Tan See Leng
Singapore
“We are aware of the Singapore Workplace Report 2026, produced by the Singapore Institute of Directors and Gallup, and we are studying its findings.”
“The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation (Taskforce) actively reaches out to all retrenched local employees. In 2025, 77% of Mandatory Retrenchment Notifications (MRNs) were submitted at least seven days ahead of the employee's last working day and 73% of MRNs were submitted at least two weeks ahead.”
“From 2022 to 2025, vacancy rates for technical maintenance roles in the real estate services sector, which includes facilities management, have been lower than the overall job vacancy rate, except in 2025 (see Table 1).”
“The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) works with sector agencies to determine the courses which are required by the respective industries. The SWDA currently funds more than 100 courses, spanning a wide range of mental health-related fields.”
“In the first quarter of 2026, the profile of retrenched residents aged 50 to 59 was broadly similar to the profile of all retrenched residents, predominantly comprising professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) and were mainly from wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial and insurance services and profession…”
“In 2025, around 4,200 resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) aged 45 to 59 were retrenched, higher than 3,200 in 2024 and 3,500 in 2023. Their six-month re-entry rate remained stable at 48.5% in 2025, compared with 48.9% in 2024 and 50.1% in 2023.”
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“The Singapore Government, let me reassure everyone, is not conducting any invasive geophysical studies that could affect the existing hot spring. The geothermal drillings have been carried out by NTU sites. They were at sites that were 2.5 kilometres and 700 metres away, almost a kilometre away from the Sembawang hot spring. They were already completed in early 2024. Our EMA's ongoing studies, they are non-invasive because we are conducting airborne and land-based surveys of our entire country's geophysical landscape for a better assessment of the deep geothermal potential. As with every study, every new infrastructural development that we undertake, all of the necessary environmental assessments will be conducted. I hope I have given Members enough reassurance as well as understanding of what we know thus far.”
“I thank Mr Neil Parekh for his clarification. I think the Member was referring to Nanyang Technological University's (NTU's) study, not "NTUC". I think we will be dealing a lot with NTUC later on in MOM's COS debate. In NTUC, it is – just for the benefit of all my brothers and sisters in NTUC – every worker matters, not every power source matters. I think we all know Singapore, as a country, we are alternative energy-disadvantaged and I have mentioned many times in the past that we will explore every possible decarbonisation pathway. So, nothing is off the table. One of the indigenous energy options that we have, that we are investigating is geothermal energy. In 2023, EMA issued a request for proposal for a Singapore-wide non-invasive geophysical study to assess Singapore's deep geothermal resource potential at depths of up to 10 kilometres. This is for the purpose of power generation. So, I want to emphasise, EMA is to assess the deep geothermal resource potential. This is actually quite different from NTU's study, which is conventional geothermal potential. I am actually pleased to update that this month, we are commencing an airborne survey of our geothermal energy potential. We hope and we aim to complete this study in about a year's time. Again, like I said, in terms of giving a very clear demarcation, NTU's study focuses on establishing the localised potential at areas surveyed up to a depth of about four kilometres. So, it is conventional. Whereas ours is the deep sort of geothermal assessment, which is up to 10 kilometres. Of course, given the fact that we have an existing Sembawang hot spring, I know that many of my comrades are also concerned about how that would impact Sembawang.”
“The breakdown of foreign worker levy across key sectors in the last five years is shown in the table below.”
“Today, employers are required to provide itemised pay slips to employees under the Employment Act. This helps to improve transparency and facilitate the resolution of potential salary-related disputes. We recognise that there are some advantages to electronic payslips, such as how they are less likely to be misplaced and more easily traceable in the event of salary disputes. We will study this further taking into consideration the concerns of various groups, such as smaller businesses, that may not have the technical capability to generate electronic payslips and certain segments of employees who may find electronic payslips less accessible.”
“The Household Services Scheme pilot was launched in March 2023. To date, 16 of the 25 companies approved for the pilot have started to provide basic childminding or elder-minding services. Based on a market sensing poll, we estimate that about 1,300 households had engaged such services over January to July 2024. In considering the next steps for the pilot, the Ministry of Manpower will work with relevant sector lead agencies to consider factors, such as take-up rates, and how it meets the needs of households vis-a-vis other caregiving programmes. We will update when the review is completed.”
