Nine Nominated Members of Parliament (NMP) have been appointed. They are Faizah Haji Ahmad Jamal, Nicholas Fang, Janice Koh, Laurence Lien, Mary Liew, R Dhinakaran, Eugene Tan, Tan Su Shan, Teo Siong Seng. The NMPs will take their oath at the next sitting of Parliament on 14 Feb 2012.

Findings from the Ministry of Manpower show that employment growth remained strong in 2011. Total employment grew by 36,300 in Q4 2011, bringing growth in the whole of 2011 to 121,300, slightly higher than the gains of 115,900 in 2010. Unemployment rate declined to a 14-year low in 2011 with the median income of Singaporeans increase, amid the tight labour market. Real income for low-income Singaporeans at the 20th percentile has also grown over the last 5 years.

PUB has accepted the recommendations of the Expert Panel for Drainage Design and Flood Protection Measures. Over the next 5 years, PUB will spend about $750 million to carry out 20 drainage improvement projects to achieve a higher level of flood protection. PUB will also review its drainage masterplan once every three years and take immediate measures to maximise the flow capacity of Stamford Canal.

HDB's Resale Price Index (RPI) rose from 187.2 in Q3 2011 to 190.4 in Q4 2011. This is an increase of 1.7% over the previous quarter. Data from URA showed that prices of private residential properties increased by 0.2% in Q4 2011. For the year 2011 as a whole, prices of private residential properties increased by 5.9%, significantly lower than the 17.6% increase in 2010.

For the whole of 2011, Singapore manufacturing output grew 7.6% compared to 2010. On a year-on-year basis, manufacturing output grew 12.6% in December 2011. Excluding biomedical manufacturing, output declined 9%.