporation, after about a decade serving as a public prosecutor, then working in private firms.

For example, the 46-year-old recently took an intern to a meeting at the Attorney-General’s Chambers. When it ended after 6pm, he told her to go home from there, but she wanted to head back to the office.

“I said, what is it you want to finish on a Friday evening? Who’s waiting for documents on a Saturday? She finally, very grudgingly, left. I had to buy her a coffee to convince her to go home,” he said laughingly.

However, Mr Kalidass noted that the long hours were sometimes necessary in order to go through huge amounts of legal documents, such as when he was involved in several civil trials after first entering private practice in 2012.

SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT STEP IN?

Back in 2004, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Singapore’s work week would be shortened from five-and-a-half to five days — a move that he said “we have always resisted”.

Speaking at his maiden National Day Rally, he noted that having a five-day work week was “one of the most important things for our young people”.

More recently, several countries have turned to legislation to help ease the demands on their workers.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that burnout and stress have led to more companies around the world trying a four-day work week. Britain’s Trades Union Congress is pushing for the country to move to that by the end of the century.

South Korea cut its maximum weekly work hours from 68 to 52 earlier this year. The move aims to improve living standards, boost productivity and increase the country’s birth rate, which hit a record low last year.

Japan also capped overtime work at 100 hours a month in June this year, a direct response to concerns about death by overwork, known as karoshi.

About two years ago, France, which already has a 35-hour work week, introduced laws requiring large companies to give their employees the right to disconnect from work emails outside work hours.

Experts said that for now, they did not think that Singapore needs to introduce more legislation or policies in this regard.

In Singapore, employees covered under the Employment Act are allowed to work up to 44 hours a week. They are also not allowed to work more than 12 hours a day, and can chalk up only a maximum of 72 hours’ overtime a month.

CIMB’s Mr Song reiterated that Singapore already follows international labour standards and legislates maximum working hours. Furthermore, businesses suffering from labour shortage problems would protest any move to reduce working hours further, he added.

INDIVIDUALS TAKE CONTROL

Observers believe that bosses here, as well as employees themselves, can tackle the problem on their own — and some have already taken matters into their own hands.

Blackmagic Design Asia’s Mr Lim asks his employees not to work beyond their office hours of 9am to 6pm.

“There is time for work and time for life. So when this becomes a practice, it becomes a culture over time to work hard and play hard. Each employee will then be able to plan for his or her own personal needs,” he said.

Ms Charlotte Murray, managing director of marketing agency Alive Brand Experience, asks her team how everyone is doing near the end of the day, and tries to “rally everyone together” to split the workload if someone is overwhelmed. Her six employees all generally leave by 6.30pm or 7pm.

She also stressed the importance of not expecting her employees to respond to their work emails all the time. If a particularly important deadline is looming, she added, employees can choose how often and when they want to check their mobile phones or emails.

“The distinction is when employers expect their employees to constantly be online and use it almost as an excuse that the technology exists, so why aren’t they checking their emails? I think it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect people to work 24/7 because technology allows it,” Ms Murray said.

As some employers have found out to their detriment, workers could be pushed out of the door if they find themselves constantly slogging away in office and having to attend to work even after they have knocked off.

Individuals also need to take greater control and where possible, manage their own time well and prioritise what is important. 

Mr Kalidass said: “I take shorter breaks, and if I need to, I also take short lunches, but I try to make sure I finish my work before it’s too late in the day.

“As you grow older, you realise, at the end of the day, you don’t want to regret it — that in the pursuit of imagined excellence, you lose out on your life.” 

SINGAPORE: In one corner of Eunos Crescent, a 74-year-old man sits every morning, surrounded by his wares. What some see as cast-offs, he has collected and brought them here, to his makeshift stall.

Some people may look at him with disdain. They see him “as a beggar, as a pauper”, says Mr Yeo Siak Eing. They are unaware that he is not just another elderly peddler trying to make a living.

What they do not see are his customers turned friends who also gather items to pass to him. Neither would they see his spirit of giving in action.

Mr Yeo, or Ah Gong (grandfather) as he is known to residents, does not only sell second-hand goods, but also gives them for free to those in need.

He even gives away money, such as to other seniors or migrant workers. “I give to those who are poorer. They can’t work and don’t have enough money. So we can help them a little,” he says.

All he needs is the S$40 a day he can roughly make – and the happy faces of the people that have come to surround him.

Others may see crowds buying his stuff, but the residents and regulars in the area see a community.

“He brings joy by gathering everyone together. There’s warmth in people’s interactions,” says Mdm Xue, a resident and Chinese teacher. “When you see uncle, you’d feel that the day is good.”

