Employment & labour — Topics

7 Nov 2022

Funding Required to Support Adult Learning to Ensure Acquisition of New Skills for Evolving Jobs

The Ministry of Education noted that in 2021, the Government spent nearly $1.2 billion on skills training for the workforce, a 40% increase from $0.8 billion in 2019, excluding COVID-19-related support.
Funding required for lifelong learning per adult varies based on individual factors such as aspirations, learning ability, work nature, and industry, and is not a fixed amount.
The Government plans to continue investing in Continuing Education and Training and collaborate with industry and workers to ensure the system remains responsive to evolving job and skills needs.

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7 Nov 2022

Promoting Employment of Persons with Disabilities

The Open Door Programme has 2,268 registered employers as of October 2022, with 23% having hired persons with disabilities, while others may face hiring freezes or lack suitable candidates.
Key initiatives supporting employment include the Enabling Employment Credit for wage offsets, the Jobs Growth Incentive for salary support, and Place-and-Train and Attach-and-Train programmes offering customised employment and skills training.
Additional efforts feature transition-to-work programmes like School-to-Work, the Enabling Mark accreditation for inclusive employers, and a multi-stakeholder task force under the Enabling Masterplan 2030 to enhance opportunities.
The government aims to achieve 40% employment for working-age persons with disabilities by 2030, emphasising employer participation and inclusive societal vision.

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7 Nov 2022

Building a Winning Global Talent Strategy

The debate emphasized that Singapore’s global talent strategy must balance practical economic needs with addressing local concerns about fairness, integration, and national identity, as attracting talent is vital for an advanced economy with a shortage of local skilled workers.
Key measures include clearly distinguishing work pass policies from immigration pathways, ensuring a transactional initial approach to hiring foreigners, and expecting them to respect Singapore’s laws, culture, and local workforce through initiatives like orientation programs.
Enhancing local talent development is crucial, with suggestions to promote overseas exposure and a global mindset among students and workers, while also leveraging SMEs to benefit from international expertise and ensure knowledge transfer to build a stronger Singaporean core.

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7 Nov 2022

Review of Security Officers' Working Conditions and of Penalties for Abuse of Security Officers

The Minister of State for Home Affairs highlighted that enhanced penalties under the Private Security Industry Act were introduced in May 2022 to better protect security officers from abuse, though it is still too early to assess their effectiveness.
Efforts to improve safety include promoting the use of body-worn cameras, which have been approved for many security agencies, and enhancing training for officers in conflict management and public engagement.
The Ministry is working with tripartite partners on public education and support services, such as the Union of Security Employees’ mobile app, to discourage abuse and provide avenues for help.
Mr Melvin Yong urged the mandatory use of body-worn cameras for higher-risk officers and asked for a timeline for the next review of penalties, to which the Minister responded that such decisions involve industry consultation and that future reviews will include all partners.
The Minister emphasized that preventing abuse requires a whole-of-society approach and that while body-worn cameras are encouraged, their compulsory use will depend on factors like deployment needs and costs.

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7 Nov 2022

Impact of Wage Increases under Progressive Wage Model on HDB Rental Housing Eligibility Criteria

Denise Phua asked how higher wages from the Progressive Wage Model affect HDB rental eligibility and rents, and whether low-wage earners might be discouraged from renting due to income changes.
The Minister of State clarified that the $1,500 income threshold is a flexible guideline, not a strict limit, and HDB considers household circumstances; rents for existing tenants are not raised during tenancy terms and increases are kept below wage gains.
The Minister of State highlighted support for tenants to transition to home ownership through grants, priority schemes, and personalized guidance, ensuring rents do not increase once they sign to buy a flat.
Denise Phua reflected feedback that workers and employers worry about losing rental eligibility and facing rent hikes despite the guidelines, urging clearer communication of HDB’s flexibility.
The Minister of State assured that HDB reviews applications holistically, has approved over 2,700 cases above the income guideline in five years, and noted the current waiting time for rental flats is about eight months.

