What is Christmas like in Singapore? For the majority who are not Christian, except for bankers (keenly aware that it is an international bank holiday) or those staying in hotels, the day might very well pass you by. The MRT continues to run on a regular schedule, shops and restaurants continue to operate as normal, […]

International Migrants Day, when the contributions of migrants all over the world are acknowledged, is marked on 18th December. The occasion was first observed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000, a decade after the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families was adopted […]

On 18 December 1990, the United Nations (UN) adopted the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The treaty recognized the increased risk, exploitation, and abuse faced by migrant domestic workers, and called for the equal treatment and protection for migrant workers and members of […]

In ‘Platform firms must not exploit protection for platform workers for more profit’ (The Straits Times, November 2022), Professor Sumit Agarwal (NUS Departments of Finance, Real Estate, and Economics) discusses the importance of ensuring strong social protections for the labour force. A strong social safety net, including the provision of retirement security, medical insurance and […]

In ‘Commentary: Could Anwar’s government bring back Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR project?’ (Channel NewsAsia, December 2022), Dr Serina Rahman (NUS Southeast Asian Studies and ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute) discusses whether Malaysia’s new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, will revive the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project. With the fall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2018, the HSR […]

On 8 December 2013, a riot broke out in Little India after a foreign worker was killed in a traffic accident. In the aftermath of the riot, the Singapore government restricted migrant workers’ access to alcohol in certain recreational spaces. Although the government agreed that alcohol was not a direct cause of the riot, they […]

The second of Singapore’s post-independence riots, the Little India riot on December 8, 2013 led to the rise of distasteful sentiments towards the migrant worker population in Singapore. While dormitories already segregated migrant workers from the general population, the aftermath of the riot saw further limitations being placed on their mobility. Despite the country’s desire […]

In ‘University grads’ median pay is $4.2k, double the $2k of those with ITE, secondary education: Study’ (The Straits Times, December 2022), Associate Professor Irene Y.H. Ng (NUS Social Work) was featured for her study on the wage gap between young Singaporeans holding a university or post-graduate degree and those with lower education qualifications. From […]

  International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is observed on the 5th of December every year. Created by the United Nations, it is a day that recognises the volunteer efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. Despite the proliferation of studies and publications on voluntary organisations, […]