Josephine Teo
Singapore
“The Government's risk-calibrated approach to data security in artificial intelligence (AI) systems was explained in a written reply, given on 9 January 2024, to related questions asked by Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Gerald Giam.”
“Access to frontier models is helpful for specific use cases, such as advanced research and cybersecurity. However, these form a small proportion of artificial intelligence (AI) demand. For most industry, Government and research uses, capable models are already available.”
“The Government tracks the development of technical standards for identifying artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, including watermarking and digital provenance approaches, as part of broader efforts to manage AI-related risks.”
“Upon receiving a valid report of intimate image abuse, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered by law to direct Online Service Providers (OSPs) to disable access by Singapore users to the specified harmful online material. This direction may be extended to cover identical copies found on the platform.”
“The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. We have announced plans to extend age assurance requirements to designated social media services, including requiring platforms to keep users under 13 off their services.”
“Under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered to issue directions to platforms to remove specified harmful content, including intimate image abuse.”
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“Based on the June 2020 Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, there are an estimated 20,500 resident employees who are Managers and Executives (M&Es) earning a basic monthly salary of up to $2,600, constituting 2.8% of the resident M&E workforce. About 11,000 (1.5%) earned between $2,600 and $2,800, and 5,000 (0.7%) earned between $2,800 and $3,000. M&Es form an important and growing part of our workforce. MOM, together with our tripartite partners, regularly review our employment laws to ensure that they are adequately protected. The Employment Act (EA) was amended in 2009 to allow M&Es earning a basic monthly salary of up to $2,500 access to the Labour Court for salary claims. In 2014, we extended coverage of the core provisions in the EA (such as holiday and sick leave entitlements) to M&Es earning a basic monthly salary of up to $4,500, and this salary threshold was subsequently removed in 2019. Today, all M&Es are covered by the EA for the core provisions. We will continue to review our employment laws to ensure that they remain relevant and responsive to the changing labour market conditions and the needs of the workforce.”
“Every cohort’s Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) is determined taking into consideration inflation and rising standards of living. Each successive cohort has seen a higher proportion able to set aside their BRS. The proportion of active CPF members turning age 55 who have set aside their BRS continued to improve from 62% in 2018, or about 24,900 members, to 66% in 2020, or about 26,500 members. This reflects higher labour force participation rates and rising incomes of successive cohorts of members. Of the active members who are able to set aside the BRS, about seven in 10 can choose to set aside the Full Retirement Sum (FRS) and half, the Enhanced Retirement Sum (ERS). It is not meaningful to draw conclusions from the CPF balances of inactive members. They are likely to have other means of provision which CPF Board has no sight of. Instead, our focus is to help all members with lower balances and lesser means boost their retirement income. Through the Silver Support scheme, we provide tax-funded payments to seniors who had low incomes during their working years and have less family support in their retirement. Last year, I announced enhancements to Silver Support, which expanded coverage from 150,000 to 250,000 seniors aged 65 and above. Seniors who continue to work and are eligible for Workfare Income Supplement get higher payouts compared to younger recipient. We also incentivise CPF cash top-ups, including through the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme that was launched in 2021. The Government will continue to review its policies to improve the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans.”
“The others were mostly cancelled before the last eight weeks of the work permit.”
“Eligible employers can renew the work permits of foreign construction workers from around the last 56 days or eight weeks of a work permit’s validity. Upon receipt of a renewal notice by MOM, the employer can renew the work permit at any time before its expiry. If the work permit is not renewed, the employer is responsible to repatriate the worker when the permit is cancelled or expires. Foreign construction workers can transfer to a new employer any time during employment provided the current employer agrees. Between the 40th day and 21st day from expiry or the last 3 to 5 and a half weeks of the work permit, if the current employer has not already renewed, the worker can transfer to a new employer without the current employer’s agreement. This allows the worker to find new employment without having to leave Singapore. From the 20th day before expiry or the final three weeks of the work permit, as the current employer would already be making preparations to repatriate the worker and would have incurred additional costs, it would not be fair to allow for last-minute transfers without the current employer’s consent. Of the 168,900 work permits from the construction sector expiring between July and December 2020, 105,900 (63%) were renewed by the employers, with 96,200 renewed in the last 40 days of the work permit. This is mainly due to workers being unable to leave their dormitories during the lockdown last year to complete the renewal process. Another 34,500 (20%) were issued with a new work permit under another employer. Of the remaining, 28,500 (17%) were neither renewed nor re-issued with work permits, 7,900 (less than 5%) were cancelled in the last eight weeks of the work permit, while 5,100 (3%) expired.”
“Singapore currently has 26 FTAs in force and is party to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has 164 economies as members. Practically all individuals that have entered Singapore as overseas Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICTs) would be covered by our trade agreements, including the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The number of ICTs has consistently been below 5 percent of all Employment Pass (EP) holders in Singapore. These ICTs would have met the same criteria as other EP holders to work in Singapore. Less than half of existing ICTs have brought in dependants, and less than 1 in 10 of these dependants have been allowed to work during their stay in Singapore. Overseas ICTs, as well as their dependants who work, are included in the Ministry of Manpower’s foreign workforce numbers and employment statistics.”
“MOM, BCA and EDB actively monitor workplaces to ensure that businesses comply with Safe Management Measures. This includes checking that all employees wear masks while at work. At worksites, occupiers have a responsibility to ensure that all employees are masked at work. Agencies’ inspections have shown that this is complied with. In 98% of workplaces inspected, employers maintained ample stock of masks for their employees’ use at work. For the remainder, we have advised these employers of the good practice to have sufficient supply of masks to fulfil the requirement that all employees be masked. The Government and other organisations have also distributed masks to all Singapore residents, including migrant workers. The Migrant Workers’ Centre, together with the Temasek Foundation and other partners and donors, has distributed masks and other essential items to more than 650,000 migrant workers. Migrant workers who face a shortage of masks can approach the Migrant Workers’ Centre or MOM for assistance. MOM has ways of following up on whistleblowing reports without revealing the identity of the informant.”
