Employment & labour — Topics

8 Sep 2014

Number and Profile of Stay-at-home Mothers

Irene Ng asked for statistics on stay-at-home mothers, their HDB flat types, average CPF savings at age 65, and poverty rates among elderly women and men.
Tan Chuan-Jin reported that about 312,000 women were economically inactive due to family responsibilities, with no data on their HDB flat types.
The average CPF balance for women who turned 65 in 2013 was $56,000, influenced by historical factors like lower wages and fewer women working.
Around half of women aged 65 and older were widows, and 35% of beneficiaries under the ComCare Long Term Assistance scheme were female.
The government emphasized that CPF balances alone do not reflect vulnerability, citing other resources and support schemes for the elderly.

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8 Sep 2014

Career Progression for Non-graduate Civil Servants

The Civil Service recruits based on merit, using educational qualifications as a proxy for competencies at entry level, but aims to merge separate graduate and non-graduate schemes into integrated career paths.
From October 2014, non-graduate Management Support Officers will have faster progression if they demonstrate required performance, and the Civil Service will review their job roles to enable larger responsibilities.
The Public Service Division is studying a merger of the Management Executive and Management Support schemes, allowing both graduates and non-graduates to progress based on performance and readiness for bigger roles, with professional accreditation required for certain fields.
The Civil Service provides multiple pathways to reward all officers who show good performance and readiness to take on larger roles, supporting career aspirations for both graduates and non-graduates.

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8 Sep 2014

Foreign Workers Hired under Letters of Consent and other Foreign Internship Programmes

Mrs Lina Chiam asked for figures on foreign workers hired under Letters of Consent and foreign internship programmes from 2003 to 2013.
As of December 2013, there were 9,700 foreign workers on Letters of Consent, representing less than 1% of the total foreign workforce excluding domestic workers.
Foreign interns are mainly brought in under the Training Employment Pass, with numbers dropping from a peak of 4,100 in 2010 to 1,200 in 2013 due to tightening of the scheme.

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8 Sep 2014

Vacancies in National Jobs Bank Taken Up by Singaporeans

Gerald Giam asked if the Ministry tracks and would publish the share of Jobs Bank posts secured by Singaporeans, and whether this data could be cross-referenced with Employment Pass and S-Pass applications to analyze PMET job outcomes.
Tan Chuan-Jin responded that while over 31,000 Singaporeans and 10,000 employers are using the Jobs Bank with 65,000 job listings, the system does not guarantee local hires as jobs are awarded based on merit, and tracking exact placements is difficult due to alternative hiring channels.
The Ministry focuses on overall labour market health, citing a 3.0% citizen unemployment rate and real wage growth, and monitors firms with low Singaporean PME ratios, intervening if hiring practices are unfair.

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8 Sep 2014

Applied Study in Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education Review (ASPIRE)

The government endorses the ASPIRE report to create multiple education and career pathways for all Singaporeans, emphasising lifelong learning and rewarding skills and performance over academic qualifications alone.
The debate stresses a tripartite approach involving employers, employees, and the government to instil a culture of mastery, where progression is built on deepening, broadening, and applying skills throughout one’s working life.
Speakers highlight the need to overcome societal mindsets that prioritise academic degrees, urging the public sector and employers to lead by example in valuing non-graduate talent and ensuring fair career progression and wages.

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8 Sep 2014

More incentives to Retain Workers beyond Retirement Age

The government currently protects older workers from age-based dismissal before 62 and requires re-employment offers up to age 65, with dispute resolution through unions or the Ministry.
Existing incentives like WorkPro, Special Employment Credit, and Workfare Income Supplement have raised employment rates for older residents from 47% to 65%, with 99% re-employment at age 62.
Tripartite discussions are underway to extend the re-employment age from 65 to 67, while promotional campaigns encourage fair employment practices and retention of older workers.
Efforts are focused on lifelong learning and skill upgrades to ensure quality employment, though concerns about low wages and fair pay for older workers remain.
The government continues to monitor the situation and considers further incentives, noting that current outcomes compare favorably with other developed countries.

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5 Aug 2014

Foreigners Working in Singapore

Mary Liew inquired about the number of foreigners working in Singapore, their nationalities, and the top sectors employing them.
Tan Chuan-Jin responded that as of December 2013, there were 1.32 million foreigners working, with 1.11 million excluding domestic workers, but nationality data is not publicly available.
The top 10 sectors employing the most foreigners were provided, with details on pages 94 and 95 of the debate records.

