Employment & labour — Topics

6 Feb 2024

Measures to Enhance Adoption and Adherence to Tripartite Standards

The Minister outlined that the Tripartite Standards (TS) are voluntary but promoted through outreach efforts to help employers distinguish themselves as progressive, with incentives for adoption and public visibility on recruitment platforms.
A mechanism exists where complaints about non-adherence are handled by TAFEP, which works with employers to realign policies, requiring them to provide documentation to prove compliance, with non-cooperation leading to removal from public listings.
Considerations for removing a company as a TS adopter after a breach include the employer’s failure to timely provide necessary documents and information to demonstrate adherence to TS requirements.

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6 Feb 2024

Assessing Impact of Support Measures on Firm-level Productivity Improvements

The Ministry assesses the impact of productivity support measures at the national level, noting real value-added per worker grew by 2.0% annually from 2017 to 2022.
Productivity growth over this period correlated with real median wage growth of 1.8% per annum, supporting sustainable wage increases.
Steady productivity gains have helped Singapore remain a top-five most competitive economy, underscoring the role of these measures in enhancing firm competitiveness locally and internationally.

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6 Feb 2024

Plans to Meet Future Increases in Demand for Preschool Places and Early Childhood Educators

The Government has significantly expanded preschool capacity, with over 200,000 full-day places now available, sufficient for all resident children aged three and above, and aims for 80% of places to be government-supported by 2025.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) plans for future demand by tracking birth projections and works with the Housing and Development Board to develop new childcare centres in new housing estates and activate spaces in older estates for additional capacity.
The Government estimates 1,500 more early childhood educators will be needed and is taking steps to attract and retain them, including salary reviews and moving preschools to a five-day week by 2025.
To support the sector, parents are encouraged to appreciate educators and set reasonable expectations, such as regarding communication outside working hours, to help make the profession more attractive.

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6 Feb 2024

Maintaining Safety of Outdoor Workers Given More Frequent Occurrences of Extreme Weather Situations

The Ministry of Manpower regularly reviews and updates safety measures for outdoor workers, including new guidelines allowing delivery riders to seek shelter during bad weather without penalty and requiring employers to identify and redeploy workers vulnerable to heat stress.
MOM and the WSH Council have collaborated with platform operators and associations to enhance safety protocols, and information is disseminated through websites, social media, unions, and industry partners.
Employers are encouraged to inform workers about their safety rights, including the ability to remove themselves from imminent danger without fear of reprisal.

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6 Feb 2024

Encouraging Child Protection Officers to Remain in Profession

The Ministry of Social and Family Development is studying measures to improve the retention of Child Protection Officers, including a field allowance, comprehensive training, mental wellness support, and technological tools to reduce administrative workload.
Child Protection Officers receive additional field allowances on top of their civil service pay to recognize the demanding nature of their work and are supported through structured supervision, coaching, and peer support.
Efforts are underway to review job scopes to focus on core functions like social investigation and intervention, while the public is encouraged to support these officers by understanding the challenges of detecting child abuse and reporting suspected cases.

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6 Feb 2024

Expansion of Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List to Include Healthcare Cleaners

Gan Thiam Poh asked whether the Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List could be expanded to include healthcare cleaners.
The Minister for Manpower explained that occupations on the list are selected based on sector agencies' recommendations, considering local employment impact, wages, and automation potential.
The Ministry will work with sector agencies to assess healthcare cleaners' inclusion as part of regular reviews.

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6 Feb 2024

Clarification by Minister for Home Affairs

Minister Shanmugam clarified that while police morale remains high due to strong esprit de corps, severe manpower shortages are causing unreasonable workloads that could negatively impact morale.
He highlighted specific shortages, such as for investigating officers, which have not been resolved and are part of a broader public service manpower constraint.
The minister cautioned that the situation is not entirely positive, with potential problems ahead that are difficult to address due to caps on public sector growth.