“The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) Requests, which took effect on 1 December last year, aim to help employers and employees navigate discussions about FWAs and arrive at mutually beneficial arrangements. Employers are required to consider FWA requests submitted by their employees based on business grounds and communicate the outcome of their assessment to the employees. Employers and employees are not required to report the outcomes of the FWA requests to the Ministry of Manpower. Employees who feel that their FWA requests are not properly considered may approach the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) for assistance. To date, TAFEP has not received any case that requires TAFEP to engage employers for non-adherence to the Tripartite Guidelines.”
“In the last five years from 2020 to 2024, an average of around 120 salary claims were filed by Work Permit holders at the Employment Claims Tribunals each year. We do not track if these salary claims include complaints that employers (i) have not provided itemised payslips and (ii) have not paid employees electronically. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has other sources of data, such as complaints and proactive inspections, to track breaches in these areas. From 2020 to 2024, MOM investigated an average of around 40 employers each year for non-provision of itemised payslips and failure to pay salaries via electronic means for their work permit holders, and took enforcement action against errant employers. MOM will continue to monitor the situation and take measures to ensure compliance.”
“About 96.3% of claims made under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) from 2020 to 2024 were resolved within one year after the claims were filed. The remaining 3.7% took one year or more due to the extended time taken for medical treatment or the processing of complex cases. The breakdown is provided in Table 1 below.”
“The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) captures information on restitution to victims of kickbacks when they are made during the course of MOM's investigations. Based on the cases in the second half of 2024, 42 of the 63 migrant workers (67%) who were victims of kickback offences received full restitution while seven workers (11%) received partial restitution during MOM's investigations. The remaining 14 workers (22%) had not received any restitution by the end of MOM's investigations. For cases that are subsequently prosecuted, the Courts may order defendants to make restitution to victims if they have yet to do so.”
“In 2024, the Ministry of Manpower investigated about 250 alleged kickback cases. Enforcement actions were taken against 51 employers, of which 12 were prosecuted. On average, eight migrant workers were affected per employer and each migrant worker paid about $6,600 in kickbacks.”
“The Settling-in Programme is prioritised for first-time Work Permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard, process and manufacturing sectors. We have no plans to extend the programme to workers in the services sector at this time.”
“The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) was set up to hear salary-related and wrongful dismissal disputes between employers and employees. On a case-by-case basis, ECT may alert the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to cases for investigations. MOM has investigated all such cases that were referred to us. Over the past five years, MOM investigated less than five cases referred by ECT.”
“Currently, migrant workers can reset their Singpass accounts in person at Singpass counters in community centres and ServiceSG centres or online through the Singpass portal. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has, additionally, put up guides on how to reset Singpass accounts in the migrant workers' native languages on the MOM website and in dormitories and recreation centres; and will also be incorporating the guides into the FWMOMCare mobile application. MOM will work with other Government agencies to monitor the demand for such services by migrant workers and explore additional avenues to assist migrant workers if necessary.”
“When the Police encounters cases of foreign delivery drivers who are without valid work passes, they will refer such cases to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for investigations. From January to December 2024, MOM received and investigated around 90 complaints on suspected illegal foreign delivery drivers. Enforcement actions were taken against 30 foreigners while the remaining cases were found to be unsubstantiated.”
“We do not have the data requested by the Member.”
“All first-time Migrant Domestic Workers (MDWs) are required to attend the Settling-In Programme (SIP) within seven days of their arrival in Singapore, prior to starting work. At SIP, which is conducted in their native language, MDWs are educated on the legal consequences for committing criminal offences. They are informed that the Court may sentence offenders who abuse vulnerable persons up to twice the amount of punishment to which the offender would otherwise have been liable for that offence. MDWs are also educated on how to foster a harmonious relationship with their employers and identify and manage stress. They are provided with resources, such as a guidebook on enhancing their mental well-being and helplines from the Ministry of Manpower, non-government and mental health organisations, should they need to seek help.”
“These solutions include digital devices that alert workers when they adopt unsafe postures and exoskeleton suits or vests to provide support and improve the posture of workers carrying heavy loads. Eligible companies can apply for grants, such as the National Trades Union Congress' Company Training Committee Grant, to adopt these solutions for a healthier workplace.”
