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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“As of end 2017, 42% of those who turned age 55 in 2016 did not withdraw any Central Provident Fund (CPF) monies within a year of their 55th birthday. This includes the first $5,000 from the Ordinary and Special Accounts (OA and SA) which members can withdraw unconditionally, monies above their cohort Full Retirement Sum, as well as monies above the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) which can be withdrawn using property charge or pledge. For those who did withdraw, the majority, about six in 10 members, withdrew up to $5,000. For the same cohort, about 53% of active members met their Full Retirement Sum in cash and pledge at age 55 in 2016, that is, able to set aside the Full Retirement Sum fully in cash or met the BRS in cash and provided sufficient property pledge or charge. Of this group, about five in 10 left additional funds in their CPF OA or SA. Based on our observations, members do so because they have no immediate need of the money, or they wish to take advantage of the higher CPF risk-free interest rates. From 2013 to 2017, an annual average of 13,500 CPF members, or 0.4% of total CPF members, withdrew their CPF monies when they left Singapore. This includes former Singapore Citizens (SCs), former Permanent Residents (PRs) and foreigners who contributed to the CPF before 2003. Former SC and PR members can leave their monies in the CPF after they have given up their Singapore Citizenship or Permanent Residency. CPF Board does not track the number of former SC and PR members who choose to retain their monies in the CPF.”
“For example, the Government supports Fei Yue Family Service Centre in the running of the Family Central's Elder Education Department to help senior citizens pursue lifelong learning.”
“To stay employable, seniors must have relevant skills which should be continually upgraded to keep pace with the changing needs of industry. To this end, the Government provides funding support for a broad range of continuing education and training programmes. For example, through the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, there are courses pre-approved by the Ministry of Education and SkillsFuture Singapore. These include Workforce Skills Qualifications courses provided by non-profit organisations, such as Tsao Foundation's Hua Mei Training Academy. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) also promotes progressive workplace practices for seniors. For instance, the Singapore National Employers Federation is a key programme partner for grants, such as WorkPro, which encourages employers to redesign and adapt their work processes and jobs to appeal to older workers, and for older workers to continue to be productive in their workplaces. In addition, MOM has initiatives that improve older workers' employability more directly. The Special Employment Credit Scheme provides wage offsets to employers that hire older workers aged 55 and above earning up to $4,000. Under the Adapt and Grow initiative, MOM supports the job search efforts of older workers. The Professional Conversion Programmes and Career Support Programme provide training and salary support to help older professionals, managers, executives and technicians overcome skills and wage mismatches. Non-profit organisations that partner the Government in the delivery of programmes and services to seniors can receive direct or indirect funding support.”
“The National Wage Council (NWC) guidelines may be voluntarily adopted by companies, depending on their circumstances. The tripartite partners have consistently taken this approach to recognise that companies vary in their ability to afford the recommended wage increases or payments. Requiring the adoption of the guidelines as a criterion to access Government support schemes, whether administered by Workforce Singapore or other agencies, would be inconsistent with this approach. Instead, NWC carefully considers inputs from the unions, employers and Government representatives, to ensure that its recommendations are well-balanced. Outreach efforts by both the Singapore National Employers Federation and the National Trades Union Congress are also critical in promoting the adoption of the guidelines.”
“Or Kim Peow Contractors (Private) Limited (OKP) was placed on the Business Under Surveillance (BUS) programme on 19 July 2017 and is still being monitored under the programme. OKP has developed an action plan as part of BUS, and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be working with OKP to monitor the implementation of the plan. Since the 14 July 2017 accident, MOM has carried out inspections at all worksites under OKP to ensure compliance with safety and health standards. MOM will continue to inspect OKP's worksites under the BUS programme. As OKP is currently facing a charge under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act in relation to the 14 July 2017 accident, it is not appropriate for the Ministry to comment on the existence or otherwise of systemic safety failures in the company.”
