Koh Poh Koon
Singapore
“In 2025, for walk-in patients, the median and 95th percentile doctor consultation waiting times were eight minutes and 72 minutes respectively. However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track waiting times by peak versus off-peak hours, but it is likely that 95th percentile waiting times happened during peak hours.”
“The offences and penalties for importing, supplying or abusing SPS products are similar to those in the MDA, to ensure similar level of deterrence. Mr Speaker, with your permission, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout that summarises the changes in legislative penalties for key offences.”
“So, if you are a Singaporean student, you will expect that there will be some subsidies to the fees. The third question on how can the public, who may want to seek psychological care, know who is legitimate.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his question on audiologists. In general, a qualified audiologist in Singapore needs a higher level of certification because a diploma level may not be quite enough to perform the task. So, we will look and see whether there is a way to actually find an in-between.”
“We are starting with registration to give formal recognition to those who are practising in higher risk sub-sectors in psychology and making sure that the quality, the standards and the support is given to them to deliver the care that the clients and the patients need.”
“It takes a bit of, not just system change in the providers, in the doctors and the care teams, but also, a gradual shift in the mindset of our population as well. So, it is something that we have to continue to do. There is no magic bullet to this and it is not something we can achieve overnight. 12.15 pm”
The complete record
Every one of 1,209 lines we hold for Koh Poh Koon, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 25.
“What is more sustainable to do this, is what I described earlier, for the operators to go more upstream, to do more frequent random facial verification through the day – so that if the illegal usage of the account does happen frequent enough, they will be flagged up by some of these random checks as red flags and to point out suspicious activities happening on a particular account to allow us to take more targeted actions to investigate that particular account and take the person to task. I hope that gives Members a sense of where the effort of enforcement is to make it sustainable for the system as a whole, to reduce demands on the operators and the third party logistics companies, while sending a strong signal to deter illegal users from using the accounts.”
“But the intensive action that we took the last few months with 644 workers checked, probably gives a more accurate reflection of the realities on the ground, because these hotspots are identified by platform workers themselves, who, through their observations, seem to observe more foreigners present in these hotspots. And it was through intel provided by NDCA and by workers on the ground that we identified where the hotspots are. We go there at the peak hours, where people had observed a lot more foreigners congregating there. Even with that intensive operation, at hotspots that are identified by workers on the ground, the number, as I showed earlier, is four out of 644. But I must also caution that excessive so-called enforcement action has a side effect as well, because to enforce this thing at hotspots, we go there at peak hours where there is a huge crowd of workers trying to get through the day's work, especially say, over lunch time. Each check will require the worker to take off his helmet, his balaclava, his face mask, his sunshades and show the Singpass, show his app, look at what was on the platform app and on the Singpass. It takes probably close to 10 minutes or so. In that process, there is a bottleneck created, the rest of the workers cannot go, they have to wait until we check through all of them before they can go ahead and do their delivery. So, there is a problem with them meeting their delivery timelines and the consumers at the other end waiting for the food to arrive will also have delays receiving their food. So, there is a cost that the system has to bear and a lot of inconvenience for the workers themselves and to the consumers. So, we have to take a very balanced and calibrated approach.”
“As I said earlier, even if a third party logistics company employs foreign workers, they may not all be deployed to engage in platform work, so there will be a lot of abortive work and excessive work that is done for us to collect the data, which may not really lead to the outcome that we want. What we want is to catch people who are using this illegally. On the other hand, there could well be companies that may have received a small number of outsource work, for which none of it goes to the foreigners that are in their company. To require them to submit information, which is ahead of time, and not really of workers that are involved in platform work, would be a lot of extra work for the companies involved. Many of these are also small companies, so we have to take a very balanced view on how legislation will impact the burden on companies. On the Member's third question of the 644 workers that we have checked during our enforcement actions, we found about four who are foreigners. I do not have the record on what was the previous enforcement actions and the numbers we found. But in general on an annual basis, we do receive some complaints from either the members of the public or from NDCA. If I remember correctly, the number is about maybe 70-over complaints a year. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Manpower", Official Report, 26 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 6, Clarification section.] And generally, the enforcement actions, when we investigate on these complaints, as what our current 644 enforcement actions have shown, the numbers are very small. Eventually, the numbers that are found to be actually illegal are also a very small percentage of those complaints that we received in the years past.”
“And I think with this, it would be a strong deterrence for a non-legitimate user to use a registered person's account. And if there were suspicious activities being detected by the operator, the operators are now committed to notifying MOM of a suspicious activity of a particular individual, so that with the notification, MOM can conduct an investigation on that particular account and the individual, and then if it is found that this individual has misused his account and say, rented it out or given it to an illegitimate user, like a foreigner, we will then take necessary penalty actions, as I have laid out in my reply earlier – to take this person to task for a violation of Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. And if this is established as a violation, we now will take the effort to notify all other platform operators about this particular individual, if he does have an account with another platform, and they will all undertake a minimum debarment of 24 months to kick the person out of the platform system and at the same time, prevent him, even if he has not registered an account with other platforms, to permanently blacklist him from ever registering another account, with another alternate operator. So, we close the loophole to prevent someone who has misused one account on one platform from being present in other platforms. In that way, it is a strong deterrent signal, both from the legal penalty under Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and also from the practicalities of denying him the access to this platform workspace. That is something that I think we are committed to do and I think this will reduce the administrative burdens on companies – and also on us, to ask them to keep submitting their workforce that they have employed on the legitimate work pass.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his clarification. I understand where he is coming from. I think that what we want to achieve, at the end of the day, is to make sure that those who are participating in platform work are Singaporeans and PRs. As little as possible, in fact, we should try and deter as many of these foreigners from doing so illegally, so there are various ways to do this. We could do it in a way that imposes a lot of onerous demands on companies and workers, or we could do in a way that solves the problem without increasing the burden on the stakeholders. One of the ways in which our recommendation works is to ask the operators now to go more upstream and do facial verification of workers who are engaging in platform work. As they turn on the apps, as many of the operators do require this, at the onboarding stage when the person signs on to an account, to have facial verification and the identity, so that we know that the account actually belongs to someone with a proper reason to hold the account, a Singaporean or a PR. And subsequently, on receiving orders for the day, that means when they start the shift for the day, having had the account when they start the shift, there is usually a verification of facial features to make sure that the account holder and the face matches, and there is now a commitment to do more random orders through the day as the shift progresses, to randomly throw in the need for the user of the account to then take off the helmet, take off the glasses and then do another facial scan. It is a live scan that requires the individual to do it in a 3D way, so the person cannot circumvent by uploading a picture, for example.”