NO KEEPING HIM HOME

Mr Yeo has had a three-room flat in Eunos for 30 years, but the bachelor is now staying with two friends in another flat in Tampines.

His own flat is where he stores his goods. And these days, it is so full of the things he has collected that there is no room for him to sleep.

To him, however, every item is just waiting for someone who needs it.

Every day at 4.45am, after his morning exercise, he sets off around the estate in Tampines to see if he can pick up more stuff to sell, or give away.

It is a routine that runs like clockwork. One morning when CNA Insider arrived two minutes late, he had already left.

Age and ill health may have caught up with him over time, but they have not stopped Mr Yeo, who was an odd-job labourer for most of his life, from being active.

“There’s nothing to do at home. When you’re outside, you still can pick up things and chat with others … It’s easy to pass the day,” he says.

Many people, when they’re older, they feel troubled. (But) the more they’re cooped up at home … the more their mind goes blank and becomes depressed.

When he started picking up and selling things a decade ago, it was an occasional activity while he did other odd jobs. After five years, it became a daily affair.

And since then, he has been taking the first bus from Tampines to Eunos every day, a journey that has turned strangers on the bus into recognisable faces for him.

On one of the mornings, while saying goodbye to an alighting passenger, he tells CNA Insider: “There are more, but they’re not here.”

FROM CUSTOMERS TO FRIENDS

Mr Yeo has a knack for making connections, it seems. Retiree Kwek Sui Heng was one of his customers but wanted to do more and now acts as his informal assistant, “sometimes only, not every day, just to kill time”.

The 63-year-old helps him to set up stall by 7am, receive items from others and make the sales. Mr Yeo jokes: “He’s my boss.”

Then there is resident Mohd Amin, who arrives with a number of things he has bought from the peddler: Shoes that sold for S$3, bicycle baskets for S$3 to S$5, and a cycling helmet for S$5.

“I work in the night shift. After work, normally I drop by lah, to see what’s good or new,” he says.

“Sometimes they can reserve something for you. If they think I need (it), they’d reserve it for me until I come down.”

Regular customers have become friends, he adds. And when he pays tribute to Mr Yeo, saying “Ah Gong good”, the latter replies light-heartedly, “Ah Gong no good.”

The peddler sells most of his items for S$1 to S$2 to keep them affordable, with many of the buyers being maids and the elderly.

Thanks in part to residents passing him their used stuff, anything from clothes and toys to figurines and paintings might be found at the small space he has made for himself near the Eunos Crescent Market and Food Centre.

Mr Jasin Ng, who lives in Bedok but comes to Eunos for breakfast, even chips in with things he picks up from the rubbish areas of public apartment blocks.

“People tend to discard things that are usable. If I can collect and let him sell, it’ll also help to protect the environment. It’s good for everybody,” says the 62-year-old.

COLON CANCER

Sometimes, however, what people give to Mr Yeo is too old or in a bad condition, so Mdm Xue, who declined to give her full name, helps to organise the items or throw them away.

“I try my best to help him because he has no more strength,” she says. It is not just about his age. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and has since had three operations.

He now wears a colostomy bag (for body waste), and says rather stoically: “If you get cancer, it’s like that.”

These days, however, Mdm Xue’s concerns have grown. “I notice his condition is more serious,” she says. “He has slimmed down. He said that he doesn’t have much appetite to eat.”

He goes for check-ups every few months, but was unable to tell CNA Insider his latest prognosis. According to residents, there has been one constant throughout his sickness: His attitude to everyone.

“If you ask him anything, he’s very friendly. He won’t be harsh on you,” says a 63-year-old Mdm Ng.

“That’s why when I see (him have) a lot of things, I’d buy from him. Actually, even if I have no use for it, I’d still buy from him.”

PAYING IT FORWARD

If it is not his goods that they buy, some would bring him food. Whatever the kindness they show, Mr Yeo pays it forward in equal measure by, for example, refusing payment from those who have little to spare.

“Who is poor and who isn’t, we know. There are many people we know,” he says.

(What’s) the most satisfying is to see the poor people who pick up things and smile. That’s true contentment.

Or as he explains to one customer who tried to insist on paying him S$2, “It’s okay. I went through hard times too … My family wasn’t well-to-do.”

When he was in primary school, his elder siblings started working – he had six of them – which changed his family’s financial situation. But he has not forgotten those early years. “I’ve liked the poor since I was young,” he says.

WATCH: Ah Gong and the spirit of giving (7:47)

Sometimes he may not give things away but allow people to owe him for their purchases, like he did for Ms Lyn, a foreign domestic helper who picked out S$47 worth of stuff but asked to pay a week later.