“Mr Speaker, yes. In response to the Member's question, the Member is quite right. The marketplace must be vibrant. There must be many users and there are two primary groups of users. One is the employers. We want to take a look at whether they are putting jobs up as listings and, for this, we also compare ourselves with other portals. I think we compare reasonably well. And I think what has been most encouraging is that although it started as a portal for you to post jobs for which the employer may potentially be hiring an Employment Pass holder for – to fulfil the advertising requirement under the Fair Consideration Framework – in fact, now, those kinds of job listings are a minority. So, what this tells us is that the employers are finding it useful to post the other jobs which they are not required to do under the Fair Consideration Framework. The other metric that, of course, we track is the number of jobseekers who go online. Again, I think we compare quite well. I can share some of our Jobs Bank statistic for 2017. The total number of job postings is nearly a quarter million and the number of jobseekers, I think I mentioned, there were about two million applications. So that gives us a sense that it is quite an active marketplace. Our aim, of course, is to make it even more active and that we do so by improving the features making it even easier to use. 1.30 pm”
“Because if we insisted on that, we must ask if this inadvertently limits the number of jobs listed, or the number of jobseekers who use it. So, whilst we are interested, we want to find out if there has been a job match, we do not yet insist on it primarily because we understand that there are sometimes follow-through, follow-up that can be taken through other avenues.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. In fact, it is an excellent question. I can assure the Member that we do not just focus on getting job matches. I think the starting point is that, if we want to get the jobseekers matched with the employers, we have to, first, start with the consideration of the jobseekers' needs. So, if they are job-ready, skills-ready, what they want is an efficient way to find out who is hiring, what the employers are looking for, and what salaries are on offer. Under those circumstances, MyCareersFuture.sg provides a channel which is free. It does not charge for any of the features, unlike private portals, which charge for certain features. It uses the latest in job-skills matching technology and points out, in fact, if the jobs come with Government schemes support, which no other portal will do. The reason why we set up MyCareersFuture.sg is also because we know that, sometimes, some additional help is needed to match the employers' requirements by having a skills top-up. So, therefore, our portal makes this clear to the jobseeker: you want the job, you like it, you may not have everything that the employer is looking for, but there is help available. The portal will point this out, and then with a click through, the jobseeker can find out what help is available. So, that is what we do. Of course, the jobseekers are free to approach the employers through the portal or through other means. For example, they follow up at networking events. That is why, quite often, they may secure the jobs without our knowledge. But that is also the case with other portals. So, we do not insist, right now, that either the employer or the jobseekers must close the loop and tell us that they have secured the job this way.”
“We will continue to serve users who are more comfortable communicating in vernacular languages through Workforce Singapore's Careers Connect and the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC's) Employment and Employability Institute as they have career centres dotted across the island. This includes providing guidance on online job searches so that these jobseekers, too, can eventually benefit from accessing opportunities through such avenues.”
“Yes, Sir, thank you for pointing it out. MyCareersFuture is one channel among several under Adapt and Grow. It is an online jobs marketplace that recently replaced the national Jobs Bank to help jobseekers and employers perform smarter and faster job searches. The Jobs Bank had been well utilised, notwithstanding the many other options available to employers and jobseekers. In 2017, more than 20,000 employers placed job postings on the Jobs Bank, of which a small minority were to fulfil the Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirements. In other words, the employers used the platform for job postings even if they were not required to under the Fair Consideration Framework. In total, these job postings received more than two million applications from local jobseekers. As employers may not update the outcome of their job postings, we are not yet able to capture all job matches facilitated by Jobs Bank or MyCareersFuture. We are, therefore, looking at ways to better assess the effectiveness of MyCareersFuture in job matching, such as inferring placement rates, using administrative data. Small and medium enterprises accounted for more than 60% of job postings on the Jobs Bank in 2017. We expect the proportion to be similar in MyCareersFuture. The MyCareersFuture platform is more useful to jobseekers by having the widest possible range of job postings. Employers, too, will prefer to post job openings on a platform that is accessed by more jobseekers. Therefore, instead of creating vernacular versions to cater to specific language users, our aim is to ensure ease-of-use of the platform for all users.”
“Workforce Singapore (WSG) helps match jobseekers with employers through the Adapt and Grow initiative.”
“TADM no longer allows for arguments from employers that the worker had provided tacit or verbal consent. In addition, MOM is considering the possibility of disallowing downward salary revisions altogether. While this will provide workers with more certainty of their wage for the entire duration of their stay in Singapore, it could also lead to possible early termination of employment even when the worker is willing to accept a lower wage. We will thus consult with relevant stakeholders to determine the best step forward.”
“When applying for Work Permits, employers are required to declare key salary terms, including the basic and fixed monthly salary, offered to prospective Work Permit Holders (WPHs). Since 2011, these terms have been reflected in the In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter, which is available in the WPHs' native languages, and must be sent by the employer to the worker in his home country prior to the worker’s departure to Singapore. This ensures that the worker is fully aware and accepts the terms of conditions before leaving his home country. In some cases, employers may discover that the WPH's performance falls below what is expected and thus cannot justify paying the agreed salary. Instead of terminating the WPH's contract, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) allows employers to revise the salary downwards, provided they have obtained the worker’s written agreement and have notified MOM of the revision. In the past three years, MOM was notified of salary reductions affecting less than 2% of non-domestic WPHs per year. We have taken action against employers who reduced salaries without informing MOM or obtaining the WPH's written consent. In the first half of 2018, a total of $105,000 in Administrative Financial Penalties were imposed on 17 errant employers. Notwithstanding these safeguards, we have been monitoring salary disputes involving IPA salary reduction. The proportion of WPH salary claims which involve IPA salary reductions was stable at about 7% over the last three years but increased to about 11% in the second half of last year. Since February 2018, when mediating salary disputes, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) has insisted that employers provide documented evidence that the worker has consented to any salary reduction.”
