Singapore’s governnment is playing cupid to public officers in their dating journey. With more Singaporeans marrying late or staying single, the government has launched a pilot called FirstDate for some public officers aged 21 to 35. The project aims to put an end to “swipe fatigue” associated with some dating apps and build “a thoughtful connection,” according to the website.To get a match, users have to sign in with the city’s digital identity system and complete a questionnaire about their interests, habits, values and preferences. Applications close Oct 5. The experiment comes as Singapore steps up efforts to reverse its record-low birth rate, a trend officials have called an existential challenge.Prime Minister Lawrence Wong put families at the centre of a key speech in Aug where he unveiled one of the world’s most generous attempts to get people to have more babies and make public housing more accessible.FirstDate started as an idea at the Government Technology Agency’s annual hackathon to explore the challenges people face when meeting someone new, according to the website. Government matchmaking isn’t new in Singapore. The Social Development Unit was set up in 1984 to encourage graduate singles to mingle at dinners, dances and overseas trips. The unit was formed as more university-educated women remained single, a trend which then-PM Lee Kuan Yew linked to concerns about the country’s future talent pool. SDU moved away from direct matchmaking in recent years with the rise of dating apps.Other countries struggling with low birth rates have tried similar measures. Tokyo’s metropolitan government launched a dating app in 2024. In South Korea, local governments have organised dating events and offered marriage incentives.