She has known the “kind-hearted” man for about two years, she says. But would he be as open to letting others buy first and pay later?

“If there are one or two bad apples, just take it as charity – just need to let it go,” he says.

Migrant workers have it tough, he thinks, which was why he slipped some money to one of the town council cleaners who was sweeping nearby.

Mr Kwek, who has seen all this before, says: “As easily as money comes, easily it will go. People give to him, so he also gives to others.”

MONEY NO CONCERN

Mr Yeo says it more than once – “money isn’t important” – a statement that might befit one who also says he has marched to a different tune ever since young.

“As long as I’m hard-working, I’m not afraid I don’t have money to (survive),” he says.

“If you stay at home and don’t work, where would you have the money to spend? If you just pick up something, and sell it for a few dollars, then you’d have money to spend already.”

What is most important to him is that he is not dependent on others. “Until my arms and legs can’t move, then I’ll retire,” adds Mr Yeo, who does not keep in contact much with his siblings.

One Eunos resident, who identified himself only as Mr Azeez, hopes the second-hand goods seller can carry on in their neighbourhood for as long as possible.

“I’ve seen many people supporting him. We must respect him for wanting to earn a living at this age,” he says.

Housewife Pat Koh, who gave Mr Yeo some of her bags to sell, thinks he helps to make the market area come alive.

“It’s one of the meeting points. It’s good – you can’t find this in Orchard (Road), in Bedok Mall, in Tampines Mall any more,” says the 47-year-old.

I’m so happy every time I see there’s something (like this) in my community.

As for the peddler himself, he stresses that he is not asking for charity. And to people might want to help him, he says, “I won’t accept it …. (except to) help those who are even poorer.”

“It’s better for you to help those who are poorer than me.”

SINGAPORE: PUB has suspended all fishing activities and closed designated fishing grounds at Lower Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir until further notice, after non-native stingrays were spotted in Lower Peirce Reservoir.

Around 60 Motoro stingrays, also known as Potamotrygonidae motoro, were reportedly found in the water at Lower Peirce Reservoir last week.

PUB told Channel NewsAsia on Sunday (Dec 23) that it had suspended all fishing activities and closed the designated fishing grounds at the reservoirs until further notice.

“PUB will be conducting investigations and removal of the stingrays,” said the water agency. “As a precaution, PUB will suspend all fishing activities and close designated fishing grounds at Lower Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir until further notice.”

The agency advised the public to “exercise caution at the reservoir”.

When Channel NewsAsia went to Lower Peirce Reservoir on Sunday, a cordoned off area was seen by the water, along with a notice saying that the fishing grounds would be “closed for maintenance until further notice”.

A similar sign was also seen at Upper Seletar Reservoir.

Since 2015, PUB has removed 75 Motoro stingrays from Singapore’s reservoirs and waterways.

Releasing any animal, including fish, into reservoirs and waterways in Singapore is illegal and offenders may be fined up to S$3,000.

In 2017, a man was fined S$2,600 after he released three Motoro stingrays into Lower Seletar Reservoir.

Said PUB: “Our reservoirs and waterways serve, first and foremost, as a source of water supply, and PUB’s core interest is in safeguarding Singapore’s water quality and ensuring water safety. 

“The release of animals into our waters may impact the water quality of our water sources, and may pose a risk to users of our water bodies.”

SINGAPORE: It was an emotional scene: Two women embracing each other for the first time, tears flowing freely on both sides. 

The family members of both women looking on proudly, mobile phones out and ready to capture the moment on camera: The reunion of two sisters, separated at birth, adopted by different families and finally, after more than 50 years, meeting each other in person. 

Videos and photos of the meeting, taken and shared by family members, found their way onto social media a few days ago, paving the way for the pair’s next step: Looking for their five other siblings – and maybe even their birth parents. 

For 57-year-old Parameswari Govindasamy, the moment was something that she never imagined would happen. After all, she had always thought that she was an only child. 

But all it took to change that was one phone call. 

“YOUR SISTER WANTS TO MEET YOU”  

It all started with a phone call from a friend, Seeni, who sometimes performed with her on television. 

“He told me, ‘your sister wants to meet you’,” she said, recounting the incident. “I said, ‘Are you sure? I don’t have a sister.’” 

It turned out that Seeni was in fact her brother-in-law: He was married to her birth sister, 53-year-old Fathima Bibi. “I was really in shock,” said Mdm Parameswari. “I was thinking all this while, I don’t have anyone. But I have a sister … I’m very happy.” 

Mdm Parameswari and Mdm Fathima are two of seven children born to a Chinese family with the surname of Lim. Both were given up for adoption: Mdm Fathima to an Indian Muslim family, and Mdm Parameswari to a Hindu family. 

