Commentary

Temporary workers may hold the key to alleviating Singapore's skills shortages

According to a recent Hays survey, 40 percent of candidates in Singapore are now more open to temporary/contract work than they were in recent years.

Temporary workers may hold the key to alleviating Singapore's skills shortages

According to a recent Hays survey, 40 percent of candidates in Singapore are now more open to temporary/contract work than they were in recent years.

Managing healthcare inflation in Singapore

At the official opening of Farrer Park Hospital on March 16, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that as Singapore's population increases in age, the private healthcare sector must offer services at a lower cost to meet their needs. He called on private hospitals to upgrade their IT systems in order to provide improved services.

7 success lessons your degree failed to teach you

Recently, a friend of mine had the good fortune to meet Grace Ho, Chief Commercial Officer of SingPost, through a mentorship and networking session organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs) under its Future Leaders programme.

The basics of Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs) in Singapore

In Singapore, start-ups compete for talent with multinationals and cannot offer large paychecks compared to their large competitors. Recruiting the right talent and retaining motivated talent is vital for any company that seeks to innovate.

When technology could stifle transformation

I met the CEO of a SME business in Singapore recently and he lamented that new technology pilot projects don't always seem to result in enhanced productivity or business returns. At the same time, a number of mature professionals I meet at U Future Leaders Series have expressed lack of hope for their own careers in the current phase of transformation since they feel it is all about cutting-edge technology, a space beyond many of their comfort zone.

Should wealth managers recommend Bitcoin?

Of all the alternative investments out there, should Singaporean investors start badgering their wealth managers to start buying up Bitcoin?

The greener future of Asia's aviation sector

Singapore just played host to yet another successful installation of the Singapore Airshow 2016 with some 50 deals inked, out of which 10 carried a total value of US$12.3 billion.

At the crossroad of digital transformation and disruption

With the proliferation of devices and rapid improvement in infrastructure, Singapore, along with the rest of Asia, is at the crossroad of digital transformation and disruption. No other region is developing quite as quickly when it comes to the adoption of new technologies and innovation. This has brought a lot of attention to apps and technology that connect users, information, and devices.

Work-life balance: Solution or curse?

The rhetoric on whether a work-life balance for Singaporeans is sustainable has been hotly debated. In some sectors, it has leveraged better staff retention, increased productivity, and enhanced career growth but at what cost? High stress levels, long working hours, decreased family time, and marital strife are some of the consequences highlighted by this paradigm shift in work-centric Singapore.

Singapore needs a Bounce-Back Budget for 2016

"I believe in the notion of a trampoline." That metaphor was all it took for Singapore’s deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to encapsulate Singapore’s approach toward fostering socio-economic resilience in her population. The robust exchange with BBC’s Stephen Sackur happened at last year’s St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, which theme was fittingly dubbed "Proudly Small", as if conference organisers were tipping their hat toward how big of an influence this Little Red Dot has become.

Foolish investor mistakes during market volatility

“If you want to have a better performance than the crowd, you must do things differently from the crowd.” - Warren Buffett

The IRS vs Singapore

Last September, I wrote "After Switzerland, is Singapore next?". The fact is that anyone with even a cursory interest in the world of banking has noticed what has been happening in Switzerland for the better part of the last decade. The mighty US government has managed to get Switzerland to do what no one else could ever do. The US managed to get Switzerland to circumvent their own rules on banking secrecy to turn over client details to the US authorities.

Dealing with ambiguity: The new talent currency for Singapore professionals?

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are all around us now, from computers which identify and sort our email spams, to ‘DeepFace’ of Facebook which identifies faces with 97.25% accuracy, to self-driving cars on Singapore roads.

Bringing more visitors to Singapore

Singapore as a tourist destination is going through tough times.

Big data's impact on Singapore's MediShieldLife & healthcare industry

Wearable devices are now a common affordable consumer gadget, with many brands engaged in intense competition for a piece of the growing market, with increasing pressures on the profit margins.

Why Singapore's businesses must double-down on due diligence and corporate compliance

In a time of universal deceit, according to Orwell, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. In today's business environment, truthful business is no longer a revolutionary act, but is a necessary component of responsible and sustainable business practice.

Ageing gracefully with assurance

Most Singaporeans can expect to live longer than their previous generations, thanks to continuing improvements of standards of living over the years. For example, the life expectancy for females was 70.1 years in 1963, and has increased to 84.6 years in 2013, and is expected to extend to 88.8 years in 2033.