“MOM appreciates the seriousness of workplace harassment and the challenges victims may face. To raise awareness and to ensure that employees do not hesitate to report such cases, Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) together with MOM and other partner organisations have stepped up efforts via digital and social media platforms to educate the public on what constitutes workplace harassment and the available avenues for recourse, including when to file a report with TAFEP or the Police. In addition, TAFEP works closely with tripartite partners to conduct regular courses to train key personnel such as HR, line managers and supervisors to adopt policies to prevent and manage workplace harassment. More than 950 company representatives have been trained over the last five years. Affected employees who do not feel comfortable reporting through their company channel are encouraged to approach TAFEP for assistance. Such cases are handled sensitively. When a case of harassment is filed, TAFEP will require the employer to provide a report of their investigations of the complaint including disciplinary actions to be taken against the harasser if the complaint was found to be true. TAFEP will also assess if the case inquiry and the company’s grievance handling process were in accordance with the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment. TAFEP will treat all information provided as confidential and work with the employer to prevent future occurrences. TAFEP also refers affected individuals to organisations like the Family Service Centres, Health Promotion Board and SOS Singapore which have the expertise to help them get closure and the necessary support.”
“There is no internationally accepted definition of "gig workers". In general, the term refers to own account workers or self-employed persons (SEPs) who operate their own business without hiring any employees1, and who source for a significant part of their work through online matching platforms. In 2020, 190,900 residents were engaged primarily as SEPs for their livelihood. Over the past decade, such SEPs’ share of the workforce has remained stable at 8% to 10%. Among the 190,900, there were 73,500 who utilised online matching platforms, mostly working in the transportation of goods and passengers. Table 1 shows the breakdown of the top three occupations, namely private-hire car drivers, taxi drivers, and car and light goods vehicle drivers, and Table 2 reflects the corresponding median incomes. In 2019, the median income for these three occupations was between $1,500 to $2,500. In 2020, SEPs’ income from work2 was impacted by COVID-19 pandemic to varying degrees. Many were eligible for support of up to $9,000 from the SEP Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), Workfare Special Payments of up to $3,000, as well as regular Workfare payouts amounting up to $2,667 in 20203, as well as the Point-To-Point Support Package, which comprises two components for taxi and PHC drivers: (a) Special Relief Fund (SRF), to help full-time drivers defray business cost, and (b) Government and NTUC Driver Care Fund for drivers who may not qualify for the SRF but still require financial assistance.”
“Our public education efforts include advisory articles on TAFEP’s website, advertisements on mainstream media platforms, and social media posts, to create a more inclusive workplace for persons with disabilities. The Government also provides wage offsets to employers who hire Singaporeans with disabilities earning below $4,000 a month. Under the Enabling Employment Credit scheme, employers will receive up to 20% wage offset, and those hiring Singaporeans with disabilities who had not been working for the past six months prior to being hired will receive an additional wage offset of up to 10% for a period of six months. SGEnable also administers the Open Door Programme which provides support for employers to hire, train and integrate persons with disabilities into the workplace.”
“People with disabilities enjoy the same protections, right and obligations under our employment legislation, as any other individual. This includes an expectation that employers abide by fair and merit-based employment practices as outlined in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, protection from workplace discrimination and from unfair dismissal. Employers who have breached these obligations face firm enforcement action by MOM and will have their work pass privileges curtailed. MOM and TAFEP investigate all such complaints impartially, without prejudging either party to the complaint. From 2015 to 2019, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) received four complaint cases on workplace discrimination relating to persons with disabilities. After investigation, TAFEP found that these cases involved poor communication and a lack of sensitivity by the employer, when interacting with the complainant. However, there was no practice or policy of discrimination on the part of the employer. TAFEP provided advice to the respective employers on how they could improve their employment practices. All four employers were receptive to the advice, and there have been no further complaints against these employers involving persons with disabilities. There were also no substantiated cases of discriminatory dismissal due to disability in the past five years. TAFEP has also observed that employers, their managers and society generally, need to cultivate the correct mindset with respect to disability. Some employers misunderstand the needs of persons with disabilities, or wrongly conclude they are unable to perform certain tasks.”
“The Employment Act already allows for alternative work hours and arrangements based on the requirements of businesses and the needs of workers. This includes work schedules such as the ones the Member has described. Notwithstanding this, employers must ensure that their employees have adequate rest and break times, and safeguard their health and safety at all times.”
“The requested ratio is not a meaningful indicator of whether there is sufficient manpower in the Construction and Process sectors for committed projects in any given year. This is because MYEs are allocated for multiple years, and firms can also hire workers beyond their MYE allocation. Nevertheless, we note that the number of foreign workers in the Construction and Process sectors has decreased by about 15% in the past year. At the same time, BCA and EDB expect demand to increase in 2021. That is why we had since December 2020 been taking steps to allow the entry of new workers, but in a safe way, minimising the risk of COVID-19 transmission into the community. Foreign workers coming to Singapore must comply with border measures and safeguards which will continue to be adjusted as the operating environment changes. From 6 January 2021, all newly arrived foreign workers staying in dormitories have to go through an additional 7-day testing regime at a designated facility, after completing their 14-day Stay-Home Notice. In addition, from 18 January 2021, newly arrived Work Permit and S Pass holders from higher-risk countries or regions in the Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process sectors are required to take a Polymerase Chain Reaction test and Serology test upon arrival. To ensure a safe working environment for our workers, employers are required to abide by the prevailing Safe Management Measures at the workplace. This includes measures like segregating teams into different zones in construction worksites. In dormitories, we have enhanced our contact tracing capabilities and test foreign workers regularly through Rostered Routine Testing. We have also been working with dormitory operators, foreign workers and employers to implement Safe Living Measures.”
“The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) was announced in Budget 2020 and launched earlier this year. Under this scheme, the Government will match cash top-ups to eligible recipients’ Retirement Accounts, up to $600 per year. Anyone can provide such top-ups. Singapore citizens and permanent residents who make cash top-ups for their loved ones may be eligible for up to $7,000 of tax relief per year. Employers who make cash top-ups on their employees’ behalf will also enjoy an equivalent amount of tax deduction. Tax reliefs are not available for top-ups from other non-related parties. However, they can contribute to beneficiaries through a charity with Institutions of Public Character (IPCs) status and be eligible for a tax deduction of 250%. We will continue to review the scheme to ensure that it remains relevant to members.”