She explained that while she had been kept in the dark by her adoptive parents, Mdm Fathima and her husband had been told by her adoptive father almost three decades ago. 

And while Mdm Fathima’s adoptive father and Mdm Parameswari’s adoptive mother were close friends, the paths of the two siblings had never crossed. 

 “My brother-in-law (Seeni) told me that her father had told her everything … that I am her sister, and when the right time comes, she has to tell me the truth, which is why he called me,” she said. “He knew for more than 30 years, but kept it from me. 

“When I asked him why, he said he was afraid of how I would react, and worried about the repercussions.” 

“But Fathima saw me performing on TV and said, I want to talk to my sister,” she said. 

“When I first heard it, I was still in doubt because my adoptive mother never told me. I wondered why she never told me … and she’s not around now,” she added. “After she passed away, I thought I didn’t have anyone, but now my own blood sister is coming back to me.” 

THEY ARE STILL THE BEST PARENTS I HAD  

She had no idea about her siblings, but she had known as a child that she was adopted – ever since she was 12 and had to collect her identity card. 

“The registrar asked me who my birth parents were,” she said. “It didn’t occur to me that I was adopted, but slowly, it came to me … why am I so fair-skinned?” 

She went home and questioned her mother, who brushed it off as a mistake. But in her heart, she knew the truth. 

“I never had the courage to think of my mother as my foster mother, so I just let it go by,” she recounted, visibly emotional with tears welling up in her eyes. “But when I was 16, I asked my mother again and I told her she had to tell me the truth.” 

“I said, ‘I am always your daughter, but I need to know the truth. Who are my parents?’ And she started crying and told me that my parents were very nice people, but could not afford to take care of me,” she said. 

“So she said, once you deliver this child, I will adopt her.” 

Despite her shock, she decided not to probe further as she did not want to hurt her mother. 

“She was crying and did not want to reveal any more, because she was worried I would leave the house,” she said. “So all this while I didn’t bother to look for my birth parents, and I thought I would leave it and carry on.

But then her brother-in-law called her. 

Mdm Parameswari said she was sure her adoptive mother had known that Mdm Fathima was her sister. But when asked if she bore any resentment towards her for keeping her in the dark, she smiled and shook her head. 

“They are still the best parents I’ve had,” she said. “Even though I cried, I was thankful to God for giving me to this family who loved me so much.” 

MAKING THE FAMILY EVEN BIGGER … AND THE SEARCH FOR FIVE OTHERS

Only a few days have passed since the two siblings embraced one another, but even in that short time, it is clear that each sibling’s respective family members have also embraced each other as part of their own family. 

It is a lively, boisterous atmosphere in Mdm Fathima’s house, with children playing with toys in the living room, family members sitting around chatting to each other, and in the middle of it all, the two siblings sitting together on the sofa, arms around each other. 

“Now that we’ve got to know each other, I want to spend more time with her,” said Mdm Fathima, who spoke in Tamil with her daughter translating. “Time is very precious … we should treasure the time we have together.” 

The two families have become one big happy family, with Mdm Parameswari’s daughter Seemren sharing photos of herself with her newfound cousins on social media, pointing out the physical resemblance. 

“When I posted a photo of us, people commented that we look like triplets,” said the 35-year-old, who also voiced her excitement at celebrating Hari Raya with her new, larger family.

But the family warmth and the emotions stirred up by the reunion have also triggered another desire in Mdm Parameswari: To find the rest of her siblings. 

“At the start I was wondering why I should bother finding them,” she said. “I was given away and they don’t want me, so why do I need to go and find my parents, or my siblings?” 

“But then I met her, and it’s so nice to have a sister,” she added.   

“And then she told me that in total, there are seven of us – four girls and three boys. So I started thinking about what my brothers would look like, whether they have families … and maybe my birth parents are still around.” 

This prompted her to go public with her story on social media, in the hope that someone would be able to connect the dots. Seemren, too, has shared the story on her social media accounts. 

“My mother would always tell me that my father has seven siblings but I don’t have anyone,” she said. “So I really hope that all her siblings will be reunited.” 

She admits that it could be a challenge: All they have to go on are the documents Mdm Fathima has that prove she has been adopted, and indicate that her birth parent had the name PH Lim. And as Mdm Parameswari pointed out wryly, there are many people in Singapore with the surname of Lim. 

But she continues to wait, hoping beyond hope that her family could become even bigger. Because good news could just be another phone call away.

SINGAPORE: The shortages of eggs, some types of wild fish, and shrimps from Malaysia that may lead to export curbs and price increases may be a forerunner of things to come. 

