SINGAPORE: Singapore’s labour market continued to grow in 2025, but the bulk of new jobs went to foreign workers rather than locals, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) latest Labour Market Report released in March.

The report showed that total employment, excluding migrant domestic workers, expanded by 55,500 in 2025, up from 44,500 in 2024. However, non-residents accounted for 43,900 of those jobs, or about 79% of total employment growth, while residents — comprising Singapore citizens and permanent residents — took up 11,600 positions.

The figures mean that for every new job gained by a resident worker last year, around four went to non-residents.

The report also showed differences in where employment gains were concentrated.

Among residents, most of the growth came from higher-skilled industries such as financial services and health and social services. Non-resident employment growth was driven mainly by labour-intensive sectors, particularly construction, which continued to depend heavily on foreign manpower for infrastructure and building projects.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, employment for both residents and non-residents increased in administrative and support services as well as retail trade, with MOM attributing the rise largely to seasonal hiring linked to events and year-end holiday demand.

The latest figures continue a trend seen over the past several years, with non-resident employment growth consistently outpacing that of residents.

In 2023, residents accounted for less than 6% of all new jobs created despite strong overall employment growth. Even in 2025, which recorded a stronger increase in resident employment compared to previous years, foreign workers still made up close to four in five of all new jobs added.

MOM said the pattern reflects structural constraints in Singapore’s labour market.

According to the ministry, Singapore’s resident labour force participation rate for those aged between 25 and 64 has reached 85.9%, among the highest globally. With most residents who are willing and able to work already employed or actively participating in the workforce, there is limited room for further expansion of the local labour pool.

At the same time, employers continue to face manpower demands that cannot be fully met by residents alone, whether due to business expansion, replacement needs, or challenges in attracting locals to certain sectors. Foreign workers have therefore continued to fill gaps in industries facing persistent labour shortages.

Looking ahead, MOM expects the trend to continue into 2026.

Resident employment growth is projected to remain at a similar pace or slow slightly compared to 2025, while non-resident employment is expected to keep expanding alongside economic demand, particularly in construction and other manpower-intensive sectors where hiring demand has remained strong in recent years.

This article (MOM: Non-residents filled nearly 80% of new jobs in Singapore last year) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament from the Workers’ Party, Sylvia Lim and Dennis Tan, visited the scene of a fire that had broken out on Tuesday (May 5) at Block 106 Hougang Avenue 1.

Ms Lim, who chairs the WP, and Mr Tan, the vice-chair of the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), checked in on the households that had been affected by the fire, and wrote in a social media post, “Residents shared with us their harrowing experience while being grateful for making it through.”

Reports say that the fire had broken out in the early morning hours of May 5 and that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received an alert about it at around 4:50 a.m.

Before the SCDF officers arrived, around 40 people had been evacuated from the vicinity of the blaze, which involved a number of coffee shop stalls. 

In the aftermath of the blaze, five people were taken to the hospital to be assessed for smoke inhalation.

Officers from SCDF were able to extinguish the first using two water jets. What caused the incident, however, is still under investigation.

Ms Lim, who has been representing Aljunied in Parliament since 2011, wrote in a Facebook post: “On any other day or night, the Coffeeshop at Blk 106 Hougang Ave 1 would be bustling – with residents and workers from the vicinity enjoying the delicious food or sharing a bucket of beer.  Alas, a fire broke out this morning, which gutted the place.”

She added that Aljunied-Hougang Town Council (AHTC), together with contractors and agencies, including the Housing & Development Board (HDB), is working to restore normalcy to the area.

The WP chair thanked officers from the SCDF and the Singapore Police Force “for the tremendous work done.” 

“I wish everyone good health and safety in all endeavours,” she added.

This is not the first such incident in Hougang recently. On Feb 16, the day before Chinese New Year, a fire broke out at the void deck of Block 418 Hougang Avenue 8. SCDF officers were alerted to the blaze at around 12:45 pm. Together with members of the public, the police were fortunately able to put the fire out. However, three people were brought to Singapore General Hospital due to smoke inhalation.

Shortly afterwards, the area was visited by WP MP Gerald Giam, who chairs the AHTC.

