Employment & labour

• Patrick Tay proposed reviewing the Extended Childcare Leave scheme to increase government reimbursement and suggested introducing a Paid Caregiving Leave scheme for caregivers of elderly family members.
• Gan Kim Yong, representing the Prime Minister, highlighted the government's ongoing support for parents and caregivers, including recent enhancements to parental leave provisions.
• The government is open to studying further enhancements to leave provisions while balancing the needs of employees and the business costs for employers.
• Many employers are already offering caregiving-related leave provisions voluntarily to attract and retain talent.
• The government emphasizes the importance of flexible work arrangements for caregivers and will continue to assess and improve current leave provisions.

• The Uplifting Employment Credit (UEC) scheme, launched in April 2023, provides wage offsets to employers hiring ex-offenders.
• Approximately 1,200 employers have utilized the UEC, hiring over 3,200 ex-offenders across various industries.
• The most common job roles for these ex-offenders include drivers, cleaning supervisors, and cleaners in sectors like administrative support and accommodation services.
• More than half of the ex-offenders hired under the UEC have remained employed after the nine-month wage support period.
• The Ministry of Manpower will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the UEC in supporting ex-offenders' employment.

• The debate focused on the challenges faced by young adults with special needs in securing and retaining employment, highlighting the need for better collaboration between the government and employers.
• Key barriers include employers' lack of awareness about the benefits of inclusive hiring and the need for accessible workplaces and reasonable job accommodations.
• The government has implemented various support measures, such as the Open Door Programme and Enabling Employment Credit, to assist employers in adopting inclusive hiring practices and providing necessary training and job coaching.
• SG Enable has launched initiatives like the Enabling Business Hub to offer customized skills training and job support, targeting key sectors with potential job opportunities for persons with disabilities.
• There is a call for a cultural shift in workplaces to recognize the advantages of inclusive hiring, which can lead to a more innovative and purpose-driven workforce.

• Victor Lye raised concerns about the Temporary Permit (Exhibition) Scheme (TPES) potentially creating an uneven playing field between established firms and newly-registered companies.
• The TPES is designed to meet seasonal manpower needs in the Meetings, Incentives, Exhibitions and Conventions industry, with specific restrictions on the type of work and duration of employment.
• Workers under the TPES can only perform installation and teardown tasks at designated venues for a maximum of three weeks and must be Malaysian nationals.
• The Minister for Manpower, Tan See Leng, stated that the scheme is accessible to all firms and does not favor any particular group, and emphasized ongoing monitoring and review of the TPES.

• Concerns were raised about the mental well-being of preschool educators due to heavy workloads, administrative demands, and limited leave options affecting their work-life balance.
• The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) acknowledges the importance of supporting educators' well-being to enhance their effectiveness in their roles.
• ECDA has established a relief staff pool to address short-term manpower needs when educators are on leave and is implementing digital solutions to streamline workloads and improve productivity.
• Ongoing initiatives and support for educators' well-being include Continuing Professional Development courses focused on resilience and self-care practices.

• The Minister for Manpower was questioned about plans to address driver fatigue, which is a leading cause of workplace fatalities, and to reduce injuries among SMEs in the construction sector.
• The Ministry of Manpower will promote awareness of fatigue management guidelines and encourage the use of vehicular safety technologies to enhance driver awareness and prevent accidents.
• Inspections targeting smaller construction projects have been intensified, particularly during busy periods, and companies with major injuries are required to conduct audits to prevent future incidents.
• The Ministry aims to support SMEs in improving their workplace safety capabilities through programs like StartSAFE and the adoption of technology solutions.

• Ms. Eileen Chong Pei Shan inquired about the number of employers penalized for rejecting Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) requests without proper justification and suggested stronger enforcement measures.
• Minister Tan See Leng referred to a previous written response regarding acceptance and rejection rates of FWA requests and mentioned the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices as a resource for assistance.
• The discussion highlights concerns over the adequacy of employer responses to FWA requests and the need for better enforcement of guidelines.

• Mr. Patrick Tay Teck Guan inquired about the Ministry of Manpower's plans to study productivity gains from AI adoption and its impact on wage growth for non-senior managerial workers.
• Minister Tan See Leng confirmed that the Government is actively studying the effects of AI on jobs, the labor market, and productivity.
• He noted the challenges in isolating productivity gains and wage growth specifically linked to AI due to the rapid evolution of technology and job tasks.
• Minister Tan emphasized that the full benefits of AI adoption will take time to be realized.

• Patrick Tay raised concerns about "ghost jobs," which are job postings that do not exist or are not intended to be filled, and questioned whether the Ministry for Manpower accounts for these in labor data reports.
• He suggested that the Ministry should release guidelines to help employers reduce ghost job postings to foster trust with jobseekers.
• Minister Tan See Leng responded that the Ministry ensures the accuracy of labor market statistics through rigorous validation of reported vacancies and cross-checks with other data sources.
• The Ministry acknowledges that employers may post multiple job listings to attract suitable candidates, which is a normal recruitment practice and not necessarily indicative of ghost jobs.
• The Ministry is enhancing job search features on the MyCareersFuture portal to assist jobseekers in identifying responsive employers and will continue to promote responsible job posting practices.

