earthfriendly wrote:Oh no, another one bites the dust. I wonder if the hawkers get subsidized rent? They operate on thin margin, rely on business volume and have to endure longs hours on their feet. The lack of work-life balance is a turn off for many of us interested in this line of work. It is difficult to hire extra help due to their low margin business model. They are sacrificing their own quality of life and subsidizing the entire nation with low cost cook-to-order meals. Something that Singaporeans have come to count on for affordable dining options.
about half of all hawkers pay subsidized rent to the government. they are usually pretty old (from the original hawker scheme, or the "hardship" scheme which has ended many decades ago) and pay about $160-$320 a month, provided they fulfill certain conditions (no sub-let, personally operated, etc).
unsubsidized hawker stalls rentals are purposely priced lower than that of a food court stall.
there were also a few thousand stalls sold (20-year leasehold) but these are all near the end of their lease term (2017).
with those sums, i think a hawker can earn a decent living, in present day singapore. if they wish to earn more, they just have to work longer hours. those with subsidized rentals can definitely earn more with shorter hours...
don't feel too bad for them!