Slightly under half of Singaporeans think Budget 2016 is fair

YouGov, the global polling and research firm, surveyed* 986 Singaporeans right after the Budget 2016, and found that local sentiment was mostly pessimistic about the future.

Four in 10 respondents are neutral about the economy, while more than a quarter (27%) think it is 'quite good'. Although only one out of five respondents (21%) think the current economy is quite bad, Singaporeans are not very optimistic about the future economy. Over 60% of Singaporeans think the economy is either getting worse, or has stopped getting worse but shows no signs of recovery yet. The older generation, defined as those aged 45 to 54 seems to be more pessimistic about the economy, with 45% saying the economy is still getting worse.

Half of Singaporeans (49%) think the 2016 Budget is fair, although three out of five respondents do not think it will make much difference to themselves or their families in the next 12 months. A further one of five do not consider it fair.

In the next 12 months, nearly a third of Singaporeans (32%) think the 2016 Budget will leave the country better off, while 11% think the Budget will leave the country worse off. However, there are over 40% of them who think it will not make much of a difference to the country.

In terms of priorities, all initiatives raised at the 2016 Singapore Budget scored over 3.0 out of a scale 1 to 5, where 1 equals 'wrong priority' and 5 means 'high priority' except for one. The National Outdoor Adventure Education Masterplan** was ranked the lowest by respondents (2.79). When the majority of Singaporeans are not optimistic about the future economy, it is understandable that people want socially-vulnerable groups to get more protection from the government. In this sense, Singaporeans gave the highest scores to Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme** and Silver Support Scheme** (both scored 3.96).

In terms of ideas, Singaporeans gave the Silver Support Scheme the highest score (4.01) out of a scale 1-5, where 1 equalled a 'very bad idea' and 5 meant an 'excellent idea'. The initiative of giving out a one-off GST voucher** ranks second in terms of idea with a score of 3.99, while the Workfare Training Support Scheme** ranks third with a score of 3.98.

Looking ahead, 70% of Singaporeans think the government should place more emphasis on the cost of living in the next year. This outpaced all other suggestions. Around half of the respondents vote for employment (49%), 43% vote for healthcare, 35% vote for ageing population, and 34% voted for economic stability.

Interested?

View the WorkSmart Asia blog post on the Singapore Budget

Hashtag: #SGBudget2016

*Data was collected from YouGov’s panelists in Singapore over 26 to 28 March 2016 and was weighted to be representative of general population. Sample: Singapore (n=986 with 49% male and 51% female)

**The National Outdoor Adventure Education Masterplan includes a new Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) campus to be built on Coney Island.
WIS covers higher payouts and more support for disabled workers and low-wage earners.

In the Silver Support Scheme, eligible seniors will receive between S$300 and S$750 every quarter, depending on the type of flat that they live in.
One-off GST vouchers: Eligible recipients will receive a special payment of up to S$200 cash in 2016. In total, eligible households can receive up to S$500.
Workfare Training Support Scheme: Currently for low-wage workers who are 35 and above, this scheme will be extended to those with disabilities.

Raayek gives bonus points for providing telecommunications feedback in the UAE

Source: TRA.

HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA) Director General of the UAE, has launched the Raayek app. The application enables users to submit improvement ideas concerning the mobile government and TRA services, in addition to commenting about the services provided by Etisalat and Du.

The application uses gamification to involve customers in the decision making process. This feature was designed to increase user engagement. Users are granted points for registration and more points for active participation. The user with the largest number of points will be ranked as first in a Leader Board can receive awards that will be provided by TRA on a regular basis.

HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, UAE TRA Director General stated, “TRA believes that engagement and customers’ involvement in decision making play a vital role in enhancing customer satisfaction. Driven by this belief, we launched this app which comes in the framework of the restless effort we exert to contribute in achieving our 2021 vision. This application also reflects our commitment to the directives of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum who stated that smart employees are the building blocks of smart services.

"We encourage our customers to interact with us through the app and share their suggestions and remarks regarding the proposed topics. We also promise them that we will treat their concerns with optimum care and strive to resolve their issues whether they are related to TRA, mGovernment, or Etisalat and Du services.

