Employment & labour

• Louis Ng asked the Minister for Health for the mean and median overtime hours worked per month per nurse and per doctor for each of the past five years.
• Ong Ye Kung responded that the Ministry of Health does not track this data as overtime arrangements are managed by healthcare clusters and depend on operational needs.
• The Minister acknowledged the hard work and extra effort of healthcare workers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent Omicron wave.
• He assured that public healthcare clusters will strive to allow staff to rest, recharge, and take leave as the current wave subsides.

• More than 3,800 companies have successfully applied for the Senior Worker Early Adopter Grant and over 2,800 for the Part-time Re-employment Grant since their introduction in July 2020 up to January 2022.
• The Ministry of Manpower observed higher application rates from the manufacturing, administrative and support services, and accommodation and food services sectors.
• Data on the occupations of senior workers in companies that applied for the grants is not collected.

• The Professional Conversion Programmes (now Career Conversion Programmes) placed over 24,000 locals into new jobs in the last three years, a 62% increase from the previous period, with top sectors including Air Transport, Financial Services, and General Manufacturing.
• Nine in ten participants remained employed 24 months after starting the programme, and six in ten earned more than their previous salaries, showing the programmes’ effectiveness in skill acquisition and job retention.
• The programmes focus on jobs rather than sectors, offering place-and-train for emerging roles and redeployment pathways to reskill at-risk workers, with 11,000 workers reskilled and redeployed over three years.
• The programmes are customisable and rapidly scalable, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when over 3,000 workers in impacted sectors like Food Services and Retail were reskilled and redeployed.
• To enhance future readiness, the government uses Jobs Transformation Maps to guide sector agencies in mounting relevant programmes, complementing Industry Transformation Maps for long-term manpower planning.

• Melvin Yong asked whether the Ministry would study the increased frequency of health issues like dry eye and musculoskeletal disorders due to work-from-home arrangements and if the Work Injury Compensation Act should be amended to cover them.
• Tan See Leng responded that current claims data does not show a link between telecommuting and these health issues, noting that sectors with high rates of such disorders, like manufacturing and construction, do not typically involve telecommuting.
• The Minister stated that dry eye disease is already compensable if it arises from employment, but it can also be caused by non-work factors, and the list of occupational diseases is reviewed as needed.
• The Workplace Safety and Health Council is promoting safe telecommuting practices, including ergonomic adjustments and regular screen breaks to mitigate eye and neck strain.
• The Ministry will continue monitoring workplace trends and medical evidence to determine if further changes to compensation coverage are necessary.

• Speakers emphasized enhancing caregiver support through paid leave, tax breaks, and community networks, recognizing that caregiving—often undertaken by women—requires systemic relief and financial recognition.
• The debate called for stronger workplace protections, including flexible work arrangements, mentorship, and fair performance appraisal to address gender biases and support women's career advancement.
• Proposals included expanding protections against violence and online harms, with calls for better helplines, victim support, and mindset shifts in schools and society to foster respect and equality.

• The White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development was presented as a whole-of-nation plan endorsed by Parliament, aiming to advance gender equality through collective action and equal partnership between women and men, building on historical progress such as the Women’s Charter and recent narrowing of the gender pay gap.

• Key proposals include introducing workplace fairness legislation to combat discrimination, entrenching flexible work arrangements as a norm by 2024, enhancing caregiver support through grants and respite care, and dedicating a public garden to celebrate women’s contributions.

• Debates highlighted the need for faster implementation of guidelines, greater transparency in immigration policies for foreign spouses, improved parental leave structures to encourage shared caregiving, and stronger measures against online and workplace harassment, with calls for mindset shifts and concrete targets to track progress.

