Your Way Home with Hongbin Jeong

1.38 million Singaporean households are receiving $500 in CDC vouchers from today, with this latest tranche brought forward by six months from January 2027 to June 2026. The Government says this reflects ongoing concerns about cost of living pressures, even as inflation has eased slightly in recent months. But with global uncertainties still in play, from geopolitical tensions to potential energy and supply chain pressures, the outlook remains fluid, and questions remain about how much relief these measures actually provide on the ground for households. So how meaningful is 500 dollars in today’s context? And how should households be thinking about using them, amid further uncertainty?  On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Assistant Professor Yeow Hwee Chua, Division of Economics, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore to find out more.

When it comes to work, younger generations are often accused of wanting too much, too soon. This expectation has led the Gen Z and millennials to be frequently labelled as impatient or unrealistic.But are they really? A new Jobstreet by SEEK report called the Salary Pulse: Singapore 2026 report showed that workers who change jobs are far more likely to receive significant pay increases than those who stay loyal to their employers. And when salary expectations aren't met, younger workers are much more likely to start looking elsewhere. On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Mark Ng, Marketing Manager from Jobstreet by SEEK to find out whether younger workers become too focused on salary, or are they simply responding to the realities of today's job market and changing workplace expectations.

For the first time in four decades, Yakult Singapore will be removing its orange flavour from its Yakult culture drink lineup here. And coming soon to replace it, will be the peach flavour. On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar dive into the story and how the netizens have reacted. Throughout the discussion, they shared what their favourite flavours are, and even how it might be different now that a new flavour is being introduced.

AI salaries in Singapore are rising up to five times faster than the overall wage growth. Within the past year, pay for AI roles has climbed by about 15 to 25 per cent, with fresh hires typically starting from between $70,000 and $90,000 a year. That compares with overall wage growth of 4.9 per cent in 2025, down from 5.6 per cent the year before. Yet at the same time, major tech firms and global banks are restructuring and cutting jobs, often citing AI as a key reason.  So what's really driving this surge in AI salaries? Could it start reshaping wage expectations across the wider workforce? And does the promise of AI justify the growing number of layoffs we're seeing? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Rahul Chawla, Partner and Head of Talent Solutions for Southeast Asia at Aon to find out more.

Cassandra spent more than 12 years building her career at companies including FoodPanda, Chope and TripAdvisor before being retrenched in 2023. Instead of returning to corporate life, she founded OtterHalf, an award-winning fractional marketing agency. What makes her story stand out is how Gen Z has influenced her leadership style. Rather than imposing traditional career expectations, she built a workplace centred on flexibility, purpose and continuous learning, shaped directly by her team's values and feedback. As a mother of two young daughters, Cassandra has also begun reflecting on a bigger question: what attitudes towards work, success and ambition are today's leaders modelling for the next generation? On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Cassandra Ong, Founder of OtterHalf, to find out more. 

On What's Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar dive into a heartwarming social media post where a father uploaded a video of his kids playing in a drainage canal, as if they were at a 'water park'. Netizens online reacted by saying that it reminded them of simpler kampung times back in their childhood days. From playing capteh to hopscotch games, the trio also discusses some of their favourite childhood games to play while they were growing up in Singapore.

Singapore’s fertility rate has fallen to a historic low, and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has signalled that there are no plans to introduce a new population target or revise the figures set out in past population planning discussions. Instead, the focus is on maintaining stability and avoiding population decline in an increasingly uncertain demographic landscape. As birth rates continue to fall around the world and immigration remains carefully managed, what does a sustainable population look like for Singapore? Can policy measures meaningfully reverse the trend, or is the country entering a new era where success is measured by more than just population growth? On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Kalpana Vignehsa, Senior Research Fellow in the Governance and Economy department at the Institute of Policy Studies, to find out more.

For many people, career success is often seen as something that peaks in midlife — a journey of climbing the ladder, reaching milestones, and eventually winding down towards retirement. But what if your most meaningful work is still ahead of you? As people live longer, work longer, and rethink traditional ideas of success, more are discovering new passions, purpose, and even entirely new careers later in life. On The Agenda, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Ryo Leong and Poh Wah Lee, two individuals who have taken very different paths to finding fulfilment beyond the conventional career timeline. From embracing reinvention as a portfolio professional to discovering purpose through serving others, they share how their experiences have reshaped their understanding of work, success, and what it means to make a meaningful contribution at any age.

What does it take to turn adversity into ambition? Team Singapore’s Gemma Rose Foo joins Sports Minutes to share her remarkable story - from surviving against the odds as a premature baby diagnosed with cerebral palsy, to becoming one of our country's leading para-equestrian athletes - representing the nation on the world stage at multiple Paralympic Games. Got a story to tell? Get in touch! raushan@sph.com.sg  

On What’s Trending, Hongbin Jeong, Nadiah Koh and Nazirul Asrar dive into one of the internet’s latest dream jobs: getting paid US$50,000 to watch every match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Is watching all 104 matches and more than 200 hours of football a dream come true or a recipe for burnout? Nadiah Koh also puts the team's World Cup knowledge to the test in a special trivia, from the first-ever champions and the priciest teams to watch, to Curaçao’s historic qualification, and viral footballer Tim Payne’s sudden rise to internet fame. After a tightly contested battle that came down to a penalty-shootout-style tiebreaker, who emerged victorious and claimed the title of What’s Trending World Cup Trivia Champion?