A variety of factors are making me worry about my future in Singapore.

Besides the impending GST hike and growing income gap, an article on last Friday's Business Times cited a household income survey which found that that of the majority middle class to have stagnated in the past five years.

The article also said that “an underclass will develop and lead to social and political instability”.

This was found by a panel of economists at a conference last week, hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies.

I am worried because I consider myself to be at the lower end of the middle class.

And because of the choice to experience life by not going the cookie-cutter way of an education and job, I will not be able to own any major assets even after I get married.

Most of all, I worry that circumstances will force me to leave my country in the distant future, especially when that future is seeking to meet a targetted 8 million in local population figures.

The property market is on the rise.

There are empty blocks of HDB flats sitting pretty in Seng Kang simply because the target demographics cannot afford them.

Those who can, pay a little more for a condominium.

While these flats remain empty, more are being constructed around them.

The market is banking on the impending influx of foreign talent to snap up these places in the coming years.

Though isn't it ironic how it expects expatriates to buy new flats in Seng Kang rather than new or resale condos at Tanjong Rhu?

For a country that was worried about falling birthrates, Singapore sure isn't making it easy for young couples to settle down.

Manu Bhaskaran, an adjunct senior research fellow at the Institute, told the BT he wonders “who Singapore's growth is for”.

“The widening inequalities suggest there are more losers (than winners).”

So, as we seek to bring in more foreign talent (which also means paying higher salaries), we should also consider ways to retain our young and mobile who might also find it more feasible to move elsewhere like Australia or other parts of Asia for opportunities.

Because if we focus purely on attracting “suitable” immigrants, we will keep losing our local talents and this will make hitting the population target of 8 million more difficult.

And that's the least of our problems.

What of those who find it hard to stay relevant as the country progresses, yet cannot afford to move away?

You go do the math.

Serene Lim