“The Indonesian authorities have informed employment agencies (EAs) in Singapore that it will be introducing a "zero placement fee policy". This policy requires employers to bear placement fees and other costs incurred by new Indonesian foreign domestic workers (FDWs) when seeking employment overseas, including the costs of air tickets, work visas, passport replacement, medical examinations, transportation and accommodation. While this policy was supposed to have taken effect on 15 January 2021, the Indonesian authorities have extended the transition period by six months, until 15 July 2021. EAs have indicated that the service fee charged to employers for Indonesian FDWs could increase as a result of this policy. To avoid these higher fees, employers can consider FDWs other than those from Indonesia. Regardless of the country of origin, employers should ensure they have full information of the cost implications before making their hiring decisions. EAs are required by Singapore law to provide employers with a clear breakdown of the fees charged to them and their FDWs. Depending on employers’ preferences and cost considerations, EAs will advise them on the options that best meet their requirements. EAs will likely make adjustments to bring in FDWs from countries with growing demand by employers. Alternatively, employers can consider hiring part-time help from domestic services providers under the Household Services Scheme. Those with caregiving needs for the elderly or young children may also approach agencies like the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) or the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) for assistance on accessing subsidised services.”
“Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, it is an offence for employers to not pay foreign employees their contractual fixed monthly salaries or inflate the salaries of their foreign employees with no intention of paying them the amount declared to MOM. Between 2010 and 2014, an average of 60 employers per year were taken to task for underpaying their foreign employees’ salaries. MOM stepped up education efforts to encourage foreign employees to report salary irregularities. We also improved detection capabilities. As a result, between 2015 and 2019, about 190 employers per year were taken to task. Most cases did not involve employment agencies. Nonetheless, over the same 10-year period, enforcement action was taken against six licensed employment agencies. In some cases, underpayment was done simply by paying their foreign employees a lower salary. Some tried to avoid leaving any paper trail by crediting full declared salaries to the foreign employees and requiring the employees to return a portion back to them in the form of electronic transfers or in cash. There is no excuse for underpayment of any employee, foreign or local. MOM will continue to take strong surveillance and enforcement action against errant employers and any other parties who abetted the offences.”
“Trainees with enquiries or feedback on the programme should contact SBF directly via a phone hotline or email. In addition, WSG and SBF have set up a dedicated online whistle-blowing channel for reporting of irregularities by host organisations. As at end-December 2020, we have received 8 complaint cases. Issues raised included absence of proper guidance from supervisors, and the lack of safe-distancing measures within the organisation. For each of these cases, SBF’s first priority is to establish the facts and render assistance to the trainee or host organisation. Some of these cases are being resolved amicably through mediation. However, if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the host organisation, SBF will work with MOM and WSG to take action against the host organisation, including rescinding approvals and clawing back any grants disbursed in serious cases. In one case, we have barred the organisation from future participation in WSG’s programmes. If necessary, WSG will support the affected trainee to find new opportunities.”
“Each application to host a traineeship or company attachment is carefully screened by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which is appointed by Workforce Singapore (WSG) as programme partner for the SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways programmes. SBF checks that the traineeships are of good quality and provide meaningful opportunities for the trainees. SBF will also work with the applicant to improve their proposals, such as improving the development plans for trainees. Not every application will be approved. As at end-December 2020, the SBF received applications from more than 5,200 companies to host traineeships or attachments. Around one in ten of these applications were rejected for reasons such as development plans not meeting requirements, and proposed roles being unsuitable. There is no quota on the number of approved traineeships for each host organisation as long as the proposals are of good quality and the host organisation has the ability to host trainees for all the approved positions. Although traineeships and attachments are not employment contracts, SBF requires participating host organisations to enter into an agreement with SBF, which sets out the conditions that the host organisation will need to abide by. These conditions include adhering to the approved development plan and the prompt submission of monthly traineeship progress reports that are signed off by both the host organisation and the trainee. The agreement also includes the right for SBF to arbitrate in any disputes between the host organisation and trainee, with SBF’s decision to be taken as final. SBF monitors the trainees through the monthly traineeship reports.”
“Our work pass policies are therefore regularly reviewed and adjusted. For example, we raised the qualifying salary criteria for Employment Pass applicants in 2017 and twice more in 2020. Likewise, for S Pass holders, we reduced the S Pass sub-Dependency Ratio Ceilings for the Services, Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process sectors in the past two years. We will continue to review and adjust our work pass policies in support of local employment outcomes.”
“Helping our people acquire skills to access good jobs has been a long-standing priority for the Government. In the 1990s, about three in 10 employed locals were in Professional, Manager, Executive and Technician (PMET) jobs. Today, about six in 10 employed locals are in PMET jobs. This is achieved through creating good jobs, motivating individuals to upskill or reskill, promoting employer commitment to fair hiring and progression, and sustaining Government investments in education and training. For PMETs, the process of skills transfer is rarely linear or one-to-one. In the course of developing their careers, PMETs learn from a variety of people including their peers, superiors, customers and suppliers. They may also acquire valuable skills through a range of assignments, including overseas postings, and even job changes to gain exposure to different industries or markets. Structured training programmes also play a part. These opportunities for skills acquisition require employers that are supportive and intentional in staff development, as well as individuals who take ownership of their learning and development. The Government commits significant resources to expand such opportunities through the Skillsfuture movement and the many programmes in place to upskill and reskill our workforce. In regulating the presence of work pass holders in Singapore, our aim is to enable businesses to continually create good jobs while keeping the labour market tight. For the broad majority of PMETs, these conditions provide better benefits than prescriptive micro-measures targeted at specific work pass holders. With more jobs requiring higher skills, there is added impetus to level up skills acquisition through multiple pathways.”