“From 2020 to first-half (1H) of 2024, an average of 338 work-related musculoskeletal disorders were reported per year. The breakdown is shown in Table 1 below. The majority, 91%, of such reported disorders were back injuries, with the rest affecting the upper limb. Most disorders arose from acute conditions, such as back injuries, which employers are required to report. A small number were due to prolonged ergonomic aches and inflammation, which are typically diagnosed and reported by medical practitioners. There are many factors that can cause work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Employees can protect themselves by practising ergonomic behaviours, such as maintaining proper work postures and applying correct lifting techniques. Employers should support by mitigating risk factors in their work processes, such as providing mechanical lifting aids, anti-fatigue mats and refresher training on lifting techniques. The Government supports employers to introduce good ergonomic practices based on their workplace risks and the workers' health needs. First, we have issued workplace safety guidelines and codes of practice on improving ergonomics in the workplace, which apply to different groups of workers, including seniors and persons with disability. Second, as part of the Total Workplace Safety and Health programme, employers can sign up for free ergonomics-related training for their employees to better understand and prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders at the workplace. Third, the Ministry of Manpower encourages employers to adopt technologies to monitor and reduce workers' exposure to such risks, by publicising these solutions on its website and engaging companies for technology trials.”
“Making a Central Provident Fund (CPF) nomination allows members’ monies to be distributed more promptly and to beneficiaries in accordance with members’ wishes upon their demise. Around 80% of members who passed away in 2024 had a nomination. Among members who are alive, older members are understandably more likely to have made a nomination. About 86% of members aged 65 and above have made a CPF nomination compared to 36% among those aged from 16 to 64. Of the members aged from 16 to 64 who have not made a nomination, the majority of them are aged 44 years old and below. Unlike for age, we do not observe sharp differentiations in nomination rates among the different races. The CPF Board actively encourages members to make their CPF nominations through sustained outreach efforts to engage various demographics, including the elderly and young adult groups. These efforts include publicity campaigns and roadshows in the heartlands conducted together with partner agencies to raise awareness and encourage adoption of legacy planning tools such as CPF nominations, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Advance Care Plans. The CPF Board also sends personalised notifications to remind members to make or review their CPF nominations, especially after major milestones, such as marriage. The CPF Board has made it more convenient for members to make their nomination through a secure online nomination service. Members who are less digitally savvy can visit our CPF service centres or ServiceSG centres for assistance to make their nomination. With CPF Board’s publicity efforts, more CPF members are making nominations.”
“Members’ Central Provident Fund (CPF) balances have grown over the past 10 years. From 2015 to 2024, the number and proportion of active1 CPF members2 who have at least $60,000 of combined CPF balances3 and received the maximum extra interest amount have increased from 1.1 million to 1.6 million, or from 54% to 74%. The corresponding number and proportion for all CPF members2 have increased from 1.3 million to 2.2 million, or from 40% to 52%.”
“Government agencies provide a variety of grants to support companies to upgrade and grow their business, so that they remain competitive and keep pace with industry trends. For grants that may be more closely linked to workforce transformation, businesses are already required to commit to specific worker outcomes, including workforce training, as part of the application process. For example, the Company Training Committee Grant and Enterprise Singapore’s Enterprise Development Grant require applicants to commit to worker outcomes, such as wage increments, job creation, job redesign, or training for existing staff as part of the qualifying requirements.”
“The proportion of employed resident trainees who received employer-sponsored training in each industry is provided in Table 1 below. The median and average (mean) number of training days by (i) own account workers, and employees from (ii) small enterprises, (iii) medium enterprises, and (iv) large enterprises are provided in Table 2. As there are too few observations in each worker group, it is not possible to further break down the data by industry.”
“Prior to 2022, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) did not specifically track such food-related complaints. Between 2022 and 2024, Forward Assurance and Support Team officers received an average of 35 complaints on food-related issues per year through various channels, including the FWMOMCare mobile application. Most complaints were resolved by engaging the affected migrant workers and their employers without the need for further investigation. Only one case resulted in a warning and there were no prosecutions under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. For issues on food safety and hygiene, MOM will refer them to the Singapore Food Agency for further investigation.”
“The Ministry of Manpower's survey shows that freelance personal care workers are a small group, fewer than 1,000 compared to a total of about 201,000 own account workers in 2024. These workers generally do not use online matching platforms. In fact, the survey found no freelance workers using such platforms in 2024.”
“The number of full-time employed residents aged 15 and over who held multiple jobs, including a main full-time job, was 48,900 in 2020, 60,000 in 2021, 58,400 in 2022, 49,600 in 2023 and 56,000 in 2024. In 2024, this constituted 2.7% of full-time employed residents.”