“What it needs to do is to allow the companies to make some decisions that allows efficiency of service, that brings benefits both to the company and to the consumers, so that the actual services can be delivered in a timely fashion as far as food orders are concerned. In terms of the second question about outsourcing, Speaker, Sir, if you do not mind, can Mr Singh restate that question, because it was a long question.”
“Sir, I thank the Leader of Opposition for his clarification questions. On his first question on the local food delivery workers and whether we track the number of foreigners who are from the outsource companies performing this work, operationally it will be quite difficult to track the numbers, because the outsourcing of work from platform operator to a third party logistics company is a B2B arrangement, and it could be dynamic. They can change a partner or how they want to outsource the work on a month-to-month, maybe on a year-to-year basis. So, it is difficult to, at any point in time, have a very accurate sizing and it will increase a lot of administrative burdens on companies to report any change in their contractual agreements as they perform their work. The second thing is that many of these platform operators actually also have arrangements with the outsource companies to stipulate that, where possible, the work that has been outsourced to them should be performed by Singaporeans or PRs within their company, rather than have a foreign worker engaged by them to do the work, as far as possible. But if they are actual labour constraints by the third party companies, then they may have no choice but to have some of the work to be performed by their legitimate work pass holders. I would say, operationally, we leave it to the companies to do what is right. Also, in this food delivery scene, there are companies – restaurants, for example, fast food chains – who also legitimately employ foreigners under their work quotas to do their delivery, so I think this is a very variegated landscape.”
“So, that kind of enforcement actions that we take on any company that hire work permit holders will continue to be enforced, as part of MOM's regular operations. The second question about whether the payment is through to the outsource worker is on a per job basis or not, I think that has got to do with how the outsourcing company deals with their workers. As I have said, these workers are employed on a work contract. They have an employment contract that stipulates their monthly salary. So, if the foreign workers who are supposed to be paid on contractual terms, are not paid as such, but are given on a piecemeal basis, just like a platform worker, then we have to encourage them to whistle-blow, so we will investigate whether there is a violation of contractual agreement between the outsourcing company and their employed foreign workers. Generally, the platform operators, they do not pay on a per piece basis, per job basis to the foreign workers, because it is outsourced to a company, so it is a B2B arrangement and the payment to the foreign worker, if so engaged in outsourced work, is by the parent company and not by the platform operator, so that is what we understand the landscape to be. I hope that clarifies the Member's concerns.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her questions. Indeed, we have been working closely with NDCA to get a sense of where these hotspots may be and continue to take any enforcement actions as required. On the first question about how we ensure that the outsourced companies are able to employ workers on legitimate quotas, I think that is part of the broader set of enforcement work that MOM does for all companies that utilises work permits. What we work with, the platform operators – is to also ensure that when they onboard any of these outsourced workers onto their app system, for example, there are two modes of engagement. Some operators onboard some of these outsource workers, local and foreign, onto the app system. When they do so, these operators usually check whether the outsourced worker has a legitimate work permit, because they are given work passes, so this will be the background checks that the operator must do before they onboard the worker onto their system. If the company does lay off this worker, then that worker must be taken off their app system. The other model of engagement is where there is a direct B2B outsourcing of jobs, so it could be in bulk, where they give 100 jobs away to a logistics company to decide how the company wants to allocate to their own workforce. In that situation, the company performs just like any other logistics companies that receive a bulk order of work from another third party, and they decide who among their workers would carry out this 100 jobs, because these workers are already paid a fixed monthly salary. It is up to the company, who has received those outsourced work, to decide how to allocate work amongst their workforce, whether it is local or foreign.”
“The Government will continue working with platform work associations, tripartite partners and platform operators to support the well-being and livelihoods of our platform workers.”
“For instance, platform operators with reasonable suspicion of foreigners misusing platform workers' accounts are to notify MOM of such cases for investigation. Should an offence be established under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the major platform operators have collectively agreed to debar the local platform worker who abetted the foreigner from their platforms for a minimum of 24 months. Platform companies that currently permanently debar offenders may continue to do so. The foreigner who performed platform work illegally is liable to a fine of up to $20,000 and imprisonment for up to two years, or both. The local who abetted the foreigner may also face the same penalties. In addition, the foreigner may also be barred from entering or working in Singapore. To address platform workers' concerns about competition via outsourcing practices, food delivery platform operators that outsource jobs have agreed to: firstly, provide more clarity and assurance to platform workers on their outsourcing practices; secondly, encourage platform workers to head to high-demand areas to reduce the need to outsource these jobs; and thirdly, require outsourced companies to submit foreign workers' work pass documentation and conduct audits where work is outsourced through their app. These recommendations are scoped to food delivery platform operators as outsourcing is common in the parcel delivery landscape, with platform operators outsourcing jobs to third party logistics companies and vice versa. This practice helps to efficiently consolidate demand and supply, which benefits businesses, consumers and platform workers themselves.”
“Sir, only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) can perform platform work, as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not issue work passes to foreigners for platform work. Hence, it is illegal for foreigners to enter into platform work arrangements with platform operators or to impersonate local platform workers and perform platform work using their accounts. That said, platform operators can legitimately outsource delivery jobs to third party logistics companies. These logistics companies may employ foreigners with a valid work pass and the number of foreigners is capped at the industry's Dependency Ratio Ceiling. Unlike platform workers, these foreigners cannot work for multiple platform operators and they can only work for a single employer under an employer-employee relationship. They are paid a fixed monthly salary by their parent company and are not remunerated on a per-job basis by the platform operator. MOM does not track the number of platform operators' subcontractors. MOM follows up on every complaint received, including feedback from the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), and has also conducted enforcement operations at hotspots island-wide over the past months to detect and deter foreigners from performing illegal platform work. A total of 644 delivery workers were checked during these operations, of which only four foreigners, or less than 1%, were found working illegally as delivery workers. Another 22 foreigners were legitimate work pass holders. The Platform Workers Trilateral Group has released recommendations earlier this month to stamp out illegal platform work performed by foreigners as this compromises the livelihoods of local platform workers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 12 and 13 together?”