“Employers in Singapore have diverse manpower needs. As a result, their workforce profiles and hiring practices vary widely. This is not a concern as long as employers uphold the letter and the spirit of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP). In particular, they must consider all qualified applicants fairly. Besides investigating complaints of discriminatory hiring, MOM carries out proactive surveillance. This includes identifying companies whose share of foreign Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) is noticeably higher than their industry peers, or which have a high concentration of a single foreign nationality source. They are then placed on the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) Watchlist, during which their work pass applications are subject to closer scrutiny. These companies are also engaged by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to help them improve their Human Resource (HR) practices and local hiring. In most instances, the employers updated their hiring and expanded their employment of local PMETs with help from Workforce Singapore. Since 2016, firms on the FCF Watchlist have hired more than 4,800 Singaporean PMETs in total. Many of the firms have adjusted their HR practices and made sufficient improvements in their workforce profile to exit the FCF Watchlist within a year. For the minority of Watchlist firms who are uncooperative, they are barred from work pass privileges. This approach has therefore allowed for calibrated treatment depending on the employers’ responses, and has expanded local employment more so than rules that uniformly penalise all firms on the Watchlist.”
“The Code was recently enhanced to require even more building types to provide lactation rooms. For eligible private buildings constructed before these requirements were in place, BCA’s Accessibility Fund provides funding support for building owners to construct lactation rooms. We are mindful that imposing sanctions on employers that require nursing mothers to return physically to workplaces without lactation rooms may have unintended consequences. For example, employers may have reservations about employing nursing mothers, or women in general, if they are unable to provide a lactation room due to genuine space constraints at the workplace. Together with tripartite partners, MOM will continue to advocate for the implementation of FWAs to support all workers, including nursing mothers.”
“The Government recognises the importance of supporting nursing mothers who work. First, we support employers to offer Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) to help all workers, including nursing mothers, better manage their work and family needs. Second, we require and support building owners to provide lactation rooms for the benefit of nursing mothers who have to be at their workplaces. FWAs such as flexi-time and work-from-home arrangements enable all workers, including nursing mothers, to meet both their personal and professional goals. Together with the Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), the Ministry of Manpower and our tripartite partners promote the adoption of FWAs by (i) recognising progressive employers through the Tripartite Standard on FWAs, (ii) developing and sharing an FWA implementation guide and videos, and (iii) raising awareness of FWAs through engagements and advertisements. In 2019, about 85% of employers offered some form of FWA. These numbers have since increased further over the past year with work-from-home remaining as the default mode of working. As the provision of FWAs is increasingly normalised and made prevalent at workplaces, we assess that there is no need to reopen the Work-Life Grant for now. We are implementing recommendations by the Citizens’ Panel on Work-Life Harmony. These measures will further enhance the provision and take-up of FWAs. Today, the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA) Code on Accessibility requires specific building types that are frequented by the general public to have at least one lactation room. This applies to both new, as well as existing buildings undergoing addition and alteration works that need BCA’s approval.”
“Given the recent trends in COVID-19 cases in the community and workplaces, and the higher risk of potentially more transmissible COVID-19 strains, the tripartite partners decided last month to postpone any further adjustments to Safe Management Measures for the workplace. This means that work-from-home remains the default working arrangement. Employers must also ensure that no more than 50% of employees who are able to work from home are at the workplace at any point in time, and that these employees work from home for at least half their working time. The Safe Management Measures for the workplace, including work-from-home requirements, will be adjusted taking into account the public health risk, and employee and business interests. They may be eased or tightened in the coming months depending on how the COVID-19 situation evolves. Work-from-home is one of many flexible work arrangements that help employees better manage their work and personal responsibilities. We encourage employers to continue providing such working arrangements even when the public health risk abates. Tripartite partners have been promoting flexible work arrangements, taking into account the need to balance the considerations of employees and employers. This includes progressively implementing the recommendations of the Citizens’ Panel on Work-Life Harmony that were submitted last year. While there were no specific calls for legislating flexible work arrangements, the Citizens’ Panel focused on efforts to spur adoption, such as growing a community of Work-Life Ambassadors and developing sector-specific Communities of Practice on Flexible Work Arrangements.”
“Singapore has a sizeable number of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) who provide essential caregiving and household support to families. In setting out the rules of their employment, we seek to ensure they get proper care while in Singapore and establish clear lines of responsibility. Employers are responsible for their FDWs’ medical care, as long as the FDW remains in Singapore. To ensure that they can cope with large bills, employers are required to purchase medical insurance to provide coverage of at least $15,000 for their FDWs, to cover hospitalisation episodes regardless of how the need arose. In other words, the hospitalisation insurance covers both treatment for both work-related and non-work-related conditions. This amount has been sufficient to cover about 95% of all hospitalisation bills incurred by FDWs over the past three years. Employers can also opt for higher coverage from their insurance provider. Employers who face financial difficulty paying for the hospitalisation bills of their FDWs may approach medical social workers at the hospitals for assistance. Beyond hospitalisation expenses, employers of FDWs may assess the benefit of further insurance coverage in the same way all employers can voluntarily do so.”
“Today, more than two in five CPF members have made a nomination. Among those aged 65 and above, three in four members have done so. The online nomination service was rolled out last year to make this process even more convenient for members. Since then, about half of nominations have been made online. CPF Board is notified by the Registry of Births & Deaths after the death of a member is registered, and typically distributes nominated CPF monies within a month of notification. For un-nominated CPF monies, CPF Board will pass the monies to the Public Trustee’s Office (PTO) within three weeks of notification of the member’s passing after accounting for transactions such as MediSave deductions for hospital bills. The PTO will trace and search for the eligible beneficiaries under the law and charges administrative fees for disbursement. Eligible beneficiaries may come forward at any time to make their claims. Upon the submission of the complete set of documents and information by the applicant, PTO usually disburses the un-nominated CPF monies within four weeks. To allow their CPF monies to be distributed to preferred beneficiaries faster and without incurring fees, we encourage all members to make their CPF nominations and update it as their life circumstances change. We will continue to regularly review our CPF policies to ensure they better meet members’ needs.”
