The Republic’s population grew 1.2 per cent between June 2014 and 2015, the slowest growth in 10 years, according to statistics released by the National Population and Talent Division.
Channel NewsAsia 30 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE: Even as more Singaporeans are getting married and having babies, the Republic’s population grew at its slowest in a decade, rising 1.2 per cent to reach 5.54 million in June.
The statistics, released on Wednesday (Sep 30) by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) in its annual Population in Brief report, also showed that the number of citizens rose to 3.38 million, through births and immigration.
There were about 20,000 new citizens last year, with 37.5 per cent of them aged 20 and below, 27.9 per cent of them aged between 31 and 40, and 19.6 per cent above 40 years old. The Government plans to continue taking in between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizens each year to prevent the citizen population from shrinking, the report said.
The number of permanent residents remained stable at 0.53 million. The Government will grant about 30,000 PRs each year to keep the PR population stable and to ensure a pool of suitable candidates for citizenship, the NPTD said.
The number of Singaporeans getting married reached a 17-year high last year, with 24,037 citizen marriages registered. There were more than 33,000 citizen births, which tied with 2012 - a Dragon year - for the highest number of citizen births in the last 10 years.
The resident total fertility rate (TFR) increased from 1.19 in 2013 to 1.25 in 2014, with the increase seen across all ethnic groups, NPTD said.
The proportion of citizens aged 65 and above increased from 12.4 per cent last year to 13.1 per cent this year. The median age of Singapore citizens also rose from 40.4 years to 40.7 years. Currently, there are 4.9 citizens in the working age band of 20 to 64 years for each citizen aged 65 and above, down from 7.2 a decade ago.
The number of non-residents - largely comprised of foreigners working here and their families, as well as students - rose by 2.1 per cent to 1.63 million, slower than the 2.9 per cent growth the previous year. This was mainly due to a slowdown in the number of foreign workers arriving in Singapore, the report said.
Measures taken by the Government to mitigate the inflow of foreigners saw foreign employment growth - excluding maids - slowing after reaching a high of 77,000 in 2011-2012. It fell to 60,000 in 2012-2013, then declined further to 33,000 a year later and to 23,000 in 2014-2015.
The NPTD noted in its report that businesses will continue to face a tight labour market. “The Government will support businesses to shift towards skills- and capital-intensive ways to grow, so that businesses can continue to grow and succeed here, to create quality jobs for Singaporeans,” it said.
FACTORS INFLUENCING POPULATION GROWTH
Experts said Government policies like the Marriage and Parenthood package, which has quadrupled from S$500 million since 2001 to S$2 billion in 2013, act as an incentive for couples to have children.
Other factors, such as the stable economic and manpower outlook last year, might have also influenced their decision to do so.
"The past couple of years have also not shaken us to the point whereby we start to rethink long-term investment, and growing a family is a long-term investment," said Associate Professor Paulin Straughan from the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore. "If we are very uncertain about holding down jobs, for example, then very few would dare to venture into expanding a family."
Experts also said that the consistent inflow of immigrants over the years, who later became citizens, has helped the Singaporean base to grow. This in turn might have led to more citizen births.
"The other important aspect that we need to look at is when a Singaporean marries a non-Singaporean because then the Singaporean brings home another warm body," said Assoc Prof Straughan. "And when they get married here, and again sink roots and grow their children here, that contributed to our birth figures as well."
However, Singapore continues to see an ageing population.
Mr Christopher Gee, a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said: "The old-age support ratio, if left unchecked and not addressed, will become a problem ultimately. It is not something you can feel overnight. It is something that creeps up on you.
"It will take effect in respect to maybe lower productivity ... It might be seen as lowered vitality or dynamism in the economy. So, all of these things can compound over many years."
- CNA/cy/ek
S’pore’s population growth slowest in a decade
Population increased by 1.2% to 5.54m in June despite high number of births in 2014
LAURA ELIZABETH PHILOMIN Today Online 30 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE — Despite the number of births last year matching a decade-high achieved in 2012, the Republic’s population grew at its slowest pace in more than 10 years — inching up by 1.2 per cent to reach 5.54 million as of June.
The annual Population in Brief report — issued today (Sept 30) by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) — showed that the number of citizens grew by 1 per cent over the past year to reach 3.38 million while the number of permanent residents remained stable at about 530,000.
The growth of the non-resident population — it stands at 1.63 million as of June — slowed from 2.9 per cent last year to 2.1 per cent. This was due to “concrete steps” to slow the growth of Singapore’s foreign workforce, NPTD said. In all, about 23,000 foreign workers were added to the labour force between June 2014 and June this year. In comparison, 33,000 more foreign workers came to Singapore in the preceding one-year period.
Last year, there were 33,193 citizen births while marriages involving at least one citizen reached a 18-year high at 24,037.
However, the citizen population continues to age, as more post-war baby boomers enter the older age groups. The median age of citizens has risen to 40.7 years, up from 40.4 last year. About 13.1 per cent of citizens were aged 65 and above as of June, up from 12.4 per cent last year.
