(CMR) As the country continues to struggle with a low birth rate, Singapore's deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said that his country would be providing a one time payment to aspiring parents during the coronavirus pandemic.
Singapore has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and aspiring parents have said that the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed their plans to have children, citing a bleak economic outlook due to job shortages and wage cuts.
“We have received feedback that COVID-19 has caused some aspiring parents to postpone their parenthood plans,” Heng Swee Keat told lawmakers on Monday.
“This is fully understandable, especially when they face uncertainty with their income,” he added.
According to Heng, the payment would help parents with expenses, but he did not confirm how much would be paid out.
The pandemic has thrown Singapore's economy into recession with early reports suggesting that the GDP likely shrank 12.6% in the second quarter compared to the same time the previous year marking “the steepest drop on record”.
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