“The Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) is aimed at seniors below 70 who have not started or are just starting their payouts. This allows the top-ups to benefit from compound interest for a longer period and have a bigger impact on eventual payouts. Most of our seniors above 70 would have already started receiving their CPF retirement payouts. The Government supports them in other ways. For example, as members of the Pioneer Generation, they enjoy enhanced healthcare support. They may also be eligible for quarterly payouts through the Silver Support Scheme which supplements their retirement income. In addition, they can tap on the Lease Buyback Scheme to receive a cash bonus and a stream of income for life. We will continue to review the scheme to ensure that it remains relevant to members.”
“During public consultations on caregiving support, the feedback gathered from workers indicated that flexible work arrangements (FWAs) were more sustainable than leave provisions to help them meet their work and caregiving commitments. The tripartite partners have continuously reviewed and enhanced our efforts to support the provision of FWAs. Today, the vast majority of employees, including caregivers, have access to FWAs. In 2019, about 85% of employers offered some form of FWA. This has increased further during the COVID-19 period. We are doing more to entrench FWAs such as by implementing the recommendations of the Citizens’ Panel on Work-Life Harmony. These include growing a community of Work-Life Ambassadors who will advocate for FWAs and developing sector-specific Communities of Practice that will promote best practices for employers to implement FWAs.”
“From time to time, there are suggestions for a variety of additional leave provisions to be provided. These include caregiver leave for aged parents, compassionate leave for bereaved children and grandchildren, and more annual leave. Mr Louis Ng has also proposed gender-neutral fertility leave and asked if MOM has studied the effects of gender-neutral fertility leave. We thank the Member for the suggestion, and will consider it along with other meaningful studies that can be undertaken as well as resources available. Keen researchers may also apply to the Social Policy Research Council for support. Over the years, the Government has progressively enhanced leave provisions. In 2013, we extended two days of childcare leave each year to parents with children aged seven to 12 years old. Later in 2017, we legislated the second week of paternity leave, increased shared parental leave to four weeks, and increased adoption leave for mothers to 12 weeks. More recently, we worked with tripartite partners to introduce the Tripartite Standards on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs, which encourages employers to allow employees up to six weeks of unpaid leave to support their unexpected caregiving needs. The Government has led by example to adopt this set of Standards across the public sector. Further enhancements to leave provisions require careful consideration. The Government has consistently taken a tripartite approach, taking on board the views and concern of employers, unions, and other stakeholders. In this period of heightened uncertainty in the economy and job market, we must also assess the overall impact of concurrent policy moves on employers and employability.”
“At the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in the dormitories, the Government needed the full cooperation of dormitory operators to contain the infections in the dormitories quickly, and take care of the well-being of their residents. These included stepped-up and additional cleaning and disinfection services, utilities provision associated with the increased duration that migrant workers had to spend in the dormitories, manpower and infrastructure needed to meet the new Safe Living requirements in dormitories. As these were new impositions not originally catered for by the dormitory operators, the Government introduced support schemes to reimburse them for qualifying expenses incurred over a limited period from April to August last year. Till date, the Government has provided $4.6 million of reimbursement directly to dormitory operators who had to manage about 160,000 migrant workers. There are further claims that are pending assessment and clarifications. MOM, in our assessment of the claims, check that dormitory operators have exercised financial prudence in their purchases and the reasonableness of the claim amounts. We also impose a cap on the amount claimable based on our assessment of a reasonable claim.”
“Thank you, Sir. Mr Giam had asked about the take-up of the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) by companies. I had explained that we use CPF data to compute the JGI incentive in order to reduce the administrative burden for companies. I said that for every employer that has a local employee, for which he has CPF employer obligations, the employer is given two months in order to make the CPF payments. So, for someone who was employed, brought onboard at the start of the programme in September 2020, the employer actually has up till the end of November in order to make those payments. [Please refer to "Rationale for Support Threshold in Jobs Growth Incentive Scheme", Official Report, 5 January 2021, Vol 95, Issue No 15, Oral Answers to Questions section.] I wish to make a correction to that last statement. For every employer that has a local employee, for which he has CPF employer obligations, the employer is given two weeks after the end of the month in order to make the CPF payments. However, the CPF Board must thereafter validate the data before handing it over to IRAS for further processing. So, for those who were employed, brought onboard at the start of the programme in September 2020, the data is only ready for use around the end of November. Thank you.”
“Mr Speaker, with your leave, may I make a clarification with respect to my response to Mr Gerald Giam’s supplementary question on 5 January 2021, during Question Time for the Parliamentary Question "Rationale for Support Threshold in Jobs Growth Incentive Scheme".”
“The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme encourages Singaporeans who earn lower wages and have less family support to work regularly and build up their CPF savings. Other qualifying criteria include property holdings and spousal income. This helps to ensure that Workfare provides targeted support to lower-wage workers with limited household wealth. Nearly 8 in 10 Singaporean workers who are 35 years old and above and earn wages below $1,300 per month through part-time or full-time employment, receive Workfare payouts. Those not eligible live in a property with an annual value exceeding $13,000 (which covers all public housing), or own two or more properties, or have a spouse whose assessable income exceeds $70,000. Workfare payouts vary according to salary and age. The average monthly salary of employed Singaporeans who are eligible for Workfare, is $1,300. About two-thirds of Workfare recipients are aged 55 and above. For those aged 60 and above, the annual Workfare payout of $4,000 tops up this average income by 26%, while for those aged 55 to 59, the annual Workfare payout of $3,300 provides a 21% boost. For younger age groups, the annual Workfare payouts range from $1,700 to $2,500, providing income top-ups of between 11% and 16%.”
“The Government has also strengthened other areas of support for caregivers of seniors, including those who have to juggle between work and caregiving roles, via the Caregiver Support Action Plan that was announced in 2019. There is a range of home and community care options to help support the care and social needs of their elderly loved ones when they have to go to work. There are also various respite care options in eldercare centres and nursing homes for caregivers who need help with caring for seniors for short periods of time, including over the weekends. MOM will continue to advocate for the implementation of FWAs and work with other Ministries and tripartite partners to strengthen support for working caregivers.”