“More than 1,500 ex-offenders hired between April and December 2023 have benefited from the Uplifting Employment Credit (UEC) since it was implemented. The take-up for 2024 is not available yet. The figure of 3,000 cited by the Member was a projection based on data available when the scheme was introduced rather than a target, as the actual number of ex-offender beneficiaries depends on factors such as the number of inmates released in each year. Yellow Ribbon Singapore will continue to raise awareness of the UEC. More details about our plans for the UEC will be shared at Budget and Committee of Supply 2025.”
“While employers process both the employees' and employers' share of Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for their employees, self-employed persons (SEPs) are responsible for making their own MediSave contributions after declaring their income for the year. As of 2024, around 75% were able to meet their MediSave obligations in a timely manner. This trend has remained stable over the past five years. Amongst the 25% of SEPs who were unable to do so1, the primary reason for not being able to keep up is financial difficulties. SEPs can choose to make their MediSave contributions through monthly instalments via the CPF website. The CPF Board will work closely with SEPs to work out an affordable instalment plan, based on the SEP’s circumstances. For SEPs who are unable to make any MediSave contributions and are in need of further financial assistance, CPF Board will refer them to other agencies such as the Ministry of Social and Family Development Social Service Offices for financial support.”
“We will work with them to apply to be universal verified end users, so as to allow them to transfer a certain quantity of advanced chips to Singapore for their innovation and for their business needs. For the local companies with significant AI compute requirements, they can apply to be the national verified end user. There are two tiers: a universal verified end user and a national verified end user. They can apply for the national verified end user status to receive access to advanced AI chips and we will support our local companies in their application. Chips that are imported by both universal and national verified end users will not count towards the national cap imposed on Tier Two countries. We are in consultation with industry players in Singapore to gather feedback on the potential impact of the draft rules on their business activities. This will allow us to better consider appropriate measures to support our companies and we are also, as I have said earlier, engaging the US to address their concerns and to also better understand their approach to the AI Diffusion Rule.”
“I thank Mr Lee for his supplementary question. As my esteemed colleague, Minister Vivian, has shared, we are in the broader base of the 150 countries. I think we are in good company. As I have also mentioned in my reply earlier, the US AI Diffusion Rule has not yet been finalised by the current administration; and Minister Vivian has also alluded to the fact that it was released by the Biden Administration in the final days of his administration. Actually, it is on 13 January 2025, just over a month ago. And there is a 120-day comment period, which will end on 13 May 2025. The new administration has not commented on their policy or position towards the rule. So, we are among one of the 150 countries under this Tier Two status. Whilst the US categorised 18 countries under Tier One, it did not share specific requirements on the tiering classification nor what requirements are required for a country to be reclassified from Tier Two to Tier One. Access to AI compute is important for our national AI ambitions. As articulated in our National AI Strategy 2.0, we are adopting a multi-prong strategy to enable industry, academia and Government to undertake high-value AI activities. Besides securing access to advanced AI hardware and compute, we will also focus on talent and infrastructure development. We will continue to support companies operating in Singapore to gain access to advanced chips, including those that are under the AI Diffusion Rule. Presently, most of the demand for advanced chips amongst our industry players come from US headquartered cloud hyperscalers. These are: Meta, Amazon, Google and so on.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I want to also address Assoc Prof Lim's point about Nvidia's quarterly revenue, as he shared earlier on. I just wanted to put it into very clear perspective for the Member: in the third quarter of 2024, the proportion of Nvidia's quarterly revenue attributed to Singapore is 22%. This reflects the location where Nvidia's customers received the bill; it does not mean that it was shipped here. So, it is independent from the physical location that Nvidia and its customers deliver the goods to. Let me share broadly with Members of the House. It is common practice for global entities to centralise the billing for procured goods and services in their hubs, but this is separate from where the products are shipped to. So far, from our checks and the data that we have on hand, it is revealed that in that quarter, less than 1% of Nvidia's overall revenue was physically shipped into Singapore. The remainder of Nvidia's revenue billed to business entities here did not involve physical shipments into Singapore.”
