The Straits Times Podcasts

While strict laws enforce behaviour, building a gracious society requires mutual trust rather than constant rules.
Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.
Singapore seems to be introducing more laws to police everyday behaviour - from tray returns to using mobile phones while driving. But can legislation really make people more gracious, or does it simply expose a deeper trust deficit in society? And when should citizens confront bad behaviour themselves instead of reporting it to the authorities?
Opinion Editor Lin Suling speaks with sociologist Dr Tan Ern Ser, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, about whether Singapore is becoming a nation that relies too heavily on rules, complaints and punishment — and what it would take to build a genuinely high-trust, "We First" society.
Highlights (click/tap above):
3:35 Why does seemingly ordinary, considerate behaviour disappear once people get behind the wheel?
5:40 Does criminalising phone use while driving mean public education has failed?
12:25 Have we outsourced everyday conflict resolution to the state instead of correcting bad behaviour ourselves?
13:55 Is Singapore's complaint culture undermining trust and creating online vigilantism?
16:46 When is reporting someone the right thing to do? When should it be the last resort?
19:52 Thirty years after the Singapore Kindness Movement, have we become kinder or simply better at enforcing rules?
21:28 How can Singapore encourage people to speak up against antisocial behaviour without leaving them to stand alone?
23:11 Can Singapore realistically become a 'We First' society? What would a genuinely high-trust society look like?
Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH
Follow Lin Suling on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/hiLQ
Host: Lin Suling (linsuling@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim
Executive producers: Danson Cheong and Lynda Hong
Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:
Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb
Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
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Watch The Mother Load on YouTube: https://str.sg/HnaV
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The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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Job hopping: Career suicide or a way to learn what works for you?
Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a head start in your personal finance, career and life with The Straits Times.
In this episode, Annabel Lim, Business & Reputation Director at communications firm We. Communications shares how she built her career by cycling through 7 full-time jobs.
She talks about how each change gave her a different perspective or skill that cumulated in her current role, and why “job-hopping” isn't necessarily a red flag in CVs.
Hosts Kai Wen and Sue-Ann, who have worked in two jobs and one job respectively, also discussed how long a person should hold their job before making a switch and how to tell when a role no longer works for you.
Highlights (click/tap above):
0:00 Job hopping: Is it a bad thing?
6:56 Is there a minimum time one has to stay at a job?
9:45 Rage quitting
13:28 Is company loyalty worth anything?
20:40 Push factors at work
29:52 The urge to quit: just a phase or deeper problem?
34:31 Advice for those thinking of changing careers
Follow See Kai Wen on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/qfwqQ
Read Sue-Ann Tan's articles: https://str.sg/mvSa
Follow Sue-Ann Tan on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/A86X
Hosts: See Kai Wen (seekw@sph.com.sg) and Sue-Ann Tan (suetan@sph.com.sg)
Produced & edited by: Amirul Karim and Natasha Liew
Executive producers: Elizabeth Law
Follow Headstart On Record Podcast channel here:
Channel: https://str.sg/wB2m
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wuN3
Spotify: https://str.sg/wBr9
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
Get business/career tips in ST's Headstart newsletter: https://str.sg/headstart-nl
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Watch Headstart On Record Podcast on YouTube: https://str.sg/3psqrx
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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Do note: All analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast are for your general information only. You should not rely on them in making any decision. Please consult a fully qualified financial adviser or professional expert for independent advice and verification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SPH Media shall not be liable for any loss arising from the use of or reliance on any analyses, opinions, recommendations and other information in this podcast. SPH Media accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever that may result or arise from the products, services or information of any third parties.
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The gap between Beijing's stated growth rates and actual economic performance is widening considerably, says expert
Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.
In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Dr Logan Wright, an expert on the Chinese economy. He is based in Washington, DC, after living and working in Beijing and Hong Kong for over two decades.