“The Government recognises that caregiving for parents is an important responsibility, especially with Singapore's ageing population. We are committed to providing caregivers with the necessary support so that they can fulfil both their work and caregiving responsibilities. Parent care leave can be useful to take care of elderly for specific bouts of illness, but what would be more sustainable and flexible for caregivers, especially those with elderly parents with longer term needs, would be flexible work arrangements (FWA). In a 2018 MOH survey, employees who were caregivers provided feedback that flexible work arrangements (FWAs) were more important than caregiving leave in supporting them in their caregiving needs. To help caregivers, the Government and our tripartite partners have adopted a multi-pronged strategy to support caregivers by encouraging employers to adopt FWAs and strengthening support for senior caregiving in the community. Together with our tripartite partners, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) promotes the adoption of FWAs by (i) recognising progressive employers through the Tripartite Standard on FWAs, (ii) developing and sharing FWA implementation guides, and (iii) raising awareness of FWAs through engagements and online marketing advertisements. We are also implementing the recommendations of the recent Citizens' Panel on Work-Life Harmony to enhance provision and take-up of FWAs. Today, the vast majority of employees, including caregivers, have access to FWAs. In 2019, about 85% of employers offered some form of FWA and this number has increased during the COVID-19 period. As of end-November, more than 8,000 companies have adopted the Tripartite Standard on FWAs, up from under 2,000 companies a year ago.”
“The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) also launched a domestic tourism campaign and the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers to drive local tourism and stimulate sectoral activity. While the Aviation and Tourism sectors have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, its medium to long-term prospects remain positive. However, unlike in a cyclical downturn, some jobs may not return in their previous forms. Therefore, in addition to the Jobs Support Scheme, we are supporting employers to make use of the downtime to redesign jobs and reskill their employees to take on new job roles. For example, Workforce Singapore (WSG) has rolled out the Job Redesign Reskilling Programme and the Digital Marketing Reskilling Programme to retrain and redeploy workers in hotel and tourism companies. For affected workers who are looking to switch to new careers, we will help them to access jobs and skills opportunities. WSG has set up the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres in all HDB towns and deployed Careers Connect On-the-Go to bring career matching and coaching services closer to jobseekers. This is in addition to physical touchpoints such as WSG Careers Connect, NTUC-e2i's career centres and WSG-appointed Career Matching Providers, Ingeus and MAXIMUS. Jobseekers can also use WSG’s MyCareersFuture.gov.sg, to search for job opportunities that suit their skills and competencies. The Jobs Growth Incentive will enable firms that continue to do well in the current climate to bring forward their hiring plans. The Government will press on with our efforts to provide employment facilitation support to different groups of jobseekers in different industries, to help them emerge stronger for eventual economic recovery.”
“For example, an employer that meets the eligibility criteria for the Jobs Growth Incentive and hires a mature local worker via a Professional Conversion Programme will not only receive the 50% JGI, but also additional salary support and course fee subsidies, as well as further salary support under the Jobs Support Scheme if they are eligible. This approach has the advantage of tilting more support towards jobseekers that are harder to be matched to available openings. Mr de Souza asked about the Jobs Support Scheme for the aviation and tourism-related industries. The Government has put in substantial effort and committed close to $100 billion in support measures to help companies and workers deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our economic measures are estimated to have offset some of the rise in resident unemployment rate by about 1.7 percentage points this year. The Ministry of Finance extended the Jobs Support Scheme to cover wages up to March 2021 for sectors that continue to be impacted by COVID-19, such as the Aviation and Tourism sectors, and are reviewing if a further extension is needed. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) have also provided targeted support to prepare our businesses and workers to emerge stronger. For the Aviation sector, MOT introduced the Enhanced Aviation Support Package to preserve core capabilities and to support our local carriers to regain air connectivity to the world. For the Tourism sector, MTI worked with industry stakeholders to pilot Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events and formulate an Event Industry Resilience Roadmap to provide guidance on safe and gradual resumption of business events.”
“Mr Christopher de Souza asked about support for mature workers to find jobs and make career transitions. Jobseekers aged 40 and above are well-represented among those placed into opportunities under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, comprising around 50% of job placements and 35% of traineeships and attachments, and training opportunities. We have consistently provided more support to help mature workers make career transitions. In the Unity Budget, we introduced the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package for locals in their 40s and 50s, to help them stay employable and enter new jobs or new roles. This provides enhanced support of up to 90% of the cost for employers to reskill mature new employees, as compared to generally up to 70% for other new employees. The Government provided an additional $500 SkillsFuture Credit for those aged 40 to 60 in 2020 to empower them to refresh their skills and enhance their employability. We also built up a pool of volunteer Career Advisors to provide sector and occupation-specific career advice and outline career options. Mature individuals have valuable skills and bring with them a wealth of work experience. However, some mature jobseekers may still face difficulties in finding permanent jobs in the current job market. In September 2020, the Jobs Growth Incentive was launched to support firms in accelerating the hiring of their local workforce. To encourage employers to consider hiring more mature jobseekers, the Government will underwrite 50% of their salaries, up to the first $5,000, for 12 months. This is double the wage support for younger new local hires. The Jobs Growth Incentive should be seen in conjunction with other measures in the overall package.”
“In the first half of 2020, TAFEP/MOM investigated 260 cases of possible breaches of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) for discriminatory practices. Penalties were imposed on about 70 employers, of which none were repeat offenders. The Ministry tracks public perception of fair employment practices through regular polls and also more detailed surveys of employment practices. For more details, the Member may wish to refer to the Employment Standards Report published by MOM in November 2020 which carries a special feature on fair workplaces. MOM will remain vigilant against discriminatory practices and will take errant employers to task so as to build fair workplaces for all employees.”
