Singapore’s birth rate has hit rock bottom—just 0.97 kids per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain a population.

Singapore’s birth rate has hit rock bottom—just 0.97 kids per woman, far below the 2.1 needed to sustain a population.

Translation? More seniors, fewer workers, and a shrinking labor force.

From factories to food delivery, robots are stepping in where manpower is falling short.

By 2030, nearly 1 in 4 Singaporeans will be over 65, and the support ratio has plummeted to 4 working adults per senior. In 2014, it was 6.

The government is urging more hiring of older workers and turning to robots—Singapore has the world’s second-highest robot density—to plug the gaps.