“Employment Agencies (EAs) that bring in Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) are required, under their licence, to upkeep and maintain the FDWs prior to their deployment to their employers' households. This includes the provision of food, medical treatment and proper accommodation at the agencies' cost. EAs have to comply with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing and Development Board (HDB) occupancy load criteria. EAs must also ensure that the FDWs have privacy and hygienic living conditions. The places of accommodation used by EAs must be registered with the Ministry of Manpower. MOM regularly inspects the places of accommodation and may interview the occupants as part of the process. Over 100 premises are inspected every year. The majority of the EAs have been found to be compliant. Violations were detected for 33 EAs out of 131 EAs whose premises were inspected in the past 12 months, but most were also relatively minor. These EAs are likely to receive a warning or composition fine, as well as demerit points. EAs with severe violations will be prosecuted and may be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed up to six months. They may also have their licences revoked.”
“Applications for Work Permits are screened to minimise incidence where undesirable persons are inadvertently allowed to work in Singapore. Apart from this factor and the employer not meeting the dependency ratio, the top reasons for rejecting non-domestic Work Permit applications were: (a) The employer or applicant had adverse record(s); (b) The employer did not have sufficient Man-Year Entitlement9; (c) The employer did not have enough higher skilled Work Permit holders to hire new basic skilled workers10; (d) The worker had exceeded the maximum employment period; or (e) The worker was not from an approved source country. Employers or their employment agents can view the rejection reasons for their Work Permit applications through the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM's) Work Permit Online (WPOL) service on the MOM website. Applicants can also check with their employment agents or prospective employers. Where there are security concerns, the reasons for rejection may not always be specified. Instead, the employer is advised to look for another candidate.”
“Table 1 below shows the number of employees receiving Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) in each of the four WIS age groups, and the total amount of WIS allotted annually for work done in 2015 to 2017. Table 1: Number of employees receiving WIS and total amount of WIS allotted for work done in 2015 to 20176 WIS is targeted at workers in the bottom 20% by income percentile, with graduated support provided to those up to the 30th income percentile. The amount of WIS an employee receives depends on his age and income. In general, older employees receive higher payouts than younger employees. The WIS scheme was introduced in 2007 and has consistently benefited more than 20% of the Singaporean employee workforce. The number of WIS recipients fluctuates each year and tends to decline in periods of rising incomes. Between 2015 and 2017, nominal wage at the 20th percentile of full-time employed citizens has grown by an average of 4.7% per annum. This explains the smaller number of WIS recipients in 2017 compared to 2015. Such changes in incomes are taken into account at every three-yearly review of WIS to ensure that more than 20% of Singaporean employees remain eligible for WIS. The results of the next review will be announced next year, for implementation in 2020.”
“The Central Provident Fund (CPF) system has a progressive interest rate structure that provides a higher effective interest rate to CPF members with lower balances. Balances in the Ordinary Account earn 2.5% per annum, while those in the Special Account, Retirement Account and MediSave Account earn 4% per annum. On top of this, an extra interest of 1% is paid on the first $60,000 of combined CPF balances. CPF members aged 55 and above also receive an Additional Extra Interest of 1% on the first $30,000 of their combined CPF balances. Therefore, CPF members with lower balances are earning a higher effective interest rate per annum on their CPF savings. The Government also provides CPF top-ups to help low-wage Singaporeans build up their retirement savings via the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme. For example, eligible low-wage employees aged 45 to 54 receive up to $2,200 of WIS payouts a year, comprising 60% in CPF top-ups and 40% in cash. Older workers receive even higher WIS payouts. In total, more than $650 million in WIS payouts were paid to over 400,000 low-wage workers in 2017, of which more than $400 million were credited into their CPF accounts.”
“The proportion of jobseekers registered with WSG’s Careers Connect and NTUC's e2i centres who are placed into jobs has improved over the last three years (see Table 1). WSG and NTUC's e2i continually seek to improve the effectiveness of their services to jobseekers. In July 2017, WSG career centres were upgraded to Careers Connect with an expanded suite of customised career matching services. Jobseekers who require more in-depth support can undergo tailored career management and counselling programmes and receive dedicated one-to-one career coaching suited to their needs. WSG has also launched the MyCareersFuture portal to help jobseekers and employers perform smarter and faster job searches. It prioritises search results according to the relevance of a jobseeker's skills and shows jobs that are supported by the Adapt & Grow programmes. In addition to career matching services, jobseekers can also tap on programmes such as the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) and Career Support Programme (CSP) to help them overcome mismatches in skills and wage expectations.”