“So, with the educational approach, we hope that this will prevent more of such occurrences from taking place.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her questions. In terms of trend, our annual fair employment practice reports have not shown an uptrend over the past five years. In fact, the average annual number of age discrimination complaints received was about 77 during the period from 2018 to 2022, as cited in the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness Final Report, and 61 over the period 2023 to 2024, as I shared in this Parliamentary Question response. On the second question of how we ensure that there are adequate avenues, especially for those who may have challenges navigating the resources, I would say there are several avenues. One, of course, is we try to encourage those who have grievances to approach TAFEP, because there will be a team of mediators and staff who can help take the case into consideration and advise them on what recourse and avenues are open to them. Failing which, of course, you can always email directly to MOM and we will then work with TAFEP to investigate further. And finally, what is the approach we are going to take for cases like this, I think our emphasis is always on taking a more educational approach to make sure that both employers and employees understand what are discriminatory practices in the workplace. That is a proactive way to ensure that there are no misunderstandings on what is required. Oftentimes, we see that when complaints surface, it may not necessarily be that the employers are egregious in trying to discriminate against a particular age group. But sometimes, the choice of words, the phrasing and the type of words they use in advertisements, for example, are probably not well considered enough, and that can create a misunderstanding and the impression.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) received an annual average of 61 complaints of age discrimination in 2023 and 2024. The top three sectors with the most number of complaints were administrative and support service activities; wholesale and retail trade; and accommodation and food service activities. In addition to the complaints received, TAFEP partners Workforce Singapore (WSG) to proactively review job advertisements posted on MyCareersFuture (MCF) portal to detect potentially discriminatory job advertisements. In 2023 and 2024, TAFEP identified an annual average of 90 job advertisements containing words or phrases that were potentially discriminatory on the basis of age. TAFEP had engaged the employers that posted these job advertisements to make the necessary amendments to ensure alignment with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP). To further assist employers to better understand their obligations under the TGFEP and build merit-based and fair workplaces, TAFEP has also provided the employers with resources, such as guides and clinics. We plan to table the second Workplace Fairness Bill in Parliament by the end of the year. If passed, we intend to implement the Workplace Fairness Act sometime in 2026 or 2027.”
“Sir, as I said earlier in my reply, there is no legal requirement for consent even today. But what we want is to provide some guidance so that the social service agencies can be sensitive to the needs of both the child and the parents, and as good practice, to involve the parents sometime along the journey. Perhaps not right at the beginning, if it feels that it is quite sensitive for the child to even approach them for some assistance. But somewhere along the way, after a few consultations with the child, when the child has developed more confidence in the process and counsellor assesses that it is the right time to bring the parents into that recovery effort, then I think that is where the sensitivity needs to be applied and involve the parents gradually along the process and reconcile any challenges that the child may have with the parents if that is indeed the source where the mental stress is for the children. And I think this is a process where we need to rely on the expertise and experience of the counsellors to do this with sensitivity.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. In terms of timeline, we will try to conclude the work of consulting with stakeholders and put up some framework or guidelines, hopefully, by early next year. As Members can understand, this is a process that requires us to engage stakeholders and understand from their perspectives what would be helpful and what would be more of a deterrent. So, we will do this work seriously and put up something, hopefully, by some time early next year. In terms of the different situations in which services need to be provided and how caregivers, including counsellors and social service agencies, can navigate this space and be clear about what kinds of roles they can play, I think what we will do is to provide these guidelines which will give a framework where the service providers be better guided in assessing the situations in which minors seek mental health support. While I said earlier that parental support is a preferred approach for some of these services to be delivered, the guidelines do recognise that there may be specific circumstances in which requiring parental consent would deter a minor from seeking the help that they need. So, it is a balance that we need to strike. On the one hand, we want parental involvement, but sometimes, for the situation in which the minors are seeking help, it could be linked to their relationship with their parents as well. So, we do need to take a very sensitive approach to this. And I hope the guidelines and framework will give the service providers better clarity on how to navigate this space and be sensitive to the needs of both parents and children.”
“Sir, our laws do not prescribe the permissible legal age for a young individual to seek mental health services or other medical services without parental consent. However, it is generally good practice for parents to be involved when mental health services are provided to young people. Part of the reason is that parents play a vital role in supporting their children’s well-being and their involvement in their children’s recovery journey is critical. There has been feedback that the requirement of parental consent is one of the reasons why young people with mental health challenges hesitate to seek help. Indeed, the issue of requiring parental consent before seeking help and involving parents as part of the recovery journey, need not be conflated. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has convened an expert group to study this issue and develop guidelines on the subject. Key stakeholders including parents, youths and service providers were engaged, and their views will contribute towards shaping the guidelines. One of the key issues we need to examine is whether for lower-level intervention that involves mostly befriending and emotional support, no parental consent may be required. However, if the objective is to encourage youths to step forward to seek help with their mental health challenges, this will need to be coupled with more proactive engagement and outreach to those who may need help. We will provide more details when the guidelines are ready early next year.”
“Tripartism is the living expression of our "we first" mindset and must remain at the heart of our workforce transformation. As long as we preserve this trust, we can continue creating good jobs and fulfilling careers for Singaporeans. Together, let us move forward as one people, one nation and one Singapore, leaving no Singaporean behind. Sir, I support the Motion. [Applause.]”
“As for Joey, who has spent over a decade in the retail industry, formal supervisor training has improved his job knowledge, giving him confidence that he can continue to advance further. In addition to PWM, the Government has introduced and continually reviews the Local Qualifying Salary, which ensures that local employees are employed meaningfully, rather than on token salaries for firms to gain access to foreign workers. We will also work to foster multiple pathways to success, including for Singaporeans who are more inclined towards "hands-on" and "heart" jobs. We will work with tripartite partners, trade associations and our IHLs to develop more structured pathways for progression in the skilled trades, to better value the essential work of skilled tradespeople. Mr Speaker, Sir, the challenges ahead are real. But Singapore has never shied away from tough challenges. Time and again, we have adapted, persevered and emerged stronger. Our success rests not just on policies or programmes, but on the trust and unity that we share. The President and Prime Minister spoke about building a "we first" society, where we look out for each other and put the collective good above narrow interests. In manpower, this spirit comes to life through tripartism. We should not take this for granted. In many countries, workers and employers stand on opposite sides of the table, locked in conflict. In Singapore, we sit on the same side, seeking win-win outcomes for Singapore. This has allowed us to uplift wages, strengthen worker protections and grow businesses, all at once, striking a very good balance between all the partners. In an uncertain world, our unity will be our greatest asset.”