Correspondingly, the proportion of working adults between 20 and 64 years supporting senior citizens - or the citizen old-age support ratio - fell further to 4.9 this year, down from 5.2 last year and 5.5 in 2013.
The inflow of foreign manpower was a hot topic during the 2011 General Election, and since then, the Government has tightened its foreign worker policy. It has said that there will be no U-turn on the tight lid on foreign worker numbers here.
NPTD noted that businesses will continue to face a tight labour market. “The government will support businesses to shift towards skills- and capital-intensive ways to grow, so that businesses can continue to grow and succeed here, to create quality jobs for Singapore,” it said.
Economists and sociologists whom TODAY spoke to reiterated that Singapore cannot afford to close its doors to immigration and foreign labour, and policymakers have to continue to calibrate the inflow as the Republic pushes on with efforts to raise the productivity of a leaner workforce.
SIM University senior lecturer Walter Theseira said it is a conundrum that has no easy solution. Said Dr Theseira: “Are we getting that growth from productivity? The answer unfortunately is not to the extent we would like. Can we do better? Yes but how? If we knew how to get there, we would have definitely done that by now. I think neither the government nor businesses know what the magic solution is to productivity and they’ve tried but it’s a difficult problem to solve.”
While the Government has been seeking to bring in foreign labour who are higher-skilled, it is not as straightforward as it seems, he said.
“Even if you set out to bring in higher-skilled manpower, you bring in quite a lot of medium-skilled manpower who have skills which are quite common or replicated among the Singapore population,” he added.
Institute of Policy Studies research fellow Christopher Gee felt the focus should be on bringing in foreign workers who can help raise productivity and add value - but not in the narrow sense. “Just because you bring in a low skilled worker, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the value-add that the worker creates will be low. They might work on an infrastructure project that generates a lot of value in future. So from that perspective, it’s about understanding how that worker can contribute to the economy in a sustainable and long-term manner,” said Mr Gee.
National University of Singapore (NUS) sociologist Paulin Straughan said there is a concern whether there are enough bodies in the workforce to “ensure and sustain a vibrant economy”. “The implications of the more stringent immigration rules that have been put in place has resulted generally in faster ageing of the population,” she said.
Associate Professor Straughan, who had spoken previously about the rising trend of transnational marriages, reiterated the need to look at ways to better integrate foreign spouses and children of these families into the local population and workforce.
About 37 per cent of marriages last year were transnational marriages involving Singaporeans. The proportion has held steady at about four in 10 of all marriages between 2004 and 2014.
Non-resident population growth continues to slow: NPTD
Today Online 30 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE — The Republic’s non-resident population growth continued to slow this year following Government measures that rein in foreign employment.
This resulted in the slowest growth of Singapore’s total population in over a decade, the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) said in its annual report.
Despite over 33,000 citizen births, the highest in the last decade along with the 2012 Dragon year peak, the island’s total population gained only 1.2 per cent year-on-year to 5.54 million as of June 2015.
Singapore’s population includes 3.90 million residents — or 3.38 million Singapore citizens and 0.53 million permanent residents (PR) — and 1.63 million non-residents such as dependants, international students and individuals who are here for work.
Growth of the non-resident population slowed to 2.1 per cent, down from 2.9 per cent last year. Foreign employment gained only about 23,000 in the year to June 2015, marking a constant slowdown since the 2011-2012 period when it rose by 77,000.
The citizen population grew by 1 per cent, a similar pace as last year, with citizen births and calibrated immigration.
Due to increasing life expectancy and low fertility rates, the citizen population continues to age, with 13.1 per cent aged 65 and above, compared to 12.4 per cent last year and 8.8 per cent in 2005.
Currently, there are 4.9 citizens in the working age band of 20-64 years, for each citizen aged 65 years and above. This is a decline from 7.2 in 2005, according to the NPTD report.
To prevent the citizen population from shrinking, the Government said it plans to continue taking in between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizens each year.
Permanent residence is an intermediate step through which suitable foreigners and spouses take up citizenship in Singapore.
Since the tightening of the immigration framework in late 2009, the Republic has taken in about 30,000 new PRs a year, to keep the PR population stable and to ensure a pool of suitable candidates for citizenship.
The number of marriages involving at least one citizen increased from 21,842 in 2013 to 24,037 in 2014, the highest figure since 1997.
The median age at first marriage remained stable for both genders from 2013 to 2014, at 30.1 for citizen males in 2014 (same as 2013) and 27.9 for citizen females in 2014 (compared to 27.8 in 2013).
Transnational marriages (between citizens and non-citizens) continued to comprise more than a third of all marriages involving citizens last year. The proportion of inter-ethnic marriages has almost doubled from a decade ago to 20 per cent, reflecting the increasing diversity in Singapore’s population, the NPTD said. KIM SO-HYUN
5.54m living here but less coming to work
Ong Hwee Hwee, My Paper AsiaOne 1 Oct 15;
Singapore's population stood at 5.54 million as of June, a 1.2 per cent growth from June last year, latest figures show.
