The Weekly Wrap-Up
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A recap of the biggest news stories so you do not miss a thing, even while you were busy working.
FEB 23, 2024
23/02/24 - Weekly Wrap Up: How much will Singapore make from Taylor Swift's concert exclusivity ?
The Singapore Tourism Board and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth said on Feb 20 that Taylor Swift’s sold-out concerts in Singapore in March had received support from the authorities in the form of a grant. This comes after Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's comments on Feb 16 that the Singapore Government offered subsidies in exchange for Swift agreeing not to perform elsewhere in South-east Asia.
Is paying for concert exclusivity a common practice? How does it benefit Singapore's economy and does it make financial sense to give a grant?
Dr Kevin Cheong, Managing Partner, Syntegrate LLP weighs in.
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11:44
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FEB 2, 2024
02/02/24 - Weekly Wrap Up: Singapore's retrenchments more than double in 2023, will this trend stay?
Retrenchments in Singapore more than doubled in 2023 from the previous year to 14,320, even as the overall unemployment rate fell slightly. Total employment growth for the full year of 2023 slowed amid weaker economic conditions, following a sharp post-pandemic rebound in 2022.
So should we expect this trend to stay?
Rahul Chawla, Partner & Head of Human Capital Solutions, Southeast Asia, Aon shares his views.
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11:42
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JAN 26, 2024
26/01/24 - Weekly Wrap Up: SimplyGo makes a u-turn, simply a no go?
The move to discontinue the NETS FlashPay card and some adult EZ-Link cards for use on buses and trains was announced earlier in January. But in an intereting turn of events, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has U-turned its decision to phase out the old ticketing system in favour of SimplyGo.
So could SimplyGo make a proper comeback after such a debacle?
Terence Fan, Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education); Academic Director, Accreditation, Singapore Management University shares his perspective.
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12:45
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JAN 19, 2024
19/01/24 - Weekly Wrap Up: Iswaran resigns, faces 27 charges including corruption, what now?
S Iswaran has resigned as Transport Minister and a member of the People's Action Party (PAP).He has been charged with 27 offences yesterday, two of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, one of obstructing justice and 24 of obtaining a valuable thing as a public servant.
So what happens next? Will it be hard to replace him at West Coast GRC?
Dr Felix Tan, Independent Political Observer shares his analysis.
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16:16
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JAN 12, 2024
12/01/24 - Weekly Wrap Up: Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (Sepp), why we need such a sentencing regime?
According to a bill submitted to parliament this week, Singapore is proposing to hold “dangerous offenders” indefinitely, even after they complete their jail sentences.
Called the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (Sepp), it was introduced as part of the Criminal Procedure (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. So why has such a sentencing regime been proposed only now?
Stefanie Yuen Thio, Joint Managing Partner, TSMP Law Corporation shares her views.
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12:05
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DEC 15, 2023
15/12/23 - Weekly Wrap Up: Singapore retrenchments saw an increase in 3Q2023, should we be worried?
Finalised Ministry of Manpower (MOM) data for the third quarter of 2023 has shown that the number of job vacancies was at 78,400 in September. The data also revealed that Singapore retrenchments numbers saw an increase in 3Q2023.
As we embark into a new year, will Singapore’s job market continue to cool?
Song Seng Wun, Economic Consultant, CGS CIMB Securities shares his views.
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10:39
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DEC 8, 2023
08/12/23 - Weekly Wrap Up: ComfortDelGro to raise cab fares, is there a real need for it?
Singapore's largest taxi operator ComfortDelGro has announced that it will increase its cab fares to help cabbies defray higher operating costs. The last time this was done was back in March 2022. A new peak hour surcharge will also be implemented from 10am to 1.59pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
But is there a real need for them to do so again?
Walter Theseira, Associate Professor, Economics & Head, Master of Management (Urban Transportation) Programme, Singapore University of Social Sciences shares his views.
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09:16
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DEC 1, 2023
01/12/23 - Weekly Wrap Up: Salaries flat in SG, employers not keeping up pace with the rate of inflation?
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) advance report of how Singapore’s labour market fared in the whole of 2023, with high inflation this year eating into the spending power of Singapore residents, the real incomes for workers at the 20th percentile fell by 3 percent compared with the same period last year, while that for median workers dipped by 2.3 percent, even as nominal wages grew.
Rahul Chawla, Partner and Head of Talent Solutions for Southeast Asia, Aon discusses with the report with us and the reason why employers are not keeping up pace with the rate of inflation.
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10:03
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NOV 24, 2023
24/11/23 - Weekly Wrap Up: Would taking on international appointments possibly divert our President’s attention from his elected responsibilities?
Singapore’s Presidents will be able to accept appointments at international organisations in a “private capacity”, allowing them to act and express views independently under constitutional amendments that were passed in Parliament this week.
But could any time spent serving private interests be time taken away from the President’s national duties and his constituents?
Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management University shares his views.
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12:32
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NOV 17, 2023
17/11/23 - Weekly Wrap Up: Singapore FinTech Festival 2023, is Singapore a fintech hub yet?
The 8th edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF) has wrapped up and this year’s theme centered around “The Application of AI in Financial Services”. Many talks were lined up from industry leaders and experts who shared the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore gives us a roundup of SFF 2023 and the highlights from this year's festival.
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08:33
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