Gan Siow Huang
Singapore
“So, it is both regulatory codes and also review of existing regulations for us to move both new buildings and existing buildings toward higher adoption of solar as well as other environment sustainability measures. On the third question on strengthening our local ecosystem, that is a really good question.”
“Mr Speaker, BCA had conducted a public consultation to review various aspects of the Building Strata Management Act, and this includes the proposal to lower the resolution requirement for third-parties solar ownership models. They are exploring a reduction from 75% to possibly 50%.”
“This year, the Government has set aside $800 million under the Decarbonisation Grand Challenge, to support research and innovation in low-carbon technologies. This includes energy storage systems and grid modernisation.”
“I want to thank Mr Azhar Othman on his comments. I fully agree that data centres, they are energy guzzlers. In fact, data centres are also actively looking for alternative solutions that are more sustainable. Electricity imports, hopefully, if we can get that coming, using renewable energy sources.”
“Speaker, I would like to respond to Mr Fadli Fawzi's earlier question on petrol prices at the petrol stations. Singapore has a competitive and open economy, and prices naturally would fluctuate in response to various factors, including changes in global supply and global demand.”
“It is actually premature for us to give any meaningful and useful advice to companies that may potentially be affected by the Section 301 investigations. We are following up with the US authorities to try to better understand the reasons as well as the coverage of these Section 301 investigations.”
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“I would like to thank Ms Foo Mee Har for the two questions. I will attempt to take both of them. First, on CET funding. Our spending on CET has increased steadily over the years and for this year's budget, what we think we will do substantially to strengthen the CET funding, is through the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) that I mentioned earlier on. You would have noticed that SCTP is actually quite different from the past CET programmes that we had under SSG. You would notice that it is more holistic, it goes from the beginning to the end. The beginning portion we will put in a skills advisory, training advisory type of discussion with the trainee so that the trainee can pick suitable courses, not just what he or she likes to do, but what we think might help the person get a job and also meet the person's aspirations. I think that upfront is actually quite important. The second thing about the SCTP is industry involvement, and that requires us to work with industries and some funding will be required for us to be able to scale this up. And the third, the career coaching element and employment facilitation services, these are also very substantial investments that we are putting in. So, it is not a CET as in just training alone. But also translating it into getting jobs, good jobs for the individuals. We have learnt a lot from this SGUnited Jobs and Skills journey. We have learnt that individuals on their own, when they pick courses, the courses may not lead them to where they want to go. So, upstream intervention is needed. Also, early career coaching, helping them discover their career goals and providing the facilitation can make a big difference in helping a person land a better job.”
“This will help companies better plan for workforce upgrading and improve job mobility of individual workers. For a start, SSG will work with IMDA to partner the Singapore Computer Society and SGTech in the ICT sector. SSG is also exploring similar partnerships with other TACs to expand outreach to more sectors. Mr Chairman, I would like to conclude in Mandarin please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Building a strong skills ecosystem is essential to ensure that our workforce can access quality training opportunities throughout their lives. We endeavour to build a robust ecosystem that leverages the different strengths of the IHLs, private training providers, NTUC, TACs and industry. Chairman, our plans to achieve this were set in motion seven years ago when we launched the SkillsFuture movement. We will continue to strive towards our goal of providing opportunities for all Singaporeans to develop to their fullest potential, and progress together as a society.”
“With their extensive networks and understanding of companies’ needs on the ground, they can help us broaden outreach, aggregate skills demand and spread the benefits of our job-skills interventions to more companies and workers. Our tripartite partners are supporting companies in their business and workforce transformation efforts, such as through NTUC's Company Training Committees (CTCs). Employers are supported in their firm-level action plans in areas like employment facilitation, job redesign and training. SSG can complement the CTC process by helping these companies build their skills development capabilities. SSG’s partnership with PM Link and the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union, which formed a CTC in 2019, is an illustration of how this can be done. Over the past two years, SSG worked with the CTC to pilot a skills profiling digital solution that is based on SSG’s Skills Frameworks. PM Link, a project management company in the building and construction industry, used the Skills Frameworks to identify core competencies for their workforce. This enabled their employees to self-assess and benchmark their skills proficiencies against industry standards, identify relevant training to address skills gaps and participate in SSG-supported courses. We also want to better tap on industry intermediaries, such as trade associations and chambers (TACs) and professional bodies, as they have deep industry networks and great agility in sensing the jobs-skills needs of employers. SSG plans to partner TACs as "Skills Development Partners" to identify in-demand and emerging skills, facilitate timely dissemination of Jobs-and-Skills insights and put in place structures to accredit skills acquired at the workplace.”
“We also encourage enterprises to play the role of SkillsFuture Queen Bees to mobilise other companies within their networks to engage in training and upskilling. This will raise the capabilities of the sector as a whole and enhance their competitive advantage. SSG has been expanding partnerships with enterprises through the SkillsFuture Queen Bee initiative. Since its launch, more than 930 companies have participated in programmes curated by the SkillsFuture Queen Bees, of which 90% are SMEs. Sheng Siong is an example of a company which took on the role of a SkillsFuture Queen Bee and is helping its suppliers build up workforce capabilities to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies. With the support of Skills Managers and training providers, Sheng Siong has reached out to more than 60 suppliers to customise skills development interventions based on their business needs and skills gaps. This includes SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace courses to build foundational digital skills. Sheng Siong is also integrating SkillsFuture courses and resources into their supplier portal to encourage their wider network of suppliers to engage in continuous learning. 3.15 pm Such examples show us the significance and impact of enterprises taking on a more proactive role in supporting skills development. This is why we have pressed on with our plans under the next bound of SkillsFuture. Strengthening the role of enterprises in driving workforce transformation will continue to be our key priority in the coming years. As we ramp up our efforts to drive enterprise-led training, we can tap on unions and industry intermediaries as our key partners, too.”
