Research

Today's Hopes, Tomorrow's Possibilities

Today's Hopes, Tomorrow's Possibilities

Women in Singapore are concerned about career disadvantages when they become parents. Internationally, extensive academic research has examined the “motherhood penalty”, where mothers earn less than child-free women and are less likely to be hired. Conversely, fathers experience a “fatherhood premium”, and experience more favourable work outcomes than men without children. This study aims to examine parenthood penalties in the Singapore workplace, and how they may shape employment decisions such as hiring and the granting of flexible work arrangement (FWA) requests.

This study provides one of the first system-level, worker-centred assessments of how autonomous vehicles (AVs) may reshape jobs, skills, and career pathways across Singapore’s transport sector. Drawing on a landscape review, worker surveys, stakeholder engagements, and a co-design workshop, it examines how transport workers, including taxi and private-hire vehicle (PHV) drivers, perceive and prepare for the AV transition. Going beyond technology adoption, the study explores workers’ concerns, readiness, and decision-making, recognising that different worker groups face distinct challenges arising from their employment arrangements and varying levels of economic and institutional support. The findings underscore the need for clearer transition pathways, stronger income and training support, and coordinated efforts across government, employers, unions, and training providers to ensure a just, inclusive, and future-ready workforce transition.