Singapore Real Estate Ser Luck: Govt to look into foreign worker levy Calls for a review of the foreign worker levy will be "looked into" as Singapore is moving into economic headwinds, said newly-appointed Minister of State for the Manpower Ministry Teo Ser Luck. Mr Teo will also be talking to industry leaders to see if manpower policy responses can be prioritised by sector. http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/ser-luck-govt-to-look-into-foreign-worker-levy Relocating staff to Singapore gets cheaper It found that Singapore slipped from the sixth-most expensive in December to seventh in June. Property company Savills compared the annual cost of renting living and working space for a group of employees in the financial and creative sectors. http://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/relocating-staff-to-singapore-gets-cheaper?login=true Singapore office rents soften in Q3 on economic outlook: DTZ Average monthly gross rents in the central business district (CBD) declined by 4.1 per cent quarter on quarter (q-o-q) to S$10.40 per square foot in Q3 in the first decline from an uptrend since 2013, said DTZ South-east Asia. This comes on the back of headwinds in the external economic environment. http://www.straitstimes.com/business/property/cbd-rents-down-for-first-time-since-2013?login=true Woodlands Civic Centre lauded for new initiatives Several new energy-efficient initiatives have been implemented at the Woodlands Civic Centre (WCC), which has been recognised as an energy efficient building at this year's EENP Awards under the public sector large building category. The complex is guided by an energy management framework which monitors and controls energy usage to achieve optimal efficiency, according to its developer, the Housing & Development Board (HDB). Global Economy & Global Real Estate Riyadh to convert state housing fund into bank http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/riyadh-to-convert-state-housing-fund-into-bank Hamburg to seize empty commercial space for refugees http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/hamburg-to-seize-empty-commercial-space-for-refugees São Paulo mayor battles resistance to ease gridlock http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/s%C3%A3o-paulo-mayor-battles-resistance-to-ease-gridlock Who's afraid of vacancies? Not billionaire Larry Friedland http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/whos-afraid-of-vacancies-not-billionaire-larry-friedland Cerberus Leads Buyers as Europe Trims Bad Property-Debt Pile How Peltz's $2.5 Billion Investment Will Make GE Hurry Up Short Sellers Take On Hong Kong's Best-Performing Property Stock |