Strengthening Return to Work Pathways

Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to speak on a matter close to my heart – how we can do more to support our injured workers in returning to work with dignity.

Sir, this is not just about recovery. It is about whether every worker gets a fair chance to stand back up after a fall.

Over the years, I have spoken in this House about preventing workplace fatalities, strengthening safety culture and improving near-miss reporting. These remain critical. But while we have invested heavily in preventing injuries, we must now invest just as seriously in what happens after.

Because for many workers, that is when the real struggle begins.

In 2025, Singapore recorded 660 major workplace injuries. Behind each number is a worker and a family, relieved that a life was not lost, but with deep anxiety about recovery, about income and whether life can return to normal. And this challenge is not limited to workplace injuries.

We are seeing more serious health conditions affecting working-age Singaporeans. A recent report highlighted rising stroke cases among those in their 30s – people who are in the prime of their working lives.

Whether from injury or illness, the pattern is the same. The longer a worker stays away from work, the harder it becomes to return. Savings run down. Confidence drops. Stress builds. Recovery slows.

Mr Deputy Speaker, work is more than a pay cheque. It is dignity, purpose and a sense of belonging.

That is why return-to-work must be treated as a core pillar of our workforce system, not a secondary consideration. If we look at leading jurisdictions, there is a clear lesson for us. The most effective systems do not wait for full recovery. They support recovery through work.

In the Netherlands, employers and injured workers have clear duties, where such workers are actively reintegrated through structured plans, medical support and suitable work arrangements.

In Australia and New Zealand, return-to-work is embedded early, with work capacity assessments and coordinated rehabilitation support involving employers, insurers, public agencies and healthcare professionals to support workplace reintegration.

In Ontario, Canada, nine in 10 injured workers supported by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board return to work within a year through customised support and clear employer obligations to provide suitable work and accommodations.

In Germany, employers are required to offer structured reintegration processes for workers who have been absent for more than six weeks within a 12-month period.

In Sweden, the Social Insurance Agency coordinates support for workers returning to employment after prolonged illness. Employers ensure workplace adaptation and plan for return-to-work, while workers who cannot return to their previous jobs are further supported by various agencies through skills training, vocational rehabilitation and job matching aligned with their work capacity.

Across these systems, three principles stand out: early intervention, shared responsibility and workplace-centred solutions. Singapore has made good progress in this area. But we can and we should take the next step forward.

First, we must intervene earlier and more systematically. Studies show that having structured systems in place to deliver return-to-work sooner is a strong determinant of whether a worker successfully reintegrates at their workplace to contribute productively and without feeling excluded. International evidence shows that the first few weeks after an injury or illness are critical. In return-to-work, timing is everything. If we miss the window, we lose the worker. If support comes too late, workers risk drifting into long-term absence from the workforce.

Today, while Singapore has return-to-work programmes, activation may not always happen early enough or consistently across sectors. This is because participation is voluntary and largely dependent on employer willingness.

We should therefore strengthen early intervention by encouraging earlier referral into return-to-work support; establishing clearer expectations for employer engagement; and promoting early coordination between employers, workers, insurers and healthcare practitioners.

If we act earlier, we can significantly improve outcomes for our workers. I am therefore glad that the forthcoming Alliance for Action on Safety and Health for Employment Longevity intends to explore industry-led solutions to promote return-to-work. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) stands ready to support this effort.

Second, we must strengthen employer capability, especially amongst small and medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs employ around 70% of our local workforce today. If they are not equipped to support return-to-work, many workers will fall through the cracks. In short, if return-to-work does not work for SMEs, it does not work for Singapore.

Many employers want to help but may not know how. In leading jurisdictions, employers are supported with clear frameworks, practical tools and access to return-to-work coordinators.

In Singapore, NTUC, together with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), is developing the Tripartite Advisory on Providing Reasonable Accommodations to Persons with Disabilities.

This is a positive step. I urge the Ministry to consider expanding this advisory or, perhaps, introducing a complementary one – to explicitly cover workers recovering from injuries and serious health conditions. This should include practical guidance on job redesign and phased return; workplace adjustments and assistive solutions; and managing productivity during recovery.

We should also explore a shared return-to-work support model and increase awareness and access for SMEs to trained coordinators or centralised expertise. This will ensure that smaller firms are not disadvantaged in supporting their workers.

Third, we must support workers who are unable to return to their previous roles. For some workers, especially after serious injury or illness, returning to the same job may no longer be possible. Without structured support, these workers risk long-term unemployment and loss of livelihood. A worker who cannot return to the same job should not be left without a future.

