TODAY organised a watch party with five young Singaporeans aged 35 and below to discuss their thoughts on the measures announced in Budget 2024 on Friday by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. Here are some excerpts from the discussion.The five participants at TODAY’s Budget watch party on Feb 16, 2024 discussed issues related to the Budget announcements. Mr Ahmad Amsyar Mohd Adom, Ms Dawn Lim, Ms Larissa Santhana Nair, Mr Dev Bahl and Ms Justine Ong-Farmer.
Ms Larissa Santhana Nair, 24, a jobseeker in the public relations field, who was retrenched in December last year What did you think of the measures to defray the rising cost of living? Are these measures sufficient in addressing your concerns?: I think that the current handouts provide short to mid-term relief for the rising cost of living in Singapore. However, relying solely on handouts is not a sustainable long-term solution. It may be beneficial to review structural policies for more lasting effects.
I also help with a little bit of the boot camp programmes as well, and I can see that a lot of these folks come from defence sectors, healthcare sectors, sectors that are highly specialised – which kind of alienates them from the corporate world. So sometimes, having that pay support really helps. Because I could potentially leave a job if I’m fully committed to transiting careers, be funded while I’m studying, sustain my lifestyle and my family, and then get a new job as well.