Special Employment Credit for Freelancers and Seniors Working in Shared Economy Sector

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Special Employment Credit (SEC) is applicable for seniors working in the shared economy sector and freelancers; and (b) if not, whether there are any programmes that can help those seniors with a monthly income of less than $4,000.

The Special Employment Credit (SEC) scheme offers direct wage offsets to employers to encourage them to hire older Singaporeans aged 55 and above earning up to $4,000 per month. It is not a wage supplement to the individual and does not apply to self-employed freelancers who generally decide on their own age of retirement.

Nonetheless, there are other schemes to support seniors who are self-employed. The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme is applicable to employees as well as self-employed persons (SEPs). Under WIS, older workers earning up to $2,000 monthly receive higher cash payouts and CPF contributions, compared to younger workers earning the same income.

Programmes under the Adapt and Grow (A&G) initiative also help older self-employed persons find suitable jobs. For instance, the Career Support Programme (CSP) offers wage support to employers who hire long-term unemployed or retrenched jobseekers, with more funding for older jobseekers. SEC also helps by incentivising employers to hire older self-employed persons who wish to take on regular jobs.