SINGAPORE: In a street interview of different Singaporeans concerning what would be considered poor in the country, many answered that it’s people whose salaries are around S$2000 or less.
In an Aug 11 (Friday) video on the Asian Boss channel on YouTube, host Elena went to one of the “less well-off” areas in the city to find out their views on poverty, income, government support, and what can be done to help those with less resources.
Elena talked to several men and one woman from diverse backgrounds, including an unemployed person, freelance driver, an architectural consultant, a financial advisor and a tattoo artist, who appears to be the lone foreigner among the interviewees.
They all agreed that there are many poor people in Singapore, with one older man actually saying that everyone he knows in Bukit Merah is poor.
Among the interviewees, it was the woman who seems to have the hardest situation, being unemployed and having some problems with her leg. She told Elena that she used to get acupuncture for it, but can no longer afford it.
Nevertheless, the woman added that she receives help and credits her MP for helping her get her flat, which she only pays S$26 for.
When Elena asked some of the interviewees how much their salary is, the freelance driver said he makes less than S$5000 monthly, and the financial advisor said his income is between S$4000 to 5000 monthly, adding that he barely survives on this amount.
She then proceeded to ask everyone what monthly income they would consider as poor in Singapore. While one said “less than S$1000, others said “between S$1800 to 2200,” “S$1500 to 2000,” and “below $2000.”
The median monthly salary in Singapore for 2022 is S$5,070. And while Singapore has no official poverty line, a general metric for assessing a low-income household would be an income of S$1,900 and below. In 2022, the bottom 10 per cent of Singapore households earned $2,314 monthly.
Interestingly, many of those interviewed in the Asian Boss video expressed satisfaction with the amount of help the government extends to those who are in need. The interviewees said that the government is doing enough to help people, which is something that they appreciate.
There was one interviewee though, who said that the different government programmes for obtaining assistance aren’t always easy to access.
The older man, whose face was blurred as he spoke on camera, noted that the thinking of many is ‘Oh if we start giving welfare, we will bankrupt the country.”
/TISG
Jamus Lim: “I find it crazy” that Singapore doesn’t have an official poverty line