Mr Tan,
Recently, I've been reading up many news reports about Singaporeans being unhappy with the work-life balance in our country.
Some are some examples:
1. http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/more-unhappy-work-life-balance-here-says-survey
2. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/work-demands-getting-in-the-way-of-family-time-survey
3. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/more-young-professionals-suffering-from-burn-out
It is especially sad that while our government wants our young professionals to start their own families to improve the country's fertility rates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw_VdsPQxA0), they are doing almost nothing to address the long working hours which can affect the social life of our people.
Nurturing a child can be challenging especially when both parents have to work equally hard to pay for expenses such as their HDB flat, the cheapest of which can be up a few hundred thousand dollars.
Singaporeans are generally known to work more than 40 hours per week, and yet are reportedly one of the least productive in the world.
(http://www.transitioning.org/2012/08/22/singaporeans-work-longest-hours-in-the-world-but-least-productive-worldwide/)
The long working hours neither help in our economy, nor do they help in improving our lives. Surely it is time we re-examine this system of ours?
Regards,
A Young Singaporean Adult
MY COMMENT
Most countries address this issue by setting out labor standards, e.g. maximum work week, overtime pay, minimum wages and giving better protection for workers. Singapore is lacking in these areas.
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