Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng on Friday night said young Singaporeans are too caught up with their work and urge them and their employers to change this work culture.

Citing a newly-wed couple as an example, he said he asked them where they would be heading for their honeymoon and was told that they had to defer it because of work commitments.

'So work dictates life, and young people seem to be caught up in working long hours,' said Mr Lim on Friday night at a Mother's Day dinner organised by the Jurong Central Grassroots Organisations.

'Is it necessary to work such long, late hours?' asked Mr Lim who is also MP for Jurong GRC.

Mr Lim encouraged employers and employees to relook the culture of long working hours and be more family-friendly.

'We should go for high productivity, not long hours,' he told 900 guests at Orchid Country Club.

A recent survey released by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports on marriage and families, found that more Singaporeans wanted to get married and those who were married wanted more kids.

While this was encouraging, Mr Lim said the real question was whether enough was being done to encourage couples to have more children.