“With increasingly diverse forms of work and work arrangements, we will continue studying how to better support platform workers, self-employed persons and freelancers in terms of workplace protections, reskilling and career pathways. In this world of accelerating change, we will ensure that opportunities remain open to all. For those who stumble despite their best efforts, we will help them bounce back with confidence. We have introduced the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme to help displaced workers who are actively searching for jobs to re-enter employment, providing up to $6,000 in temporary support over six months for eligible individuals. Lower-wage workers will remain a key focus, with MOM pressing on with efforts to uplift and support lower-wage workers amidst our economic transformation. This includes the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme, which was recently enhanced; and the new Workfare Skills Support (Level-Up) scheme will provide added support for lower-wage workers to upskill and reskill. The PWM remains central to raising wages and in creating career pathways that are closely tied to training and skills development. Together with tripartite partners, MOM is reviewing the next set of wage schedules for all PWMs, covering seven sectors and two occupations. The Government recently accepted the Tripartite Cluster for Retail's recommendation of a three-year schedule of sustained wage increase from 1 September 2025, along with enhancements to job ladders and training requirements. These changes will benefit workers, like Natasha and Joey, who work at Far East Flora. For Natasha, who started as a part-time cashier, the structured increases provide a pathway to financial security, presenting her with an opportunity to progress into management roles.”
“MOM has been working closely with all stakeholders, including sector agencies, employers, unions and workers to raise WSH standards, tackle emerging risks and reinforce a culture of safety. We will continue to strengthen these efforts to keep fatal injury rates below 1.0 per 100,000 workers and meet our WSH 2028 target. We will continue to enhance employment standards and protections for our workers. Earlier this year, Parliament passed the Workplace Fairness Act, strengthening protection against discrimination at the workplace. This is a major step forward in assuring workers that they will be treated fairly and based on merit. We are also undertaking a review of the Employment Act to account for evolving forms of work and the changing labour force profile, including a greater proportion of PMEs. Through the review, we will ensure that protections remain relevant for different groups of workers while streamlining compliance for businesses. As the future of work continues to unfold, we must address needs of different groups of workers. For example, we now recognise platform workers as a separate category of workers with their own set of protections via the Platform Workers Act. The Platform Workers Act, effective January this year, provides work injury compensation, CPF contributions and a representation framework where platform workers and operators can be represented by Platform Work Associations. In response to concerns raised by platform workers and Platform Work Associations, the Platform Workers Trilateral Group was formed with representatives from MOM, MOT, NTUC and platform operators to address illegal activities in the platform sector and the lack of transparency in payment and incentive schemes. The 10 recommendations were announced earlier this month.”
“First, transforming our workforce to meet business needs. With rapid technological advancement and geopolitical tensions, many businesses are looking to reorganise their operations, reconfigure their supply chains and redesign jobs. MOM has, thus, set aside over $400 million for the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package to spur workforce transformation, through the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant and the redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit. This will enable workers to upgrade their skillsets and businesses to adapt to the evolving economic landscape. Second, expanding access to talent from around the world that complements our workforce. Singapore must continue working with and learning from the best, from around the world. Access to global talent also attracts foreign investments and MNCs to grow the economic pie and continue creating good jobs for Singaporeans. Third, uplifting the human resources (HR) profession. HR plays a critical role in how businesses attract, manage and develop talent. The Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development will strengthen HR practices and level-up human capital capabilities across the economy to maximise workforce potential and support business growth. Fourth, reducing compliance burden. This includes using the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Pro-Enterprise Rules Review to streamline regulations, especially for SMEs, to help businesses remain competitive in a pro-enterprise environment. Our fourth thrust is to ensure that our growth is inclusive, so that all Singaporeans benefit from the opportunities created. MOM will work with tripartite partners to raise the bar for safe, fair and inclusive workplaces that provide opportunities for everyone to thrive.”
“Take Mr Wong Kok Sin, who was reskilled through the CCP for Electronics, after being in the industry for more than 20 years. As the Director for Internal Manufacturing Production at ams-OSRAM, Mr Wong is responsible for strategic planning and process optimisation, as well as mentoring teams and driving operational excellence. The AI tools he picked up through the CCP allowed him to explore how smart manufacturing and prompt engineering can streamline operations and enhance decision making, leading to increased productivity. For those who aspire to climb the corporate ladder, we are expanding opportunities for them to gain critical experience to do so. In keeping with our position as a global business hub, many businesses have told us that overseas exposure is key for Singaporeans to move on into senior roles. To that end, we will support businesses to send employees with little or no overseas market experience abroad, to gain exposure through the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme (OMIP). OMIP will complement existing programmes that support overseas posting and leadership development, which we are doubling in capacity. Since the programme's launch in November 2024, 70 locals have been emplaced in overseas roles. This includes three biotechnologists from Lonza Biologics, who were sent to Switzerland. In Switzerland, they worked alongside subject matter experts and gained expertise in plant set-up, troubleshooting and process optimisation – knowledge that strengthened Lonza's operations here in Singapore. This stint has provided them with the international exposure, making them better-positioned for leadership roles in future. MOM will focus on four enablers to grow the economy, help business to thrive and create good jobs in our next bound of growth.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As Singaporeans' average lifespan extends, more senior workers hope to achieve a better balance between career goals and caring for their families. Employees, unions and employers have shared with me their expectations and challenges regarding senior employment. The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment will explore how to better support employees in extending their careers and will release its recommendations next year. Through the AfA on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers, we will collaborate with employers to pilot innovative solutions. The Government, employers and unions will work together to help senior workers have fulfilling careers, be it in their existing jobs, adopting flexible work arrangements, taking short career breaks or finding re-employment through learning new skills. Another issue of concern for seniors and those approaching retirement is whether their retirement savings are sufficient to cope with the current rising costs of living. In this regard, we will continue to strengthen the CPF system so that Singaporeans who continue contributing to CPF can be assured of meeting their basic retirement needs in their golden years. (in English): Sir, now let me go onto the third thrust on expanding economic opportunities for all, empowering the broad middle of workers to progress in their careers. For mid-career workers, we are expanding opportunities and pathways towards better jobs. Our Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) have seen success, with more than 37,000 individuals reskilling into jobs in growth sectors over the last five years. About nine in 10 CCP participants have remained employed 24 months after the programme, while six in 10 earned more than their last drawn salaries.”