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5 Aug 2014

Foreign Worker Dependency Ratio Ceilings for Harbourcraft Industry and Land Reclamation Project

Mary Liew asked about the dependency ratio ceilings for Singaporeans versus foreigners in the harbourcraft sector and the Tuas South Sand Reclamation Project.
Tan Chuan-Jin explained that harbourcraft operators' access to foreign workers is guided by manning requirements based on craft type and operations, not local employment levels, due to difficulty in attracting locals to the physically demanding job.
For reclamation work, access to foreign workers is determined by the scale of the project rather than local hiring, as the sector also struggles to recruit Singaporeans for long hours in open waters.
Both sectors are deemed essential to Singapore's operations and development, with efforts ongoing to attract more locals despite the challenging working conditions.

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5 Aug 2014

Monitoring Payment of CPF Contributions for Non-contract, Ad Hoc and Part-time Workers

Employers must contribute CPF for all local workers, including part-time and casual workers, as long as an employer-employee relationship exists, with the CPF Board conducting proactive audits and investigating complaints.
The WorkRight initiative, launched in 2012, includes a hotline and email for reporting non-compliance and has increased inspections to over 5,000 annually.
In 2013, the CPF Board recovered $420 million for over 250,000 workers from late, under-, or non-payment of CPF contributions.

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5 Aug 2014

Update on Singapore's Economic Restructuring Efforts and Growth Outlook

Singapore's labour productivity grew by 2.9% annually from 2009 to 2013 but has weakened to 0.2% per annum from 2010 to 2013, with notable declines in retail, F&B, and construction, while sectors like transport and precision engineering showed strong growth.
Over 17,000 companies have benefited from productivity initiatives, with PIC scheme participation rising from 36,000 companies in 2011 to 50,000 in 2013, resulting in $1.5 billion in tax savings and cash payouts, and ICV scheme awards increasing to over 2,700 vouchers in early 2014.
Singapore's GDP growth slowed to 2.1% year-on-year in Q2 2014 from 4.7% in Q1, primarily due to a manufacturing slowdown, but the economy is expected to grow between 2% and 4% for the year, supported by a modest global recovery and resilient domestic sectors.
The government is encouraging broader company take-up of productivity schemes through business associations, aiming for about 1% productivity growth this year to align with labour force growth of 1-2% and support the 2-4% growth target.
Challenges include managing new regulatory roll-outs without overburdening businesses, considering more targeted sector-specific productivity schemes alongside broad-based ones, and cushioning job transitions through reskilling, especially for senior PMEs, with collaboration between government, trade associations, and NTUC.

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5 Aug 2014

Salary Components for New S Pass Pay Thresholds

The Minister for Manpower explained that S Pass and Employment Pass salary thresholds are raised to match local wages and prevent foreign workers from undercutting Singaporeans, while also balancing company competitiveness.
Employers can meet the new qualifying salary through a combination of basic salary and fixed monthly allowances, but variable components like bonuses or commissions cannot be counted for eligibility.
Zainal Sapari questioned whether allowing increases through allowances instead of basic pay could create a loophole for employers to lower overtime and bonus costs, making foreign hires cheaper than local ones.
The Minister acknowledged this concern and stated the Ministry would investigate if employers are exploiting this by reducing basic pay and using allowances to meet thresholds, potentially undermining the intent of a level playing field.

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5 Aug 2014

Over-charging of Placement Fees for Foreign Domestic Workers

Over the last three years, the Ministry of Manpower received six complaints from Foreign Domestic Workers about placement fees exceeding the legal cap, plus 15 additional cases found during audits, with eight cases resulting in action taken against agencies.
Singapore law caps placement fees at one month’s salary per year of service, up to two months’ total, and the ministry does not believe excessive charging by local agencies is prevalent but will act when violations occur.
For overseas fee issues beyond Singapore’s legal reach, the ministry informs relevant embassies or high commissions to enable action at the source.