“Along the way, we received feedback about individuals who may not intend to switch careers but would, nevertheless, like to utilise their credit to pursue meaningful upskilling to remain employable. To this end, I am glad to share that we will expand the range of courses that the additional SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career Support) can be used for. Around 7,000 courses will be available from 1 June 2022, from around 300 courses today to give mid-career individuals more options to use their credit for upskilling and reskilling. The list will remain focused on courses that deliver good employment outcomes. These include SkillsFuture Series courses in IHLs, industry-relevant courses offered by CET Centres, including private training providers, and courses which enable workers to progress in sectors with the Progressive Wage Model. While we strengthen support for individual upskilling, I agree with Ms Foo Mee Har that enterprises also have an integral role to play in supporting their employees in their skills development journey. We also agree on the importance of workplace learning. This is why we have incorporated elements of workplace learning into many of our CET offerings. For example, the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes allow trainees to upskill through a combination of structured on-the-job training and classroom learning. To increase such opportunities, we rely on employers to step up to deliver quality trailing at the workplace and we will continue to support them in their endeavour to do so. We have expanded the reach of the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE) to uplift the workplace learning capabilities of companies, especially SMEs. To-date, about 1,500 companies have benefited from the programmes offered by NACE.”
“First, skills and training advisory services will be made available upfront to help trainees select courses that best suit their strengths and interests. Second, all courses will have elements of industry involvement, such as industry projects or attachments with companies, to enable trainees to acquire industry-relevant skills. Third, employment facilitation and career coaching will be part of the SCTP to support trainees in their job search. SCTP will have a duration of between three and 12 months and we plan to launch them in sectors with good hiring opportunities, such as ICT and advanced manufacturing. SCTP will be subsidised at SSG's prevailing rates, with enhanced funding of up to 90% for Singaporeans aged 40 and above. On top of this, to ensure that jobseekers with greater needs can access the SCTP, we will provide additional subsidies to cover up to 95% of course fees for eligible Singapore Citizens who are lower-income earners, long-term unemployed or persons with disabilities. The SCTP is part of the continuum of initiatives by SSG and Workforce Singapore (WSG) to ramp up reskilling opportunities for Singaporeans who are looking for jobs or considering career switches. By working closely together to offer a suite of place-and-train, attach-and-train and train-and-place programmes and by jointly delivering outreach at career fairs and SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres in the heartlands, SSG and WSG are aligned in their efforts to help Singaporeans access good jobs. When we started to scale up the provision of career transition programmes at the CET Centres in 2020, we also provided additional SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career Support) to enable Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s to access such programmes.”
“We worked with 18 CET Centres and 16 companies to provide industry-relevant training, coupled with employment facilitation, to help jobseekers secure placements. More than 22,000 Singaporeans enrolled in SGUS and SGUP-CT. The outcomes have been encouraging. Two out of three of the initial batch of SGUS trainees found employment within six months after course completion. For SGUP-CT with companies, such as Google and IBM, more than half the trainees found jobs as well. I met Mr Oscar Yong last year, one of our SGUS graduates who successfully switched to a new career in food manufacturing after working for more than 20 years in the electronics sector. Oscar is in his 50s. He was displaced from his previous job when his company relocated overseas in 2020. He signed up for the six-month SGUS Advanced Manufacturing Programme at the Singapore Institute of Management in the hopes of making a career switch. As part of the programme, Oscar did an industry attachment with Super Bean International. He performed well during the attachment and was offered a job of assistant manager of inventory and quality control when he graduated. I am heartened by Oscar's determination to reskill in pursuit of a new career and I hope that his story will inspire more Singaporeans to upskill. As we look towards post-pandemic recovery, we will build on our experiences with SGUS and SGUP-CT and merge these two programmes into a new SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) from April 2022. The SCTP will be our steady-state train-and-place programme for mid-career individuals. It will be delivered by IHLs and selected private training providers and will incorporate key features of the SGUS and SGUP-CT which have worked well to strengthen training outcomes.”
“Mr Chairman, Minister Chan Chun Sing has emphasised that we need to adopt a lifetime view towards learning instead of relying only on the education that we go through in the first 20 years or so of our lives. Our higher education institutions and adult training system must provide re-tooling opportunities for Singaporeans as they journey through different jobs over their career lifetimes. It is important that we do this well as it enables Singaporeans to remain employable and access good jobs. This is why MOE has worked closely with our Statutory Board SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to push ahead with our efforts to strengthen our Continuing Education and Training (CET) ecosystem, as Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Shawn Huang and Mr Darryl David have asked about. Under SkillsFuture, we have been expanding the range of opportunities for Singaporeans to regularly reskill. This is especially important for mid-career workers who need to re-tool in the face of fast-changing technologies and new trends. The need for reskilling was particularly evident during the pandemic, which brought great disruption to our industries and workforce. To address this, we introduced the Enhanced Training Support Package that helped enterprises make productive use of the downtime to train their workforce. To-date, companies have sent workers to take up almost 245,000 places in training courses, which better prepare them for emerging roles when the economy recovers. As part of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills package, we launched the SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP-CT) programmes to help mid-career individuals acquire new skills and capture new career opportunities as the economy recovers.”
“Finally, I wish to touch on workplace fairness, which Mr Sharael Taha, Mr Patrick Tay, Mr Heng Chee How, Ms Janet Ang and Mr Raj Joshua Thomas have raised. The pandemic has not stopped our efforts to foster fair workplaces. As announced recently, we have decided to take the very significant step of enshrining the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in law. This move will help to manage longer-term anxieties over ageism and provide better protection for vulnerable groups. A wider range of penalties can also be imposed on errant employers, commensurate with their wrongdoing. To this end, we must put in place a robust system to deal with claims, while keeping it efficient for workers and employers. The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness is deliberating these important matters and continuing to consult widely. The committee will report on its recommendations in due course. To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and given rise to new stresses at the workplace. At the same time, it has created opportunities and stronger impetus for us to push ahead for changes to make workplaces fairer and more inclusive. In his speech, Minister Tan See Leng spoke about sailing our ship into an even brighter future. The MOM team will do our best to support employers and employees as they chart the path towards more progressive workplaces where everyone can thrive in. Together, we can sail our ship sustainably for many more years to come. [Applause.]”
