Employment & labour — Topics

5 Oct 2020

Gap in Digital Talent Supply and Demand

Minister S Iswaran highlighted strong and growing demand for digital tech talent across Singapore’s economy, accelerated by COVID-19 digitalisation, with about 10,000 new tech jobs created annually over the past three years.
The government is addressing immediate gaps by partnering industry to create 6,800 tech jobs, traineeships, and skills opportunities through initiatives like IMDA’s TeSA and WSG’s SGUnited Jobs and Skills.
Over the next three years, local Pre-Employment Training is projected to supply around 20,000 tech graduates, supplemented by at least 6,250 from Continuing Education and Training programmes, including placing 2,500 mid-career professionals aged 40 and above.
Despite current global economic challenges, net job creation in tech roles remains positive, with nearly 10,000 tech job postings reported in mid-September 2020 on WSG’s MyCareersFuture portal.
The government remains committed to building a sustainable digital talent pipeline and urges Singaporeans to actively upskill to participate in the digital economy.

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5 Oct 2020

Detailed Study on Effectiveness of Continuing Education and Training Schemes

Patrick Tay asked for a detailed study on the effectiveness of CET schemes in supporting job placement, progression, and social mobility, as well as future skills needed in growth sectors.
Lawrence Wong noted that MOE and SkillsFuture already collaborate on research, including the Workforce Development Applied Research Fund to evaluate CET impacts and future skills needs.
He affirmed willingness to commission more detailed studies with unions and employers in the suggested areas.

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5 Oct 2020

Number of Women Amongst Those Retrenched in 2020

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower for the number of retrenchments in 2020 and how many of those retrenched were women.
Mrs Josephine Teo responded with data showing that 6,460 residents were retrenched in the first half of 2020.
The response indicated that about half of those retrenched in the first half of 2020 were women.

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5 Oct 2020

Overview of Government's Strategy to Emerge Stronger from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The government will provide continued support for businesses and workers through extended wage subsidies, training packages, and loan programmes to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19, with a focus on hard-hit sectors like aviation and tourism.
Singapore aims to emerge stronger by remaking itself as a Global-Asia node for technology and innovation, enhancing physical and digital connectivity, and investing in research and sustainability to drive future economic growth.
To foster inclusive growth, the government will expand skills upgrading initiatives and the Progressive Wage Model to more sectors, helping workers, especially vulnerable groups, transition to better jobs and raise their wages over time.

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5 Oct 2020

Clarification by Minister for Manpower

The Minister for Manpower clarified a factual error in her earlier statement about the number of employers applying for Employment Passes.
She corrected that, instead of 40,000, 75,000 employers had applied for Employment Passes at least once in the last five years.
The correction was made during a session where the Speaker allowed the minister to proceed with the clarification.

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5 Oct 2020

Effectiveness of Professional Conversion Programme

The Minister for Manpower highlighted that Professional Conversion Programmes have strong outcomes with nine in ten participants employed and seven in ten earning higher wages two years after placement, while addressing Auditor-General findings on inadequate documentation by three programme partners rather than questioning programme impact.
Workforce Singapore will issue new guidelines, streamline monitoring to focus on key indicators like placements and training completion, and conduct sampling checks on up to 20% of programme placements to ensure compliance and address supervision lapses.
Pritam Singh pressed for more transparency, questioning the identities of the three programme partners and the prevalence of similar job scopes post-conversion, with the Minister clarifying that job changes occurred but documentation was deficient and that naming partners is not standard practice for administrative errors.

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5 Oct 2020

Measures to Protect Bus Drivers and Public Transport Service Staff

The Ministry of Transport reaffirms a zero-tolerance approach to abuse against bus drivers and will work with unions and operators to raise commuter awareness of the serious consequences.
The government is open to exploring best practices from other regions, such as safety reviews and anti-shatter films, and welcomes suggestions for additional protective measures for frontline staff.
The National Transport Workers' Union is collaborating with operators to trial protective shields on buses, with the Ministry noting that feedback from drivers on safety and glare issues will be crucial before any wider rollout.

