HOUSEBRANDS are flying off the shelves at record pace as the recession bites deep, and even better-off households are also turning to them.

The most popular items: Rice, bread, cooking oil, toilet paper and facial tissue. Other items in demand include sugar, frozen poultry and cereals.

THE salaries of Cabinet ministers and senior civil servants are slated to drop further this year as the economy shrinks. They will fall by between 12 per cent and 20 per cent.

Even then, they 'may be subject to further adjustments given the volatility of the economy', said the Minister in charge of the civil service, Mr Teo Chee Hean.

THERE will be more than 30,000 jobs created this year, enough to absorb the pool of fresh graduates and new job seekers, said Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang on Monday.

He gave this assurance when replying to labour MP Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC) who asked for the total number of new jobs expected this year.

THE value of loans made to companies in December jumped 30 per cent from a year ago, with the introduction of the new loan schemes, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang told Parliament yesterday.

The Government will now focus on increasing the awareness of these schemes, Mr Lim said, while ruling out the possibility of the Government acting as a direct lender to businesses, as it is not suitable for the role.