Your Daily Update
Q2 retrenchments at a six-year high, bus fines from Wednesday, and Teo fights for Asian Games MMA gold
Tuesday's Singapore Daily Update — eighteen stories on MOM's 4,620 layoffs, LTA's second COE round, SPF scam advisories, Tekka cleaning closures, PSLE study break, and Changi transit promos.
BusinessSingapore Retrenchments Hit 4,620 in Q2, Highest Since Pandemic Peak
MOM’s second-quarter labour report counted 4,620 retrenchments, or 2.0 per 1,000 employees—the highest since the pandemic peak—while total employment still grew by 11,400 and job vacancies eased to 68,600.
Today's picks
PoliticsBus Commuters Face Up to S$500 Fines for Feet on Seats From Sep 23
SportsTiffany Teo Reaches Asian Games MMA Final After Weight Rule Decision
SecurityPolice Warn of Fake SPF Pop-Ups That Lock Screens and Drain Bank Cards
LifestyleTekka Centre Closes for Cleaning as 15 Hawker Centres Shut for the Week
Credit CardsLTA Urges Prudent COE Bids as September's Second Round Closes Wednesday
TechnologyInstitute of Digital Government Targets AI Literacy for 150,000 Public Officers
TravelNailoong Stamp Quest Launches Across Changi Transit From Tuesday
OpinionRetrenchment Headlines Should Not Mask a Still-Tight Labour Market
EducationPrimary 6 Study Break Starts as PSLE Written Papers Begin Thursday
EntertainmentKitKat F1 Break Zone Opens at Changi Terminal 2 With Racing Simulators
HealthInfluenza Cases Climb as MOH Urges SH Vaccine Before NH Shots Arrive
StocksSTI Closes Up 0.3% as DFI Retail Leads, Seatrium Slides
LifestyleClementi West Hawker Centre Stays Shut for Redecoration Works
SecurityTrading-Card Job Scams Cost Singapore Victims at Least S$71,000 Since August
Credit CardsBTO Income Ceilings Rise to S$16,000 as HDB Chases More Two-Room Flexi Supply
BusinessSolar Rollout Saved Singapore S$123.8 Million in Gas Imports, CREA Finds
PoliticsGreenery and Heritage Sites Weigh on Singapore's Next Housing Sites, Indranee Says
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Also worth your time
Clementi West Hawker Centre Stays Shut for Redecoration Works
Block 726 Clementi West Street 2 hawker centre stays shut for NEA repairs and redecoration until Dec 27, alongside Kim Keat Palm’s works through Dec 13, displacing west-side lunch routines for months.
Tekka Centre Closes for Cleaning as 15 Hawker Centres Shut for the Week
Tekka Centre at Buffalo Road shuts Sept 21–22 as NEA runs quarterly cleaning across 15 hawker centres in the fourth week of September, sending regulars to nearby stalls or alternate markets.
Trading-Card Job Scams Cost Singapore Victims at Least S$71,000 Since August
At least 12 trading-card job scams since Aug 25 have cost victims more than S$71,000, police said on Sept 14, as fraudsters pair Pokémon-style tasks with cryptocurrency deposits on fake platforms.
Police Warn of Fake SPF Pop-Ups That Lock Screens and Drain Bank Cards
Police warned on Sept 20 that fake Singapore Police Force pop-ups are locking browsers and harvesting card details, with victims charged unauthorised foreign-currency amounts after paying bogus fines.
BTO Income Ceilings Rise to S$16,000 as HDB Chases More Two-Room Flexi Supply
After National Day Rally moves lifted BTO income ceilings to S$16,000 for families and S$8,000 for singles, HDB is lining up more two-room flexi flats and a November sales exercise while Indranee Rajah ties supply to the 55,000-flat 2025–27 launch pledge.
LTA Urges Prudent COE Bids as September's Second Round Closes Wednesday
September’s second COE bidding window closes at 4pm on Sept 23 with Category A already at a record S$133,009 from the Sept 9 exercise, as LTA repeats calls for prudent bids amid elevated demand.
Solar Rollout Saved Singapore S$123.8 Million in Gas Imports, CREA Finds
Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air modelling credits Singapore’s solar build-out with avoiding S$123.8 million in gas import costs over five months in early 2026, even as Hormuz-linked premiums kept overall fossil fuel bills elevated.
Singapore Retrenchments Hit 4,620 in Q2, Highest Since Pandemic Peak
MOM’s second-quarter labour report counted 4,620 retrenchments, or 2.0 per 1,000 employees—the highest since the pandemic peak—while total employment still grew by 11,400 and job vacancies eased to 68,600.
Bus Commuters Face Up to S$500 Fines for Feet on Seats From Sep 23
From Sept 23, bus commuters who put feet on seats, blast loud audio, litter or eat on board can be fined up to S$500, with heavier penalties for obstruction at interchanges under rules LTA rolled out ahead of the October 2025 Transport Sector Bill taking effect.
Greenery and Heritage Sites Weigh on Singapore's Next Housing Sites, Indranee Says
Second Minister Indranee Rajah told Parliament that housing on greenery or heritage land is a last resort when brownfield sites run out, even as HDB presses ahead with Gillman Barracks and Sunset Way after revised environmental studies and a 55,000-flat BTO pledge through 2027.