The country’s deputy prime minister said the incentive would put economic pressure on people who face economic pressures and are worried about their jobs.
“We’ve received feedback that some outstanding parents have postponed their paternity plan because of Kovid-19,” Hang Swee Kit told lawmakers Monday.
“This is perfectly understandable, especially when they face uncertainty about their income,” he added.
Hang said the payment would help parents with costs, but he did not guarantee how much would be paid.
Despite a largely successful public health response to the epidemic, Singapore’s economy has plunged into a deep recession.
Singapore has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, a figure that successive governments have tried unsuccessfully to counteract.
According to its National Statistics Institute, the fertility rate is now only 1.14 births per woman.
A country will naturally rebuild itself, Women should have an average of 3.1 children – although most developed countries are now below that level, the global fertility rate has been declining due to a decline in the proportion of couples and the low importance of traditional gender roles.
Singapore has been struggling to reverse the trend since the 1980s, with public campaigns promoting childbirth and a large portion of economic and tax incentives failing to stem its recession.
Isaac Yea of CNN contributed to this report.
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