“I spoke to several households, including those living directly above the site, to ensure they were safe and that their utilities remained functional,” he wrote in a social media post at the time. /TISG 

Read also: Man linked to three fires in Jurong arrested within two hours of report

This article (WP MPs Sylvia Lim, Dennis Tan visit residents after Hougang coffee shop fire) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is at risk of losing his seat, while many of the current top leaders backing him in the government risk being toppled in the next General Elections in Malaysia.

This assessment comes from an internal PKR strategic analysis presented on May 2, 2026, at a party meeting.

It highlighted what most people already know, that Anwar’s party is damaged after it resisted calls to bring reforms and to implement its electoral programme.

It says only seven of their currently held 31 seats are considered safe. Many others are listed as high-risk or requiring significant recovery.

For a party that is said to have a target of 80 seats for the next election, this is very bad. Added to the internal rift opposing former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli and his followers, which includes nine to 10 MPs, including Anwar, is also a very damaging blow to the party.

One of the most important elements in the analysis is that Anwar’s seat is at risk. Anwar was elected in the Tambun constituency in the state of Perak.

The seat has been classified as marginal, which is a startling development indeed for a sitting Prime Minister.

There are also reports that his former seat in Penang would not be secure altogether. Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, was defeated in the same seat in 2022.

The document titled “GE16 Strategic Analysis: Summary by Tier” is published by Malaysiakini. It says PKR is now a party operating in alert mode, struggling with the reality that its control over key seats is increasingly eroding.

The study focused on a total of 66 parliamentary seats for the coming general election.

PKR classified those seats into four categories (Tiers) to map out their strengths and risks ahead of GE16.

Seven seats are placed in Tier 1 (strong/safe), 13 seats in Tier 2A (almost strong), 17 seats in Tier 2B (marginal/competitive), and 29 seats in Tier 3 (difficult/recovery).

That means a majority of the seats, 46 in total in Tier 2B and Tier 3, are in high-risk zones or in danger.

Some mixed parliamentary seats listed in Tier 2A and 2B are Lembah Pantai (Fahmi Fadzil – Communications Minister), Nibong Tebal (Fadhlina Sidek – Education Minister), Johor Bahru (Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir – Economy Minister) and Sungai Petani (Taufiq Johari – Youth and Sports Minister).

Without any surprises, four of the seats that are ‘safe’ are in the hands of the group headed by former deputy president Rafizi Ramli.

Besides Rafizi (Pandan), the parliamentary seats in the safest zone are Subang (Wong Chen), Petaling Jaya (Lee Chean Chung) and Ampang (Rodziah Ismail). These three leaders are labelled as Rafizi’s allies in PKR.

This article (Malaysian PM faces risk of losing seat with party in limbo, says PKR analysis) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A content creator from Australia had the time of her life in Singapore when she had taxi uncles recommend places to eat around the city-state.

It wasn’t the first time for Amy Lyons, the woman behind the popular Blondie in China YouTube channel, to go on a food trip in Singapore, and judging from her delighted responses to the delicious meals she was served, it won’t be the last.

When she gets into cabs, Ms Lyons asks drivers to take her somewhere she would recommend to their relatives who may be visiting from out of town, where they can get something that the drivers themselves like to eat.

The first uncle recommended lor mee and chendol, urging her to find the longest queue for the most delicious lor mee, and dropped her off at Old Airport Road food centre and shopping mall.

Once there, she was recognised by an uncle who follows her channel. He and his buddies recommended Tiong Bahru Lor Mee, but it was closed. Ms Lyons was then treated by her new uncle friend to chendol, and they guided her to sit at table 188, “the best in the house.”

As 8 is a lucky number in Chinese, the uncles wished her luck every day.

She ended up loving the chendol with gula malaka, saying she wanted to eat it every day during her visit.

“This is why my soul keeps leading me back to Singapore. Nowhere else is food so easily a conduit for friendship,” she said.

The uncles then led her to try their favourite oyster omelette, which she also enjoyed greatly.

They also dropped her off at Roxy Centre, where she was set to try the katong laksa, also recommended by the first cabby. 

The smell of the laksa was so good that she said she could spray it on her body like perfume. And yes, she loved it, surprised at how different it is from the laksa she’s had at home and in Malaysia.

Other items she tried on this trip were Generation Coffee Roasters and curry chicken noodles from Heng Kee at Hong Lim Centre, from an obliging cabby who admitted he’s not a food lover. Needless to say, she enjoyed both. She also had muffins from a store called Pretty Good Muffins, and recommended the chocolate pistachio, which she had with some Ben and Jerry’s vanilla ice cream.