This is illustrative of the increasing link between food exporting countries and importing ones, especially in Southeast Asian since the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) came into force in December 2015 which advocates an integrated market for ASEAN, though countries have long been cognisant of such dependencies. 

With greater economic integration comes higher regional interdependence. Closer linkages are desired as the expansion of business opportunities aid countries, particularly lower-income ASEAN member states, to grow their economies. But it also means that situations resulting in domestic policy changes in one country can affect others. 

This is not the first time an export curb on a critical food item in one country has generated repercussions in others. The great food crisis of 2007 to 2008 when poor harvests in Ukraine and Kazakhstan led to export curbs on wheat and precipitated global supply shortages and price hikes. Other staples like rice in particular were affected, after Vietnam and India halted rice exports.

The food shortfalls and consequent price spikes affected over 30 countries worldwide, with some fueling political unrest and food riots.

While Singapore authorities have noted that the seafood curb in Malaysia would not have significant impact here and assured Singaporeans that we have “alternative sources” for eggs, we can’t deny that such an issue could have had massive ramifications. 

DISRUPTION TO FOOD SUPPLIES IS CAUSED BY MANY FACTORS

Disruptions to food supplies can have many causes; such is our vulnerability as a net food importing nation. In the current case of Malaysian eggs, bird flu has been speculated to be the key culprit but many think there are other likely reasons. 

Supply shortages in wild-caught fish at year-end and year-beginning are not uncommon in this part of the world due to the Northeast monsoon hampering fishing boats going out to sea and reducing catches. 

Upcoming festivities have also been blamed for the seafood curb from across the causeway. As demand will rise during that season, it is not surprising the Malaysian Minister-in-charge would choose to impose restrictions. 

Climate change, severe weather and other outbreaks of plant or animal diseases also threaten food supplies. In today’s world where a country’s food security is almost inextricably linked to the surrounding region and beyond, any disruption in an exporting country’s agriculture and production will have effects on pricing. 

READ: Typhoon Mangkhut destroys rice, corn and fish – but what has this got to do with Singapore? A commentary

Asia annually imports almost three-quarters of the world’s surplus soybeans and about a quarter of the maize, for food and animal feed. 

So weather events that reduce crop yields in North or South America, where most of the soybeans and corns are imported from, will result in more expensive animal feed. Since animal feed is a major cost item in growing hogs, chicken and fish, the increased prices will then be passed on to consumers.

Disruption also occurs when countries with large populations chase after the same limited supply of key food items as smaller countries. Food items like rice have a very “thin” margin of its production, about 7 to 10 per cent, available for trade. Meaning, in most rice-growing countries, nearly all the available rice is for domestic consumption. 

So there is competition between importing countries to purchase rice from the same set of exporting countries, commonly Thailand, Vietnam and India. 

SINGAPORE’S FOOD SECURITY 

The Economist Intelligence unit (EIU) ranked Singapore as the most food secure country in the world. The ranking, mainly based on high affordability of food in Singapore, reflects the finding that the average household in Singapore spends less than 10 per cent of its income on food, 20 to 40 per cent less than some of its neighbours.  

So most Singaporean households can still afford to buy food even if prices were to go up. Also, as long as there are no disruptions in the supply chains, food is readily available due to our excellent infrastructure and logistics. We also have one of the highest food safety standards in the world. 

However, this does not mean that Singapore is not vulnerable. Singapore relies heavily on imported food. About 90 per cent of its food needs come from over 160 countries, spread geographically, according to Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA). 

Singapore is very vulnerable to the supply shocks that may occur in our source countries for key food items especially rice and fresh leafy vegetables or chilled fish, that come only from a small number of countries. 

Most of Singapore’s (and the world’s) rice originate from Thailand and Vietnam and to a lesser extent, India. Most of the green leafy vegetables and chilled fish come from Malaysia with smaller amounts from other ASEAN countries. 

Singapore is particularly vulnerable if these supply shocks occur simultaneously, a scenario we cannot rule out. 

Another aspect of Singapore’s vulnerability is related to the link between food security and an important engine for economic growth – tourism. The reputational risk to Singapore as a tourism and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub cannot be underestimated if food supply is erratic.

SELECTIVELY AIMING FOR HIGHER LEVELS OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Singapore as a small island state will never be able to produce all the diverse food items that its multi-ethnic population needs, nor does it want to. It does not make economic or practical sense to want to do so. 

We can’t be completely self-sufficient, but as a policy imperative, we can aim for certain higher levels of self-sufficiency by using new technologies which optimise use of scarce production resources (like land, water and labour). 