“The employment rate for residents4 aged 25 to 64 with below secondary qualifications was 67% in 20175, higher than most Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Of the remaining 33% who were not in employment, 30 percentage points were outside the labour force, that is, not looking for a job mainly due to family responsibilities and health-related reasons; and the remaining were unemployed, that is, looking for a job. In 2017, the annual average unemployment rate of 2.6% for residents with below secondary qualifications was lower than the overall resident annual average unemployment rate of 3.1%. There is a wide range of support under the Government’s Adapt and Grow initiative to assist unemployed jobseekers, including those with below secondary qualifications. To address "missed matches", Workforce Singapore’s (WSG's) Careers Connect and the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute centres provide a suite of career matching services that caters to the different needs of each jobseeker. To address mismatches in skills or expectations, there are programmes, such as Place and Train and Career Trial, to help jobseekers secure a job. Through the Adapt and Grow initiative, the Government placed about 2,500 jobseekers with below secondary qualifications into new jobs and careers in 2017.”
“The Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) help mid-career professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) reskill and switch careers so that they can move into new occupations or sectors with good prospects for progression. Participants will typically be placed with an employer and earn a salary while training to perform their new jobs. The PCPs have met the aim of helping jobseekers and employers overcome jobs-skills mismatches. Since their launch in 2007, more than 10,000 PMETs have been placed into jobs through PCPs. In recent years, the programme has picked up pace. In 2017, close to 3,800 PMETs were placed through PCPs, up from about 1,300 in 2016. The share of mature and long-term unemployed PMETs placed also rose in 2017, following the increase in training and salary support for these groups of jobseekers. Completion rates for PCPs are above 90%. In addition to PCPs that facilitate skills conversion into different sectors, we now support individuals looking to switch into different occupations within the same sector. We also offer PCPs to reskill at-risk PMETs for new job roles within the same company and avert possible retrenchments. Last year, we launched Attach-and-Train PCPs to train workers ahead of demand in sectors with long-term growth potential. There are currently over 100 PCPs in about 30 sectors, which are approximately twice the number of PCPs a year ago. We will continue to raise awareness of PCPs among jobseekers and employers to support reskilling and career conversion.”
“At the same time, levies for FDWs must be regularly adjusted to reflect income changes and moderate demand. As was announced during the 2018 Budget Statement, from 1 April 2019, the monthly levy for the first and second FDW employed without levy concession will be raised from $265 today to $300 and $450 respectively. In addition, the qualifying age for the levy concession for aged persons will be raised from 65 to 67 years, as more Singaporeans live and remain in good health longer. Households who need help caring for young children, the elderly or family members with disabilities will, however, continue to enjoy a monthly concessionary FDW levy of $60. Due to our population density, a sharp increase in the FDW population may also result in social friction. Today, we already require all new FDWs to go through a Settling-In Programme. It provides them with tips on adjusting to Singapore's social and cultural norms, besides educating them on their employment rights, protections and avenues of help. There are also non-government organisations, such as the Centre for Domestic Employees, that provide support to FDWs in need.”
“Over the last 10 years, the number of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) in Singapore has increased by about 40% to 240,000 in 2017. Most of the growth can be attributed to households with elderly caregiving needs, but households with no seniors or young children also hired more FDWs. We are developing more options to support Singaporeans with caregiving needs. This will help to moderate the growth in the number of FDWs and manage the risk of over-dependence, especially if improved job opportunities in the FDWs’ home countries make it less attractive for them to seek domestic work overseas. From 2011 to 2017, the Government has more than doubled centre-based day care and home-care capacity for the elderly, and we are on track to meet our targets of 6,200 centre-based and 10,000 home-care places by 2020. Caregivers can also tap community-based care services. For elderly persons without an available caregiver, services, such as Meals-on-Wheels, ensure that they can have access to regular meals while the Medical Escort and Transport service helps them to attend their medical appointments. Likewise, we are continuing to expand full-day preschool capacity to support the childcare and infant care needs of families with young children. Over the past five years, the Government has facilitated the creation of 50,000 full-day preschool places. By 2023, another 40,000 places will be developed, 30% more than today. Families wishing to hire an FDW to meet their general household needs, such as cleaning, may also consider other alternatives. For example, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) started the Household Services Scheme in September 2017, which lets domestic cleaning service companies have additional foreign worker quotas in order to meet the demand for part-time household services.”