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7 Nov 2022

Measures to Reduce and Compensate for Attrition of Doctors in Public Sector

The Ministry has increased local medical school intakes by about 60% over the past decade and admitted extra students during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also recruiting around 200 returning Singaporean doctors annually from countries like Australia, the UK, and Ireland, and supplementing with foreign doctors from India, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and the UK.
The attrition rate of doctors leaving the public sector for private practice is considered acceptable at 3-5% from 2019 to 2021, and efforts are ongoing to retain doctors in public healthcare.
The Ministry maintains that academic and safety standards for medical school admission and full registration must not be lowered, whether for local polytechnic graduates or foreign-trained doctors, to ensure competence and patient safety.

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20 Oct 2022

Median Duration to Process and Conclude Claims Referred to Employment Claims Tribunal

Leon Perera asked the Minister for Manpower about the median duration to process and conclude salary and wrongful dismissal claims at the Employment Claims Tribunal.
Tan See Leng provided data showing that from January to August 2022, the median duration for salary claims was five weeks.
For wrongful dismissal claims during the same period, the median duration was seven weeks.
The response highlighted a difference in processing times between the two types of claims, with salary claims being resolved faster.

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20 Oct 2022

Prices and Adequacy of Bed Space in Migrant Worker Dormitories

The average monthly rental price for migrant worker dormitory beds has risen from $272 pre-COVID-19 to $316 for new contracts in September 2022, driven by higher operating costs and inflation.
Strong demand for bed spaces has increased due to the economic recovery, with Work Permit holders in Construction, Marine, and Process sectors up 23% since January 2022 and nearly 10% above pre-pandemic levels.
Employers are urged to secure housing for workers before their arrival and consider options like temporary construction quarters, as the current number of migrant workers in Singapore is already significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.

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20 Oct 2022

Singaporean Postgraduates in Workforce and Median Salaries by Specialty and Industry

The Ministry for Manpower reported that there were approximately 227,000 resident postgraduates in Singapore's workforce in 2021.
Median gross monthly incomes for resident postgraduates vary by specialty, ranging from about $8,500 in humanities and social sciences to around $11,300 in business and administration.
By industry, median incomes range from about $9,400 in health and social services to approximately $15,300 in financial and insurance services.
The data reflects full-time employed resident postgraduates across the top five most common fields and sectors.
The figures highlight income differences among postgraduates based on their area of specialization and industry of employment.

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20 Oct 2022

Malaysian Confinement Nannies Granted Work Permits and Average Duration of Employment

Malaysian confinement nannies received an average of about 600, 700, and 900 Work Permits per month in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively.
The average duration of employment for these nannies is approximately 40 days.
The data reflects a consistent increase in Work Permits granted over the three-year period.

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20 Oct 2022

Detection of Labour Trafficking In and Through Singapore In Last One Year

Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Manpower about any detection of labour trafficking in or through Singapore in the past year.
As of 1 October 2022, one alleged case was reported in 2022 but was not found to be trafficking-related after investigation.
The Ministry of Manpower proactively detects and investigates potential cases, prosecutes trafficking under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act, and engages migrant workers during inspections and settlement programmes.
The Ministry encourages the public to report any suspected labour trafficking cases to them.

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20 Oct 2022

Study on Effectiveness of CONNECT Plan in Retaining Teachers

Louis Ng asked if MOE has studied the effectiveness of the CONNECT Plan in retaining teachers, what the findings were, and why the plan continues if no studies have been done.
Chan Chun Sing explained that the CONNECT Plan is a 30-year retention scheme with periodic payouts and is part of broader strategies like competitive salaries and professional development.
MOE stated it cannot isolate the effectiveness of individual strategies but has maintained a low and stable average annual teacher resignation rate of around 2%, lower than other Civil Service groups.
Teachers have expressed appreciation for the CONNECT Plan in staff engagements, and it helps in recruitment efforts.

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20 Oct 2022

Applications for Pre-Employment Grant by Singaporeans Studying Medicine Overseas

Member Gerald Giam inquired about annual statistics on Singaporean students applying for the Pre-Employment Grant (PEG) for overseas medicine studies, including approval rates, median grant amounts, reasons for rejection, and whether the grant quota could be increased to attract more doctors to return.
Minister Ong Ye Kung confirmed the PEG was introduced in 2010 to encourage overseas-trained Singaporean doctors to return, with about 120 students awarded annually and a median grant of approximately $80,000 over two years.
The Minister explained that approval rates vary yearly based on applicant pool and public healthcare hiring demand, with applications assessed holistically on academic performance, professionalism, and commitment to serve locally.