“I am calling all concerned parties to voice their opinions through the app, as this will contribute significantly to our development process and will serve our aim of achieving customer happiness. We are really keen and eager to explore our customers’ perception regarding telecom and smart services provided by various governmental entities."

Saif bin Ghalaita, TRA Director of Technology Development Department, stated, "This application represents an interactive platform that will enable us to interact more effectively with our customers and learn more about their opinions regarding several topics through the quick discussions that we will have with them. We developed this app based on an innovative concept and many constructive internal discussions. The application provides a separate mechanism that evaluates customers’ behaviour and assesses the benefits they gain from the various features provided by the app. According to this mechanism, we calculate the points that are going to be granted to users for each action they perform.”

SMRT announces new initiatives to make commuting more pleasant in Singapore

SMRT has announced a second wave of initiatives to enhance the Singapore public transport experience.

Source: SMRT.

"SMRT remains focused and committed to improving our safety and train reliability through on-going maintenance and upgrading programmes. However, we recognise that service initiatives are also important to provide our commuters with a positive travel experience. 

"Our first three pilot programmes*, namely the Care Stickers, Priority Queues and Charging Points, were introduced over the last two months to cater to commuters with special needs and emergencies. To further enhance passenger safety and travel experience, we are pleased to introduce four more new initiatives: Escalator Safety Announcements, Care Zones, eFeedback System, and SMRT SNAP-REP. Collectively, we hope they offer greater conveniences and provide more channels of feedback for our commuters,” said Alvin Kek, Vice President, Rail Operations, SMRT Trains.

Escalator Safety Announcements
Escalator incidents often involve commuters who were distracted by mobile device usage and therefore failed to pay attention when using the escalators. SMRT is running Escalator Safety Announcements to alert and remind commuters of their safety when using the escalators. This complements its existing efforts of posters and signage to encourage commuters to hold on to the handrails and not use mobile devices while riding the escalators. Currently installed at Simei and Tanjong Pagar MRT stations, these safety announcements will be extended to other high passenger flow stations such as Yishun, Buona Vista, Jurong East, Orchard and City Hall stations.

Care Zones
To ensure passenger safety and better attention to the safety of commuters with special needs and those who may require extra attention, SMRT will be implementing Care Zones at its stations. Prominently located at waiting platforms of the stations, these CCTV-monitored Zones also allow commuters with quick access to Emergency Phones to contact station staff at the Passenger Service Centres for immediate assistance. Care Zones are implemented at Tanjong Pagar, Orchard, City Hall and Kent Ridge and will be provided at nine other stations over the next one month.

E-Feedback System at Passenger Service Centres
SMRT encourages commuters to provide feedback so that it can improve its delivery of services to the public. The company has added more channels for feedback. In addition to the existing channels: website, customer service hotline and Facebook page, commuters are encouraged to leave feedback through the eFeedback System, which are accessible through tablets at Passenger Service Centres. The eFeedback system is currently available at City Hall, Tanjong Pagar, Orchard and Kent Ridge MRT stations, and will be implemented at 18 more stations such as Jurong East, Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Marina Bay, Bedok, Pasir Ris and Changi Airport stations.

SMRT SNAP-REP
A new technical defect reporting channel, known as SMRT SNAP-REP (Short for Snap and Report), will also be introduced to provide commuters with a quick and easy way of alerting SMRT to any technical defect they come across while travelling within our network. Commuters simply need to snap photos of the defects with their mobile devices and send them to the SMRT WhatsApp hotline at +65 9788 4398 with details such as the vehicle number, date, time, location, and a short description of the defect. Commuters are encouraged to use the one-way feedback channel responsibly.

*Care Stickers are targeted at various groups of commuters who might require special care and attention, including commuters with mobility needs and unwell passengers. The care stickers would help other commuters identify and extend care to these commuters more easily. Also part of the trial is the Priority Queues initiative at the entrance of lifts to cater to passengers who are in greater need of using the lift facilities at our stations. The third initiative, Mobile Device Charging Points, are provided to commuters who need an outlet to quickly charge their mobile devices in the event that they need to contact someone urgently during an emergency.