“This means individuals taking charge of their own retirement savings, while family, the community and the Government will also come in to provide help for those in more vulnerable settings. MOM will continue to review and strengthen the CPF system, such that those who work and contribute consistently to their CPF can be assured of meeting their basic retirement needs in their golden years. This includes raising the Basic Retirement Sum for cohorts beyond 2027, to set aside more savings in CPF LIFE, which will provide lifelong retirement income and peace of mind that comes with this guaranteed income stream. For those who are unable to save enough despite their best efforts, society as a whole must collectively come in to support them together. We have put in place several measures to strengthen their retirement adequacy. First, the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme supplements the income and CPF savings of lower-wage workers while they work. Second, the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme provides a matching grant for top-ups, including from loved ones or others in the community. Third, the Silver Support Scheme provides targeted help for seniors who have earned low incomes during their working years and now have less in retirement. With rising costs of living and higher aspirations in retirement lifestyles, we also want to empower Singaporeans to start earlier and plan ahead for their retirement across key milestones in life. In this vein, I encourage everyone to leverage on CPF's new one-stop financial guidance platform called Plan Life Ahead, Now! (PLAN), which will support members to make more informed and prudent financial decisions across different life stages. Mr Speaker, Sir, I will now say a few words in Mandarin.”
“Those who are dropping out of work in the early 50s – years before their retirement age – shared with me that they are unable to balance their caregiving needs or need more support in upskilling to remain relevant and competitive in the workspace. Employers have also shared their challenges in supporting multi-generational workplaces, which can effectively tap on the experience and expertise of senior workers, whilst combining the energies and skills of the younger generation. The Tripartite Workgroup is hard at work studying the gaps and challenges faced by different workers and industries and will update on our recommendations by early next year. The TWG-SE has also launched an AfA to partner employers in piloting innovative solutions that help to empower Multi-stage Careers for Mature Workers. One of our prospective partners is Unilever, who plans to pilot their “Value In Value Up” programme under the AfA. The pilot aims to redesign jobs and train mature workers to integrate AI capabilities into their functional expertise and may subsequently engage these workers in fractional or project-based roles in Unilever. These roles include areas such as streamlining of operational processes and AI research. The pilot meets Unilever’s need for agile talent while providing mature workers with meaningful fractional work opportunities. Another issue close to the hearts of our seniors and future seniors is whether they have enough for retirement. Our CPF system is designed to help Singaporeans plan and save for this stage of life. It is built on a strong social compact that reflects our values – the belief in shared responsibility.”
“But now other industry sectors are also experiencing a similar increased pace of technological change, maybe not as fast as healthcare but, certainly faster than what they were used to before so they must also embrace lifelong learning and continual education just like our healthcare workers. The DNA and the mindset of our workers must change. For seniors, we will make available good opportunities and support so them can continue working with dignity and security. We will also explore how to facilitate flexible arrangements at work or short career breaks for those who wish for a better balance between their career aspirations and caregiving needs. These needs are expected to increase as our population ages. Many seniors have also told me that they do not see work and retirement as all-or-nothing. They want to rightfully reap the rewards of their many years of hard work, by taking a break, travelling the world, having more time with their grandchildren. At the same time, they wish to stay engaged in the workforce and in society, in ways that bring them fulfilment and purpose. The Government will support Singaporeans in their multi-stage careers and work-life aspirations. This includes workers with caregiving responsibilities, who will benefit from the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Request, which outline how employers should handle FWA requests based on business needs. MOM and our tripartite partners also convened the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, which will reimagine ways to support career longevity. As Co-Chair of this Tripartite Workgroup, I have heard from workers, unions and employers on their aspirations and challenges regarding senior employment.”
“Even though the employment rate of graduates in the 2025 cohort as of June has increased by four percentage points compared to the 2024 cohort at the same time last year, there are significantly more fresh graduates who have been actively looking for jobs. This increase in active jobseekers – about 1,700 more as compared to 2024 – may have contributed to a stronger sense of job competition among fresh graduates. Global factors including economic headwinds from increased trade tensions and geopolitical conflicts, as well as growing concerns over AI taking over entry-level jobs could have further amplified the anxieties of fresh graduates. We have therefore launched the GRaduate Industry Traineeship (GRIT) programme to boost opportunities for fresh graduates, help them gain industry-relevant experience, and facilitate their transition into full-time employment should they face difficulties in their job search. Minister Tan See Leng has already given a lengthy discourse on this at the Question Time earlier today, so I shall not elaborate further but surprise to say we will continue to support young workers so that they can start well and progress in their careers. I will now turn to the second thrust on how we are supporting career longevity and strengthening retirement adequacy. As we live longer and the global economy transforms, our lives will no longer follow a linear path of education, work and retirement. As new industries, jobs and skills emerge, we need to continually upskill and reskill to stay relevant. The healthcare sector is accustomed to this, due to the fast-changing nature – medical technologies. New drugs are coming onstream every so often, new treatment protocols, new trial results are coming out every month and so healthcare workers are used to this.”
“Those who want to get started on their career health journey can visit the Career Health SG website, a one-stop portal consolidating the resources available to support Singaporeans and employers. Beyond digital tools, employed individuals who prefer in-person guidance can receive personalised career support from certified coaches to plan ahead under our Polaris programme. Jobseekers can also tap on peer-level support from our Volunteer Career Advisors, who offer sector-specific insights and practical guidance based on real-world industry experience. We will also strengthen the ecosystem of career and employment services to better match jobseekers to jobs, and better match potential to opportunities, even as our labour market grows increasingly diverse and complex. To achieve this, we need deeper partnership and collaboration with the vibrant network of private sector recruitment and job placement agencies, and online job portals. We have therefore launched an Alliance for Action on Advancing Career and Employment Services (AfA-ACES) to co-create with industry players innovative solutions to redesign jobs, enhance talent management and deepen our human capital. As Singaporeans gain new skills throughout their careers, they also build strong relationships, grow vast networks and hone their leadership skills – these are soft skills that are not easily replaceable by technology and AI. Even as we pursue these longer-term strategies, we recognise the anxieties that Singaporeans face over jobs today, especially from fresh graduates who are entering the workforce.”
“On our part, the Government will work together with workers and businesses across all levels – at the national, enterprise and individual level – to strengthen our human capital, so that we can leverage on AI positively. At the national level, under the Economic Strategy Review and our National AI strategy, MOM will support our workforce to develop broad-based AI literacy and competencies. At the enterprise level, MOM’s initiatives like the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package, which will couple support for business transformation with workforce development, ensuring that technology elevates rather than eliminates workers. MOM will also work closely with NTUC, the Singapore National Employers Federation and unions to redesign jobs and equip and empower every worker. At the individual level, we will help Singaporeans build more resilient careers and navigate AI disruption. To support our national lifelong learning movement and ensure that skills training leads to good job outcomes, MOM launched Career Health SG, a SkillsFuture initiative, in July this year. Career Health SG uses AI tools to equip Singaporeans with jobs and skills insights, career guidance and employment facilitation, matching them to good jobs where their skills are most relevant and valued. It is about realising the potential of Singapore’s most precious resource – our people. Through digital tools under MyCareersFuture, such as the Careers and Skills Passport and CareersFinder, we help individuals explore more career choices and options, and chart career and skills upgrading plans towards their career aspirations.”