• Melvin Yong Yik Chye inquired about the annual statistics of workplace fatalities and injuries among migrant domestic workers (MDWs) involved in high-rise window cleaning over the past decade and suggested the need for enhanced safety measures.
• Dr. Wan Rizal questioned the adequacy of current regulations for MDWs cleaning windows and proposed mandatory safety briefings for employers and expanded mental health support for MDWs.
• Minister Tan See Leng outlined existing safety regulations for MDWs, including restrictions on window cleaning without proper safety measures and supervision, and highlighted enforcement actions taken against negligent employers.
• The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has implemented mandatory orientation programs for first-time employers and MDWs, and provides resources for mental health support and safety compliance.
• MOM will continue to monitor incidents and may increase education and enforcement efforts to ensure the safety of MDWs in high-rise cleaning tasks.

• Dr. Hamid Razak inquired about the uptake of the Hospital Clinician Scheme across various specialties and the support for doctors' retention and career development.
• Minister Ong Ye Kung explained that the Hospital Clinician (HC) track is distinct from other medical career paths and focuses on broad-based competencies to coordinate care.
• Currently, there are about 150 HCs in public healthcare, with ongoing efforts to enhance the attractiveness of the HC scheme through professional development and remuneration reviews.
• The Ministry of Health monitors patient care outcomes to inform the evolution of the care team model, emphasizing the role of HCs in addressing the needs of an aging population.
• Initiatives are in place to inform medical students about the HC track, including clinical rotations, career guidance talks, and an annual careers day to encourage consideration of all medical career paths.

• The debate centers on the amendment of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 to include mediation for workplace fairness disputes and civil actions for discrimination.
• The proposed changes also involve amendments to the Employment Claims Act 2016, the Industrial Relations Act 1960, and the Retirement and Re-employment Act 1993.
• The bill was presented by the Minister of State, Mr. Dinesh Vasu Dash, on behalf of the Minister for Manpower.
• The bill was read for the first time and is scheduled to be read a second time in a future parliamentary sitting.

Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Manpower about the number of rejected Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) requests since December 2024, the reasons for these rejections, and complaints regarding improper handling of such requests. Tan See Leng referred her to a previous parliamentary reply for information on rejection rates and reasons. He noted that since the implementation of the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA requests, TAFEP received one complaint in July 2025 regarding verbal communication of an FWA outcome instead of written notification, leading to process revisions by the company involved. Employees or employers facing issues with FWA requests can seek assistance from TAFEP.

Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked about the number of students in local universities offered structured internships in 2024 that lead to full-time jobs, the sector breakdown of these offers, and whether the Ministry is collaborating with industries to create job pathways from internships. Desmond Lee responded that internships aim to provide real-world training and the opportunity for companies to assess interns for potential full-time roles. The 2024 Joint Autonomous University Graduate Employment Survey indicated that around 40% of graduates received job offers from their internship companies, with about 60% accepting those offers. The Ministry of Education does not track which companies provided these job offers.

Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Education about tracking employment outcomes, job transitions, and promotions of individuals who completed SkillsFuture funded training, as well as the possibility of publishing data on post-training job outcomes. Desmond Lee indicated that this question had already been addressed in a previous oral reply on 25 September 2025 concerning the career impact of various training initiatives related to SkillsFuture.

Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Prime Minister about the number of Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students benefiting from the Public Service-ITE Internship Programme and its future plans. Chan Chun Sing responded that the program, launched in 2023, has helped 284 ITE students intern across 41 agencies and received positive feedback. The Public Service Division plans to continue the internship program.

Cai Yinzhou asked about the local sea-based fish farm sector, specifically concerning the average age of farmers and the proportion of locals in the workforce, as well as strategies for attracting local farmers and mitigating environmental risks. Grace Fu Hai Yien responded that there are approximately 400 workers in the sector, with about half being locals, but there is no data on the average age of farmers. The Singapore Food Agency collaborates with educational institutions to create training programs for local talent, including a new Specialist Diploma in Aquaculture Management and Technology launched in April 2024. Additionally, efforts are made to support farms in improving productivity and resilience, alongside enhancing biosecurity measures.

Elysa Chen asked about the number of employers investigated for abuses of the Training Employment Pass (TEP) scheme in 2023 and the involvement of foreign students and trainees. Tan See Leng reported that 230 employers and 520 TEP holders have been investigated for abuses of the scheme in 2023 and 2024.

Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked if the Government plans to impose limits on credit facilities and cap fees and interest rates for platform workers under financing programs. Edwin Tong Chun Fai explained that platform operators can lend to workers as exempt moneylenders, provided the loans are beneficial and have safeguards in place. GFin Services, a subsidiary of Grab, is the only current lender under this exemption, subject to restrictions stricter than licensed moneylenders, including limits on fees and loan amounts. GFin must also implement additional safeguards like a credit scoring system and support initiatives for workers struggling with repayments.

Ng Shi Xuan questioned the eligibility and selection criteria for host organisations in the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme and whether recent retrenchments would affect their eligibility. Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked about plans to audit employers using traineeship grants to ensure they do not displace existing employees and inquired about the establishment of a public debarment list for exploitative firms. Nadia Ahmad Samdin sought clarification on how the Ministry ensures meaningful training in the Global Talent Ready Programme and what measures are in place to evaluate the quality of the traineeship experience. Tan See Leng referred to a previous response given on 23 September 2025 addressing these inquiries about graduate employment and the GRIT programme.