“Agencies, including the Institute of Mental Health, Singapore Association for Mental Health and Singapore Anglican Community Services, provide pre- and in-employment support to persons with mental health conditions and their employers. Dawn is one of the individuals who has benefited from the support provided by the Singapore Anglican Community Services (SACS). Dawn’s bipolar condition started in her teens and she received counselling during her times in the University. A year into her job, she suffered a relapse. She found out about SACS’ Integrated Employment Services programme where she enrolled for training in conflict resolution, stress management and personal effectiveness. With support from SACS’ job-matching services, Dawn successfully gained employment in a full-time job and she has since remained in employment for more than two years. Dawn’s story is a positive example of how some persons with mental health conditions manage to receive the right support. But we worry that some may not be referred to available employment support and some employers, through lack of awareness about mental health support and conditions, wrongly believe that it is too difficult for them to support employees like Dawn. The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is currently piloting an Employer Support Grant to incentivise employers to implement workplace adjustments for their employees with mental health conditions. We will study the effectiveness of the pilot and develop further plans to support employees with mental health conditions. MOM will also work with other members of the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-Being to strengthen the ecosystem. We will be engaging stakeholders and members of the public to get their views.”
“This marks a significant step in recognising that workplace safety and health includes mental well-being, beyond physical injuries. 11.45 am In 2021, we launched iWorkHealth, a free, company-administered survey to help employers identify workplace stressors and improvement areas. There is also an Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) playbook on "Workplace Mental Well-Being” to guide HR professionals to support their colleagues as well as mental well-being talks and workshops by the WSH Council and the Health Promotion Board that employees can attend at little or no cost. We still have some way to go ahead of us. Based on NTUC’s 2021 Special Report on Mental Wellness at the Workplace, 54% of employees were not satisfied with their companies' mental well-being initiatives. The Government will step up our support to help organisations become more progressive in adopting mental well-being initiatives. We are studying how Employee Assistance Programmes, which provide confidential counselling services to employees, can be made more accessible. As raised by several Members of the House, there is growing demand for support for workers with mental health conditions. According to a recent Singapore mental health study, one in seven people in Singapore had experienced a mental health condition in their lifetime. We need to strengthen employment support for persons with mental health conditions so that they are not excluded from employment. Persons with mental health conditions may need flexibility in their work schedules to continue with therapy or counselling while remaining in employment. For those who had to leave their previous jobs or even take an extended break from the workforce, they may need help with the job search process.”
“MOM will also be conducting engagements with the stakeholders, such as households and HSS companies to work out the implementation details over the next few months. We aim to implement the HSS expansion in the second half of this year. Mr Chairman, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] To give households more options to meet their needs for domestic services, the HSS allows eligible companies offering domestic services to hire more migrant workers to provide part-time home cleaning services. Given the growing caregiving needs due to our ageing population, and to better help parents to balance their work and family commitments, we are looking to broaden the HSS scope to allow participating companies to provide the basic child-minding and elder-minding services. Households will be able to engage HSS workers to look after their children at home or provide some basic assistance for the elderly in activities of daily living. We aim to implement the HSS expansion in the second half of this year. (In English): I will now touch on our efforts to enhance mental health and well-being of our workforce, an issue that Miss Rachel Ong and Mr Melvin Yong had raised. The Government has been working with our partners to roll out tools and resources to encourage companies to adopt mental well-being initiatives, for instance, the Tripartite Advisory on mental well-being at workplaces was released in 2020. Last year, the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council expanded the code of practice on WSH Risk Management (RMCP) to explicitly cover mental well-being. The expansion included examples on how employers can identify, evaluate and manage risk related to mental health at the workplace.”
“This pandemic is, however, an exceptional time. Tripartite Partners agreed that employees should not request MCs from workers who test positive for COVID-19, so as to alleviate the stress on healthcare workers and avoid compromising the standard of care of other patients who genuinely require medical care during this period. Given our ageing population, challenges faced by our workforce in meeting caregiving needs of elderly family members will increase. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked how we could better support household's needs for domestic services, including caregiving. In 2017, MOM introduced the commercial Household Services Scheme (HSS) which allows HSS companies to hire more migrant workers to provide part-time home cleaning services. HSS workers are deployed to multiple households on a part-time basis to provide selected households services. This gives households, especially those that need domestic help for only a few hours a day or a week, more options. To better help Singaporeans balance their work and family commitments, we will broaden the scope of HSS to include basic child-minding and elder-minding services. Households will be able to engage services of HSS companies to look after their children at home or provide some basic assistance for their family members in activities of daily living. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked about the safeguards that the Government will put in place to ensure HSS workers are qualified to provide child-and-elder-minding services. Today, there are already private companies that provide such services. We will study the industry best practices as we expand the scope of HSS companies.”
“We regularly review our leave provisions and acknowledge the real needs underpinning the Members' suggestions, but increasing leave provisions should not be the default solution. We have been advocating the adoption of flexible work arrangements precisely because they are flexible and able to cater to all forms of individual needs. We should also recognise that there is a cost to increasing leave provisions and we must balance this carefully against what businesses can sustain in order to avoid dampening jobs growth. On Mr Louis Chua's suggestion on a four-day work week. Members may wish to refer to the TAFEP website for information on how companies can implement such flexible work arrangements, including policy templates on four-day work week and case studies of companies that have successfully done so. And Mr Louis Chua perhaps may want to consider implementing four-day work week in his company or department too and share the useful insights with the rest of us. On the issue of sick leave for employees on short-term contracts, we encourage employers to exercise flexibility in granting medical leave before the three-month mark. To attract manpower in a tight labour market, it is in the interest of employers to be flexible. Ms Mariam Jaafar suggested that we do away with the need for employees to produce a medical certificate in order to take sick leave. The Tripartite Partners' current position is the employees should produce a Medical Certificate (MC) when utilising sick leave, this helps to deter malingering and maintain a more disciplined workforce. Nonetheless, the Employment Act does not prohibit employers from providing sick leave without MC and companies are free to do so as part of their talent attraction and retention strategies.”
“Separately, the Institute for HR Professionals (IHRP) has developed a playbook on hybrid workplaces to help employers and HR professionals implement hybrid work, as well as update their HR processes, fair appraisal of employees on flexible work arrangements. I encourage companies to make use of these resources that are available. We will be sharing more details on how we will ramp up provision of flexible work arrangements in the coming White Paper on Singapore Women's Development. It is important to build mutual understanding and trust between employers and employees. That is why instead of taking a legislative approach for various workplace practices such as flexible work arrangements, after-hours communication, mandatory breastfeeding breaks, we first focus on equipping employers to find the right balance between supporting employees needs and business needs. "Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business" – these wise words are from Mr Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group. I believe many employers here feel the same way too and will support employees' requests, if they are reasonable. At the same time, employees need to demonstrate that progressive workplace practices help to improve staff morale, productivity and loyalty. Those who feel aggrieved and are not able to address their grievances within their companies, may approach TAFEP for assistance and advice. Members have also asked for further review of leave provisions. Mr Louis Ng suggested raising minimum annual leave entitlements, introducing parent care leave and increasing parental leave provisions, while Mr Gerald Giam and Ms Mariam Jaafar spoke about sick leave.”
