The hawker scene in Singapore serves up a variety of dishes for the food-loving nation. But a manpower crunch is hitting the industry as the first and second wave of hawkers are inching their way to retirement. Now, both the government and private organisations are encouraging YOUNG Singaporeans to pick up the trade. CGTN's Miro Lu reports.

Richard Ng and his Brother Kok Hua have been selling fritters for 46 years. It's a family business started by their father. Both in their sixties, the brothers still get up in wee hours everyday to prepare the food in their central kitchen and get to the stall by noon to serve the lunch crowd. Being a hawker is not an easy job. It often requires working long hours under harsh conditions. The median age of hawkers in Singapore is 59. Most younger citizens aspire to well-cushioned office jobs, leading to a manpower crunch in the city state's well-loved and traditional hawker scene.

NG KOK HUA HAWKER "Working as a hawker, I find that it's long hour job, minimum at least 16 hours, so that's why a lot of the youngsters or the next generation they don't want to take over. You need to sacrifice your life. I myself sacrifice a lot of my weekends and holidays, I have no time with family and also got no time with friends."

In March, Singapore will send its bid to UNESCO, petitioning for its hawker culture to be included into the organisation's list of intangible heritage. But first, the country needed to revitalise the lacklustre hawker workforce.

To solve that problem, both the government and private F&B companies devised incubator programs to attract fresh blood into the trade. The National Environment Agency held classes taught by veteran hawkers. Some programs also subsidises rentals, operational costs, and compulsory charges for new hawkers.

Louis took part in one of these incubator programs six months ago, and now runs a hawker stall selling vegan food.

LOUIS TAN HAWKER AND BUSINESS OWNER "If we were to go out and set up a store front, we have to pay for the furniture and stuff. Coming to a hawker, we don't have to worry about anything outside our kitchen. And as newcomers, it allows us to focus more on improving the food quality."

He says that these programs help lower entry barriers into the hawker scene. Mingling with veteran hawkers also allows him to pick up the dos and don'ts in the business quickly. Despite some negative public impressions of the hawker trade, he finds the job fulfilling and plans to stick to it.

LOUIS TAN HAWKER AND BUSINESS OWNER "Although it is satisfying a very simple need, but it is a need that everyone has every day. So it's really enjoyable to see people enjoying our food."

As the hawker scene in the city state readies itself for the exodus of the older generation, younger folks are slowly beginning to pick up the slack. While the authorities and private organisations are helping to lighten the load of aspiring newcomers, the onus is on the younger generation to recognise the beloved hawker culture, and to keep it alive. Miro Lu, CGTN, Singapore.