“I thank Ms Joan Pereira for her supplementary question. As I have shared earlier on, countries may have export controls from time to time, unilaterally. Where we have been very clear and transparent to companies operating within Singapore is that they are expected to abide by the countries' export controls, and not use Singapore as a country to bypass or circumvent these export controls. To this end, as the hon Member has highlighted, it would not be possible to cover every potential, probable or future export controls that countries may unilaterally impose. But those principles that have guided us through to build us up to where we are a reputable business hub, these principles will continue to be consistent and we will hold true to these principles. From time to time, when these unilateral export controls come to our attention, we will work with the relevant countries to gain clarity, to engage them, as we are actively engaging with the US, our very important partner, to see how we can better manage and better educate the businesses that are based here to make sure that they are able to comply. I hope that gives the Member the reassurance.”
“From time to time, when we do get information of allegations and if we are aware of breaches, we will undertake to conduct these investigations ourselves. The approach that we take is systematic and thorough, and we want to continue to emphasise that we have an open, inclusive and transparent regulatory regime and it applies to all of our partners today. I hope that addresses Mr Yip's supplementary question.”
“I thank Mr Yip for his supplementary question. Singapore has a robust export control regime and this is underpinned by a comprehensive strategic goods control legislation. The Strategic Goods (Control) Act 2002 and its subsidiary legislation governs and regulates the transfer and brokering of strategic goods and technology. Singapore's list of control goods and technologies is aligned with four multilateral export control regimes, namely the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. And as I have alluded to earlier, the enforcement action is undertaken by Singapore Customs. I wanted to give a bit more granularity in terms of how we manage the exports. Potential contraventions can include export, transshipment, transit of strategic goods without the requisite permits or providing false or misleading documents or information, incorrect declarations and brokering of strategic goods without a permit or being registered – and with that, criminal penalties can then be enforced. How do we balance working with foreign counterparts? As I have earlier on mentioned in my reply, while we may currently not have legal obligations to enforce unilateral export controls of other countries, which may vary from time to time, companies that are operating in Singapore are expected to take into account such regulations if these apply to their international business activities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Singapore Customs also have existing arrangements with some foreign counterparts, such as those in the US, to facilitate the investigation of companies of interest.”
“The US' current technology controls are aimed at a narrow subset of advanced semi-conductor chips, whereas Singapore's semi-conductor industry focuses on producing mature node chips which are used globally in appliances, automotives and industrial equipment. However, in terms of access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) compute – for example Nvidia H100 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), the previous US administration had introduced an AI Diffusion Rule in January 2025 aimed at managing access to H100 or equivalent GPUs on a country-level basis. Singapore, like around 150 countries, has been classified as Tier Two. The details of the US AI Diffusion Rule have not yet been finalised by the current US administration, and the US has not communicated any specific requirements as prerequisites for changes to countries' tiering classifications. Our objective is to ensure adequate access to AI compute by both local and international companies with operations in Singapore. We will ensure that US-headquartered cloud hyperscalers can continue to operate in Singapore as Universal Verified End Users and also support local companies that wish to apply to be National Verified End Users with access to AI compute. In closing, I wish to assure Members that we will continue to work with companies based in Singapore to facilitate their access to advanced semi-conductor chips and technologies from all the major source countries. We will also continue to engage the US administration to address their concerns.”
“This is a robust framework that is aligned with major multilateral export control regimes, including those imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Outside of these multilateral regimes, countries sometimes impose unilateral export controls on specific items. The US' export controls on advanced semi-conductor chips are one example. Under these rules, the US expects companies to ensure their business transactions adhere to their requirements, including doing the required Know Your Customer (KYC) on the buyers of the advanced semi-conductor chips. While we currently do not have legal obligations to enforce the unilateral export controls of other countries, we expect all companies operating in Singapore to take into account such regulations if they apply to their international business activities. Their international business activities should be conducted transparently. We certainly do not condone businesses deliberately using their association with Singapore to circumvent or violate the export controls of other countries. At the operational level, Singapore Customs works closely with its foreign counterparts, including those from the US to address their concerns and to facilitate their investigations where appropriate and to the extent our law permits. It is important to emphasise that this open, inclusive and transparent regulatory regime applies to all our trading partners. Some Members also had questions about the economic impact on Singapore arising from US controls on advanced semi-conductor chips. There is limited impact, in terms of our ability to manufacture and export chips.”
