Debated in Parliament on 14 Jan 2026.
Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Support for Job Redesign programme is deployed to incentivise flexible work arrangements that mirror platform autonomy to attract platform workers back to traditional employment; and (b) if so, what results have been achieved through this programme.
Mr Speaker, the Support for Job Redesign programme aims to help employers redesign jobs to drive business objectives, including accommodating Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs), improve workforce effectiveness and help businesses tap on a broader pool of workers. The programme is not targeted at bringing platform workers back to traditional employment, as platform workers operate under different work arrangements from employees on FWAs.
Workforce Singapore (WSG) does not track the number of platform workers who transition to traditional employment through the programme.
Mr Gerald Giam.
Sir, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. Given the impact on the long-term career progression on workers who remain in platform work longer than intended, will the Ministry consider such a target to track the number of platform workers who transition back into full-time traditional employment every year, so as to better track the success of relevant initiatives and programmes to achieve that?
And secondly, given that platform work is often perceived to offer better pay and time flexibility than equivalent traditional jobs for workers of the same education levels, how is the Ministry of Manpower working with employers to make workplaces more attractive on these two aspects to incentivise platform workers to make the transition? And what measurable results have been achieved to date?
I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Platform workers may choose to do platform work for various reasons. For example, greater flexibility or control over when and how their work is being done. In fact, for those who wish to transit out of platform work, the Government does provide much resources to help them plan their careers and strengthen their employability, such as the Employment and Employability Institute's career matching services. There are also other schemes, such as the Career Conversion Programmes as well as the Mid-career Pathway Programme, SkillsFuture Transition Programmes, to improve their employability.
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