Supporting Freelance Arts and Creative Practitioners in Retirement Planning and Financial Resilience

Assoc Prof Kenneth Goh asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry supports freelance arts and creative practitioners in their retirement planning and financial resilience given that they do not receive employer CPF contributions; and (b) if so, how.

The Government recognises that self-employed practitioners face unique employment circumstances, such as the lack of employer Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions. To ensure that Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) in the arts can build financial resilience and career sustainability, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) supports arts SEPs through a combination of national schemes and sectoral initiatives.

All SEPs with an annual Net Trade Income exceeding $6,000 are required to make mandatory MediSave contributions. The CPF Board's Contribute-As-You-Earn (CAYE) makes this easier by automatically channelling MediSave contributions when income is received from onboarded agencies and organisations. All government agencies, including the National Arts Council (NAC) and the National Heritage Board, are on CAYE. NAC has also been engaging cultural institutions to come on board the CAYE scheme, extending this benefit to the arts SEPs they work with. Institutions, such as the Esplanade, the Singapore Art Museum and the School of the Arts have come on board, and NAC will continue to engage more institutions to do so.

To complement schemes such as CAYE, NAC supports arts SEPs in building financial resilience and career sustainability through the Arts Resource Hub (ARH). Established in 2019, ARH takes a holistic approach to equipping arts SEPs with resources, career guidance and professional development programmes. ARH offers practical resources on financial wellness, including guides on CPF basics, insurance and tax essentials.

As part of financial planning advice, arts SEPs are encouraged to make additional CPF contributions beyond compulsory MediSave contributions. ARH also regularly brings in experts to speak on topics tailored to creative professionals, such as specialised insurance and long-term financial security. These resources allow SEPs to proactively plan for their financial resilience and retirement.

More holistically, ARH empowers arts SEPs to develop their portfolios and build sustainable, independent careers. The IGNITE Mentorship Programme, for example, pairs early-career practitioners with experienced independent professionals that provide guidance on freelance career development, portfolio careers and entrepreneurship.

MCCY and NAC will continue to work on initiatives to build the arts and culture sector and, in doing so, help arts practitioners build vibrant and viable careers. We will also strengthen support for arts SEPs so that they are better equipped to plan for their own financial futures and sustain careers in the arts.