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Singapore has launched FirstDate, a matchmaking pilot for government workers aged 21 to 35, adding a digital service to its history of government-backed efforts to bring singles together.
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The service, called FirstDate, is a pilot backed by GovTech, a Singapore government statutory board, the BBC reports. Participants sign in using the national digital identity system and answer questions about their interests, habits and values. FirstDate says it uses the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm to match people to one date at a time. [1]
Reaction has been mixed. Elizabeth, a 29-year-old defence ministry worker who told the BBC she was keen to try it, said she thought the risk of being scammed would be lower. [1]
Government-backed matchmaking has a history in Singapore. In 1984, the country established a unit to organise social events for graduate singles; another agency to promote marriage among non-graduates followed the next year. Fewer than 30,000 babies were born in Singapore in 2025, the first time in 60 years the annual figure had fallen below that level, the BBC reports. [1]
It is not yet clear whether FirstDate will open to people outside the government workforce. The BBC said it had contacted GovTech for comment. [1]
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