In Canada and parts of Europe, workers are supported through vocational rehabilitation, retraining and job matching based on their work capacities, post-injury. This ensures they remain active contributors to the workforce.

In Singapore, we have strong foundations. For example, SG Enable offers both job placement and job support services, which provide coaching, job matching and workplace support to help persons with disabilities enter and remain in employment. But we can go further.

By drawing inspiration from these programmes, I propose that we develop a dedicated Back-to-Work pathway that supports workers who are unable to return to their previous jobs due to illness or injury. Facilitated transition into suitable new roles will provide stricken family breadwinners with much needed assurance and hope of reskilling, that is aligned with their new health conditions. This pathway should include: targeted skills training aligned with medical capacity; career coaching and confidence rebuilding, job matching with supportive employers; and transitional employment opportunities. This will ensure that a health setback does not become a permanent setback.

Finally, we must take a forward-looking step – to broaden support beyond workplace injuries. Today, support pathways are strongest for work-related injuries. But for workers recovering from serious non-work-related conditions, support remains uneven today. From the worker's perspective, there is no difference between a workplace injury and a serious illness – only the question of whether they can return to work. The impact is the same: loss of income, reduced work capacity and uncertainty about the future.

In countries, like New Zealand, support is structured around recovery and work capacity – not just the cause of injury. This is a direction I hope Singapore should aspire to move towards. I therefore suggest that the Government consider introducing a time-bound wage support scheme to help employers reintegrate workers recovering from serious health conditions.

Unlike support for persons with disabilities, there is currently no dedicated funding mechanism to incentivise employers to provide workplace accommodations for workers returning to work after serious non-work-related illnesses or medical conditions. Therefore, such a time-bound scheme could help to offset productivity adjustments and accommodation costs as workers gradually regain work capacity.

At the same time, we should reduce financial barriers for our workers. Allowing MediSave to be used for return-to-work-related expenses, such as assessments and evaluations of a worker's condition and fitness for work. These would ease out-of-pocket costs and support the worker's recovery. Fairness must not depend on how a worker fell ill or got injured. It must depend on our commitment to help them recover.

Mr Deputy Speaker, for a worker recovering from injury or illness, the journey is fought on three fronts: physical recovery, mental resilience and financial survival. A strong return-to-work system can make the difference between recovery and long-term exclusion. As our workforce ages and working lives lengthen, such challenges will become more commonplace. We must therefore act with urgency and with purpose.

Sir, I call on the Government to take the next step in strengthening Singapore's return-to-work ecosystem: to strengthen early intervention, equip our employers, build clear pathways back to work and ensure no worker is left behind. A fair society is not judged only by how it protects our workers from harm – but by how we help them recover when harm occurs. Let us build a system where recovery does not end at discharge, but leads back to work, to dignity and a second chance. Because at NTUC, we strongly believe that Every Worker Matters. [Applause.]

I thank the Member, Mr Melvin Yong, for his continued passion in championing safety and well-being for workers across their diverse life circumstances.

Indeed, efforts to strengthen workplace safety and health are not limited to prevention and enforcement. They include helping workers to maintain or re-enter employment after a serious injury or health episode. Notwithstanding Singapore's record low fatal and major injury rates, MOM is keenly aware that there are also workers who experience health-related setbacks or other types of injuries that impact their functional capacity.

As people live longer and have longer working lives, it will become increasingly important to support individuals through their careers, including during periods of recovery from injury or ill health.

Our survey data shows that on average, over the past five years, there were about 3,800 unemployed residents who had left their previous jobs due to health-related reasons. These jobseekers have the potential to regain meaningful employment, if given appropriate and adequate support.

MOM therefore shares Mr Yong's interest in strengthening return-to-work pathways, which can contribute to workforce well-being and productivity. When implemented effectively, all stakeholders stand to gain.

Return-to-work services aim to support individuals as they resume employment after illness or injury, in a safe and sustainable manner. This requires vocational rehabilitation and coordination across healthcare providers, employers and workers, and involves personalised plans based on functional ability and job requirements.

For workers, this reduces the risk of re-injury or relapse and facilitates psychological readiness to work. It also provides income security and prevents early attrition from the workforce. For employers, effective return-to-work policies not only demonstrate a genuine commitment to employee well-being but also safeguards valuable human capital by retaining trained and experienced workers.

There are different pathways to return to employment. One could return to the same role with the same employer, and with modifications to support the recovery process. Alternatively, the worker could return to the same employer but undertake a different role more suited to his or her current capabilities. Or, as the Member had mentioned, some workers may need to be matched with a different organisation or consider a new career path.