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5 Oct 2020

Considerations for Punitive Actions against Employer of Former Foreign Domestic Worker Parti Liyani for Illegal Deployment

The Ministry of Manpower stated that its punitive actions for illegal deployment of foreign domestic workers consider the worker's well-being and the extent of the deployment, and the actions in the Parti Liyani case were consistent with past cases, though a review is ongoing following High Court observations.
The Minister of State confirmed that the Ministry will review its punishment framework to hold employers accountable for illegal deployments regardless of their awareness, emphasizing the vulnerability of foreign domestic workers.
A suggestion was made to require documented consent from foreign domestic workers for deployments outside their registered address, and the Ministry is considering improving notification processes for such cases.

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4 Sep 2020

Clarification by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat provided data on the Jobs Support Scheme, noting that over $16 billion had been disbursed to more than 150,000 employers, supporting over two million local workers' wages.
He clarified that $10.5 billion of the JSS payouts went to SMEs, representing 73% of the local workers supported.
The correction was made to a previous statement, as the original amount for SME payouts was inaccurately stated as $15.5 billion.

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4 Sep 2020

Employment Rate and Redundancy Rate of Jobs Support Scheme Recipient Firms in March 2020 versus Currently

Employment fell by 2.7% in JSS-receiving firms between March and June 2020, while firms that declined JSS saw a 0.6% increase in employment during the same period.
The retrenchment rate in JSS-receiving firms was 3.1 per 1,000 in Q2 2020, higher than the 1.8 per 1,000 rate in firms that declined JSS payouts.
Over 150,000 employers received JSS support, with nearly 600 declining or returning payouts, indicating these firms were less severely impacted by COVID-19 and had less need to reduce their workforce.

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4 Sep 2020

Take-up Rate of SG United Traineeships Across Sectors and Need to Raise Awareness

Over 1,000 fresh graduates have taken up traineeships, primarily in growth sectors like ICT, Media, Professional Services, and Financial Services, with more placements expected as the selection process continues.
Outreach efforts are being expanded through partnerships with educational institutions and digital media to raise awareness among fresh graduates about the traineeship programme.
Traineeships do not automatically convert to permanent jobs, but companies are encouraged to hire trainees based on fit and business needs, supported by incentives like the Jobs Growth Incentive.
For trainees not retained, the experience builds industry-relevant skills and credentials, with continued government support for job searches through career matching services.

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4 Sep 2020

Breakdown of Employed and Unemployed Singaporean, Permanent Resident and Foreign PMETS by Industries, Age and Gender

Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked for an annual breakdown of Singaporean, permanent resident, and foreign PMETs across specific industries from January 2010 to June 2020.
He also requested unemployment rates for Singaporean and permanent resident PMETs by age and gender over the same period.
Mrs Josephine Teo provided tables with data on PMETs by industry and residential status from 2010 to 2019, and unemployment rates by residential status, age, and sex.
She noted that permanent residents have generally lower unemployment rates than citizens, citing employability and economic contribution as key factors.
Additional data on resident PMETs will be released in the annual Labour Force report in January 2021.

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4 Sep 2020

Firms under Fair Consideration Framework Watchlist

There are currently about 400 firms on the Fair Consideration Framework Watchlist due to high foreign PMET ratios or nationality concentration, with their Employment Pass applications affected and engagement by TAFEP to improve HR practices.
The Ministry will not name firms or withdraw government grants and tax incentives, as this could hinder local hiring efforts and is counter-productive, with most firms exiting the watchlist within a year after engagement.
For uncooperative firms, work pass privileges remain suspended, and plans include proactive engagement with more companies and collaboration with economic agencies and the HR community to strengthen the Singaporean core.

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4 Sep 2020

Consideration to Allow Private Security Firms to Recruit and Employ Singporeans Aged Above 60 on a Temporary Basis as Private Security Officers

Patrick Tay asked if private security firms could temporarily hire Singaporeans over 60 as security officers while awaiting screening, training, and medical clearance.
K Shanmugam explained that licensing under the Private Security Industry Act requires pre-deployment security screening, training, and medical fitness for officers over 60 to ensure public safety and officer welfare.
The process can be completed in about two weeks, and the police can only allow security firms to deploy individuals who are fully cleared and qualified.