On her final day in Singapore, she visited Adam Road Food Centre with local content creator Brenda (@wordweed), with whom she’s gone food tripping. before. Brenda took her for Malay and Indian mamak food, and they first had Indian rojak, but what really won Ms Lyons’ heart was a bowl of mee soto, which she pronounced a new favourite. 

For her last stop, they headed to Azmi restaurant in Little India for some homemade chapattis and mutton keema. 

“This is food that speaks to my soul,” Brenda told her. /TISG

Read also: We missed a golden opportunity,’ says M’sian woman after taxi uncle boasted about Grab being a ‘Singapore product’

This article (Australian YouTuber asks taxi drivers pick her meals on Singapore food tour) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A non-local TikToker’s assumptions about how Singaporeans live have drawn some raised eyebrows. 

An Australian content creator named Connor (@cozzau) recently took a walk around Yishun, which is one of the most colourful parts of Singapore, if not THE actual OG heartland, and confidently wrote, “This Is How Singapore Really Is.”

In his May 4 video, Connor took a little tour around Yishun and started by saying, “This is how I assume most of the country I’m assuming lives. Not that Crazy Rich Asians type.”

With a chuckle, he then pointed to the condenser unit of an air-conditioner, on which several pieces of laundry were laid.

Erroneously, he said, “Why do you need a clothesline when you have a heater. Chuck it all on that. Let’s go.”

He went on to wonder if the clothing belongs to someone who lives in the area, or if it’s somewhere where a homeless person keeps their clothes.

As Connor walked on, he observed that the surroundings were beginning to look, if not downright sketchy, but “a bit filthy here, people are not picking up after stuff.”

He also said that he could tell from the way people looked at him that he was the first Westerner to come through the area in a while. 

“Especially with a camera, my god,” he added.

When he called out hello, one woman answered him with “bye,” which made him laugh. Others, however, were more friendly.

While commenters could have rightly called him out for how he was making generalisations about how Singapore “really” is based on one neighbourhood, many simply pointed out the fact that Yishun is a singular place.

“Of all places, you go to Yishun,” one remarked.

And when Connor asked, “What’s wrong with Yishun?” not just one commenter replied that it’s Singapore’s version of Florida.

“It’s the weirdest part of Singapore,” wrote a TikTok user, while another added, “It’s the armpit of SG.”

“Bro woke up and chose Yishun whyyyyyyyyy?” another asked.

One corrected his misidentification of a heater, writing, “That is an aircon, bro. We do not need a heater cos it’s always hot in Singapore, but sometimes it rains. I wonder how much research you do before you decide on the Yishun housing estate? And why only Yishun?”

Another seemed to feel Connor was being disingenuous, writing, “You do know you were walking through and filming the back alley of shops and eateries at the start of the video, right?”

A commenter added, “lol bro thinks he stumbled upon some big secret.”

“Just went to one side and you commented as if the whole of Singapore is like this… and oh… You are not the only ang mo in Yishun or the whole of Singapore,” wrote another. /TISG

Read also: Singapore’s unspoken class system, revealed by a real estate agent — Yishun gets its own category

This article (Australian TikToker’s take on Yishun as ‘real Singapore’ sparks debate) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A 32-year-old Malaysian man pleaded guilty to arson after setting fire to a debtor’s home for a promised payment of S$2,500, putting a family of seven at risk.

According to a report by Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place on December 8, 2023, at an HDB unit occupied by a 41-year-old man, his wife, their two children aged nine and three, his parents, and his sister.

Investigations showed that in November 2023, the accused, who was facing financial difficulties, received a message from an unknown person offering him money to harass residents and set fire to a unit. He initially turned it down, but later agreed after being promised S$2,500, along with a S$400 deposit.

He travelled from Malaysia to Singapore and collected the deposit in cash from a man before being given the address of the unit.

On December 8, 2023, he siphoned petrol from his motorcycle into a bottle and went to the flat. He changed into a hooded top, wore a mask and hat, and used an umbrella to conceal himself.

CCTV footage showed him locking the unit’s gate with a chain, pouring petrol on it, and setting it on fire before leaving the scene. He later sent a photo of the act to another person and returned to Malaysia the same day.

