Commenting on real median incomes dipping due to high inflation, SMU Associate Professor of Sociology Alwyn Lim said that employers may have been hesitant to increase workers’ salaries as well, due to their own increased operating costs, and income increases therefore did not keep pace with the rate of inflation. He also said that one of the causes of inflation could be government payout measures, such as those introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, which had the effect of increasing demand for goods and services in limited supply, thus resulting in higher prices. Assoc Prof Lim also explained why while there may be some positive real income growth in 2024, he expects this to be “modest at best”.