“To help graduates from private education institutions (PEIs) secure good employment outcomes, PEIs must equip graduates with industry-relevant skills and take responsibility for the employment outcomes of their graduates. This is why the Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly highlights to PEIs the importance of maintaining the relevance of their programmes to meet the changing needs of industry and potential employers, and why PEIs offering degree programmes are assessed via the EduTrust scheme on their graduate outcomes. MOE is also helping our students make better informed decisions in the career and learning journey. We have (a) stepped up Education and Career Guidance (ECG) efforts in schools; and (b) made it mandatory for PEIs with degree programmes to conduct and publish the PEI Graduate Employment Survey, which is similar to the Graduate Employment Survey by the autonomous universities. Increasingly, employers look beyond education qualifications to identify candidates with good fit. Together with our tripartite partners, the Ministry of Manpower also promotes progressive hiring practices which encourage firms to assess candidates holistically, including through the use of competency assessment tools or work trials where appropriate. These practices are outlined in the Tripartite Standard on Recruitment Practices which was launched in November last year. Employers which voluntarily sign up to the Standard commit to adopt fair, merit-based and inclusive recruitment practices. As of June this year, more than 560 employers, accounting for about 340,000 workers, have adopted this Standard.”
“Today, any individual may request for a copy of the judgment or grounds of decision by the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT), including both parties and non-parties to the proceedings. In assessing requests, ECT will consider factors, such as whether the information requested is necessary for the administration of justice, whether it is necessary to fulfil a legal requirement, or any other legitimate reason. This practice is consistent with applications for judgments and grounds of decisions of the State Courts, including other tribunals, such as the Small Claims Tribunals. The Ministry of Manpower will make applications to the ECT to publish the judgment and grounds of decision for cases that are useful references to parties, including employers, employees and mediators. This will promote greater awareness of employment laws, as interpreted by the Courts.”
“The qualifying salary threshold for bringing in dependants on Dependant’s Pass is regularly updated. This is to ensure that Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders continue to be able to upkeep themselves and their dependants in Singapore. To minimise disruptions to families which are already here in Singapore, Dependant Passes issued before the updated threshold takes effect remain valid, as long as the main pass holder remains with the same employer. Most new EP and S Pass holders do not apply to bring in their dependants. However, for those who do, the salary thresholds are made known and consistently applied. Following the increase in qualifying threshold at the beginning of the year, about 1% of Dependant Pass applications did not meet the updated threshold and were, therefore, rejected in the first half of 2018. These were distributed across sectors, such as Professional Services, Infocomm and Construction. The rate of rejection was similar for those employed by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and non-SMEs.”
“The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) handles salary-related dispute cases, including cases lodged by Work Permit holders. From its inception in April 2017 to December 2017, there were 3,100 salary claims involving Work Permit holders. The top three sectors with the most number of claims were Construction, Manufacturing, and Wholesale and Retail Trade, which accounted for 2,600 claims, or 83% of all salary claims. Of these 2,600 claims, 280 workers or 11%, had their salaries paid electronically. Our laws already require employers of Work Permit holders to pay salaries electronically if their workers make the request. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been facilitating the process of opening bank accounts for foreign workers during the Work Permit application process since 2014. In addition, MOM and our partners, such as the Migrant Workers' Centre have been working to encourage salary payment through electronic means. A recently concluded survey conducted by MOM showed that 76% of foreign workers were paid electronically, higher than the 67% in 2014. We will continue to work with stakeholders to improve take-up rates and also consult them on the option of mandating electronic salary payment.”
“We take a multi-pronged approach in protecting employees from workplace harassment. The Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) was introduced in 2014, followed by the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Workplace Harassment in 2015. In October last year, the Tripartite Standard on Grievance Handling was introduced. This Standard specifies a set of verifiable and actionable employment practices that companies can follow to manage workplace grievances more effectively. Employers adopting this Standard are committed to putting in place clear processes for handling their employees' grievances to ensure they are adequately dealt with. The same processes apply to grievances regarding workplace harassment. To date, more than 630 employers, which collectively employ about 380,000 employees, have pledged to uphold this Standard. We look forward to the strong support of our tripartite partners to promote adoption of the Standard to benefit more workers. We urge all employees who experience any workplace harassment to promptly report such incidents to their employers, so that the management can conduct proper investigations. Affected employees can also report such incidents to the Ministry of Manpower or the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) or seek redress through the Courts or Police.”
“Under the Employment Act, an eligible employee is provided with paid sick leave of up to 14 days and paid hospitalisation leave of up to 60 days per year. To qualify for hospitalisation leave, the employee must be certified by a Government doctor or a doctor appointed by the employer to be ill enough to be hospitalised in an acute hospital or national centre. An employee who is so certified shall be entitled to the hospitalisation leave, regardless of whether he recuperates in an acute hospital, community hospital or at home. An employee who is not certified to be ill enough to be hospitalised in an acute hospital or national centre but is nevertheless certified to be unfit for work would still be entitled to paid sick leave.”
“The table below shows the number of residents who have been employed as (i) Accounting Associate Professionals and (ii) Accounting and Bookkeeping Clerks, which comprise the following occupations: (a) Bookkeeper; (b) Ledger and accounts clerk; (c) Audit clerk; (d) Payroll/wages clerk; (e) Billing clerk; (f) Procurement/purchasing clerk; and (g) Other accounting clerks A further breakdown by these occupations is not available, as we have not captured a sufficient number of observations in our sample to enable us to provide a meaningful estimate of their employment size.”
