Singapore’s hawker culture faces revolution, because locals ‘don’t want this job’

Singapore’s hawker culture is facing a manpower crisis, with many locals unwilling to work long hours for low pay. To address this, some hawkers are turning to robots

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Ang Chip Hong stands outside his hawker stall in Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

Published: 3:00pm, 25 Jan 2025Updated: 3:06pm, 25 Jan 2025

After failing to find a chef for his hawker stall, a former engineer spent months training a robot he acquired from Wuhan to perfect Hokkien mee (Fujian noodles), a quintessential noodle dish in the city state.

Two years ago, Ang Chip Hong, 53, quit the comfort of his job at Singapore Management University to enter the hawker trade full-time.

He opened his stall, Wok AI, in Margaret Drive Hawker Centre last November and quickly encountered the ongoing challenge many hawkers face – finding local staff.

“Singaporeans don’t want this job,” he said. “It’s not worth the effort to them to make S$4,000 (US$2,950) a month with long hours standing over a hot stove when you can make S$3,000 a month as a clerk in an air-conditioned room behind a desk”.

To preserve the local identity of hawker culture, operators in the 121 markets and hawker centres managed by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) have to be Singapore citizens or permanent residents. However, since January 1, certain individuals on long-term visas can now work as hawker assistants.

Using the stir-fry robot which Ang bought for S$14,000 means he can operate his stall with one staff member who does not need to possess culinary skills. The worker only needs to prepare ingredients and pour them into the machine. Ang is gearing up to open two more outlets before expanding the robot’s food menu.