“The time limits for a claim to be filed at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) depend on the type of employment dispute. For salary-related claims, claimants have up to one year to file a case from the date on which the claim arises; or if the relationship has ended, up to six months from the last day of work. For wrongful dismissal claims, claimants have up to one month from the last day of work. These limits are specified in the Employment Claims Act. The tripartite partners last reviewed the time limits in 2018 and noted that 99% of those seeking advisory services from TADM did so within the current time limits. The trend was largely similar in 2019 and 2020. Of the minority that had exceeded the time limits in 2019 and 2020, around half were either referred to other forms of legal assistance or the claimants decided not to pursue their claims; the remainder were followed up by TADM, such as helping them explore private settlement or arranging for a mediation session if both parties agreed to it. It is important to encourage employees to come forward early to lodge their claims, as it becomes more difficult to establish the facts with the passage of time. Early reporting is also critical to improve the chance of a full recovery and the best way to ensure that their colleagues are not similarly affected. TADM has also made it easier to file claims by allowing claimants to lodge a report online or by phone. Therefore, tripartite partners decided to retain the current time limits. MOM will continue to monitor if the time limits need to be revised.”
“The Workfare Income Supplement scheme encourages Singaporeans who earn lower wages and have less family support to work regularly and build up their CPF savings. In 2013, the assessable income of a potential recipient’s spouse and the total number of properties owned by the potential recipient and their spouse, were introduced as qualifying criteria. This helps to ensure that Workfare provides targeted support to lower-wage workers with limited household wealth. To qualify for Workfare, the assessable income of the individual’s spouse cannot exceed $70,000, which is significantly above the median assessable income. We appreciate that there are genuine cases of spousal estrangement. Appeals are considered on a case-by-case basis and exceptions have been made.”
“Mr Speaker, there is no question about it. We certainly would like the jobseekers to be able to get into more permanent positions. We would like them to have acquired new skills. And we would like them to be able to get on to a better career path. But in the current context, I think we have to be quite realistic. At this point in time, what we have to worry about is skills atrophy. If people, for some reason, are not able to get into a meaningful position, whether it is company hosted traineeships or attachments or whether it is training programmes that are course based, I think the risk to them is not so much that they do not have standard employment now; the risk to them is that they will never have standard employment in future. So, whilst I appreciate the Member wanting to seek a number for me to respond to, I really question the value of this number. It is not how the NJC looks at it. The NJC looks at all these opportunities as being valuable. Otherwise, we would not be pursuing them at all. So, I hope that the Member can understand that.”
“Because you can put the incentive in front of the employer, but from the employer's perspective, there is no point in whether it is bearing 25%, 50% or 75% of the wage cost if this person that is brought on board is not able to perform as part of the team and deliver and help the business advance, which is why the JGI has to work in concert with other schemes. So, it is not a good idea for us to overly depend on any single scheme. It is a more holistic approach that we have to employ in order to ensure that we are able to boost employment and bring down unemployment. But the commitment is certainly there and we are putting all the effort that can be conceived of, and if there are other interventions that are needed, we will certainly also consider the need and the timeliness to do so.”
“Mr Speaker, I would be cautious about expecting any one single scheme to deliver on our objectives when it comes to employment. Overall, as a Government, our aim must be to try and expand employment and bring down unemployment. To do so, many factors will have to be aligned. For example, the overall economic conditions and business confidence must be there. If the overall economic conditions are not favourable and businesses do not have the confidence, then no matter how much we set aside for the JGI, no matter how lofty the goals we set out as targets, it will not produce the intended results. I should also say that in terms of our ability to create the right economic conditions and to boost business confidence, a lot of it has to do with how we are going to continue managing the public health risk. So, yesterday, we had a very extensive exchange in Parliament following the Ministerial Statements by my colleagues, Ministers Gan Kim Yong and Lawrence Wong. Everything that we are doing in the Multi-Ministry Task Force to manage the public health risk is to enable the economy to get back to some normalcy, at the same time recognising that things will not be identical to what they were before and the adjustments that businesses are going to have to make. It is also with that context in mind that when we examine the range of schemes and tools that we have at our disposal, it has to be, in terms of how they complement one another. So, the JGI tries to encourage the employers to expand hiring. But we know that for the positions that require higher skills demands from the jobseekers, we know that JGI alone will not do the trick.”
“We always have to look at data, especially on labour statistics, in a holistic manner. Looking at unemployment is one important indicator but it is also important to look at employment. In the case of Singapore, what we have found is that by the end of the third quarter, the employment levels have returned almost to pre-COVID-19 levels. The employment levels in September 2020, if we compared it to a year ago, was off by just about 0.4%. That does not mean that we are not concerned about the unemployment numbers and, of course, of the groups that still face more serious issues when it comes to unemployment. But we look at it in totality, it does paint a different picture. It does tell us that notwithstanding the difficulties, the jobseekers are still invested in the search. They have not exited from the workforce. And if they had exited from the workforce, we would have a very different problem because over the medium to longer term, we still have to address the challenges of a contracting workforce and we also do want to be able to enable people to stay in the workforce, especially those that are older. Mr Giam has asked about what would constitute a good target. I would say that at this point in time, we would have to look at the entire pool of jobseekers in totality. Every single one of them is important. Every single one of them that we can get back into our workforce is a family that is more able to make progress. So, whilst being concerned about specific segments of jobseekers, I would say that everyone benefiting from the JGI is still a good thing for us. The Government has set aside a budget of $1 billion for the JGI and we will look at the take-up rate and make adjustments if it is necessary to do so, as we have done for all schemes in the past.”
“Mr Speaker, the Member has asked for an update of the JGI which I am also keen to provide to Members as soon as the data is available. Let me explain why it takes a bit of time for us to understand how well the JGI has been taken up by companies. The objective of the JGI is to encourage firms to bring forward their hiring and to expand the number of locals in their workforce. In order to reduce the administrative burden to these companies, we will look at their CPF data and compute the incentive that they are eligible for so that we can automatically disburse it to them. For every person that is eligible for JGI support, the administrator will have to look at the CPF submissions of the employer in order to compute the incentive that is being paid out to the company. For every employer that has a local employee, for which he has CPF employer obligations, the employer is actually given two months in order to make the CPF payments. So, for someone who was employed, brought onboard at the start of the programme in September 2020, the employer actually has up till the end of November in order to make those payments. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Manpower", Official Report, 1 February 2021, Vol 95, Issue No 16.] So, the data is still very new, we have to wait for it to come in, in order to make a proper analysis for it. But I assure the Member that we ourselves are very keen to have a sense of it. And like him, we are particularly interested in who has been on the receiving end of this support as far as the jobseekers are concerned. I would also want to add one more point. The Member has pointed to the unemployment rate of different age groups. Here, I think I wanted to make a general point to all Members and not to Mr Giam, specifically.”