For a small land-limited country, we need to re-conceptualise farming space including leveraging vertical farming, above-ground farming (as is already happening in plant factories) or underground farming. We must shift towards high-output, high-productivity, technology-enabled farms as is the case for some Asian cities. 

Concurrently, we should mobilise more community effort in growing selected vegetables, especially indigenous vegetables, in under-utilised urban space.

READ: The future of local farming: Balancing technology and nature

Singapore would not likely grow “extensive crops” like rice or wheat that require large land tracts of land per unit. So it behooves us to find arrangements that can secure our supplies of items like rice and wheat, and nail down more “food hinterlands” as we are already doing with eggs, leafy vegetables and fish. 

The success of such an import diversification or “resilience” approach depends on alternate sources which can meet the increased demand at a moment’s notice, but there may be a time lag in alternate sources ramping up production, unless they are already producing surplus over their own needs. 

What Singapore or any importing country does not want is to be accused of being responsible for an exporting country’s domestic shortages or price increases because of our increased imports.  

STEPPING UP FOOD SECURITY

For the mid to long term, fortunately, Singapore’s ability to afford food even at higher prices enables us to compete successfully for most items as the amounts we need are small compared to other countries. 

Our excellent logistics, infrastructure and trade ecosystem, all favour us. But, we cannot assume that there will not be simultaneous occurrence of disruptions. Unexpected severe weather or political conflict may disrupt our food supplies.

Singaporeans are not in danger of going hungry in the immediate future as our society also has some internal resilience, such as with diet substitution. If less rice is available, many will eat more noodles or bread or other wheat products, and even potatoes or other root crops. 

However, as national food security increasingly is linked to regional and global food security, our open economy means that we will be influenced by what happens in other countries, especially those that export to us and those that directly compete with us for the same food sources. 

Ultimately, as a small country with limited food production capacity, we need to ensure our food security strategy is a multi-prong one that includes imports, self-production, stockpiles, overseas farming and government-to-government agreements, augmented by a strong effort to reduce food waste.

Paul Teng is Adjunct Senior Fellow (Food Security) in the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and concurrently Honorary Senior Fellow, Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA/SEAMEO) in the Philippines. 

He previously held leadership positions at the Worldfish Centre and the International Rice Research Institute, two international organisations located in Southeast Asia under the auspices of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

SINGAPORE: When choosing between a shiny new launch and a well-maintained resale condo for your investment property, here’s a key tip: Consider whether you are a new landlord or seasoned investor.

One popular argument is that investing in resale units are less risky for new landlords, while new launches are better suited for seasoned investors to assess.

Bear in mind that when you are buying an investment property to rent out, you have a different set of considerations from the typical homeowner. That means looking at things in terms of cold, hard numbers – how pretty (or otherwise) a property might look could matter less.

READ: Tenant tips: 7 effective steps to negotiating rent in Singapore

Why choose a resale condo as an investment property?

By and large, most investors prefer a resale condo. This is not always the case, but going down the resale route does provide a few big advantages:

1. You can start renting out the place immediately

This is the most common reason for choosing a resale investment property, if you are buying for investment purposes.

A new launch might take two years before it is ready to be lived in, whereas tenants can move into a resale unit immediately.

In fact, there is even a chance a resale condo might already be tenanted if the owner rents it out.

Most investors want to avoid paying the mortgage altogether, by having at least sufficient rental income to cover repayments (or at least subsidise it). As such, it is not surprising that some investors will only consider resale units.

READ: How to be a homeowner on a freelance income

2. Rental income is more predictable

It is relatively easy to predict the rental income of a resale unit. You just need to look at what the current (or past) tenants have been paying.

This is even more accurate than looking at rental income in the general vicinity (for example, in the neighbourhood in general), as you can sometimes see the actual rental rates, for the specific unit you are buying. Agents also have access to past rental transactions of a particular resale condo, so you can roughly work out the vacancy rate.

READ: Is the Singapore property market still a safe haven for investors?

3. There are fewer surprises, if you make proper checks

With resale units, you would have done your due diligence and have inspected the physical condition of the property. You know what needs to be repaired, and have a contractor give you a ballpark figure and time frame.

While it is true that new launches come with a defects-free period, remember that this alone may not compensate you.

For example, say you purchase a new condo instead of a resale, and then find out the kitchen flooring is uneven with popped tiles. Even if the developer fixes it for free, it could cause a delay in securing a tenant for the unit.

Furthermore, when it comes to new launches, there is a risk that some defects are not possible to rectify. These become lasting problems. For example, if the garbage chute for the condo block is poorly designed (causing choking and foul smells), that may be a permanent issue that will affect rentability and resale value.

These sort of surprises are more easily avoided in a resale investment unit, provided you inspect the condo thoroughly before you buy.