“Similar to the trend in other parts of the world, flexible work arrangements will become the norm of future workplaces. MOM will work with our Tripartite Partners to see how we can sustain flexible work arrangements, even as the safe management measures are relaxed. On the idea of legislating flexible work arrangements brought up by Mr Louis Chua and Mr Yip Hon Weng, we should be careful not to take an overly rigid approach that risks creating a litigious workplace culture with more disputes, or inadvertently affecting the employability of the people whom we seek to help. For countries, such as the UK and Australia with legislation that provide employees and caregivers the right to request for flexible work arrangements, employers can still reject the request on business grounds. To create real change on the ground in the next few years, our priority is to help employers overcome barriers in implementing and continuing flexible work arrangements. For some, the nature of business operations makes it challenging to offer flexible work arrangements and they lack the know-how to overcome these barriers. These concerns and hesitations are understandable, as different sectors will have different needs and circumstances. As Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Louis Ng have raised, work from home is not as practical for frontline work. Employers could consider other forms of flexible work arrangements, like flexi-shift scheduling, staggered work hours and job sharing, which offer workers alternative flexibilities. The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) has started training HR professionals to implement hybrid work and after-hours communication policies.”
“I agree with Ms Janet Ang and Ms Yeo Wan Ling that one of the ways to enable more women to continue their careers is having access to flexible work arrangements. This can be in the form of flexi-time, flexi-place, or flexi-load. Flexi-work arrangements apply to men too and allow more balanced sharing of caregiving responsibilities between women and men. The pandemic has underscored how flexible work arrangements can strengthen business continuity and resilience. As pointed out by Mr Yip Hon Weng, flexible work arrangements help companies better attract and retain talent. Flexible work arrangements also allow businesses to tap on a larger pool of workers including seniors and differently-abled workers, as suggested by Mr Sharael Taha. Businesses recognise these benefits. In 2021, 73% of companies that adopted flexible work arrangements said they were likely to continue offering them post-COVID-19. We applaud the many employers who have made the shift towards flexible work arrangements. Some have shown their commitment by adopting the Tripartite Standard on flexible work arrangements. Adopters are recognised as progressive employers that put in place HR practices for effective communication and implementation of flexible work arrangements. Today, one in four employees work in companies that have adopted the Tripartite Standard. And this coverage is steadily growing. The Public Service has taken the lead by adopting the Tripartite Standard and I urge more companies to come on board. I agree with Mr Edward Chia, Ms Janet Ang, Mr Sharael Taha, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Yip Hon Weng, that we have made much progress in flexible work arrangements in the last two years and we must not lose momentum.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to thank our Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Chair, Mr Desmond Choo, for painting very clearly the challenges that businesses and workers are going through and that are lying ahead of us. Our workplaces have seen major changes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In these unprecedented times, we have had to adapt and be flexible. Working from home, which was not so common pre-COVID-19, became the default mode of work for many of us for the past two years. As our workers navigate uncertainty and stresses during this period, the importance of supporting their well-being has come into even sharper focus. My speech will focus on how the MOM team will uphold inclusive and progressive workplace practices, so that everyone has fair opportunities to contribute and thrive at work. Women have made significant progress in Singapore. The employment rate for women aged 25 to 64 has been growing over the past two decades and continues to grow from 73.2% in 2020 to 75.1% in 2021, despite the pandemic. As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day tomorrow, we should take pride in the resilience of the female workforce in Singapore. While there is progress made, there is room for more women to be active in the workforce. I participated in the nation-wide Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development last year. A key concern raised amongst women was the need to help caregivers remain in or re-enter the workforce. We recognise that women carry heavier caregiving responsibilities at home. To manage the caregiving roles, some women work part-time with reduced pay or even leave their careers early.”
“MOM will be communicating to the employment agencies as well as to the employers on the requirement for this mandatory rest day policy. And MDWs, as well as their support network, or the neighbours who are concerned or have observed that MDWs are not being given the mandatory rest day, can highlight this to MOM or associations, such as CDE and FAST, so that assistance can be rendered promptly. MOM also regularly conducts checks on employers, as well as the migrant domestic workers, to make sure that the migrant domestic workers and the employers are getting along well and the MDWs are getting sufficient rest.”
“Mr Speaker, MOM had earlier announced our plan to introduce the policy of requiring employers to provide their migrant domestic workers (MDWs) with at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated away. This is to provide MDWs with opportunities to rest and recharge from work and to form a network of support outside the household. We do not intend to define the number of hours of uninterrupted rest for MDWs in a given rest day. Different households have different arrangements with their MDWs based on their respective needs. If MOM prescribes a fixed number, it will impose rigidity on both employers and MDWs. What is more important is that the employer and the MDW maintain open communications on their respective needs and come to a mutual agreement on the rest day arrangement. If MDWs and their employers need help to reach an agreement on the rest day arrangement, they may call MOM’s MDW helpline for advice. They may also seek assistance from a neutral third party, such as their employment agencies, or consider utilising the free dispute resolution services offered by the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) and the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) to arrive at an amicable solution. The rest day policy will be implemented towards the end of 2022. This is to give existing employers and their MDWs time to adjust to the new policy.”
“The Government recognises that some companies may need help in implementing remote work and other forms flexible work arrangements. On the subject of supporting companies that might need some funding support to acquire technologies to implement remote work, we do have the Productivity Solutions Grants for companies to consider.”