“WSG has set up the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres in all HDB towns and deployed Careers Connect On-the-Go to bring career matching and coaching services closer to jobseekers. This is in addition to physical touchpoints such as WSG Careers Connect, NTUC-e2i's career centres and WSG-appointed Career Matching Providers, Ingeus and MAXIMUS. Jobseekers can also use WSG's MyCareersFuture.gov.sg, to search for job opportunities that suit their skills and competencies. The Jobs Growth Incentive will enable firms that continue to do well in the current climate to bring forward their hiring plans. The Government will press on with our efforts to provide employment facilitation support to different groups of jobseekers in different industries, to help them emerge stronger for eventual economic recovery.”
“Our economic measures are estimated to have offset some of the rise in resident unemployment rate by about 1.7 percentage points this year. MOF extended the Jobs Support Scheme to cover wages up to March 2021 for sectors that continue to be impacted by COVID-19, such as the aviation and tourism sectors, and are reviewing if a further extension is needed. MOT and MTI have also provided targeted support to prepare our businesses and workers to emerge stronger. For the aviation sector, MOT introduced the Enhanced Aviation Support Package to preserve core capabilities and to support our local carriers to regain air connectivity to the world. For the tourism sector, MTI worked with industry stakeholders to pilot MICE events and formulate an Event Industry Resilience Roadmap to provide guidance on safe and gradual resumption of business events. STB also launched a domestic tourism campaign and the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers to drive local tourism and stimulate sectoral activity. While the aviation and tourism sectors have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, its medium to long-term prospects remain positive. However, unlike in a cyclical downturn, some jobs may not return in their previous forms. Therefore, in addition to the Jobs Support Scheme, we are supporting employers to make use of the downtime to redesign jobs and reskill their employees to take on new job roles. For example, WSG has rolled out the Job Redesign Reskilling Programme and the Digital Marketing Reskilling Programme to retrain and redeploy workers in hotel and tourism companies. For affected workers who are looking to switch to new careers, we will help them to access jobs and skills opportunities.”
“However, some mature jobseekers may still face difficulties in finding permanent jobs in the current job market. In September 2020, the Jobs Growth Incentive or JGI was launched to support firms in accelerating the hiring of their local workforce. To encourage employers to consider hiring more mature jobseekers, the Government will underwrite 50% of their salaries, up to the first $5,000, for 12 months. This is double the wage support for younger new local hires. The Jobs Growth Incentive should be seen in conjunction with other measures in the overall package. For example, an employer that meets the eligibility criteria for the Jobs Growth Incentive and hires a mature local worker via a Professional Conversion Programme will not only receive the 50% JGI, but also additional salary support and course fee subsidies, as well as further salary support under the Jobs Support Scheme if they are eligible. This approach has the advantage of tilting more support towards jobseekers that are harder to be matched to available openings. Having said that, the JGI scheme is still very new, having only started in September 2020. We are constantly monitoring the situation and will continue to make adjustments as and when necessary. For example, in October last year, we extended the higher tier of JGI support to persons with disabilities as well as ex-offenders. This was in response to points raised by Mayor Denise Phua and Mr Murali Pillai. Mr de Souza asked about the Jobs Support Scheme for the aviation and tourism-related industries. The Government has put in substantial effort and committed close to $100 billion in support measures to help companies and workers deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“It is encouraging that amongst the SGUnited Jobs and Skills placements, about half were into long-term jobs. One in three were into short-term jobs of less than 12-month duration. The remaining were for company-hosted traineeships and attachments or course-based training. Of the available SGUnited Jobs and Skills opportunities, nearly six in 10 were for long-term jobs, two in 10 were for short-term jobs, and the remainder for company-hosted traineeships and attachments, or course-based training. Mr Christopher de Souza and Mr Gerald Giam asked about support for mature workers to find jobs and make career transitions. Jobseekers aged 40 and above are well-represented among those placed into opportunities under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, comprising around 50% of job placements and 35% of traineeships and attachments, and training opportunities. We have consistently provided more support to help mature workers make career transitions. In the Unity Budget, we introduced the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package for locals in their 40s and 50s, to help them stay employable and enter new jobs or new industries. This provides enhanced support of up to 90% of the cost for employers to reskill mature new employees, as compared to generally up to 70% for other new employees. The Government provided an additional $500 SkillsFuture Credit for those aged 40 to 60 in 2020 to empower them to refresh their skills and enhance their employability. We also built up a pool of volunteer Career Advisors to provide sector and occupation-specific career advice and outline career options. Mature individuals have valuable skills and bring with them a wealth of work experience.”
“Mr Speaker, Members have filed a number of questions on employment support for different groups of jobseekers. I will respond to these related questions together for a fuller treatment. The SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package was launched in April 2020 with the goal of curating 100,000 jobs and skills opportunities for Singaporean workers. From April to October, the National Jobs Council or NJC, working in partnership with employers and unions, placed nearly 60,000 jobseekers into various opportunities. As at end-October, there are more than 123,000 jobs and skills opportunities still available. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim was interested to know about the nature of these opportunities. For the purposes of statistical comparison across countries, the International Labour Organization or ILO defines "standard employment" as work that is full-time, continuous, with a direct relationship between employer and employee. This would exclude employment on fixed term contracts, temporary employment, part-time employment, multi-party employment and gig work; all of which are commonly found in modern job markets. This is why the ILO recognises that non-standard employment can provide meaningful opportunities for workers to enter the labour market or to switch sectors. For the same reason, the NJC does not narrowly focus on opportunities that meet the definition of "standard employment". Instead, the NJC's aim is to open up pathways for jobseekers to make inroads into the workforce despite global weakness in labour demand. Company-hosted traineeships and attachments as well as curated training courses will help jobseekers who are unable to secure a job acquire industry-relevant skills and exposure. This will improve their employability and position them better for eventual economic recovery.”