Singapore's Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi has warned MPs that giving employees additional days off on top of their annual leave to care for sick parents would increase business costs and discourage companies from setting up in Singapore. He recommends instead that companies adopt flexible benefits and work arrangements.

His comments came after a call in Parliament by Ho Geok Choo an MP for West Coast GRC to introduce leave to care for elderly parents and improve the healthcare and wellbeing of the entire family. Mr Hawazi replied: "We appreciate that many working adults might have elderly parents to take care of. We should leave it to them to decide how best to meet these commitments, including using their annual leave, where necessary.”

He continued: "Instead of mandating it, we should leave it to the discretion of employers who can afford to do so, to grant such leave as part of their personal benefits."