Unpaid wages and recruitment debt: Can Singapore fix the gaps facing its migrant workers?

Dinesh Vasu Dash and Tan Dawn Wei discuss migrant workers - the unpaid wage saga and their role in our economy. Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each week, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues of …

Inside disguised retrenchments: An employment lawyer on how companies force workers out

Retrenchment payouts, mental health claims & the Workplace Fairness Act: How S’pore’s new law rewrites the rules. Synopsis: Conversations and interviews that give you something to think about. Each week, In Your Opinion speaks to thinkers, leaders, and the people shaping our lives and the issues o…

The surprising reason Singaporeans complain but don’t correct bad public behaviour

While strict laws enforce behaviour, building a gracious society requires mutual trust rather than constant rules. Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Singapore seems to be introducing more laws to police everyday behav…

Singapore footpath wars: Why reclaiming car space could solve the PMD and PMA problem

While more car lanes induce congestion, reclaiming road space for micro-mobility would make for a highly efficient transport. Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. New rules for Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs) kicked in on …

Can the Lions deliver? SG football’s future, World Cup ambitions & career pathways

Can the Lions unleash the roar in World Cup 2034? Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. With the World Cup frenzy gripping nations, the performances of Asian powerhouses and small-population underdogs have sparked a famil…

Singapore's lonely seniors: Why the super-aged feel isolated even when living with family

Seniors are increasingly feeling lonely. Learn why preventing elderly loneliness starts in your 20s.  Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. The shift from open kampungs to closed-door HDB flats has left many Singaporean s…

A focus on one-child couples is an easier baby booster than large families 

Targeting one-child couples for a second child is lower-hanging fruit than pushing for a third under the Large Families Scheme, says a researcher.  Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Stopping at one or two children is …

Deepfakes, $50 intimate photos amid OSC launch

Singapore's new Online Safety Commission (OSC) rolls out to combat cyberbullying, deepfakes, and online harms. But will this law protect victims, or will trolls simply hide in darker corners? Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with …

P1 registration: How did the parent volunteer scheme become an arms race?

The scheme was meant to build closer ties between parents and schools. Has it achieved its intended purpose, or outlived its usefulness?  Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. Would you volunteer your time and effort to g…

‘The more you know, the more wonderful it becomes’: Brian Cox on science and awe

In an age where information is readily available and where we're fed an unending stream of content, have we lost our sense of wonder? Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. We live in a time where technology has made infor…