“Geopolitical tensions and the fraying of the multilateral trading system are disrupting our traditional trade and supply chains. As a small and open economy, our businesses feel these shocks acutely. Technological changes are accelerating, with significant advancements driven by AI. Our workforce is evolving too. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be 65 or older. This presents challenges, but also opportunities to harness the wisdom and experience of our senior workers. Our youths are more educated, globally connected and want to chart their own paths. Many desire careers aligned with their passions and values. A National Youth Council survey found that more young Singaporeans wanted to, I quote, “discover, design or invent something new”. Against this backdrop of change, we must press on together with workers and businesses – to learn continuously, adapt and move forward as one. MOM will focus on four key thrusts by empowering Singaporeans to navigate the future of work; supporting career longevity; expanding opportunities for workers and businesses; and ensuring inclusive growth. Let me start with the first thrust on how we are empowering Singaporeans to navigate the future of work. Whether the challenge is demographic, technological or geopolitical, we will support workers to pivot and seize opportunities that emerge from each wave of disruption. For many Singaporeans, digital disruption, particularly by AI, is top of mind. Many are excited about the opportunities that AI provides because if leveraged well, these advancements can automate routine tasks and allow workers to take on more fulfilling roles. On the flipside, many worry about the impact AI might have on their job security.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the President’s Address has set out the vision for the next chapter of Singapore’s journey. This includes enhancing assurance at every stage of life as our economy transforms and enabling long-term employability and protecting our vulnerable. MOM supports this vision. We will empower Singaporeans to prepare for the future economy, support our workers through their life stages and uplift and protect vulnerable workers – leaving no Singaporean behind. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Since the last President’s address in 2023, MOM has worked hard to create good outcomes for workers and businesses alike, in close collaboration with our tripartite partners. We launched Career Health SG to empower workers to chart out meaningful and resilient careers. Workers can also reskill into jobs in growth sectors through Career Conversion Programmes. We supported businesses to transform and remain competitive while providing good jobs for Singaporeans. We strengthened retirement adequacy for Singaporeans born in 1973 and earlier through the Majulah Package, with CPF top-ups to support their retirement and healthcare needs. We improved protection for vulnerable groups, such as the Jobseeker Support Scheme for those who lost their jobs involuntarily and uplifted the wages of lower-wage workers through the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). We also legislated stronger safeguards for platform workers through the Platform Workers Act. We advanced workplace fairness and inclusivity through the Workplace Fairness Act and Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR). We will continue to be agile and adapt our policies to a rapidly changing world.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. Briefly, the dormitory transition plan is a phased approach. We take into account the peak numbers of workers at any point in time as well as the existing available number of bed spaces, so that we stage the transition of existing dormitories to new standards in a phased manner, to make sure that as we take the transition of existing dormitories, we do not end up causing a supply shortage. At the same time, we are also injecting new supply, as I said in my main reply. Together, this will ensure adequate supply, even as we require dormitories to transition to newer standards. And so, it is a progressive approach. We keep in close contact with the Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited, so that we hear the industry's voice constantly. They are also helping us connect employers who may need bed spaces for their workers to those dormitories that have excess spaces, so there is a matching effort that takes place at the industry level. With that, I think we can transit to the desired dormitory standards over time, without impacting too much of dormitory supply. Over time, as the supply and demand balance is achieved, we will see dormitory prices stabilising. In fact, that has been the case over the past year.”
“Sir, the Government has been working closely with the dormitory industry to increase dormitory bed supply. This includes extending the leases of expiring dormitories where feasible, as well as enabling existing purpose-built dormitories (PBDs) with excess space to increase their occupancy load, while meeting prevailing dormitory housing standards. We have also been streamlining and facilitating applications for new Factory-Converted Dormitories and temporary workers' quarters, such as Temporary Occupation Licence Quarters to provide more sources of bed supply. Over the next few years, six new PBDs with around 45,000 beds will also be added to the market, including the Ministry of Manpower's 2,400-bed PBD in Jalan Tukang, set to be operational in early 2026. While the Government has put in place measures to expand dormitory bed supply, this will not be sustainable if demand for work permit holders grows unabatedly. So, we urge employers to adopt productivity measures to reduce their reliance on migrant workers.”
“So, while we support technology to improve stall level efficiency, we should not do so at the expense of our hawkers stepping away from running the stalls themselves and letting the workers just take over the day-to-day running and cooking of the food. Because if hawkers wish to extend to a chain model and become bigger, they have the option to move out of the hawker centres and do it at other F&B establishments, where we do not impose the restrictions. The reality, therefore, is that we need to balance between protecting our heritage, keeping the food affordable and ensuring fair opportunities for new hawkers. So, these are quite difficult to maintain if we do not have rules to manage. It would have been far easier for NEA to let the hawker centres just operate like any other commercial outfits, such as food courts or coffee shops, without any restrictions on subletting or any business model that the operators wish to do. But that would mean losing what makes them really special today. So, if Singaporeans are prepared to accept hawker food at price points, quality and the business model just like any other coffee shops or food courts, then we could remove these restrictions and let the free market take its course. But for now, we believe these regulations will help ensure that hawker centres remain a place for authentic, accessible and culturally significant food experiences for Singaporeans.”
“But that is not something that we would want, because we cannot allow our NEA hawker system to be catering to the interest of such private chain owners. We need to make sure that there are opportunities for others to enter the trade as well. Let us remember that hawker centres are not just commercial spaces, but they are also community dining spaces with a social role. We have invested in our hawker centres to provide affordable cooked food for Singaporeans, while wanting to enable small food businesses to earn a reasonable living. So, we have deliberately kept the barrier to entry low to allow many hawkers, including like Mr Mubarak himself, to build a successful business and expand to other F&B establishment. So, we have to maintain fairness, because this is the important role that our hawker centres play. We are happy to see our hawkers succeed, but we must also prevent individuals from gaming the system by profiteering from subletting. So, if we did not enforce these rules, what would the alternative be? Should we allow stalls to be fully run by hired workers as businesses expand and they cannot run the stalls themselves? If so, hawker centres would become rather indistinguishable from coffee shops and food courts, eroding the authenticity. And over time, our hawker culture will be diluted, shifting from passionate hawkers serving their own dishes to our customers, to businesses just prioritising efficiency and scale over heritage and quality. We support technology adoption, be it central kitchen, be it marketing technology through social media to improve. But what we want is to make sure that as they do so, they do not compromise and erode the culture that we are trying to protect and grow.”