“MOM and our Tripartite Partners take a practical approach towards supporting companies that are implementing remote work and other forms of flexible work arrangements. Specifically on remote work, employers are best placed to assess what types of work in the company are suitable for this form of flexible work arrangement, how best to implement it, retain their employees and motivate them, while ensuring the needs of the business are met. Mr Speaker, the Government should not overreach or be overly prescriptive. Otherwise, we stifle the spirit of free enterprise and entrepreneurship. Some employers may need financial support to implement the digital technologies to support remote work. The Government supports them through the Productivity Solutions Grant. The HR profession has also come together to share experiences and best practices. For example, the Institute for Human Resource Professionals developed a Playbook on Hybrid Workplaces. We will continue to consult closely with our Tripartite Partners to identify resources and tools to support companies in implementing remote work as well as other forms of flexible work arrangements. Employees who experience unfair treatment, including in performance assessment while on remote-work arrangements, can reach out to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) for advice and assistance. The principles underlying the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices are clear. Remote work may be an emerging workplace practice, but the principle of fair and objective assessment remains unchanged.”
“I thank the hon Member for the supplementary question. It is in our interest to recognise companies with good workplace practices that are progressive. Indeed, one example is the Human Capital Partnership (HCP) which recognises such employers. Employers that are in HCP enjoy faster response and better service standards from a dedicated hotline that they can call and to get advice on schemes and grants from the Government to promote human capital development and also to support the companies in implementing flexible work arrangements. There are about 600 companies in the list right now and we do encourage more companies to be nominated to be part of this HCP. On the Member's suggestion that for tender specifications and Government procurement, for us to include this as a consideration, I think we will have to recognise that for tender specifications, it is important that we try to keep it as objective, to make sure that the basic fundamentals of KPI, work performances, business requirements, all these which are basic, remain core. For recognition of progressive workplaces and progressive employers, we do have other ways to recognise them as well.”
“Compressed work week is one of several flexible work arrangements that employers may offer to their employees. A standard work week is condensed into fewer than five days; and employees complete their expected workload within a shorter work week, with the total number of hours worked remaining the same. In such arrangements, the employee does not need to contemplate reducing his income in exchange for greater flexibility in work days, since the actual workload and total hours worked in a week do not differ from that of a person on a standard work week. In 2020, about one in 10 establishments offered compressed work week as a flexible work arrangement to their employees. Companies can refer to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices’ (TAFEP) website for more information and resources on how to implement compressed work week arrangements, including policy templates and case studies of companies that have successfully done so. Mr Deputy Speaker, the Government will continue to work with tripartite partners to promote flexible work arrangements. It is useful to remember that flexible work arrangements are not limited only to remote work or hybrid work. The concept of a compressed work week is a form of flexible work arrangement that is suitable for certain jobs and some employees, but not all. In promoting workplace flexibility, we encourage companies to implement the type of flexible work arrangement that best suits their business and their employees.”
“PEI students may apply for financial aid offered by PEIs or tap on education loans offered by commercial banks, to finance their studies. 1.01 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Government bursaries are available to Singaporean students from lower- and middle-income households at our publicly-funded Institutes of Higher Learning. The bursaries are tiered, with a higher level of support extended to those from lower-income households. The highest level of Government bursary support is for Singaporean students with gross monthly household income up to $2,750 or household per capita income up to $690. This corresponds to around the bottom 20% by household income. Autonomous University graduates from these households, including those from Yale-NUS College, can each receive an annual bursary of $6,200. For students enrolled in NUS and NTU general courses, this is equivalent to about 75% of annual tuition fees. Those enrolled in diploma programmes at the Polytechnics would each receive an annual bursary of $2,750, which is around 90% of annual tuition fees. Those enrolled in Higher Nitec and Nitec programmes at the ITE receive an annual cash bursary of $1,500, on top of having their annual tuition fees fully covered. Institutions also provide their own financial aid to students to further reduce any remaining out-of-pocket expenses and these are typically funded from donations. In addition to Government and institution bursaries, students have access to Government-funded loans that can be used to pay tuition fees. These are not means-tested and are interest-free during the course of study and payable only upon graduation or leaving the institution. Private education institutions (PEIs) are not part of the public education system and hence Government assistance is not extended to students at these institutions.”
“Singapore's female employment rate has increased over the past decade from 54% in 2010 to 57.7% in 2020. And this ranks well, compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Women's share amongst Professional Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) has also increased over the decade, from 41.1% to 45.6%. We are observing more women joining growth sectors such as in information and communication, financial services and health and social services. Altogether, women make up 52.8% in these three sectors. The share of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) jobs, while lower, has also increased from 29.9% in 2015, to 32.4% in 2020. In 2019, MOM conducted a joint study on Singapore's suggested gender pay gap with Assoc Prof Jessica Pan from NUS and the study found that the differences in gender ratios across occupations could be due to gender differences in terms of personality and psychological traits, skills, different values placed on workplace flexibility, as well as social norms. We will continue to work with our tripartite partners and community stakeholders to support women's participation in the workforce and help them enter and remain in occupations of their choice, including in emerging sectors.”
“Mr Speaker, may I take Question Nos 10 and 11 by Miss Cheryl Chan and Ms Tin Pei Ling together?”
“I thank the hon Member, Ms Joan Pereira, for the supplementary question. Indeed, one of MOM's focus in the last two years has been reaching out to elderly jobseekers, caregivers included, to make sure that they are able to navigate the wide spectrum of resources available. We have also set up 24 SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres in HDB estates and these actually have been tremendously helpful, as senior jobseekers, caregivers included, are able to walk in and have face-to-face type of consultation sessions with the career advisers on the spot. Caregivers can also tap on the MrCareersFuture portal to search for jobs that best suit their skill sets and I think this is widely available and known to all. I think we recognise that it is actually challenging for caregivers, especially those who have not been at work for a long time, to look for jobs. I fully support additional help and support to be made available to them, so that they can get back to work and be able to fulfil their career aspirations, regardless of their age.”
“In particular, the talent development and talent retention tool kits provide reference approaches and recommended practices on Virtual Learning (VL). HR leaders through the IHRP also came together to develop a playbook on hybrid workplaces to guide companies in planning and implementing hybrid work; I mentioned that yesterday. I encourage companies and HR professionals who may need further support to tap on the wealth of resources and workshops offered by TAFEP and IHRP or join the Work-Life Ambassador and IHRP community. Beyond resources provided, it will be critical for everyone involved – employers, supervisors, HR professionals and employees, of course – to shift our mindsets and adjust the way we work, so that we can collectively redefine workplace expectations and management processes to achieve more effective work outcomes.”