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6 Feb 2024

Protection for Employees from Unfair Retrenchment Practices and Exploitative Employment Contracts

The Minister for Manpower outlined Singapore’s balanced approach to retrenchment, emphasizing tripartite guidance through the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment, with most employers complying cooperatively without the need for additional penalties.
On non-compete clauses and restricted stock units, the Ministry does not condone exploitative contracts; courts assess reasonableness, and tripartite guidelines on non-compete clauses are being finalized for release in the second half of the year.
The Ministry does not track the prevalence of restricted stock units or non-compete clauses, but affected employees can seek mediation through the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management or legal recourse.
Mandatory retrenchment notifications allow tripartite partners to assist workers, and the compliance rate has improved, though early intelligence on retrenchments is not feasible due to the fluidity of business decisions.
The government continues to support workers through upskilling and reskilling initiatives while maintaining Singapore’s competitiveness and flexibility for businesses.

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5 Feb 2024

Reviewing Mechanism for Mandatory Notification by Employers to Government for Lay-offs and Overall Tripartite Relationship in Light of New Economic Environment

The debate highlighted a recent lay-off by an e-commerce company that failed to notify unions, prompting calls for a review of the tripartite relationship among the Government, NTUC, and employers in the current economic climate.
Specific areas needing strengthening include improving communication protocols and ensuring timely notification to unions before lay-offs, especially for companies with at least 10 workers.
The Minister for Manpower confirmed that the issue was previously addressed in Parliament on 5 February 2024, directing members to the official report for the detailed reply on mandatory notification requirements for retrenchments.

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5 Feb 2024

Oversight of Non-compete Clauses in Employment Contracts

Desmond Choo asked whether the Ministry of Manpower regulates non-compete clauses in employment contracts and if guidelines would be issued to employers and employees on their inclusion.
Tan See Leng responded that the question had already been answered during the Minister for Manpower's oral reply to parliamentary questions on 5 February 2024.
The reply directed members to the official report transcript for the specific answer regarding non-compete clauses.
The debate referenced the broader context of employment regulations, including mandatory retrenchment notifications.
No new policy announcements or guidelines were proposed in this exchange, only a referral to existing parliamentary records.

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5 Feb 2024

Statistics on Investigations of and Penalties for Employers Receiving Kickbacks from Migrant Workers

The Ministry of Manpower investigated about 210 cases annually from 2021 to 2023 involving employers receiving kickbacks from migrant workers.
Each year, approximately 70 employers were taken to task, with about 70% receiving warnings or composition fines and the remainder charged in court.
Of those charged, around 90% were successfully convicted, while the rest were still undergoing court proceedings.

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5 Feb 2024

Locals and Foreigners Employed at Registered Pet Groomers and Regulations to Ensure Safe Work Environment for Them

There are currently 310 resident and 70 non-resident pet groomers employed in registered businesses, with training standards set by the National Parks Board's Code of Animal Welfare for the Pet Industry.
The Work Injury Compensation Act covers all pet groomers for work-related injuries, requiring employers to purchase insurance for manual workers and those earning $2,600 or less monthly, and to conduct proper inquiries into incidents.
Employers must follow the Workplace Safety and Health Act to identify hazards and take risk mitigation measures, with guidance available from the Approved Code of Practice on WSH Risk Management.

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5 Feb 2024

Proposal for Work Injury Compensation to Cover Injuries Sustained by Migrant Workers at Dormitories

Murali Pillai inquired about the number of migrant workers injured in dormitories not covered by work injury insurance over the past five years and suggested reviewing the Work Injury Compensation Act to include such incidents.
The Ministry of Manpower clarified that non-work injuries at dormitories are not covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act, which only applies to work-related injuries.
The ministry noted that migrant workers have access to affordable non-work injury insurance through the Migrant Workers' Centre and that medical expenses are covered by mandatory employer-provided insurance.
The ministry stated there are no plans to expand the Work Injury Compensation Act's scope beyond work-related injuries, as it is designed as a no-fault claims regime for workplace incidents.

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5 Feb 2024

Impact of Reduced Dependency Ratio Ceiling for Construction Sector on Local SMEs

Most local SMEs in the construction sector are not significantly affected by the reduced Dependency Ratio Ceiling as they were already operating within the new 1:5 limit, with measures like advance notice, worker retention allowances, and support for productivity improvements helping ease the transition.
The government has implemented policies such as requiring large projects to adopt Design for Manufacturing and Assembly technologies and providing co-funding schemes to shift the industry toward more efficient, less manpower-intensive methods.
The Building and Construction Authority is educating project owners to factor updated costs from the reduced DRC into budgets, ensuring worker safety is not compromised amid the changes.

