A Ministry of Manpower (MOM) study has revealed that almost one in five Singapore workers are over-qualified for their jobs.But this is voluntary because most of the workers choose roles «that better align with their aspirations, work preferences or life circumstances», the study released on Tuesday (April 14) said.Still, Singapore's over-qualification rate of 19.4 per cent is lower than other high-income economies such as the United States, Finland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland — 21.6 per cent.According to MOM, 1.7 per cent of the resident workforce wanted a better job, meaning they were unable to find jobs that matched their higher qualifications.Singapore has a highly educated workforce, with 64 per cent holding tertiary qualification last year, well above the average of 41.2 per cent across high-income countries.The MOM study also said that workers aged 34 and below made up one-third of those in overqualified jobs.In the last 10 years, the median gross monthly income for full-time employed tertiary graduates rose from $5,800 to $7,605.Starting salaries have also increased over the same period.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam has shared his well-wishes for the Tamil New Year, Puthandu, falling on Tuesday (April 14), and to Sikhs, Malayalees, Bengalis and other Indian communities in Singapore who are also celebrating festivities in the next couple of days.He also took the opportunity to share his personal preference when it comes to briyani, according to a Facebook post on the same day.He then went on to share his love for the traditional and «quintessential» Indian dish, emphasising how it has transcended race, religion and culture.President Tharman has gone off beef, but there is a choice of chicken, mutton, lamb or seafood briyani to enjoy — which he says must be slow-cooked to infuse the rice with the flavour of meats and spices.But his current preference is vegetable briyani, with jackfruit replacing meat.«It's in fact a fast growing, healthy and environmentally friendly choice in India, where briyani is the most popular food order,» he said.Describing the dish as one that «crossed geographies and cultures», the president briefly addressed briyani's history.

Bishan residents are split after funeral planning flyers were left outside their homes, with views ranging from «inauspicious» to a «harmless» marketing move.The incident occurred at Block 173 Bishan Street 13, reported Shin Min Daily News. A resident told the Chinese daily that they received flyers from funeral provider Nirvana Memorial Garden a few days prior. One flyer advertised a «relaxing and free day trip» which included an itinerary for participants to visit a Buddhist temple and a vegetable wholesale market before heading to the memorial garden. The funeral home, located at 950 Old Choa Chu Kang Road, has a columbarium and offers funeral and exhumation services. 'Cursing me to die earlier' One resident, who only gave her name as Xiu (transliteration), 21, said she felt as thought the flyers were «cursing me to die earlier», making her feel uncomfortable.Another resident, Fu (transliteration), 55, saw the flyer being dropped at his doorstep and assumed it was a regular advertisement, but was shocked when he realised its contents. 

National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat is on a five-day working visit to China from April 13 (Monday) to April 17.In a statement on Tuesday, a Ministry of National Development (MND) spokesperson said Chee will attend meetings in Beijing and Tianjin.Taking to his Facebook page on Tuesday evening, the minister said he met with his counterpart, China's Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong.The two leaders last met in September 2025 during a leadership dialogue between their ministries.«We had a productive discussion on deepening the collaboration between Singapore and China in the built environment sector, including the use of innovative technologies and advanced materials for construction, facility management, and improving the comfort and quality of our living environment,» Chee wrote.While in Beijing, Chee, who is also deputy chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), met with Bank of China chairman Ge Haijiao, who is a member of the MAS international advisory panel.

A pilot study in Singapore involving Lovot — the doll-like social companion robot developed by Japanese firm Groove X — has showed significant improvements in emotional well-being and engagement among both the elderly and children with high support needs. Lovot uses AI to respond to people in real time through movement, sound and interactive behaviours. «It creates a warm and engaging presence that supports attention, participation and emotional connection during structured and organic activities,» said non-profit social service agency AWWA. Among seniors across diverse backgrounds, including those with dementia, interactions with Lovot showed an improved quality of life, greater happiness, and meaningful companionship, said AWWA in a press release on Monday (April 13). Meanwhile, children with high support needs were observed to have improved physical well-being, school environment readiness, and mobility. 

A diner raised public hygiene concerns after two dogs were seen inside a stroller at a coffee shop beside their owners. A photo posted to Facebook on Saturday (April 11) showed the owners and their pets seated at a corner table. In the photo caption, the diner wrote: «Pets are still not allowed in hawker centres (sic) and not everyone likes dog hair in their food — all the more keeping the animals at table level.»What if the animal sneezes or starts shaking off with all the fur flying all over the place?«The diner noted that there are people with various health conditions and that pet ownership has been on the rise. The diner also noted that there are a rising number of pet friendly places and restaurants, and urged pet owners to be more mindful in public places.»Let common spaces remain inclusive, clean and safe for everyone," the diner wrote.In the comments section, several netizens rebuffed the concerns, while others said that local rules and laws should be respected. 

Commuters were evacuated from a train at Sembawang MRT station on Monday (April 13) evening, after smoke was seen coming out of its undercarriage.Videos of the incident shared on social media show several commuters at the platform. The train has its doors open as smoke from the undercarriage comes through the platform gap.Cathrine, who was purportedly onboard the affected train, told Stomp that passengers had to evacuate as smoke was coming out from under one of the train carriages.«Due to an oncoming train, the (affected) train at the station had to depart, but it moved very slowly. This caused the train following behind to move very slowly too,» the commuter said.

