Singapore launches matchmaking service for government workers

Singapore has introduced a matchmaking service for government employees, an effort launched as the country contends with a record-low fertility rate.

FirstDate, which debuted this week for people aged 21 to 35, promotes "a different approach to dating" by using a Nobel-winning algorithm to pair users with one date at a time. "Swipe fatigue ends here," its website says.

Users log in through the national digital identity system and complete a questionnaire on their interests, habits and values.

The launch of FirstDate prompted mixed reactions among Singaporeans, with some calling it "dystopian" and others saying they would be interested in trying it.

On its website, FirstDate points to the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm that powers the programme.

This mathematical model matches two equally sized groups of people according to their preferences.

The late mathematician Lloyd Shapley received the 2012 Nobel memorial prize in economic sciences for identifying the algorithm, which has since been applied in public school admissions, medical residency matching and dating apps, among other uses.

"At the end of the day, I think the experience of meeting someone through an application doesn't change much across the [different types of] applications," Elizabeth, a 29-year-old who works in Singapore's defence ministry and is keen on trying FirstDate out told the BBC.

"But it is nice to know that the likelihood of being scammed is much lower. We're all public servants looking for a partner, right?"

Still, some social media users argue that the initiative, which is now in its pilot phase, discriminates against people who do not work in government.

Others objected to the age cap. "They are only doing this to raise the total fertility rate. They don't actually [care] about whether we find a partner otherwise.

"Since there are higher risks involved in having kids at 35 and older, the government just writes [the older singles] off," wrote another Reddit user.

It remains unclear whether the pilot programme will later be opened to the wider public. The BBC has contacted GovTech, the statutory board behind the pilot, for comment.

The pilot arrives as Singapore's birth rate has fallen to historic lows. For the first time in the past 60 years, fewer than 30,000 babies were born in 2025.

Meanwhile, deaths have been climbing steadily in the ageing nation, reaching about 26,500 in 2025.

In August, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled a set of new measures aimed at better supporting families and encouraging couples to have children, including almost S$70,000 ($54,000; £41,000) in financial support for each child by the time they turn 17.

The launch of FirstDate comes as the ageing nation wrestles with a record-low fertility rate

FirstDate is not Singapore's first attempt to act as Cupid for its citizens.

In 1984, it created the Social Development Unit (SDU), which was tasked with organising social events to encourage graduate singles to mingle.

Its focus on university graduates was criticised as elitist, but officials defended the approach by saying non-graduates did not appear to have trouble finding partners. The SDU was eventually phased out.

The following year, the government established another agency to encourage marriages among non-graduates.

A government-run dating service is not unique to Singapore. In September 2024, Tokyo's metropolitan government launched an AI-powered dating app in an attempt to address the country's declining birth rate.

The app, open to single residents in the city, led to 265 couples getting married, according to government data released in July this year.