“I think this is an excellent Community Programme and I would encourage more community groups to introduce and to support women who want to come back to work in different ways. As I said earlier, MOM and WSG will continue to review our employment facilitation programmes and services to ensure they remain accessible to jobseekers, including caregivers to help them return to the workforce. On the second supplementary question, support for SMEs to implement work-from-home and also HR standards to help companies implement work-from-home for their employees, I would say MOM and the tripartite partners do provide resources on how employers, supervisors and HR can implement flexible work arrangements in a way that is fair, sustainable and effective. For example, the Tripartite Advisory on Flexible Work Arrangements sets out that supervisors should communicate expectations clearly upfront, manage and appraise fairly based on work outcomes instead of face time and also have to conduct regular check-ins with staff who are on flexible work arrangements. At the same time, the advisory highlights the role that employees play in making flexible work arrangements work. Employees should utilise flexible work arrangements responsibly, including being accountable for work deliverables and remaining contactable and responsive while on flexible work arrangements, such as working from home. Amidst COVID-19, the Institute of HR Professionals has set up a COVID-19 task force to curate resources to help employers and the HR community navigate the new challenges posed by the pandemic. These complementary resources include Institute for Human Resource Professionals' (IHRP) guidance on government advisories and HR tool kits to guide people in business strategies through this challenging period.”
“I thank the hon Member Ms Yeo Wan Ling for the two supplementary questions, very valid questions. Today, we have the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA), which provides recognition to companies that offer flexible work arrangements to their employees and put in place recommended practices, including informing employees on the flexible work arrangements available and the process to evaluate requests from their employees. Adopters of the tripartite standard are provided with a Tripartite Standard (TS) mark on FWA that they can display on their recruitment materials to distinguish themselves as progressive employers who support the work-life needs of their employees. They are also identified as TS adopters on MyCareersFuture job portal and TAFEP's website. We encourage progressive companies who already offer FWAs or are considering doing so to adopt the Tripartite Standard on FWAs to distinguish themselves to jobseekers and employees. On availability of mentorship programmes, Workforce Singapore's broad-based employment facilitation programmes and services provide support to all jobseekers, including to caregivers. Customised career coaching services have also been found to be very useful to jobseekers and caregivers alike who have individual and personal aspirations and skill gaps that need to be addressed. Mentoring is actually part of career coaching. I understand that NTUC's Women and Family unit is also starting a pilot programme to mentor women who want to get back to work. This programme, very interestingly involves women union leaders, as well as grassroots leaders coming together to support women in our community who want to return to work.”
“About two-thirds of the Silver Support recipients are women, including many caregivers. Incentives are also provided for caregivers and their loved ones to top-up their CPF in cash. For example, the Government enhanced the tax incentives for retirement, some topping up scheme from 1 January 2022. Eligible members can also benefit from matching contributions from the Government for CPF cash top-ups under the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, which was launched in 2021. Finally, older caregivers can tap on housing monetisation schemes such as Lease Buyback Scheme and Silver Housing Bonus to unlock their housing equity to supplement their retirement needs. The Government will continue to review our multi-pronged efforts to ensure that caregivers are well supported. Feedback from the conversations on Singapore Women's Development on greater support for caregivers will also be considered for the upcoming White Paper on Singapore Women's Development.”
“Eligible working caregivers receive Workfare Income Supplement, which provides up to $4,000 in cash and CPF top-ups annually for those earning lower wages. Let me share an example of how WSG's efforts have helped full-time caregivers get back to work. Ms Audrey Ong, currently in her 40s, quit her corporate job as a regional marketing manager in 2017 to spend more time with her son who was taking his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) that year. When she was ready to return to the workforce in 2019, after her son became older and was a teenager, she wanted a second career that was both meaningful and manageable. Audrey came across testimonials on WSG's webpage of mid-career professionals who completed the two-year Career Conversion Programme for Registered Nurses (Degree) and she signed up for it. Her family was very supportive of her new endeavour. Audrey has since completed her two-year training stint and started her new job as a Staff Nurse with SingHealth Community Hospitals last year. Staying employed is key to financial resilience and retirement adequacy. With increasing participation in the workforce and higher wages, successive cohorts of Singaporeans have been able to accumulate more CPF savings for retirement today compared to a decade ago. Aside from helping caregivers accumulate more CPF savings through better employment outcomes, we have also introduced and enhanced measures in recent years to help all Singaporeans, including caregivers, build sufficient savings for retirement. For caregivers who had lower incomes during their working years and now have less to retire on, the Silver Support Scheme, which was enhanced in 2021, provides quarterly payouts of up to $900.”
“Other than the Tripartite Standard and Tripartite Advisory on FWAs, MOM and tripartite partners had formed the Alliance for Action on Work-Life Harmony last year to facilitate the exchange of best practices, including in sectors that face greater challenges implementing FWAs. We are further sustaining this momentum by growing and equipping a community of Work-Life Ambassadors to support these efforts in the workplaces. Employers and employees who require advice or assistance on FWAs may also approach the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) for advice and assistance. In 2021, TAFEP did not receive any cases relating to disputes on FWAs. One positive trend is that Singapore’s full-time female employment rate has been rising steadily over the last 10 years. However, there is still a small proportion of women who have not been able to participate in the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities. In 2020, 15% of women cited family-related responsibilities as the main reason for being outside the labour force, while 6% were working part-time due to family or personal commitments. When they are ready to work or to participate more fully in the workforce, women can tap on Workforce Singapore (WSG)'s employment facilitation programmes and services, as well as SkillsFuture Singapore's training programmes. For example, the Career Trial programme provides a trial period of up to three months, for the employer and jobseeker to assess their mutual job fit, with an allowance provided by the Government during the trial. Career Conversion Programmes provide training and salary support to employers who hire and reskill mid-career jobseekers for new occupations.”
“The Government provides support for caregivers in several ways. These include supporting their caregiving needs directly, enabling working caregivers to better manage both work and their caregiving responsibilities through flexible work arrangements, aiding their re-entry into the workforce through employment facilitation and training support, and strengthening their retirement adequacy. The Government provides support for families with caregiving needs through subsidised care services and grants. For instance, all families with Singaporean children enrolled in ECDA-licensed childcare centres receive a universal basic subsidy, and some families receive additional means-tested subsidies. Eligible Singaporeans receive subsidies of up to 80% for non-residential eldercare services, such as day care and day rehabilitation services. We also provide financial assistance, such as through Home Caregiving Grant and Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme, to those with moderate to severe disability, to defray the cost of caregiving. Eligible caregivers of young children, elderly persons and persons with disabilities can also apply for the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession if they need more help to look after their loved ones. Altogether, these allow caregivers to go back to work with peace of mind. To further help working caregivers, the Government and tripartite partners are strengthening efforts to encourage the adoption of flexible work arrangements (FWAs). We have developed resources such as implementation guides and FWA policy templates, and conducted workshops to guide employers in implementing FWAs.”
