Debated in Parliament on 4 Jul 2022.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) in which month of 2022 will escalator maintenance workers start to be covered under the Progressive Wage Model; (b) what is the number of new entrants who have joined the sector as escalator and lift technicians in the past two years; and (c) whether these new entrants are fresh ITE and polytechnic graduates or mid-career individuals.
Since May 2019, lift and escalator (L&E) contractors that tender to undertake Government contracts for lift maintenance have been required to adopt the progressive wage model (PWM) for local lift maintenance technicians. These firms have also been required to extend the PWM to local escalator maintenance technicians from 1 July 2022.
More than 40 L&E contractors, maintaining more than 90% of the L&E in Singapore, have adopted the L&E PWM. We intend to mandate the L&E PWM for all L&E contractors, and will provide more details when ready.
BCA estimates that the number of local technicians in the L&E maintenance industry grew by about 150 between 2020 and 2021. Based on available information, the majority of the new entrants are likely to be mid-career individuals.
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