Finally, with resale units, you can gauge issues such as traffic noise, bug or rat problems, or neighbours that play mahjong till four in the morning. These sorts of issues are hard to predict, when dealing with a new launch that does not physically exist yet.

4. There’s a better chance of spotting underpriced units

New launches are a little cheaper due to early-bird discounts, and you can still negotiate the sale price a little. But ultimately, what you pay for a new launch is almost always close to the real value (otherwise developers would be going out of business).

With resale units, there are different reasons why the owners are letting go of the property.

Sometimes, if it is due to issues such as inability to service the mortgage, the sellers will be in a rush to liquidate their property in a fire sale.

Some sellers have emotional motives – the unit may remind them of their recent divorce, and they are eager to get away from the bitter memories.

If you are lucky, this could mean finding a very underpriced unit.

READ: Quick guide to becoming a successful landlord in Singapore

Why choose a new launch for investment?

The main reasons for choosing a new launch include:

1. Newer facilities and features

The main appeal of a new launch is that it is, well, new.

You know it won’t be worn down by use, and everything will be bright and shiny. This does have an impact on rentability. Many tenants prefer a condo where the pool is new and clean, the walls are still pearly white, the gym has all top-notch new equipment, and so forth.

Newer condos also have features that older ones do not. For example, some condos today are smart homes, allowing the resident to control elements such as lighting and air-conditioning with their smartphones, and to view the interior of the house by remote.

Other types of new facilities – such as rock-climbing walls and concierge services – are not common on older condos. These ideas just weren’t around at the time they were built.

2. Lower maintenance costs

The older a condo gets, the higher the maintenance costs tend to be. This is true inside your condo unit, as well as for the communal areas.

Within your own unit, older resale condos are more likely to have issues such as choked plumbing, yellowing walls, damp ceilings (usually from air-conditioner leaks) or failing water heaters.

New launch condos have fewer such problems; and if you do spot them, most developers have a one-year defects-free period. That means they are obliged to fix it for free, so long as you spot it within a year of buying.

Outside your unit, there is the issue of monthly maintenance costs.

Older condos may see rising maintenance bills, with fewer visible returns. That is, the maintenance fees may cost just as much as a new condo, even though the facilities are clearly older and in poorer condition. That’s because some facilities, such as sauna rooms and pools, can cost more to maintain as the systems age. 

READ: URA guidelines change for new condos: All you need to know

3. Early bird discounts

Most developers offer discounts for buyers at new launches. This could be a direct price discount, or it may involve absorbing some stamp duties.

While there is greater potential to spot underpriced units with resale units, the flip side is that it does not always happen. Sometimes, there is no desperate seller, and the better, likelier deal is a developer’s early bird discount. If you just can’t find a good resale deal, maybe it is time to look at new launches.

4. Wider range of unit choices

With resale condos, you must choose among the units that are on sale. With new launches, you typically have first pick of the unit you want (depending on the luck of your ballot and/or how early you buy).

Being able to choose allows you to pick units that you know are easier to rent out.

For example, you can pick units with a better facing, or which have better access to the car park or pool than other units. Assuming you understand your tenant demographic, you can pick the units that you know will appeal to them.

So which is better for investment, new launch or resale condos?

For new landlords, we suggest resale units – they are simply less risky. You can see the current rental rates for a resale unit, and physically inspect the property. That there is also a transaction history for you to check helps you reasonably estimate capital appreciation and rental yield.

As for new launches, unless there is a lack of willing sellers/sale listings in a specific area you have identified, our frank opinion is that they are better suited to seasoned investors.

You would need to estimate the unit’s probable rental yield, appreciation and overall appeal. You must possess a certain level of acumen, and a good ability to read the location before the property even exists.

The other exception for new investors buying new launch condos, of course, is if you can find yourself a property and financial advisor you can trust, who has zero vested interest in the new launch project and gives you the green light given your financial situation.

In any case, remember you are paying the mortgage even before you have a tenant, so any mistake in investing in a new launch unit will be much more expensive.

This article first appeared on 99.co.

SINGAPORE: Just over a year into his first job since graduating, veterinary surgeon Chow Hao Ting decided to take a break from the industry. 

“There was this difference between what I thought the profession would be like, and what it turned out to be,” said the 29-year-old, citing financial pressures and having to deal with pet owners as some of the challenges.

His timeout helped readjust his expectations and enter a better headspace – Dr Chow has since returned to work. But for other local vets choosing to soldier on, the struggles they face span the spectrum of mental strain, compassion fatigue, clinical depression and in most extreme cases, suicidal tendencies.

