Singapore’s stance on the freelance and platform economy often seems puzzling.
On the one hand, the authorities take a firm position against foreigners doing on-demand jobs here without valid work passes.
Clara Lee is a research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. Mathew Mathews is a principal research fellow and head of the Social Lab at the same institute.
This piece was first published in The Straits Times on 24 Sep 2025.