Being a father of three young children, with a mortgage to pay and a car to maintain, Mr Shen Nansheng is worried about whether he can keep his job.

"I work for a very small company and we are dependent on larger businesses," he says, adding that "anything can go wrong any time".

"This is a constant fear I have, since the general consensus is that the economy is not doing well."

While Mr Shen notes that the effects of a slowing economy have not been that evident among his friends, especially with those who do not invest or keep up with business news.

However, those "in the know" seem to be "quietly expecting" a downturn.

"So, my company is actively looking for new projects supported by government grants or seeking out projects by big companies."

Other than job stability, rising costs and saving enough to pay for his children's university education are some of his other worries.

In the past, Mr Shen has never paid much attention to the Budget, for the measures are generally to help the lower income.

He says: "On a personal level, I don't expect much goodies from the Government. I'm not too concerned about that and, most of the time, I don't qualify."

This year, he will be on a special lookout for schemes to help companies. "Helping the companies will help many families, for every breadwinner with a job can support himself, his wife and children."

He hopes the Government can do more for smaller companies, where a tax rebate of, say, $100,000, can go a long way to help free up cashflow to hire a couple more workers or invest in new projects.

Chong Koh Ping