Beyond medical treatment and rehabilitative therapy, MOM recognises that workplaces play a crucial role too. Success hinges on having workplaces that are committed to facilitating workers' reintegration – recognising workers' strengths and enabling them to fulfil their potential at work. This means fostering a supportive workplace culture and implementing practical accommodations, so that workers can perform their roles effectively despite their limitations.

Over the years, MOM had worked with our partners to strengthen the spectrum of return-to-work pathways in Singapore. To support workers returning to their previous employment after a work injury, MOM conducted a pilot with the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) from 2017 to 2021 to establish return-to-work capabilities in seven public hospitals. Back then, MOM observed that return-to-work services were typically limited to multinational corporations with in-house capabilities. We worked with hospitals to develop workflows and to train coordinators to support injured workers in navigating them back to work.

Besides undergoing occupational therapy and rehabilitation, workers received support from coordinators who engaged their employers on implementing a customised return-to-work plan. The pilot enrolled a total of 3,700 workers whose employers were committed to supporting their participation in the programme. It was found that the workflows managed by the coordinators and their orchestration of support enabled 95% of these workers to successfully return to work.

With the experience from the pilot, hospitals continue to offer return-to-work services today. For work-related injuries, such return-to-work expenses are claimable under the Work Injury Compensation Act.

We agree with the Member that beyond this group of workers resuming their previous employment after a workplace injury, return-to-work pathways should be made more available to other workers facing non-work-related conditions or who cannot return to their previous jobs.

To this end, the Ministry of Health rolled out an inter-agency pilot called the "Bounce Back Lab" from 2023 to 2025. The pilot involved a partnership between Workforce Singapore and the Public Health Institutions, targeting workers who were recovering from a recent health setback and had been assessed as fit to re-enter the workforce. Participating workers received personalised career coaching services, alongside targeted health advisory and emotional support from medical and community social workers. Coordination between career coaches and social workers was facilitated through a shared case management platform.

Following the Bounce Back Lab pilot, healthcare clusters have implemented processes to strengthen integrated healthcare and employment support. Additionally, the healthcare clusters have fostered partnerships with organisations beyond Workforce Singapore to provide a wider range of referral options for patients seeking employment support.

The pilots I have highlighted set forth our initial efforts to lay the foundation for return-to-work ecosystem in Singapore. Even so, MOM recognises that more can be done, including through learning from best practices in other countries, as suggested by Mr Yong.

First, we can do more to raise awareness and utilisation of existing return-to-work services. For example, the hospitals' return-to-work programmes provide an established and proven pathway to support workers in returning to their former employment post-injury. Greater awareness of these programmes among healthcare professionals, workers and employers would facilitate early intervention, which is important for workers to return to work.

Second, to remain effective, return-to-work service providers must strengthen their competencies to better integrate workers' safety and health needs with employment support, especially as our workforce composition and working conditions evolve. For example, familiarity with industry-specific job tasks and new assistive technologies would enable service providers to better engage employers on job redesign and modification.

Third, we can better encourage and equip employers, especially SMEs, to implement practical work accommodations for recovering workers to support their gradual resumption of work responsibilities.

The Ministry will be conducting a review of the return-to-work landscape in Singapore and will consider the Member's suggestions carefully.

As a first step, MOM is looking to partner with the industry and crowdsource innovative ideas to improve return-to-work outcomes. As announced at the Committee of Supply debate last month, we will be launching an Alliance for Action on Safety and Health for Employment Longevity (AfA-SHEL) together with NTUC and SNEF in the second half of 2026.

The AfA-SHEL will catalyse ground-up solutions to common workplace safety risks and concerns, and facilitating injured workers back to work is one of our focus areas.

Drawing from the lessons from the previous pilots with hospitals, as well as the Bounce Back Lab pilot, proposals could include innovative job redesign approaches for common injuries or health conditions, initiatives to build SMEs' capabilities in supporting return-to-work, or new partnership models that better match workers to jobs, based on their functional abilities.

We encourage the public to participate in these ground-up solutions later in the year. Promising prototypes can be scaled for wider adoption, while insights from the AfA process will also inform our policy reviews.

While there are areas for improvement, I would like to acknowledge the current return-to-work efforts of our healthcare professionals, career and employment agencies, employers, unions and workers themselves, who have contributed to helping workers overcome health-related setbacks, so that they can continue on their career journeys.

Ultimately, further strengthening return-to-work pathways will require the commitment of all relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem. Let us continue working together to maximise the employment potential and longevity of all workers, a thriving economy and an inclusive Singapore.