Wright is a partner at Rhodium Group, a US research and advisory group. He leads the firm’s China markets research work. He is also a senior associate of the trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
His book Broken China: How the Economic Miracle Shattered and What it Means for the World hits the stores in September 2026.
In this episode, he points out that most analysts treat the Chinese economy differently from other economies. “They tend to look at the Chinese system and say this is a different political system, it produces outputs that are long-term plans. Therefore, we filter incoming data in terms of how China is doing based on its long-term plans and its declared goals. From a financial system perspective, it looks entirely different,” he says.
He also sketches out what strikes him as the most troubling aspect of the Chinese economy today.
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:20 Analysis of China's actual growth vs. official reports
2:50 Is that a minority opinion?
5:00 The most troubling aspects of the Chinese economy
9:10 Evaluating the quality of Chinese economic data
13:00 AI's impact on returns in the Chinese economy
17:00 When will the property sector rebound?
22:00 Will policy efforts to boost domestic consumption succeed?
25:00 Will China’s low birth rates, high death rates have a large impact on growth?
27:00 The worsening problem of excess industrial capacity
29:10 Reasons South-east Asia must pay attention to China
Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo
Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)
Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
Asian Insider YouTube: https://str.sg/rF3qR
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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Should young job seekers start their careers with contract roles?
With stiff competition for full-time roles, a tight job market and employers being more selective about new permanent hires, perhaps contract roles shouldn’t be off the table.
In Singapore, such roles have become more common over the past few years. What can young people do to build their careers? Also, is contract work truly the ‘lesser cousin’ of permanent work?
In this episode, I speak with:
• Francois Lancon, the regional president of Asia Pacific and Middle East for ManpowerGroup, a global expert on labour market and employment trends,
• Tyrina Toh, a contract content creator for businesses, who left a full time position to work only contract and freelance jobs
•Seth Ng, a fresh university graduate who is currently looking for a job.
Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)
Read Natasha’s articles: https://str.sg/iSXm
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://str.sg/8KNT
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Eden Soh & Natasha Liew
Executive producer: Danson Cheong
Producers: Natasha Ann Zachariah, Elizabeth Law & Zachary Lim
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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Mothers today have more advice than ever before. But when does helpful information become overwhelming, and what can we do about it?
Synopsis: Join us for a five-part series on working motherhood from July 3-31 with episodes out every Friday.
Social media has become a lifeline for many mothers - offering advice, reassurance and community at the tap of a screen. But what happens when the endless parenting tips and constant comparison start to undermine our confidence instead?
In this episode, host Vanessa Chelvan sits down with Huda Rasid, founder of The Mum Collective, and Minister of State Rahayu Mahzam to talk candidly about the pressures of raising children in the digital age.
From information overload to screen time guilt and the pressures of competitive parenting, they unpack why so many mothers feel like they're constantly falling short - even when they're doing their best.
The conversation also explores practical ways to build a healthier relationship with social media, trust your own instincts again and find real support beyond the screen - reminding parents that no algorithm knows their child better than they do.
Highlights (click/tap above):
5:20 Do social media algorithms reflect our anxieties back at us?

9:54 Too many choices have eroded mums' confidence in their own instincts

13:00 Getting caught in the comparison trap

18:04 Rahayu on mum guilt and parenting her son

23:45 Screen time struggles and why parents may feel judged

27:50 Keeping it real on social media and examining your own triggers around screentime

33:08 Intensive mothering: Can we be less competitive?

37:42 The tuition dilemma

41:42 Using social media as a tool, not a trap

45:10 Finding a mum community IRL

47:50 No algorithm knows your child better than you do
Host: Vanessa Chelvan (vpchelvan@sph.com.sg)
Read Vanessa's articles: https://str.sg/gr5Z
Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jHdJ
Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai
Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Elizabeth Law
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Follow The Mother Load limited series every Friday (July 3-31):
Channel: https://str.sg/oMofY
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/8Kbv
Spotify: https://str.sg/DELD
YouTube: https://str.sg/HnaV
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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