Inside the unit, the victim’s father discovered the fire and woke the rest of the family. The victim’s wife later checked the CCTV footage and called the police.

The victim said he had been facing financial difficulties and had received threatening messages, although the sender could not be traced.

Nearly two years later, the accused surrendered to the police. He asked for leniency, saying he took the job for money and that his wife was pregnant at the time.

Other related news 

In other related news, a 40-year-old man was recently arrested for his suspected involvement in three separate arson cases, with police making the arrest within two hours of receiving a report.

Read more about the news story here.

This article (Malaysian man carried out arson attack for S$2,500, endangering family of seven) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A location renovation contractor who cheated clients out of more than S$40,000 that he used for personal expenses was given a jail sentence of 16 months on Tuesday (May 5).

He has also been slapped with a fine of S$13,140.

Moreover, 44-year-old Shen Kaibin (transliterated) has been ordered to pay compensation of S$22,000, according to a report in Shin Min Daily News.

Shen was charged with cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery. He pleaded guilty to two charges, and the other two were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

The report said that Shen owns a company called WS Renovation. From 2022 to 2023, aside from his work as a renovation contractor, he also worked with an interior design company that subcontracted work to him. Customers of the interior design company would pay for the services of the firm, which would then share profits with Shen after the completion of renovation works.

In February 2023, a homeowner interested in renovation placed an inquiry with the interior design company through a message on Instagram. Shen was able to obtain the homeowner’s contact details and proceeded to reach out to them. Shen told the homeowner on March 5 that the renovation they wanted would cost S$55,000 and asked for a 10% down payment.

The homeowner was then instructed by Shen to deposit S$5,500 into his personal account. Between March 6 and 27, Shen received a total of S$30,250 from the homeowners for bogus renovation costs, and he forged three receipts from the interior design company and issued them to the homeowner.

Shortly afterwards, the homeowner and Shen got into multiple disputes concerning the renovations, prompting the homeowner to reach out to the owner of the interior design firm to complain about Shen. This is when they found out that the fees they paid had not been deposited into the account of the company.

On the part of the owner of the interior design firm, they were not even aware that the homeowner was supposed to be one of their clients.

In another incident from February 15, 2023, a client of the interior design company bought around S$8,400 worth of materials for a bathroom renovation. Shen, however, told the client that Shen paid for the items for the client, which caused the company to reimburse this amount to him. /TISG

Read also: Hair salon boss apologises, asks unhappy customer for refund extension, being scammed by renovation contractor

This article (Singapore renovator gets 16 months’ jail for cheating clients of S$40,000+) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: On May 6 (Wednesday), a 50-year-old Indonesian woman who worked in Singapore as a domestic worker was given a jail sentence of two months for marrying a local man who already had a wife. 

She married the Singaporean man in Batam because it would allow her to obtain a housing loan on the island.

The helper, who only goes by the single name Komariah, together with 61-year-old Low Kok Peng, travelled to Batam in 2024 for a Muslim marriage ceremony, according to a report in CNA. On April 24, Low, who had entered a guilty plea to one charge of bigamy under the Women’s Charter, had similarly been given a two-month jail sentence. 

Komariah entered a guilty plea to one count of abetting bigamy under the Women’s Charter. Another charge of contravening a condition of her work pass by marrying a Singaporean without prior approval was considered for her sentencing.

Backstory to bigamy

After Komariah met Low through a friend in 2016, the two became romantically involved. At the time of their meeting, Komariah had a permit to work in Singapore as a domestic helper.

Low has been married to a Singaporean woman, now 55, since 1992, with whom he has a daughter.

In 2024, Low and Komariah travelled to Batam and had a Muslim marriage solemnised by a religious leader who had been contacted by Komariah’s relatives. The pair did this since they could not legally get married in Singapore.

Additionally, the helper is said to have failed to obtain permission for the marriage from the controller of work passes, which violates her work pass.

When they returned to Singapore, Loh went back to live with his legal wife.

Loh’s wife was unaware of her husband’s second marriage ceremony. Komariah, however, knew that Loh’s first wife was still alive, but pushed through with the ceremony to obtain a housing loan.

In January, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) received information about a case of suspected bigamy, and later that month, a police report was filed in relation to the case.

A representative from MOM told CNA that the helper’s work permit has since been cancelled.

Her marriage to Loh, however, has not been annulled.