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20 Oct 2022

Ratio of Annual Total Compensation of Top versus Lowest Earners in Civil Service

The Prime Minister stated that the Civil Service does not track or set a target ratio for the annual total compensation of top versus lowest earners, as such a comparison is not meaningful due to diverse job roles and industry-specific benchmarks.
Remuneration for leaders is benchmarked against the private sector but with a deliberate choice not to fully close salary gaps, reflecting the ethos of public service.
The Civil Service supports progressive wage approaches, such as giving junior officers higher adjustments in recent salary changes and larger proportions of Annual Variable Component payments.
The government also works with unions to redesign jobs and address training needs to ensure productivity gains align with wage increases.

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20 Oct 2022

Effectiveness of Deploying Airline Crew to Hospitals during COVID-19 Pandemic

MOH deployed about 900 airline crew from Singapore Airlines Group as Care Ambassadors in healthcare institutions until March 2022 to help with pandemic manpower shortages.
The crew's service and communication skills contributed to effective patient care and allowed healthcare staff to focus on more complex tasks.
The experience demonstrated that trained individuals from other sectors can meaningfully support healthcare, and MOH plans to continue investing in mid-career training pathways for career switchers into support care.

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20 Oct 2022

Yardstick to Measure Success of ONE Pass Scheme

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked whether the Ministry will measure the success of the ONE Pass by looking at the profitability of firms hiring such talent, the ratio of Singaporean to foreign talent in top roles, and the increase in Singaporean employees.
Minister Tan See Leng acknowledged these indicators are relevant but noted the difficulty of isolating the impact of ONE Pass holders on individual company performance due to many other influencing factors.
The Minister emphasized that Singapore benefits more broadly from the networks and opportunities created by ONE Pass holders, and that monitoring should focus on macro-level economic competitiveness and local employment outcomes.
The government will continue to assess the scheme through both micro and macro indicators to ensure it benefits Singaporeans and the economy.
The approach balances company-level observations with a broader view of national economic growth and leadership opportunities for Singaporeans.

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20 Oct 2022

Facilitating Employers' Checks on Employees' Fulfillment of Training Requirements for Progressive Wage Model

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman asked whether an online portal could be developed for HR to retrieve employees’ WSQ training records to check Progressive Wage Model requirements, especially for mature workers struggling with Singpass access.
Chan Chun Sing noted that workers can access WSQ e-certificates via MySkillsFuture and employers can verify them through the Enterprise Portal for Jobs & Skills, with plans to simplify and enhance employer access.
The government will also build on the MySkillsFuture portal to create a “journey planner” that curates courses and supports lifelong learning and career planning.

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5 Oct 2022

Profile of Local Workers in Cleaning, Security and Landscape Sectors

Leong Mun Wai requested a breakdown of local workers in the cleaning, security, and landscape sectors by three age groups: below 40, 40 to 63, and above 63.
Tan See Leng provided 2021 figures showing approximately 20,000 resident cleaners, 17,000 resident security officers, and 1,900 resident landscape maintenance employees.
The Minister included a table detailing the age distribution for each sector but did not specify the exact numbers in the spoken response.

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5 Oct 2022

Annual Leave Taken by Nurses in Restructured Hospitals in Past Five Years

Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Health for the mean and median annual leave days taken by nurses in restructured hospitals over the past five years, and if the data is unavailable, whether the Ministry would start collecting it.
Ong Ye Kung responded by providing a table showing the mean and median annual leave days taken by nurses from 2018 to 2021.
The debate focused on the need for data transparency regarding nurses' leave usage in restructured hospitals.

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5 Oct 2022

Materiality of Letter of Consent for Spouses of Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass Holders

Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Manpower about which agencies provided feedback on the materiality of the letter of consent for spouses of Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass holders and when the feedback was given.
The Ministry of Manpower and economic agencies received feedback from trade associations and chambers, including the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and several national chambers, stating the letter of consent assured foreign professionals their spouses could work in Singapore and was critical to relocation decisions.
The feedback was provided after the March 2021 announcement during the MOM Committee of Supply debate on regularising work arrangements for Dependant’s Pass holders.

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