Overview

• Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called on Singaporeans to build a “we first” society, urging collective bonds to take precedence over individual interests.
• The government will open new citizen-engagement channels, from citizens’ panels and youth panels to hackathons and the Government Partnerships Office, to co-create policies with residents.
• A coordinated jobs package includes government-funded traineeships for ITE, polytechnic and university graduates, town-level job-matching by Community Development Councils and enhancements to the SkillsFuture Level Up programme alongside a broad drive to adopt AI for productivity.
• New Age Well Neighbourhoods will bring senior care services and active-ageing facilities closer to elderly residents in HDB towns, and vaping will be reclassified as a drug issue with tougher penalties for sellers and rehabilitation support for users.
• Chee Hong Tat will lead a Chinese Community Liaison Group and plans were previewed for northern growth projects, including an expanded Woodlands Checkpoint and new public housing in Kranji and Sembawang, while the Workers’ Party pressed for wider engagement and economic safeguards such as underemployment tracking and a minimum-wage debate.