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5 Feb 2024

Strategies to Encourage Firms to Implement Additional Paternity Leave and Ensuring Compliance

The government has doubled the Government-Paid Paternity Leave from two to four weeks, with the additional two weeks currently voluntary to allow employers time to adjust to economic and manpower challenges.
Employers who voluntarily provide the extra two weeks are reimbursed by the government, and plans are in place to make the additional leave mandatory as soon as possible to ensure a seamless transition.
Once mandatory, non-compliance will be an offence under the Child Development Co-Savings Act, with employees able to file disputes through the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management.
The government is working with employers, tripartite partners, and community groups like the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Centre for Fathering to promote family-friendly workplace practices and support fathers’ involvement.

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5 Feb 2024

Weekly Hour Limit for Full-time Taxi Drivers

Yeo Wan Ling asked the Ministry for Transport to review the current 12-hour daily work limit and consider implementing a weekly work hour limit for full-time salaried taxi drivers.
Chee Hong Tat noted that most point-to-point drivers are self-employed and set their own hours, but guidelines encourage limiting shifts to 12 hours.
For the small group of salaried taxi drivers under ComfortDelGro’s employee-driver scheme, their contracts cap work at an average of 44 hours per week over three weeks, with a daily limit of 12 hours excluding overtime.

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5 Feb 2024

Proportion of Retirement Age Employees Securing Re-employment

From 2017 to 2021, about 97% of eligible resident employees who wanted to work were offered and accepted re-employment after reaching retirement age.
The Ministry of Manpower is working with employers to create more suitable jobs and support senior workers' employability through grants like the Part-Time Re-employment Grant and job redesign schemes.
MOM is collaborating with NTUC to help firms redesign jobs and plan career paths for senior workers to keep pace with business transformation.
Senior workers are supported to upskill and reskill through programs like Career Conversion Programmes, with up to 90% salary and course fee support.
The statutory retirement and re-employment ages will be raised to 65 and 70 by 2030 to maximize the potential of the silver workforce.

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5 Feb 2024

Ex-offenders Who Secured Employment and Key Challenges Faced

Over the past five years, 68% of ex-offenders secured employment within six months of release, excluding those in gig jobs without CPF contributions.
Key challenges include employer reluctance and the need for inclusive workplace practices, which Yellow Ribbon Singapore addresses through outreach and the Uplifting Employment Credit for wage offsets.
Support measures include pre-release skills training in sectors like Precision Engineering and Media, as well as post-release career coaching for up to 12 months to help retain employment.

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5 Feb 2024

Number of Retired Home Team Officers Transitioned to New Careers and Top Five Industries They Have Been Placed Into

Over the past five years, an average of 135 uniformed Home Team officers retired annually, with 36% re-employed by the Home Team and 40% assisted to transition to new careers, resulting in 83% of those seeking external employment securing jobs within a year.
The top five industries for retired officers' transitions are Security, Public Service, Healthcare, Land Transport, and Logistics, with common roles including security assessor, firearms instructor, enforcement officer, admin manager, and operations executive.
The Ministry supports career transitions through the Home Team Career Transition Office, established in 2016, offering a structured five-year programme with training subsidies, job attachments, career coaching, and a resource portal.
Future enhancements include personalised career guides piloted in 2023 and full rollout this year, new career pathways via SkillsFuture partnerships like the Facility and Operations Management Programme, and strengthened engagement with alumni and employers for job referrals.

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5 Feb 2024

Increasing Childcare Leave for Parents to Match Additional Number of Preschool Holidays

Gan Thiam Poh asked if the Ministry would increase childcare leave by two days to match additional preschool holidays from 2024.
Masagos Zulkifli clarified that there is a net increase of only 0.5 preschool closure days, not two additional days, and parents already have up to 12 days of paid childcare leave annually.
The Minister emphasized that beyond legislated leave, promoting flexible work arrangements and family-friendly workplace practices is more sustainable and important for supporting working parents.

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