“Mr Speaker, may I take Parliamentary Question Nos 6 to 9 by Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Ms Joan Pereira together as a combined response.”
“But I think we should be mindful that a single guide or a single solution may not suit every sector and may not suit every job out there. Even among employees, there are diverse needs. There are people who may find that work-from-home suits them very well but we also know of individuals who prefer not to work from home, maybe because the home environment is not as conducive, perhaps they feel that their own productivity is not as high when they are working from home rather than in an office environment which is specially prepared for them to be able to work, interact and take part in team work and team meetings with their fellow workers.”
“I believe the hon Member Melvin Yong was referring to the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements and Tripartite Standard on Work-life Harmony. The Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements was introduced in 2017 and today, the number of companies that have adopted this Standard covers one in four employees in our workplaces. Actually, the progress has been steadily increasing and we are quite glad for that. Certainly, there is room for us to encourage more companies to come on board. For bigger companies, probably, the confidence is a lot higher because they have the capacity and the expertise to implement flexible work arrangements and work-from-home arrangements more satisfactorily. For small companies or SMEs, for example, there might be more help required. And that is where the resources that have been put out by the tripartite partners, the Alliance for Action on Work-life Harmony, will come in useful. We will encourage companies to take a look at them. The Tripartite Standard on Work-life Harmony was introduced barely a year ago. I think we should give it some time for companies to take a look and also get our employees and unions to work with the employers to adopt this Standard. The point about making further studies on how we should define productivity and how we need to safeguard employees from the ability to disconnect from work when they are working from home and not suffering burn-out, I think we have debated this last year. It is important that we take practical approach towards this. More studies would help us and help inform employers on what are the practical approaches and tools and norms that they should consider.”
“The Employment Act covers basic terms of employment such as timely payment of salary and leave benefits. The protections offered under the Employment Act are not location specific. So, whether an individual is working from home or working in the office or working in the factory, the Employment Act covers them. As for workplace safety and health, as some Members might remember, last year, the WSH Council issued a bulletin to inform employers about risk assessment for work-from-home. There is a checklist that helps employers as well as employees identify hazards when they are working from home. On the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), we have also similarly clarified that regardless of whether an individual is working from home or working at the office or at the worksite, WICA applies. The key is about proving that the injury is incurred while a person is doing work and not performing non-work-related duties.”
“I thank the hon Member Mr Louis Ng for that question, a very thoughtful one. The number of workers with access to flexible work arrangements has increased steadily over the years. From 2014 to 2019, the proportion of employers who offered at least one formal flexible work arrangement on a regular and sustained basis, rose from 47% to 53%. During the pandemic crisis, work-from-home as a form of flexible work arrangement has also become more common. The Member asked why do we not legislate the right to request for work-from-home. While the economy is showing signs of recovery and more employers and employees are more comfortable and used to the arrangement of work-from-home, there remain uncertainties. As we look at other countries that have introduced legislation to allow employees to request to work from home, it is uncertain as in the outcomes are rather mixed on whether legislation makes a substantial improvement in the work-life and the flexibility that employees have. After all, like the hon Member said, employers will also have the right to reject the request for work-from-home. I think we have to take a practical approach towards this. I fully agree with the hon Member Louis Ng that legislation may not be the best solution. In fact, what I think we should focus is on enabling employers and employees with resources and with guides to help them implement work-from-home and flexible work arrangements in a practical and sustained manner.”
“We had also formed the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Work-Life Harmony last year, involving community stakeholders such as employers, employees and HR professionals. The AfA created three Communities of Practice for the food services, manufacturing and finance sectors respectively, to exchange best practices and develop implementation resources that were suited to companies’ sectoral needs. For example, Communities of Practice panellists shared how staggered hours could still be offered to onsite production staff who required them to flexibly manage their personal responsibilities, such as childcare. The HR profession through the Institute of Human Resource Professionals also came together to develop the Playbook on Hybrid Workplaces. We are continuing this ground-up effort by growing a community of Work-Life Ambassadors to champion and support these efforts at their workplaces. Even as work-from-home arrangements stabilise, we are mindful of the risks from blurred work-life boundaries. The Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being was introduced in 2020 and one of the key recommendations was for employers to set reasonable expectations of after-hours work communications, such as not requiring employees to respond to non-urgent work-related messages and emails after certain hours. The AfA on Work-Life Harmony also developed an after-hours communications policy template to make it easier for companies to establish and communicate progressive after-hours communications practices. The Government will continue to work with tripartite partners to expand the provision of flexible work arrangements in a sustainable manner.”
“COVID-19 has catalysed a transformation of workplace practices. Businesses have adapted well and successfully implemented work-from-home arrangements. SMEs can also tap on Government grants, such as the Productivity Solution Grant, to adopt suitable cloud-based digital solutions that can enable productive remote work arrangements for their employees. In 2020, three in four employees worked in firms that provided some form of remote working. The number of hours spent on remote work would vary depending on businesses' and workers' needs and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track this. We expect work-from-home arrangements to become a more mainstream option. Majority of employers said that they would allow their workers to continue to work-from-home for at least a quarter of the time. We should not rush into hasty legislation that unintentionally creates workplace rigidity that may impede our economic recovery at this time. Our approach for workplace flexibility should be inclusive and not just about working from home. The 2019 Citizens' Panel on Work-Life Harmony highlighted the diverse needs of various sectors and jobs, such as the needs of frontline workers differing significantly from that of office workers. For example, work-from-home is not practical for work that most frontline workers perform. It is therefore critical that a holistic approach be taken to enable more workers' access to appropriate workplace flexibilities, be it flexi-load, flexi-time or flexi-place. To this end, the tripartite partners have been reaching out to employers and unions to promote the Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer the first three Parliamentary Questions (PQs) filed by Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Louis Ng together?”
“(proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." (proc text)] Adjourned accordingly at 6.21 pm.”