“Under WorkPro, companies can receive funding support to (a) implement age management practices through the Age Management Grant (AMG); (b) redesign workplaces and processes to create easier, safer and smarter jobs for older workers through the Job Redesign Grant (JRG); and (c) introduce and sustain use of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) through the Work-Life Grant (WLG). From 2013 to 2017, over 3,400 companies employing about 368,000 workers have benefited from WorkPro grants. We have continuously enhanced the WorkPro scheme. In 2016, we raised the maximum grant for the JRG from $150,000 to $300,000 per company to further facilitate job redesign efforts. To encourage more capability development projects to incorporate the requirements of older workers, JRG can be applied as a rider on top of other Government grants. Since the enhancement, and with additional efforts to promote the scheme, the number of companies that benefited from the JRG has increased from about 30 a year to about 440 a year. WorkPro funding is only disbursed when we are satisfied that the company has achieved the corresponding grant deliverables and is able to demonstrate the impact to their employees. Companies claiming for the AMG and JRG are required to submit evaluations of how projects undertaken have created a positive impact on their older employees. Similarly, under the WLG, companies claiming the Developmental Grant are required to submit evaluation reports on their FWA pilot projects, in addition to formalising these FWAs in the companies' human resource policy to be offered to all other employees. The FWA Incentive is disbursed to companies after their employees have regularly used FWAs.”
“To help them plan better for retirement, CPF Board will extend the voluntary consultation service that is currently available to all members turning age 55, to all members turning age 65 as well. We will supplement this with digital services to help more Singaporeans plan and improve their financial well-being in retirement. We will provide more support for CPF members who top-up their own and their family members’ CPF, and enhance options to invest their savings for higher returns. These measures will further help members get higher retirement payouts. We will continue to help lower-income Singaporeans build up their retirement savings through the Workfare Income Supplement scheme and to supplement their retirement income through the Silver Support scheme. We will also help self-employed persons make MediSave contributions in a convenient and timely manner. Singapore's approach to tripartism sets a high bar. We have consistently sought to be both pro-business and pro-worker in all that we do. With every generation of leaders, the tripartite partnership must be refreshed. MOM values the trust painstakingly built up over the years. With tripartism as our bedrock, we will nurture an agile workforce that is future-ready. With trust as our foundation, we will forge ahead together with our tripartite partners to fulfill the shared vision of an inclusive workforce, progressive workplaces and secure retirement for all.”
“We will also work with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) to equip ex-offenders with relevant skills to reintegrate into the workforce. We will champion fair and progressive workplaces and enhance core employment protection for all. We will remove the Employment Act’s salary cap to extend coverage to all managers and executives. Through the HR Industry Manpower Plan, we will strengthen the HR sector, uplift the HR profession and promote progressive HR practices. We will also help good employers distinguish themselves through the Human Capital Partnership Programme. We will help to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. The Work Injury Compensation Act will be amended to improve protection for injured workers and shorten insurance claims processing times. Having piloted the Return-To-Work programme since 2017, we will expand coverage to support all injured workers seeking rehabilitation treatment at public hospitals by 2020. Through the programme, injured workers can recover more quickly and resume work earlier. Our Workplace Safety and Health 2028 plan will chart new strategies to achieve a workplace fatality rate of less than one per 100,000 workers by 2028. Besides helping regular employees, we will support self-employed persons and freelancers, including those who engage in the emerging gig economy. We will help them by promoting fair contracting terms, making available prolonged medical leave insurance products, and developing competency frameworks for skills upgrading so that their choice of self-employment is a viable and sustainable career option. Singaporeans can enjoy security in retirement through drawing on their CPF savings, discretionary savings, the support of their families, and monetising their housing assets.”
“Singapore also has much to gain from our enterprises accessing global expertise. Through the Capability Transfer Programme, businesses can speed up the transfer of global expertise to strengthen their Singaporean Core. We will support businesses that are committed to building a complementary local-foreign workforce. The re-employment age was raised to 67 in July 2017. With active ageing and improved health, we will work with the tripartite partners to enable more seniors to work longer. Through WorkPro, we will support employers to redesign jobs to make them easier, safer and smarter for seniors. We will actively promote the adoption of the Tripartite Standard on age-friendly workplace practices. The Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which was initiated by the labour movement, has benefited more than 70,000 resident workers in the cleaning, landscaping and security sectors. We will work with the tripartite partners to enhance and extend PWM to more sectors to give more lower-wage workers better progression in jobs, skills and wages. We will support those with caregiving responsibilities, such as working mothers, to achieve both career and family aspirations. While our full-time employment rate for women ranks highly compared to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, our female part-time employment rate is relatively low. Through the Work-Life Grant, we will support more employers to provide flexible working arrangements (FWAs) and help more companies adopt the Tripartite Standards on FWAs. We will support and fund employers to enhance the employment and employability of persons with disabilities through the Open Door Programme.”