SINGAPORE — Singapore's central bank tightened its monetary policy settings on Tuesday (April 14), flagging the risk that an Iran war-fuelled energy shock could push up core inflation even as mounting pressure on growth was underscored by a first-quarter economic contraction.The Middle East conflict has upended global growth and inflation trajectories, throwing interest-rate expectations into disarray. As a small trade-dependent hub, Singapore is especially vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions and volatile energy prices.The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it would increase slightly the rate of appreciation of the S$ Nominal Effective Exchange Rate Index (S$NEER) policy band, in line with what most analysts polled by Reuters had expected. MAS said there would be no change to its width and the level at which it is centred.«There are considerable risks around the outlook for inflation and growth,» MAS said, adding that the Middle East situation «is evolving and remains highly uncertain».

SINGAPORE — Singapore's economy grew by 4.6 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier, preliminary government data showed on Tuesday (April 14).Economists polled by Reuters had expected annual growth of 5.9 per cent in the January-March period.On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted basis, GDP contracted 0.3 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to advance estimates from the trade ministry. [[nid:733597]]

SINGAPORE — The Bloomberg reporter who has been sued by two ministers for defamation over an article he wrote about good class bungalow (GCB) transactions took the stand on Monday (April 13), the fifth day of an ongoing trial.Low De Wei, who is also known as Dexter, maintained that he had acted in good faith and was «motivated by the public interest in transparency and reporting on a trend in the Singapore GCB market».But the ministers' lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, grilled Low on claiming that certain deals are kept «secret» from the public and accused him of conveying falsehoods.Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng have sued Bloomberg and Low over the Dec 12, 2024, article, headlined «Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy».The article mentioned the ministers' property deals in 2023 - the sale of Shanmugam's former home in the Queen Astrid Park area to UBS Trustees for $88 million and Dr Tan's non-caveated purchase of a bungalow in Brizay Park for nearly $27.3 million.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, and this seems to be the case for Hougang Neighbourhood Police Centre's (NPC) now-viral and much-talked about anti-scam video, with at least two of Taiwan's police districts recreating Mandarin versions of it.The original video, published on April 1, featured 35-year-old Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Cheah, and it got over 850,000 views on Facebook at the time of this story's publication. On April 8, Taiwan's Banqiao Police posted a strikingly similar version featuring a male officer, while Kaohsiung Police's criminal investigation department featured a female officer. Both videos have received over 200,000 views on Facebook as at Monday (April 13).Since then, several Taiwanese netizens have raised concerns about plagiarism and copyright, including not crediting the source. 

Singaporeans must brace ourselves as we face multiple knock-on effects following the Middle East conflict, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in a speech at the Home Team Promotion Ceremony 2026 on Monday (April 13).He said the Middle East conflict has shown that Iran has the «leverage it can wield» by closing the Strait of Hormuz.«There are reports of ships paying the Iranian authorities tolls for safe passage, up to US$2 million(S$2.5 million),» Shanmugam said.«Before the conflict, 80 ships passed through the Strait daily. If all of them paid that toll, that would be US$160 million per day.»In response, the US announced that it will blockade the Strait, which will also have consequences for Singapore, the minister said.Explaining the impact of the conflict, Shanmugam explained that terrorism threats have increased, oil and energy flows have been disrupted and prices have risen.«Next consequence, a continuation of a new phenomena in world order,» he stated.

Local influencer Eunice Ng, who goes by the online moniker Mermaid Girl, has been charged in court for an offence under the Tobacco Act.The 26-year-old had allegedly advertised e-vaporisers via Telegram, purportedly taking orders from «close clients» whom she trusted, according to screenshots of her Telegram stories posted to TikTok.Citing court documents, The Straits Times reported that she allegedly wrote: «For those who want me to get vape for them, you can send me your pre-order list, and I will try to get them.»If there is high demand, I will set up a Google Form.«One screenshot had also allegedly showed her stating that the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) »didn't manage to catch« her because she had »outsmarted" them, AsiaOne reported in December last year.Ng's Telegram channel still has over 3,000 followers as at Monday evening.In a statement on Dec 30, HSA stated that it is aware of the matter and commenced investigations last month, which Ng assisted with.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) aims to keep housing affordable and accessible to the public by ensuring a robust supply of Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Syed Harun Alhabsyi told AsiaOne in an exclusive interview in March.«If you notice, over the past few years, we've actually been building more and building faster,» he said.«This is our effort towards making sure that every Singaporean household can have a flat of their own.»Young families are a critical sector that MND supports, with nine in 10 first-time households able to service their housing loan through the Central Provident Fund (CPF) with little to no cash outlay, he stated.A robust BTO housing supply is also expected to move demand away from the resale market, which will, in turn, moderate market prices.«At the same time, it's also important to note that we do our level best to be able to ensure that grants are available for first-timer households seeking to purchase their first flat,» Dr Syed Harun said.