“Some MDWs were found in the course of Police investigations to have made false allegations against their employers. The Police and MOM will not hesitate to take firm action against such MDWs. Over the past two years, Police investigated and issued warnings to 17 MDWs for providing false information against a household member or employer. Of these, 13 were blacklisted and the remaining four are pending a review of case facts. I would like to share a story about an MDW who made a Police report, claiming that her employer’s wife physically abused her by slapping her limbs over a period of seven months. Upon thorough investigation by the Police, the MDW admitted to providing false information against her employer in a bid to end her employment. She was charged under the Penal Code for providing false information, convicted and sentenced to four weeks’ imprisonment. She was also repatriated and banned from working in Singapore. We encourage employers and MDWs to maintain open communication with one another, discuss their concerns and resolve disputes amicably. Fostering a sense of mutual trust and respect can help prevent misunderstandings from occurring. Mr Speaker, to wrap up, the caregiving landscape in Singapore will get more challenging as our population ages. MDWs are part of the caregiving solutions here. MOM has introduced several measures to support MDW employers in hiring and managing their MDWs. We will continue to find ways to safeguard the interests of MDW employers while protecting the well-being of MDWs. Ultimately, for MDWs to continue to be part of the caregiving landscape, we strive to build a system that is fair to both the MDW employers and the MDWs. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to.”
“Employers can also view the length of each past employment and the reasons why these MDWs left their past employers, including information on the party that initiated the discontinuation of employment. We started collecting the reasons from employers for the cancellation of MDW's Work Permits since September last year. With time, the information in the MDW employment history will become more comprehensive. The employer reference channel also allows prospective employers to contact the former employers of the MDWs they are looking to hire for reference checks. MOM will look into how we can raise awareness of these existing measures amongst employers. Other than improving matching outcomes, MOM has also put in place measures to support employers and MDWs during the course of employment. It is not uncommon for there to be differences in expectations in a working relationship, especially at the initial stage when both parties are adjusting, be it to a new environment or having a new person living in your home. Most misunderstandings between MDWs and their employers are resolved amicably. However, like Members alluded to, there are instances where both parties are unable to resolve the disputes on their own. For such cases, help can be sought from the employment agencies and via dispute resolution services offered by professionals through the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST) and Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE). From 1 December onwards, we will also require all employment agencies to conduct post-placement checks to ensure that MDWs and their employers are adjusting well. MOM takes all allegations of abuse seriously. MOM officers work with the Police to investigate reports of MDW abuse by employers or household members.”
“As I mentioned in the House yesterday, the local and regional COVID-19 situation continues to stabilise and we have begun to grant more entry approvals for MDWs to come to Singapore. The current MDW supply crunch is expected to improve in the coming months. In the longer term, MOM will diversify the countries from which MDWs are hired. However, we must recognise that there will continue to be competition for MDWs, not just locally but also from countries in the region. Besides reasonable remuneration to attract MDWs to work in Singapore, there is also a need to position Singapore as an attractive workplace destination for MDWs, to ensure resilience in our MDW supply. Other than the measures to enable a steady stream of MDWs for Singapore, it is equally important to ensure that employers are matched with MDWs who best meet their needs, as well as provide support to employers and MDWs to foster good employment relationships. Members have suggested that matching be done only by local employment agencies (EAs) and to disallow direct hiring of MDWs. Today, more than 80% of employers hire their MDWs with the help of an EA. For the remaining employers who prefer to hire their MDWs directly to avoid incurring additional costs of engaging an EA, disallowing them to self-help would inadvertently increase their costs of hiring MDWs. Instead of placing a cap on the maximum number of transfers for an MDW, MOM has adopted the approach of making information more transparent so that employers can make informed decisions when hiring MDWs, including those who have had frequent transfers. Employers may access information relating to prospective MDWs’ work experiences and the types and sizes of households that they have worked in before.”
“Employers may enrol their MDWs for various training courses to empower them to provide higher-quality care. Today, there are 200 training courses provided by 50 training providers that are available for employers to send their domestic helpers to. They may tap on the Caregivers Training Grant to offset training costs for the care of elderly or disabled loved ones. Members have suggested higher levy for non-local high-income households. I would like to clarify that we already pay special attention to local households with caregiving needs. This is why only households with at least a Singaporean member with care needs are eligible for the concessionary levy rate of $60 per month. All non-local households, with or without caregiving needs, pay the non-concessionary rate of $300 per month. Some employers have managed to do without MDWs by tapping on institutional care options or engaging companies under the Household Services Scheme to meet their household needs. However, for many employers, the options I have mentioned may not fully meet their needs and MDWs remain important to them. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have been impacted by the limited supply of MDWs to Singapore. Amidst the shortage of MDWs, some employers face requests by their MDWs for higher wages or a transfer. I understand the difficulties an employer goes through if an MDW seeks a transfer before the end of the contract. To alleviate the financial burden incurred by employers, MOM recently introduced a policy to allow the incumbent and subsequent employers to share the Stay-Home Notice (SHN) costs and COVID-19 tests costs incurred by an MDW when she entered Singapore, should the change of employer take place within 12 months of employment.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Members for sharing their views on the role of Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) in the caregiving landscape in Singapore and their suggestions on how we can better support MDW employers given our ageing population. In my response, I will address the following points: one, MDWs' role in the caregiving landscape in Singapore; and two, measures to support employers in hiring and managing domestic helpers. I share Members' views that MDWs continue to be important to support households with caregiving needs. Over the years, the Government has dedicated efforts to improve accessibility, affordability and quality of care options overall. These include expanding the capacity of long-term care services for seniors and persons with disabilities, childcare and afterschool care centres for children. MND, MOH and HDB have also launched the first assisted living flats in February this year, which integrate senior-friendly design features with care services that can be scaled according to the care needs. This enables seniors to live independently while meeting their current and future care needs. To improve the affordability of care, various subsidy schemes have been put in for residential, day and homecare services, respite care services, childcare and infant care services. Families may apply for the means-tested Home Caregiving Grant, which can be used flexibly for different caregiving expenses, such as hiring of MDWs to care for an individual with permanent moderate disability. MOH is reviewing the Home Caregiving Grant to provide more help for targeted groups. With the increasing complexity of care provision, it is important for MDWs to be trained in essential skills for caregiving.”