“Sir, I think this is something that I think we have to look at with some sensitivity. Because as I said in my earlier reply to the Member Jamus Lim, if a hawker's business has grown to a size where they are unable to split the time properly and they have to focus their time more on the businesses outside the hawker centres, then I think it is time for them to really take a hard look and see where their main revenue source is coming from. I think if they have grown to such a scale, they ought to focus on that and they may have to give up that stall in which we are giving them, to some extent, a lower rent and a lower barrier to entry, to someone else who may need the space more. I know there are members of the public who have seen this particular case that has surfaced on the Internet recently, on social media. I think the Member Mr Chia has engaged this particular hawker before, Mr Noorman Mubarak. He put up a social media post about his wife who's pregnant and is unable to run the stall personally. But that is a very one-sided story. Actually, NEA has offered his wife to nominate another person to take over the stall while she is undergoing pregnancy. But instead of accepting that as a legitimate option to do so, they decided to put it on social media to try and say that we have been unhelpful. I would say that for individuals like Mr Mubarak, who's running, I think about 20 stalls outside of the NEA system – he has two to three stalls in NEA hawker centres, but up to I think 21 registered stalls in other F&B establishments. We are quite happy that hawkers like him have succeeded, but it is understandable that as a business owner he wants to focus on his other business and try not to focus as much attention on the hawker stalls.”
“Sir, I do not know the case that the Member is talking about. There could be constraints on the ground. There could be individual circumstances. But there are place managers at each and every one of our hawker centres. So, I do hope that there is communication between the place manager and the hawker who may need some flexibility on the ground to do so. I believe our principle is to make sure that we allow flexibility where it is needed. But if it is time and again when the things are flouted and it is too much of a repeat ask, then I think it calls into question whether that is a genuine need or whether there are some actions to try and circumvent our rules. So, we have to take things on a case-by-case basis. But I would say that, in the end, it really is about what we want to see our hawker culture thrive. There are many successful hawkers who have done well and expanded their business outside of hawker centres, but yet they try their very best to run those one or two stalls that they started their business with personally. But there are also those who have successfully branched out to other F&B establishments where there are no restrictions like what we have, and they have chosen to give up their hawker stalls as well. So, I think to be fair to all players, we have to respect the rules. Our aim is to encourage more small businesses to enter the hawker trade because of our low barrier to entry, but not allow chain players to start to dominate our hawker scene and change the texture and authenticity of our hawker culture.”
“On Mr Chia's question about stallholders who have expanded their businesses to say, central kitchens and have many other food establishments elsewhere, I think if the persons have already expanded their business beyond hawker centres and are very successful, and they have no time to run the stalls themselves, I think it is only right that they actually relinquish the stalls to someone else who needs the space better and focus on their business instead. One option they could do this is to nominate their own family member to take over the stall. This is something allowed under our policies. But to nominate the stall to an unrelated person opens up the risk of someone then profiteering and buying whatever has been given to this person through a business transaction. That is something that we will not allow.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his questions. On his first question about personally operating the stall, we believe that physical presence is actually the most practical and fair way of ensuring that the stall is not sublet and the person is operating it personally. Because through these inspections, NEA is able to directly monitor whether stallholders physically operate their stalls during the stall's operating hours. The truth is, to catch subletting is not so easy, because it is a private arrangement that can take place between the person who has bid for the place but has no intention to run it and under the table, could be collecting subletting income from someone else and profiting from rent. As I have said, we have let out our stalls for sometimes even below market rates in terms of rent. And there are stalls that successfully bid as low as $1. What we do not want is for a subletter to then profit from the huge margin by extracting rent from the person who is interested to run the stall and pass the cost subsequently to consumers. And if there is a way for us to catch it better, we would want that. So, if there are suspicions of subletting, NEA would follow up on feedback where possible. Nonetheless, NEA also understands that there are some stallholders who may need to be away from their stalls for a short period of time, to run quick errands for example. In such cases, we will exercise flexibility and give these stallholders the ability to do so without taking any penalty actions on them.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her clarification about whether self-employed individuals are covered by the JS scheme. To be clear, the JS scheme is aimed to cushion unemployment shocks as a result of economic transformation. So, it applies to employees, who have no control over the decision by their employers to retrench them. Self-employed individuals do negotiate for projects on their own. Sometimes, even if the project cannot take place, it could well be a mismatch between what the self-employed person's expectation of his own remuneration from the project owner is, or it could just be a business deal that could not take place because the negotiation did not succeed. I think it is very hard for us to prove a priori whether that kind of issue constitutes involuntary unemployment, which is quite different from an employee.”
“On top of these penalties, the Courts will order offenders to surrender the monies they received from the affected worker if no restitution can be made. This ensures that offenders cannot retain the illegal kickbacks. We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders to stamp out kickbacks and ensure that our migrant workers are treated fairly. Mr Chairman, in conclusion, the Government will be implementing several measures to empower Singaporeans of all walks of life to build their career health and seize good job opportunities. We will uplift different segments of our workforce so that no one is left behind. We will continue to work closely with our tripartite partners and other stakeholders to develop a competitive workforce and support employers in their business growth. Together, we can sustain our economic growth and build a shared future for all Singaporeans.”
“We will be opening applications to join the AfA soon, and I encourage all interested employers to sign up and be pathfinders for your industries. In turn, the insights from the AfA will inform our approach towards senior employment. Mr Chairman, allow me to say a few words in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Since 2022, we have been gradually increasing CPF contribution rates for senior workers to help them save more for retirement. In 2026, the CPF contribution rates for those aged above 55 to 65 will increase by 1.5%. To help ease the transition for employers, we will also extend the CPF Transition Offset scheme for one year, which will cover half of the increase in employer contributions for 2026. To better empower seniors who wish to continue working, we will set up a Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment this year, to review and refresh our senior employment policies. We will engage citizens and employers to better understand the challenges of an ageing workforce and identify ways to better harness the potential of senior workers. We will also pilot new ideas to enable senior workers to continue contributing at their desired pace. (In English): Sir, another group we want to support is our migrant workers. We have made significant moves to improve their well-being in recent years. Mr Louis Ng suggested increasing penalties for employment kickbacks. The collection of kickbacks is a serious offence, which MOM takes a firm stance against. The Ministry will not hesitate to press for the maximum penalties if a case warrants it. To date, the Courts have imposed substantial fines of $10,000 to $15,000 per charge or imprisonment terms.”