• Since October 2017, over 140 companies and nearly 1,000 Singaporeans across 20 sectors have benefited from the Capability Transfer Programme (CTP), with top sectors including Precision Engineering, Air Transport, and Logistics, and funding up to 90% provided for training plans that ensure genuine upskilling.
• The programme uses various methods for capability transfer, such as bringing in foreign specialists, overseas training, and remote learning, and has been extended to September 2024, though take-up was low during COVID-19 due to travel restrictions but is expected to rise as borders reopen.
• While the government requires companies to commit to training locals and considers expanding CTP to include transfers from existing foreign employees, it has rejected imposing foreign workforce reduction conditions as too blunt, and instead supports broader skills acquisition through other schemes like the Global Ready Talent Programme and Global Rotation Scheme.
• The government monitors CTP’s effectiveness through macro employment data, showing strong resident employment growth and low unemployment, but specific funding details for the highest 90% cap have not been provided yet.
• Additional suggestions include higher funding for CTP and union involvement via Company Training Committees, but existing support rates and a S$300,000 funding cap have not faced company feedback as restrictive, with ongoing reviews based on uptake.

The Government screens individuals for access to high-risk installations like Jurong Island and Changi Airport based on their offence history, but does not impose a blanket prohibition on ex-offenders. The approach is nuanced, assessing factors like the type of offence and time spent offence-free. Yellow Ribbon Singapore supports ex-offenders' reintegration through job placement, career coaching, and industry partnerships. The debate clarified that the focus is on balancing rehabilitation with security risks, rather than a rigid ban.

• Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Manpower for statistics on CPF members with MediSave contributions in arrears, broken down by debt amounts, and how many in each category have met the minimum MediSave savings.
• He also inquired about the number of appeals to waive MediSave contribution requirements for accessing government grants, the success rate of these appeals, and the reasons for unsuccessful cases.
• The Minister responded that over 75% of Self-Employed Persons meet MediSave obligations on time, with about half of those in arrears owing less than $3,000, and most have not met the Basic Healthcare Sum.
• The Minister noted that SEPs have up to two years to make contributions to qualify for schemes like Workfare, with less than 5% of Workfare appeals involving MediSave waiver requests, and the CPF Board offers flexible arrangements and case-by-case appeals.
• The Minister also highlighted that individuals facing income loss can seek support through alternative schemes like the COVID-16 Recovery Grant and Social Service Offices.

• The Advisory Committee on Platform Workers is reviewing mandatory CPF contributions for gig workers, with early feedback from over 20,000 engaged workers showing 55% support, primarily for housing and retirement adequacy, while considering a phased implementation to manage cost impacts.
• Platform workers, including delivery riders and drivers, face physically demanding roles with lower job protections, and while 80% view platform work as their preferred job, only 8% transitioned to permanent employment in 2021, with diverse demographics among those who moved.
• The government acknowledges long-term employability concerns due to technological changes like drone delivery and physical demands on older workers, and offers career support through Workforce Singapore and NTUC, emphasizing skills upgrading and tailored interventions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Data on platform workers, such as CPF contribution rates (estimated at about 45%) and ex-offender involvement, is limited due to casual and diverse work patterns, prompting efforts to improve data collection and design flexible support measures.
• Stakeholders, including platform companies and workers, are engaged in discussions to balance protections like CPF contributions with concerns over take-home pay and business costs, with recommendations aimed at being practicable and sustainable.

• Out of 7,200 participants in the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme, over 3,400 had completed or exited the attachments by November 2021.
• Among those who exited, about 2,600 (77%) were successfully placed into permanent jobs, while support continues for the remaining 800-plus through job matching and career coaching.
• The Minister clarified that the earlier figures during Question Time were corrected to reflect the status as of November 2021, not the current status.

• Dr. Tan Wu Meng inquired about the number of unvaccinated employees who ceased employment between January and March 2022.
• Minister Tan See Leng reported that as of March 2022, 98.4% of the workforce was vaccinated and unvaccinated employees had dropped to 36,900.
• The Minister stated that detailed data on unvaccinated employees who stopped working since January 2022 would be available only in mid-2022.