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5 Aug 2014

System to Detect Non-payment of CPF Contributions

The debate was triggered by a query on the Ministry of Manpower's failure to detect non-payment of CPF contributions for National Service employees over a decade, with the Minister outlining current risk-based audit and enforcement measures.
The Minister detailed improvements, such as requiring employers to declare reservist training and provide documentation for NS make-up pay, and collaborating with MINDEF to educate employers on CPF obligations.
A supplementary suggestion was made to implement notification systems via smartphones or email for NSmen to track make-up pay payments, which the Minister agreed to consider for system enhancement.

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4 Aug 2014

Compensation Packages of at Least $1 Million at Five Autonomous Universities

Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene questioned how many AU staff had compensation packages of at least $1 million in the last five years and whether top management salaries have drifted disproportionately compared to peer institutions in North America and Europe.
Heng Swee Keat responded that an average of five staff per year across all five AUs had packages over $1 million, representing about 0.03% of the 16,000 full-time staff and faculty.
Heng Swee Keat noted that while top management salaries in foreign universities vary widely and can exceed local levels, detailed comparisons are unavailable due to lack of remuneration package data from other institutions.

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4 Aug 2014

Cases of Workplace Discrimination Lodged with Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices

Over the past three years, TAFEP received a rising number of discrimination complaints, peaking at 475 in 2013, primarily due to nationality-related concerns, though this trend has since moderated.
The majority of complaints involve nationality, age, and language or race, with TAFEP engaging employers to advise on fair employment practices and referring cases with prima facie evidence to MOM for investigation.
In the first half of the year, MOM curtailed work pass privileges for 41 employers and issued warnings to 34 others, while employers generally heeded TAFEP’s advice to adjust practices.
Fair employment benefits employers by expanding the talent pool and boosting employee morale and productivity, with support available from TAFEP for both employers and jobseekers.

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4 Aug 2014

Impact of Progressive Wage Model on Wages in Cleaning Industry

The Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is now a licensing condition for cleaning companies, with full implementation for all resident cleaners expected by September 2015.
Since the PWM was recommended in 2012, cleaners' median basic wages have increased by 16%, rising from $820 to $950 in one year.
The PWM is expected to improve professional standards through mandatory training and shift procurement practices toward quality-based sourcing.
Authorities will continue monitoring the PWM's impact and work with tripartite partners to promote best sourcing and regularly review the model.

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4 Aug 2014

Take-up Rates in Civil Service for Family-friendly Benefits and Schemes

Seah Kian Peng requested specific take-up rates for part-time employment, childcare leave, and paternity leave across ministries and statutory boards, along with the top and bottom five performers for each indicator.
Teo Chee Hean, representing the Prime Minister, provided national figures: 1.7% of Division 1 officers and 0.6% of non-Division 1 officers were on part-time employment in 2013, with 72% and 48% using the six-day and extended childcare leave, respectively, and 78% using paternity leave.
He stated that comparing take-up rates across ministries and statutory boards is not meaningful due to differences in work nature and employee profiles.

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9 Jul 2014

Raising of Re-employment Age Ceiling to 67 Years

Mrs Lina Chiam inquired about the timeline for raising the re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67.
Tan Chuan-Jin stated that the Tripartite Committee is examining the appropriate timeframe and implementation issues for this extension.
The committee is finalising proposals with tripartite partners and plans to share these plans later this year.

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9 Jul 2014

Slight Rise in Unemployment Rate despite Tightening of Access to Foreign Manpower

The slight rise in unemployment to 3% for citizens is attributed to increased job search activity in a tight labor market, with normal quarterly fluctuations observed, and the unemployed profile includes older workers and those with lower education levels.
Challenges in placing unemployed citizens include ensuring skills relevance, supported by government subsidies for training and work-life balance initiatives, while requiring individual adaptability and a strong economy to create quality jobs.
The tightening of foreign manpower has led some companies to restructure or close, but net company formation continues, and the focus remains on generating sufficient jobs for Singaporeans through reskilling and sector transitions.

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8 Jul 2014

Remuneration and Benefits Packages for Academic and Non-academic Staff in Autonomous Universities

Assoc Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene inquired whether there are guidelines or rules that Autonomous Universities must follow for remuneration and benefits packages for academic and non-academic staff in leadership positions.
Heng Swee Keat responded that Autonomous Universities have established their own frameworks and guidelines for staff remuneration and benefits, which are endorsed by their Boards of Trustees and consider market conditions.
The frameworks aim to help universities recruit and retain the right people, with no central government mandates overriding these internal guidelines.

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