“We will scale up the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme to support the implementation of Industry Transformation Maps for more pervasive productivity improvements and innovation, especially among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Together with partners like Enterprise Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC’s) Employment and Employability Institute, we will promote ready-to-go solutions and industry-level projects for maximum reach and impact. We will launch SkillsFuture for Enterprises to help businesses make human capital development a key part of their corporate capabilities to better support their internationalisation and growth. To spur transformation, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will work through economic agencies to provide selective flexibility in our foreign manpower policy to help businesses and industries meet short-term or emerging skills gaps. We will step up support for mid-career jobseekers and the long-term unemployed. The enhanced Place-and-Train schemes and Professional Conversion Programmes will help more workers reskill and move into new occupations or sectors with progression. The new Career Trial will enable more jobseekers to try out short-term work stints to facilitate their assessment of new jobs and careers. We will also transform our employment services through technology. The MyCareersFuture portal will make job searches more personalised, smarter and faster to better help jobseekers and employers find suitable matches. Our foreign manpower policy will remain carefully calibrated to support our economic objectives while moderating social impact. We will continuously review the Fair Consideration Framework to secure the interests of working Singaporeans.”
“Every generation seeks to do better than the one before. Besides improving employment outcomes, we want a more inclusive workforce, more progressive workplaces, and a greater sense of security in retirement. Despite global disruptions to business models and employment arrangements, Singaporeans can distinguish ourselves by becoming an agile workforce that charts a bold path forward. To have better jobs and higher incomes, our workers need businesses to transform. To stay competitive and innovative, our businesses need workers to adapt. We must maximise the benefits from technology and minimise the cost of dislocations. To achieve good employment outcomes, we need business transformation and worker adaptation to be in sync with each other. As our society matures, we aspire for a more inclusive workforce that values seniors and working women and provides opportunities to persons with disabilities and ex-offenders. Our workplaces must have more progressive human resource (HR) practices with strong emphasis on employee protection, engagement, safety and health. Industrial relations must continue to be underpinned by mutual respect and fair play between employers and employees. This has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s unique brand of tripartism that has stood the test of time. With longer life expectancy, we must continue to strengthen retirement adequacy. We should enable Singaporeans to work as long as they wish to, whether through regular employment or participation in the emerging gig economy. We should also ensure that our Central Provident Fund (CPF) system remains responsive to the needs of Singaporeans.”
“The amendments to section 201C(9)(b), (c), (d) and (e) have the effect of suspending these powers whenever similar powers under section 201C(9)(f) are exercised by the SAF servicemen activated to support the civilian authority using POSSPA powers. The amendments made clear that the overlapping SAF Act powers are suspended when SAF servicemen are authorised with similar POSSPA powers under section 201C(9)(f). The definition of similar powers is described in new clause 60(f) which inserts a new subsection (11) in section 201C of the SAF Act. However, the powers in 201C(9)(b), (c), (d) and (e) remain available to servicemen outside of a target area even during an activation period. I refer Members to new clause 60(g) and (h). They amend section 201F of the SAF Act to level the thresholds for use of legal weapons with that in POSSPA, only for the POSSPA powers that are exercisable by SAF servicemen under section 201C(9)(f). Finally, I refer Members to new clause 60(i). The penalties in the SAF Act 201H will be brought in line with penalties in the POSSPA of a maximum of two years' imprisonment, or $20,000 fine, or both. This will ensure that penalties for public safety and security offences are aligned across the two legislation. [(proc text) Question for the new clause to be read a Second time put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) New clause considered in Committee. (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the new clause be read a Second time." I propose a new clause introducing amendments to the Singapore Armed Forces Act which is to be numbered as clause 60. This new clause amends section 201C(9) of the SAF Act to include the selected POSSPA powers for SAF servicemen to use when called upon during an activation order period. I refer Members to clause 60(e). A new section 201C(9)(f) will be added which incorporates the types of POSSPA powers that SAF servicemen authorised by the Minister for Defence to support civilian authorities can exercise. These are no more than what is in clause 15(6) of the Bill if we did not amend that earlier. The limit on powers are as follows. Firstly, the powers can only be accessed when an Activation Order by the Minister for Home Affairs under POSSPA is in effect. If there is no Activation Order, the SAF servicemen cannot be authorised with these enhanced powers. Secondly, the SAF servicemen can only exercise powers that the Commissioner of Police requests SAF servicemen to exercise in order to assist Police during a serious incident. If the Commissioner of Police does not request for the military's assistance on certain duties, the SAF servicemen will not be able to exercise those powers. Finally, the activation of the SAF servicemen and the exercise of powers are subject to the approval of the Minister for Defence, who remains the authority on whether or not to authorise SAF servicemen to be deployed and whether they should exercise POSSPA powers that the Commissioner of Police has requested that SAF servicemen in aid of the Police Officers deployed during the period of an Activation Order. I next refer Members to the new clause 60(a) to (d) and (f).”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to introduce a new clause entitled "Amendment of the Singapore Armed Forces Act". Order for the amendment of the Singapore Armed Forces Act read.”