• Leon Perera asked the Minister for Manpower to mandate that delivery platforms do not penalise riders for choosing not to work during inclement weather and to require transparent surcharge structures for such periods.
• Tan See Leng responded that the Ministry of Manpower has convened an Advisory Committee on Platform Workers to study protections, including safety and transparency issues, and will announce recommendations in due course.
• The Committee has engaged stakeholders and received feedback on platform worker interests and industry norms.
• The government is considering solutions but has not yet made a decision on mandating the specific measures raised.

• Raj Joshua Thomas asked the Minister for Manpower for an update on actions taken against the facility management firm of Hillview Heights Condominium for discriminatory clauses in its September 2021 tender for security services.
• The Ministry of Manpower suspended the work pass privileges of the firm for including discriminatory requirements in the tender document.
• MOM also issued an advisory to the condominium’s Management Corporation Strata Title to remind them of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices to prevent future incidents.
• MOM emphasized its serious stance on workplace discrimination and willingness to take enforcement actions where necessary.

• Pritam Singh requested the number of S Pass holders earning over S$3,000 in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
• The Minister for Manpower, Tan See Leng, provided data showing a decrease in S Pass holders from 200,000 to 161,800 between December 2019 and December 2021, partly due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• The share of S Pass holders earning S$3,000 or more rose from 37% to 67% over the same period.
• Manpower Ministry regularly reviews S Pass qualifying salaries to align with local wages and ensure S Pass holders are not cheaper alternatives.
• The increase in higher-wage S Pass holders reflects ongoing efforts to maintain quality foreign workforce standards.

• Pritam Singh requested data on Employment Pass holders earning over S$5,000 for 2019, 2020, and 2021.
• The Ministry of Manpower provided figures showing EP holders decreased from 193,700 in 2019 to 161,700 in 2021, largely due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• The share of EP holders earning S$5,000 or more rose from 82% to 87% over the same period.
• MOM noted regular reviews of EP qualifying salaries to align with local wages and ensure EP holders are not cheaper replacements.

• Minister Tan See Leng highlighted that MOM and the WSH Council provide guidelines under the Total WSH programme for employers to consider employees' health conditions, including the aged, pregnant, and disabled, when designing tasks and schedules.
• The WSH Guidelines on Fatigue Management and Ergonomics recommend regular rest breaks of 20 to 30 minutes and the use of anti-fatigue mats or sit-stand stools for prolonged standing.
• Part IV of the Employment Act mandates at least one rest break for every six consecutive hours of work for eligible employees earning up to $4,500 (workmen) or $2,600 (non-workmen) monthly.
• The government emphasizes a proactive approach to workplace health and safety without specifying separate break regulations solely for aged, pregnant, or disabled employees.
• Existing laws and guidelines aim to balance operational needs with employee well-being through flexible and inclusive workplace practices.

• By the end of 2022, employers will be required to provide migrant domestic workers with at least one rest day per month that cannot be compensated away, enforced as a Work Permit Condition.
• Employers who fail to provide the mandatory rest day may first receive warnings and be advised by MOM to arrange alternative care, with early conversations encouraged between employers and workers.
• If employers continue to violate the rule, they may be debarred from hiring migrant domestic workers and face penalties under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, though prosecution is hoped to be unnecessary.

• Over the past five years, approximately 160,000 business entities in Singapore hired at least one worker.
• Between 45% and 48% of these entities did not hire any work pass holders, including those that do not employ lower-wage workers at all.
• Only 18% of lower-wage workers work in firms that do not hire work pass holders, and these firms are mostly small-scale family businesses with fewer than 10 workers.

• Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Health for the number of weeks medical staff were rostered for extra duties in the last six months, broken down by senior doctors, junior doctors, nursing staff, and other allied healthcare professionals.
• Minister Ong Ye Kung explained that rostering for extra duties has always occurred to cover sick leave or vacations, with increased pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially due to the Omicron variant.
• The Ministry of Health does not track this data as it involves operational arrangements by healthcare clusters and exigencies of service, and efforts are now focused on helping staff rest as the pandemic wave subsides.