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4 Sep 2020

Local-Foreign Employment in Local Food Production Sector

The Minister reported that slightly more than half of workers in the local agri-food sector are locals as of June 2020, with most foreign workers in semi-skilled roles due to labour-intensive conventional farming methods.
The Ministry aims to achieve the "30 by 30" goal of producing 30% of nutritional needs locally by 2030 through technological transformation, which will create higher-value jobs requiring skilled workers.
Initiatives like the $63 million Agriculture Productivity Fund and the "30 by 30 Express" Grant Call support farms in adopting new technologies to boost productivity and innovation.
The Ministry collaborates with Institutes of Higher Learning to offer training programmes and internships, such as diplomas in aquaculture technology and the SGUnited Skills programme, to build a pipeline of local talent for the sector.
The overall strategy is to upskill the workforce and attract more Singaporeans into modern farming roles to ensure food security and reduce reliance on foreign labour.

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4 Sep 2020

Application for Government Paid Childcare Leave Scheme Broken Down by Gender of Employees

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development for the median number of childcare leave days taken per year by male and female employees under the Government-Paid Childcare Leave Scheme for the past five years.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M explained that employees with Singapore Citizen children under seven receive six days of paid childcare leave annually, with employers covering the first three days and the government reimbursing the subsequent three days.
Employers are not required to report data for employees taking only one to three days of leave to reduce administrative burden, so statistics are only available for those consuming more than three days.
From 2016 to 2019, the median number of childcare leave days taken was six days for both male and female employees, based on claims submitted by employers for leave beyond the third day.

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4 Sep 2020

Review of Data Collection Duration for Graduate Employment Survey

Ms Raeesah Khan proposed extending the Graduate Employment Survey (GES) to five and ten years after graduation for longitudinal wage data on graduates from both Autonomous Universities and Private Education Institutions, and sharing anonymised GES data with academics for research.
Lawrence Wong noted the annual GES tracks employment outcomes six months post-graduation, with similar surveys for Private Education Institutions since 2014, but longer intervals reduce response rates and data robustness.
The Ministry of Education piloted a five-year post-graduation survey with polytechnics and plans to extend it to Autonomous Universities and ITE, while continuing efforts to improve participation from Private Education Institutions.
Academics can contact MOE to collaborate on using GES data for research on trends, with the ministry working to facilitate such studies for broader societal benefits.

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4 Sep 2020

Data on Employees who have been Supported by Jobs Support Scheme

Over $16 billion in JSS payouts have been disbursed to more than 150,000 employers, supporting over two million local workers, with SMEs receiving $15.5 billion (73% of supported workers).
By revenue band, payouts are $5.8 billion (<$10M, 46% workers), $4.0 billion ($10–100M, 24%), $1.6 billion ($100–250M, 9%), and $4.9 billion (>$250M, 21%).
No data is collected on whether companies experienced revenue declines in H1 2020 to reduce administrative burden; support is instead tiered by sector based on COVID-19 impact assessments.

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4 Sep 2020

Singaporeans Employed in Financial Services Sector

Member Chua Kheng Wee Louis queried the proportion of Singaporeans in senior roles, trends over the last decade, and salary percentiles across nationalities in the financial sector, to which Minister Ong Ye Kung responded with data showing a stable 44% share of Singaporeans in senior positions but a 50% increase in absolute numbers over five years.
The Minister noted that median monthly wages for Singaporeans in the sector are between $6,000–$8,000, lower than the $8,000–$10,000 band for permanent residents and foreigners, due to foreign hires often occupying specialised or global roles.
Chua raised concerns about the relatively stable proportion of Singaporeans in senior roles despite sector growth and asked about government targets and support for middle management, to which Ong emphasized the importance of growing the sector and developing local talent to create more opportunities.
Ong explained that while percentages may remain steady, the expanding sector leads to more Singaporeans advancing to senior positions, both domestically and overseas, and that continued openness and investment in local capabilities are key to this progress.

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4 Sep 2020

Updates on Unemployment and Retrenchment Numbers and Adoption of Schemes such as SGUnited Traineeships

MPs questioned the Minister for Manpower about unemployment figures for workers aged 50 and above, retrenchment numbers, and potential misuse of the SGUnited traineeship programs.
The Minister responded that unemployment has increased, with one in three unemployed residents aged 50+, and reported specific retrenchment and temporary layoff figures for the first half of 2020.
She outlined safeguards to prevent abuse of the SGUnited programs, including scrutiny by the Singapore Business Federation and monthly updates from host companies.
The Minister noted that the government is considering more frequent unemployment data releases but emphasized the need for reliability, while also addressing concerns about fair hiring practices and worker protections.
Additional measures, such as the Jobs Growth Incentive and expanded career advisory services, were highlighted to support job seekers and encourage hiring.

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