Employment & labour

Edward Chia Bing Hui questioned the Ministry of Manpower about reviewing policies to better protect full-time workers on fixed-term contracts. Tan See Leng responded that these workers have specific protections under existing employment legislation, including the Employment Act. The Ministry regularly reviews protections for different worker groups, including those on fixed-term contracts, while noting that freelancers enjoy more autonomy but lack the same protections. MOM will continue to assess the support needed for various worker categories.

David Hoe inquired about the progress of the Singapore Food Agency's partnerships with Institutes of Higher Learning and local farms in creating diploma courses and internships for the agri-food sector. Grace Fu Hai Yien responded that the SFA has developed Pre-employment Training (PET) and Continuing Education and Training (CET) programs, providing students and adult learners with relevant skills for careers in the agri-food sector, along with structured internship opportunities. As of October 2025, there are eight PET and CET programs, including SkillsFuture short courses, designed to meet industry needs. These programs also aim to equip students with cross-disciplinary skills to enhance their adaptability and employment opportunities across various sectors.

Elysa Chen asked about plans to review employer practices regarding mental health-related medical certificates and measures to prevent discrimination in employment. Tan See Leng stated that employers are required to accept valid medical certificates for both physical and mental health conditions as part of statutory sick leave. He emphasized the importance of patient confidentiality in medical certificates and noted that the upcoming Workplace Fairness Act will prohibit adverse employment decisions based on mental health conditions among other protections.

Low Wu Yang Andre raised concerns to the Minister for Manpower regarding the number of complaints related to severance agreements containing clauses that discourage employees from contacting authorities or unions. He also inquired about the tripartite partners' awareness of such clauses during a recent retrenchment by Agoda, questioning the monitoring mechanisms in place to prevent these clauses. Tan See Leng responded that the Ministry of Manpower was made aware of Agoda's clauses through media reports and does not actively monitor severance agreements due to their private nature. He acknowledged workers' concerns and emphasized the importance of fair retrenchment practices, noting that MOM received no complaints on this issue aside from the Agoda case and encouraging workers to report any unfair clauses they encounter.

• Ms. Elysa Chen inquired about the support mechanisms Workforce Singapore is implementing to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in hosting trainees under the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme.
• The GRIT programme aims to provide fresh graduates with high-quality work experience to enhance their employability.
• Selection of host organizations for the GRIT programme prioritizes companies' ability to deliver effective training, with Workforce Singapore collaborating with sector agencies to identify suitable hosts, including SMEs that meet the requirements.

• The Ministry of Manpower has launched 19 Jobs Transformation Maps (JTMs) that cover approximately 1.7 million employed residents.
• Workforce Singapore (WSG) utilizes insights from JTMs to create sector-specific workforce interventions, including the Job Redesign and Reskilling Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) aimed at mid-career employees.
• In 2024, over 400 companies participated in JRR CCPs, reskilling around 2,300 individuals for growth job roles identified in the JTMs.
• JTMs assist in anticipating workforce needs for sectors undergoing restructuring, with specific initiatives in the financial services and tourism sectors to upskill affected workers.
• WSG is committed to continuously refining JTM methodologies based on feedback from sector agencies and industry insights to ensure actionable workforce plans.

• Mr. Victor Lye inquired about the number and percentage of Temporary Permit Exhibition Scheme (TPES) permits issued to firms without local employees or CPF-registered staff over the past two years.
• Minister Tan See Leng responded that 1,280 TPES permits were issued to such firms, representing 10% of the total permits issued during that time.

• Patrick Tay Teck Guan proposed that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) should require employers to notify them before conducting retrenchment exercises.
• The National Union Congress supports advance notification of retrenchment in certain situations, suggesting that employers should inform MOM before notifying affected employees.
• The Ministry of Manpower is currently reviewing this proposal in collaboration with tripartite partners and will provide further details in due course.

• Mr. Patrick Tay Teck Guan inquired about the proportion of employers who have submitted data for compliance monitoring of the Progressive Wage Model and Local Qualifying Salary requirements.
• Minister Tan See Leng responded that over 90% of employers had submitted the necessary information to the Ministry's Occupational Employment Dataset as of June 2025.

• Patrick Tay Teck Guan inquired about employer compliance rates for Local Qualifying Salary and Progressive Wage requirements.
• The Minister for Manpower, Tan See Leng, reported that approximately 80% of eligible employees met the Progressive Wage Model and Occupational Progressive Wages requirements.
• He also noted that 90% of workers not covered by the Progressive Wage Model received at least the Local Qualifying Salary.