Several vets interviewed by Channel NewsAsia attested to these phenomena, in the absence of statistics for mental illness or suicide rates broken down by profession in Singapore. The Singapore Veterinary Association also acknowledged that “mental well-being among local veterinarians is an important issue and slowly gaining awareness in recent years”.

Still, across Asia, doctors say these topics remain largely “taboo” – even in the wake of a widely-reported case in 2016, when a Taiwanese vet took her own life and explained in suicide notes how she could no longer stand having to euthanise so many dogs.

On the other hand, numerous global studies over the years have indicated elevated rates of mental illness and suicide among veterinarians in the US, UK, Australia, Scandinavia and more – sometimes as high as up to four times that of the general population.

The latest, conducted by pharmaceutical firm Merck in the US early this year, revealed veterinarians as having lower degrees of well-being than the general population, and that around 25 per cent of them have considered suicide at some point.

“WE’RE NOT OUT TO CHEAT OR KILL”

One Singaporean vet, who requested not to be identified, said feeling low and wanting to throw in the towel were common threads during her career of over two decades.

Along with several counterparts, she affirmed that a major factor – especially during the early years of work – is the stress, trauma and guilt associated with performing euthanasia.

“Even though it has to be done because the animal is suffering or there’s no quality of life anymore, none of us like doing it. We go to vet school not to put animals to sleep,” said the seasoned vet.

“And in front of clients, you can’t show emotions. There’s nowhere for these to go – that’s why so many vets get depressed.”

“In the beginning, I was so sad that I went home and I cried every day.” She paused. “Well now I still cry, but not as much.”

Over time vets learn to better manage the process but it is nearly impossible to be “numb” to it, said one.

Pet owner Roy Chan empathises with the difficult task. “Our own medical doctors don’t even administer euthanasia,” said the 32-year-old, who has had a smooth fox terrier for eight years. “But vets have to terminate the very lives they try to save.”

Although he described the relationship with his dog’s vet as positive, multiple animal doctors listed pet owners as another stress factor, primarily due to “unrealistic expectations” over cost or treatment outcomes.

“We really get pet owners who are self-entitled, demanding and treat the clinic staff horribly … all that accumulates with time,” said Dr Chow. “Ultimately we are here to help and just earn a living, but often we are the target of pet owners’ frustrations and sorrows.”

Said another vet: “We’re not saints, but we’re not out to cheat you of your money or kill animals either.”

Dr Grace Heng, who has been practicing for 18 years, observed that pet owners often treat pets like their children. “That’s ok … until you start shouting, verbally abusing, threatening to sue, or going online to tell one side of the story,” she said. “I’m not really affected, but some of my younger colleagues might feel down.”

“Social media shaming is the trend now, so you get slammed a lot more than before,” said a vet who wanted to remain anonymous. “If there was malpractice, then I’m all for it – but too often, accounts shared online are incomplete or inaccurate or just plain unfair.”

“We get a certain degree of negative feedback that is sometimes not constructive at all,” said Dr Gabriel Loon. “it’s more of just lashing out, complaining, demeaning, making it personal with the vet.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF OPENING UP

Specialised psychological or emotional support for vets is not available in Singapore nor the region. In contrast, the national veterinary associations of the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand provide free counselling and a glut of online and offline resources.

But change might be underway, in Singapore at least. This year, the National University of Singapore started the country’s first degree programme in veterinary medicine, run in conjunction with the University of Melbourne. The latter institution places much emphasis on veterinary well-being through staffing, lectures, workshops, mentoring, grants and more.

The Singapore Veterinary Association told Channel NewsAsia it “hopes to collaborate with local authorities and veterinarians in the near future to create more formal programmes to support our veterinarians”.

A Singaporean veterinary undergraduate at Massey University in New Zealand, Vicki Lim, has also founded The Riptide Project, an initiative encouraging vets worldwide to open up on mental health in support of one another.

And local vets are calling for more public education on the veterinary practice, while noting the workplace and colleagues as a key source of solace. “That’s how we voice our frustrations – we talk to each other. It’s the first line of defence,” said one.

“It’s our culture too, Asians are shy. But in future when the issue is more publicised, people might be more forthcoming when they need help, and finally open up.”

In the meantime, vets carry on – despite having to end lives, handle difficult pet owners or brace for vilifying remarks on Facebook, it’s not all doom and gloom.

“Listen, we are only human – we get emotional, and this is an emotional line,” said one vet. “But there are plenty of positive outcomes and happy cases too, and each one brightens the day.”

Where to find help:

Institute of Mental Health’s Helpline: 6389 2222

Samaritans of Singapore Hotline: 1800 221 4444

Singapore Association of Mental Health Helpline: 1800 283 7019