But the pace of growth was the slowest in more than a decade, mainly due to the continued slowdown in the growth of the foreign workforce, according to a report released by the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) yesterday.
In the previous year, the population rise was 1.3 per cent.
The 5.54 million population figure comprises 3.38 million citizens, 530,000 permanent residents (PRs) and 1.63 million non-residents.
The growth in non-resident population slowed to 2.1 per cent this year, down from 2.9 per cent last year. This continues a downward trend seen in the last few years. The number of non-residents was 1.6 million last year.
Close to half of the non-residents here (45 per cent) were work permit holders mostly in occupations in which it was difficult to hire locals, such as construction, said the NPTD report.
The rest were dependants of citizens, PRs or work pass holders (16 per cent); maids (13 per cent); employment pass holders in managerial and executive positions (11 per cent); S Pass holders in sectors like retail, manufacturing and healthcare (11 per cent); and foreign students (4 per cent).
"Businesses will continue to face a tight labour market. The Government will support businesses to shift towards skills- and capital-intensive ways to grow, so that businesses can continue to grow and succeed here, to create quality jobs for Singaporeans," said the report.
The citizen population, however, crept up by 1 per cent, thanks to a rise in citizen births which, along with births in 2012 (a Dragon year), were the highest in the last decade.
There were 33,193 Singaporean babies born last year, although the year was not a particularly auspicious one to many Singaporeans for having children. That matched the record in the popular Dragon Year in 2012.
As a result, the total fertility rate for residents rose to 1.25 last year, from 1.19 in 2013. The increase was seen across all ethnic groups.
This, however, was still well below the replacement rate of 2.1.
But until there is a surge in birth rates, Singapore's population continues to age, with Singaporeans living longer and having fewer babies.
Those aged 65 and older formed 13.1 per cent of the citizen population as of June, up from 12.4 per cent last year.
"There are more citizens in the older age groups today as the 'post-war baby boomers' enter their silver years," said the report.
That would mean that there are currently 4.9 citizens in the working age band of 20 to 64 years for each citizen aged 65 years and above. A decade ago, the figure was 7.2.
Singapore population crosses 5.5 million
The Straits Times AsiaOne 1 Oct 15;
Singapore's total population has hit 5.54 million, five years after crossing the five million mark, even though population growth in the 12-month period since June last year has sunk to an 11-year low.
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The total number of people, including permanent residents (PRs) and foreigners working here, continues to rise sluggishly. It crept up just 1.2 per cent, a tad slower than the 1.3 per cent in the previous year.
These latest figures are from a National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) report out yesterday.
It shows citizen marriages and births were at a high last year, but these silver linings could not stave off the slower growth, which is a result of the Government's continued efforts to tamp down the hiring of foreign workers.
Growth of the resident population, which includes PRs, has stayed constant. As of June this year, there were 3.38 million citizens and 530,000 PRs.
In contrast, the non-resident pool grew a lot slower: 2.1 per cent against 2.9 per cent in the previous year. Nearly half the non-residents were work permit holders in occupations locals shun, like construction workers.
As businesses continue to face a tight labour market, the Government will help businesses explore more skills- and capital-intensive ways to grow, so that they continue to thrive and create quality jobs for Singaporeans, said the NPTD.
"The Government is committed to help Singaporeans do well in the workplace," it added.
One of the ways is through the SkillsFuture scheme, which lets Singaporeans upgrade themselves throughout their lives.
The clampdown on foreign labour is set to stay but there is good news for the resident population.
The number of citizen births last year was 33,193 - matching the numbers in 2012, which was the auspicious Dragon Year. The rise lifts the total fertility rate for residents from 1.19 in 2013 to 1.25 last year.
Singapore's flagging birth rates and its ageing population worry its leaders, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. At this year's National Day Rally, Mr Lee announced a slew of pro- family measures to boost numbers, including a more generous Baby Bonus package, larger Medisave grants for newborns and an extra week of paternity leave on a voluntary basis, giving fathers two weeks of leave.
More couples tied the knot last year too. There were 24,037 marriages involving at least one citizen - the most since 1997. Measures in recent years, like the Parenthood Priority Scheme, which helps married couples with children buy homes, and the introduction of paternity leave have helped.
"These improvements have provided couples with a favourable environment to make important decisions - marriage and setting up a family," said Dr Kang Soon-Hock, head of the social science core at SIM University.
Still, the population will continue to age, so the Government will continue its calibrated approach to immigration, taking in between 15,000 and 25,000 new citizens each year, said the NPTD. It has also given PR status to about 30,000 foreigners yearly since 2009 to keep numbers stable and maintain a pool of suitable candidates for citizenship. Most PRs are in the "prime working ages" of 25 to 49.
Said the NPTD: "Immigration helps to balance the shrinking and ageing of our citizen population."