“For a start, WSG and its partners will provide targeted career guidance workshops for seniors to help them better plan for their later-stage careers. Second, to promote age-friendly jobs and multi-generational workplaces. We want to support multi-stage careers, where workers can adjust their workload based on their needs and aspirations. For example, Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Mark Lee suggested to scale up job redesign and fractionalised work that caters to senior workers. We will explore these ideas and much more under the Workgroup. To kickstart this journey, the Workgroup will convene an Alliance for Action (AfA) on Empowering Multi-Stage Careers for Mature Workers. This AfA will bring together diverse stakeholders to co-create new ideas and pilot innovative ways to make workplaces more age-friendly. This echoes Mr Sharael Taha's point on going beyond schemes to shift workplace culture. Instead of adopting a top-down approach, we want to take each step in collaboration with our stakeholders, so that positive change can truly take root and bear fruit. The AfA will work towards two goals. First, we will engage citizens from all walks of life to develop insights on the challenges and opportunities of an ageing workforce. We will hear from current and future seniors, as well as management and HR professionals representing employers of different sizes and sectors. By engaging widely, we can hear directly from stakeholders and build an enduring social compact together. Second, we will work closely with employers to prototype innovative solutions to better support senior employment. Participating employers will receive funding and consultancy support to develop new models customised to their business needs.”
“Our labour force participation rate falls from 86% for those aged 50 to 54, to 67.9% for those aged 60 to 64, a stark decrease of about 18 percentage points. This is due to various reasons. Some wish to slow down and focus on family or personal commitments. Others have not worked for some time and may need to refresh their skills to return to the workforce. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Sharael Taha have highlighted that all stakeholders must play their part to effect broader societal shifts to support senior employment. Workers will need to embrace career changes over longer working lives. Employers will need to redesign jobs and build capabilities for a multi-generational workforce. The Government will enable these shifts by working with our tripartite partners to develop targeted measures to drive senior employment. This is the impetus behind the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, which I will be chairing alongside NTUC Deputy Secretary-General and Senior Minister of State Desmond Tan and SNEF's Vice President Ms Tan Hwee Bin. As announced by the Prime Minister at Budget, this will be a significant tripartite effort to review and refresh our approach towards senior employment. It signals our tripartite commitment to co-creating solutions that meet the needs of workers and employers. The Workgroup will focus on two key objectives. First, to empower senior workers to be productive and employable. With longer working lives, workers will need to continually upkeep their skills and remain open to trying new things in their late-stage careers. Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about what more we can do to train and place our senior workers. Through the Workgroup, we will study better tailoring such services to suit seniors' preferences and needs.”
“Since 2022, we have been implementing the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers' recommendation to increase Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution rates for senior workers. As the Prime Minister had announced at the Budget, the CPF contribution rates for those aged above 55 to 65 will increase further by 1.5 percentage points in 2026. At the same time, the Government will extend the CPF Transition Offset for another year. This will help ease the transition for employers by covering half of the increase in employer contributions for 2026. 11.00 am We will continue to enhance our current measures to enable our seniors to work longer. Today, the Senior Employment Credit provides up to 7% in wage offsets to employers who hire Singaporeans aged 60 and above earning below $4,000 a month. Since its introduction in 2021, more than 117,000 employers have benefited from the scheme, hiring over 514,000 senior workers, and around $1 billion has been disbursed. As the Prime Minister announced at Budget, we will extend the Senior Employment Credit by one year to 2026. In line with the increase in the re-employment age to 69 in 2026, the qualifying age for the highest Senior Employment Credit wage support tier of 7% will also be raised to 69, up from 68 today. We hope this assures employers that the Government will support you to prepare for our ageing workforce. Our efforts to help seniors extend their career runways have paid off. Our labour force participation rate for those aged 60 to 69 was 59.7% in 2024, up from 55.8% in 2019. We are proud to rank alongside the top five Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. But there is more that can be done. Today, seniors are leaving the labour force before 65, with many leaving in their 50s.”
“The key is providing jobseekers with financial assistance, complemented by a robust ecosystem of training and employment facilitation support. This way, we can strengthen our workers' career health and their longer-term prospects, and help them to rebuild their confidence to pursue better jobs and make bolder career moves. This is part of our desired social compact, where the Government will support you through difficult times, while you take personal responsibility and make an effort to overcome career setbacks and bounce back stronger. Together, we will get through every setback. Sir, let me now speak about our senior workers, a group that has dedicated their lives to nation-building and deserve special attention. Our population is ageing, and seniors today are living longer and healthier lives. We want to enable seniors to continue working if they wish to, so that they can contribute their expertise and accumulate more savings for retirement. This will also help employers meet manpower needs in a tight labour market. Our policies over the past decade have paved the way for seniors to work longer. Last year, we announced that the retirement and re-employment ages will be raised to 64 and 69 respectively in 2026. This keeps us on track to meet our eventual goal of raising them to 65 and 70 respectively by 2030. I am heartened that our Government and tripartite partners are taking the lead to implement the increases ahead of the national schedule. The Public Service and NTUC will be raising their retirement and re-employment ages to 64 and 69 this year, and SNEF has implemented the eventual goal of 65 and 70 since 2021. I encourage all employers to start preparing for next year's increases. As seniors work, we will also help them save more for retirement.”
“He also updates his resume and applies for jobs that match his skills, including those in less familiar roles or sectors. By making good use of the comprehensive support under the activities-based system, Mr Lim receives the guidance and financial support needed to build up his career health and bounce back into a well-fitting job. Equipped with new skills and having found a new job, Mr Lim regains his sense of purpose and self-worth. Throughout the process, Mr Lim is also able to focus on rebuilding his career, as the JS scheme provides him temporary financial support of up to $6,000 over six months. But I want to emphasise that the JS scheme should not be viewed in isolation. The Government, in fact, has in place various other schemes to provide financial support for those undergoing substantial reskilling or experiencing financial hardships. For example, if Mr Lim enrols in long-form training while job searching, he can apply for both the JS scheme and the SkillsFuture Level-up Programme. Over a six-month period, he will receive up to $21,000, comprising $15,000 of training allowance and $6,000 of JS scheme support. Jobseekers from households with financial difficulties may also receive additional social assistance from ComCare based on their needs. The JS scheme will be launched in mid-April 2025 and WSG will be sharing more information on the application process ahead of its launch. Involuntarily unemployed individuals can also visit WSG and NTUC e2i's centres island-wide for support in their job search. The JS scheme will be an added boost to Singapore's ecosystem of support for unemployed individuals, empowering them to take ownership in navigating a difficult chapter of their lives, to emerge with better outcomes.”