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* 1 to 3 standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. The amendments to clause 50 are to make it clear that POSSPA does not affect an SAF serviceman's powers under Part VII and VIIA of the SAF Act which relate to emergency powers of SAF servicemen and the powers SAF servicemen can exercise in aid of civilian authorities. The exercise of powers under the SAF Act will be subject to the safeguards that exist within the SAF Act. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 62, line 26: after 'Part', insert 'XII or'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 63, lines 27 and 28: to leave out 'when an activation order is not in effect'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (3) In page 63: to leave out line 5". (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 50, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 51 to 60 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) New clause (A) (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your permission to move the three amendments together as they are related?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendment* standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. The amendment will ensure that the Minister for Home Affairs can also give directions to discontinue telecommunications services so as to avoid endangering the safety of SAF servicemen during an ongoing law enforcement activity. [(proc text) *The amendment reads as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) "In page 43, line 14: after 'officer', insert 'or serviceman'. (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 32, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 33 to 49 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 50 – (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* 1 to 4 standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. Clause 15 currently describes what POSSPA powers SAF servicemen can exercise and how they can exercise them. The amendments delete SAF servicemen from this clause. A key change I will be proposing is to confer on SAF servicemen POSSPA powers through the SAF Act, so that the servicemen remain subject to the control of MINDEF and under the SAF Act. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 22, line 1: to leave out 'who', and insert '(who'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 22, line 1: to leave out 'servicemen', and insert 'serviceman)'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (3) In page 22: to leave out lines 14 to 32. (proc text)] [(proc text) (4) In page 23: to leave out lines 1 to 8". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 15, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 16 to 31 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 32 – (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your permission to move the four amendments together as they are related?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move the amendment* standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. Clause 13 is amended for the same reason given for changes to clauses 11 and 12. Our intent for powers exercisable by SAF servicemen to be authorised under the SAF Act and not by the Commissioner of Police under POSSPA. [(proc text) *The amendment read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) "In page 20, line 7: to leave out 'and serviceman'". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendment agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 13, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 14 ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 15 – (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* 1 and 2 standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. These amendments are needed for the similar reason as for clause 11. SAF servicemen will no longer be given a special authorisation by the Commissioner of Police under POSSPA. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 19, line 18: to leave out 'and (6)'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 19, lines 29, 30 and 31: to leave out 'or serviceman'". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 12, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 13 – (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your permission to move the two amendments together as they are related?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* 1 and 2 standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. Amendments 1 and 2 are needed to make clear that the Commissioner of Police does not authorise SAF servicemen to exercise powers under POSSPA. Instead, when an activation order by the Minister for Home Affairs is in place, the Commissioner of Police will make a request for SAF servicemen to support the Police with selected POSSPA powers as are necessary. Under these circumstances, MINDEF will authorise the powers that SAF servicemen may exercise under the SAF Act. I explained during the Second Reading this is to ensure a clearly defined command and control over all deployments of SAF servicemen in support of civilian authorities, including for serious incidents under POSSPA. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) "In page 18, line 21: to leave out 'or a serviceman, or both,'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 18, line 22: to leave out 'or servicemen (as the case may be).'" (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 11, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 12 – (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, may I seek your permission to move the two amendments together as they are related?”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move amendments* 5 to 7, standing in the Minister's name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. Amendments 5 to 7 change the definition of "serviceman" to refer to a serviceman who is deployed for duty under section 201C of the SAF Act by MINDEF and is authorised under section 201E of the SAF Act to exercise powers provided for under section 201C(9) of the same Act. It is through section 201E of the SAF Act that the Minister for Defence exercises control over which powers SAF servicemen are authorised to exercise when assisting civilian authorities. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (5) "In page 11, line 22: to leave out 'deployed for duty in accordance with any order made', and insert 'authorised'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (6) In page 11, line 23, to leave out '201C', and insert '201E'. (proc text)] [(proc text) (7) In page 11, line 23: after 'Act', to insert 'to exercise powers under section 201C(9) of that Act in connection with an activation order'". (proc text)] [(proc text) Amendments agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 3 to 10 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 11 – (proc text)]”
“Chairman, in respect to amendments 5 to 7 as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement, may I seek your permission to move them together as the amendments are related?”