|
Singapore aims to bolster the dating industry after figures show only a slight increase in birth rate since an incentive package the government introduced in 2004.
The ministry of community development, youth and sports has injected 600,000 Sing dollars (about $382,000) to spur on the private sector's efforts, replacing matchmaking government agency such as the Social Development Unit (SDU), which has been seeking to unite singles for decades.
The aim is to develop a dating industry comparable to those in Britain and Japan.
An accreditation framework for the industry will enable singles to check on the status of agencies, which must introduce genuine singles and make sure that the data supplied is kept confidential.
A survey commissioned by the SDU showed singles between 25 and 44 are happy to splurge on dating opportunities, spending about $18 million this year on wining and dining, matchmaking and speed dating.
The fertility rate remains at record low set last year at 1.24, far from the replacement level of 2.1 recorded 30 years ago.
'It is not realistic to expect fertility rate to significantly reverse in the near future, much less return to the replacement level,' Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng told parliament recently.
Undaunted, the government is still trying to boost its 4.4 million population by promoting marriage and parenthood and encouraging more foreigners to become citizens and reproduce.
| 