The helper asked for a sentence lighter than the two months’ jail sought by the prosecution, saying that she is the only person supporting her elderly parents. 

Komariah could have been made to pay a fine of as much as S$10,000, been jailed for a maximum of 12 months, or both, for the offence of abetting bigamy. /TISG

Read also: Singapore man who married already-wedded Vietnamese woman to get 4 months, 6 weeks’ jail

This article (2 months’ jail for maid who married already-wedded Singaporean man in Batam) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: An expat who has apparently lived in Singapore for 20 years is being blasted online for his “arrogant” behaviour on board a Malaysia Airlines plane after the flight landed at Changi Airport.

A fellow passenger on the plane took to Reddit and revealed that the incident took place on Sunday (May 3) and said the Caucasian man “played traffic police on MH0607 and blocked the aisle with his leg,” asserting that the plane doors were not open yet.

u/PAPasNCMP said that the plane had already reached the gate when passengers began standing up to retrieve their belongings from the overhead compartments, but a man seated around rows 26 or 27 allegedly refused to join the queue and instead obstructed others from doing so.

“Not sure if it’s his ego or what, but he decides to stay seated and literally stretches his leg out into the walkway to physically block the people behind him from moving forward,” the Reddit user wrote, “He actually tells us: ‘You all are not leaving this plane anyway, the door is not open.’“

One young passenger reportedly managed to squeeze past before the man could fully block the aisle, and the move appeared to irritate the Caucasian man. The Redditor recounted, “The guy got annoyed and asked the kid, ‘What is the rush, you are not able to leave the plane.’”

“The young chap just casually replied: ‘It’s ok, I’m a Singaporean, we will rush to the queue and are willing to queue for a long time.” Honestly, massive respect to this kid.’”

The man then apparently responded, “I’ve lived in Singapore for 20 years, I don’t think so.”

The netizen said the man continued to block the aisle until the space in front of him had cleared, only then choosing to stand and disembark. As a result, passengers behind him were forced to wait.

“He just sat there, blocking the way, until the path in front of him completely cleared out. Only then did his majesty finally stand up and exit, while the rest of us behind him were basically stuck waiting for him.”

Expressing frustration, the Redditor asserted that no one has “the right to play traffic police and physically stop people from queuing to exit just because you personally don’t agree with it.” He added, “Honestly, don’t fly. So entitled.”

The post has since drawn attention online, with the man’s actions described as arrogant and inconsiderate by commenters. Others, however, asked why the passengers were trying to rush anyway.

One commenter said, “I stay seated usually too. But blocking others is grade A Karen behaviour.”

Another netizen felt, “But why do Singaporeans insist on pushing towards the front of the plane before the doors are open? It can be pretty aggressive with ppl pushing, etc.”

Another commenter offered what they called an “unpopular take,” saying, “Ang Moh is right in his comments. Rush what la sial… You all already suffered hours in a flight, wait another few more mins to queue up orderly to leave the plane is fine, relax lah. BUT Ang Moh is an asshole for stretching his leg to block.”

They added, “I think some passengers legitly [sic] need to go off earlier, like urgently need to go to the toilet, or maybe they have a connecting flight.”

Others said that the passengers should have just pushed through like the young man who did so. One netizen wrote, “Why didn’t people just push past his leg? He’s not supposed to be obstructing the aisle, right? And if he tries to physically restrain you, that’s wrongful restraint/confinement.”

This article (Expat labelled ‘arrogant’ after blocking plane aisle at Changi arrival) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: On social media, a theatre-goer voiced his disappointment with the ticketing platform SISTIC, accusing it of providing misleading seating information as they were buying their tickets, resulting in them having obstructed views during a performance of Les Misérables in Singapore. 

The netizen posted his concerns on Facebook, declaring that he purchased four tickets for his family, costing $138 each for seats on the back row of the second level of the theatre. The complainant emphasised that their experience was ‘severely dampened’ by a major issue: The projector screen, which was essential for viewing actors’ expressions and key details during the play, was almost entirely blocked. 

“We could only see the bottom half of the screen; the top half was completely obscured due to the height of where we were seated… For a production like Les Misérables, the projector screen is crucial for seeing the actors’ expressions and the finer details of the performance. Missing that meant missing the heart of the show.” 

Furthermore, the netizen admitted there is a lack of transparency from the ticketing website. 

“There was absolutely no warning on the SISTIC website during the booking process that these were ‘Restricted View’ seats. Had this been disclosed, I would never have chosen these seats for my family. We feel completely let down and, frankly, scammed by the lack of disclosure,” the netizen further added. 

In the comments, other people also admitted that they had the same issue. One shared: “Indeed, very true. Just to make more $$ and lack honest disclosure.” 

Moving forward, the netizen hoped that SISTIC and the venue management would take his feedback very seriously, claiming that “paying full price for a half-view is unacceptable.” 

There has been no public response from SISTIC or Sands Theatre at the time of writing. It is unclear if the seats were labelled as restricted view during the booking process, raising questions about how such limitations are communicated to buyers.

This article (SISTIC Singapore under fire for misleading seating details) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: Balestier Regency, a 72-unit freehold condominium located off Balestier Road, has been put up for collective sale in its fourth attempt, with a guide price of S$255 million.

The latest tender, launched on Monday (May 4), reflects an estimated land rate of about S$1,473 per square foot per plot ratio (psf ppr), inclusive of a land betterment charge of S$381,181. The tender will close on July 9 at 3 p.m.

The development, a 10-storey residential block at 4 Jalan Ampas, previously failed in its 2022 en bloc bid, when it was priced at S$218 million. That attempt did not proceed after the required 80% owner consensus was not achieved.

According to marketing agent SRI Capital Market, the higher asking price takes into account rising land values as well as the increasing cost for owners to secure replacement homes. Under the current exercise, owners of the condominium’s three-bedroom units, which range in size from 1,270 sq ft to 1,496 sq ft, are expected to receive between S$3.28 million and S$3.5 million if the sale is successful.

The site occupies a land area of 61,931 sq ft and is zoned for residential use under the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Master Plan 2025, with a gross plot ratio of 2.8. This allows for a maximum gross floor area of 173,407 sq ft. Based on prevailing planning guidelines and subject to approval, the site could potentially be redeveloped into a new project with up to 161 residential units.

Balestier Regency is situated near amenities such as Shaw Plaza, Zhongshan Mall, and Whampoa Market and Food Centre and is a short drive from the Novena area, including HealthCity Novena and Velocity@Novena Square.

Its relaunch comes amid a renewed push by ageing residential developments to pursue collective sales. This follows the recent S$880 million sale of Loyang Valley to a SingHaiyi Group-led consortium on April 17 — the largest residential en bloc transaction since Thomson View was sold for S$810 million in 2025.

Notably, the Loyang Valley deal was struck at a price about S$100 million lower than its previous 2022 attempt, despite the project having 55 years remaining on its 99-year lease.

Elsewhere, High Point, a freehold condominium in the Mount Elizabeth area, entered its fifth collective sale bid on April 22 with a guide price of S$580 million. The move comes five years after a proposed sale to Shun Tak Holdings for S$556.7 million fell through in December 2021, shortly after new property cooling measures — including higher additional buyer’s stamp duty rates — were introduced.

The High Point guide price translates to about S$2,641 psf ppr, inclusive of a 7% bonus gross floor area.

This article (Freehold estate back on market for en-bloc sale with S$255 million price tag) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.

SINGAPORE: A woman has complained that a delivery driver asked for a S$10 tip after she placed a takeaway order worth more than S$130.

In her post, she said the driver contacted both her and a friend through the app to request a tip, claiming the order was too large.

“I received a message from a friend saying that the delivery person had asked for a tip. Later, I found that he had also sent me a message through the app,” she wrote.

According to the driver, the order was too much to handle. He allegedly said that if the tip was not given, the order could be cancelled, and she could find another delivery person.

“The delivery person said if we didn’t tip, he could cancel and we could find another driver,” she added.

Following the incident, Grab said that tipping is entirely optional and customers should not feel pressured to give one.

In response to queries from Channel NewsAsia, the company emphasised that drivers are expected to complete their deliveries professionally, regardless of whether a tip is given.

For large or bulky orders, Grab also highlighted its “order splitting” feature, which allows drivers to request additional support without affecting their earnings or increasing customer fees.

The company encouraged users to report similar incidents through its in-app customer service channels, adding that it will continue to improve its system to better handle more complex orders and deploy additional drivers when needed.

This article (Grab emphasised delivery drivers should be professional and complete orders with or without a tip from customers) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.