“These pertain to questions over the United States (US) export controls and Singapore's approach to such measures. My response today will also cover a similar Parliamentary Question that has been filed by Mr Mark Lee1, that has been scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. Singapore is a stable, trusted, reliable and well-connected international business hub. Our economic competitiveness is based on our commitment to the rule of law, zero tolerance for corruption, transparent regulations and an open inclusive business environment. We have painstakingly built up this reputation over time. That is why we take firm and decisive action against individuals and companies that violate our laws. It is the foundation of our competitiveness. Questions have been raised about Nvidia chips that were subject to US export controls. We are scrutinising this issue carefully and will continue to do so. So far, our checks indicate that physical delivery of products sold by Nvidia to Singapore represent less than 1% of Nvidia's overall revenue. These are mainly deployed in Singapore for major enterprises and the Singapore Government. We understand that the remainder of Nvidia's revenue billed to business entities in Singapore did not involve physical shipments into Singapore. If a company in Singapore is engaged in deceptive or dishonest practices to evade export controls that it is subject to, we will investigate and we will take the appropriate action in accordance with Singapore laws. It is in our national interest to secure access to leading edge technology and to maintain the integrity of our business environment. Within Singapore, the transfer and brokering of strategic goods and technology is governed by the Strategic Goods (Control) Act.”
“Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, employers are also required to conduct proper risk assessment of work activities and manage their employees' workload and work shift so as to manage fatigue.”
“The prevalence of misclassification to avoid paying overtime pay remains low. In the past three years, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) received an average of 45 claims per year from employees who felt they were misclassified and denied of overtime. This can include cases where the employee felt that their job titles were being inflated. TADM found about 30% of these claims to be valid and employers were advised to make due compensation. In handling such cases, the employee's job title is not a relevant factor. Rather, each case is assessed individually based on the specific scope of the job, such as the level of decision-making powers in managing a business function. To safeguard against the non-payment of overtime pay and other breaches of employment laws, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regularly conducts Workright outreach campaigns and around 5,000 Workright inspections yearly to check on employers' compliance with the Employment Act. Employers found to have lapses will be referred to Employment Act clinics for training and rectification. If the lapses identified are more severe or systemic, we will take a strong stance and more serious enforcement actions, such as fines and prosecution, will be taken. On the issue of overtime leading to burnout, MOM has so far not conducted studies to assess how non-compliance with overtime regulations impacts burnout. Nonetheless, we have put in place various legislative safeguards to protect the well-being of workers and ensure that they have sufficient rest. For example, employers must provide one rest day per week and are restricted from contractually binding employees to work more than eight hours in one day or more than 44 hours in one week.”
“The Employment Act stipulates that employees are entitled to a statutory minimum of seven days of annual leave in their first year of service if they have worked with their employer for at least three months. With each year of service, an employee's statutory annual leave entitlement increases by one day, up to a minimum entitlement of 14 days. As mentioned in our earlier replies to related Parliamentary Questions read on 14 October 2024 and 13 November 2024, 18,800 full-time resident employees aged 25 to 64 who were in their first year of employment in 2023 received seven days of paid annual leave. [Please refer to "Full-time Resident Employees Aged 25 to 64 Receiving Only Seven Days Paid Annual Leave in First Year of Employment", Official Report, 14 October 2024, Vol 95, Issue 142, Written Answers to Questions section; and "Full-time Resident Employees Who Received Only Seven Days of Paid Annual Leave in First Year of Employment", Official Report, 13 November 2024, Vol 95, Issue 147, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.] This forms a small percentage, about 1.1%, of full-time resident employees aged 25 to 64. Persons who worked less than one year in their current job are a small group. More detailed estimates about this group, such as by income, industry and firms' annual revenue, are, therefore, not available.”
“The retention scheme was introduced in September 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic to relieve labour shortages and enable Work Permit holders to continue working in Singapore if their employment was terminated. Under this scheme, trade associations in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors would take over the upkeep of the workers and match them to employers that wished to hire foreign workers. The scheme helped 842 workers find new employers. It was discontinued in June 2022 after the pandemic and lifting of travel restrictions. The scheme was not continued because there are sufficient measures in place to facilitate the retention of experienced Work Permit holders in Singapore. Workers can transfer to a new employer at the end of their contract, without the need for the current employer's consent. They can also transfer to a new employer anytime, with consent of the current employer or if there is a valid claim against the current employer. To further support businesses in retaining higher-skilled Work Permit holders, the Alliance for Action on Business Competitiveness has also recommended for the Government to review relevant policies on maximum period of employment and maximum age for Work Permit holders. We are studying this recommendation.”
“I have also shared in my supplementary question reply that we will be sending up notification letters. In terms of understanding the different segments of the ONE Pass holders that reside in Singapore, it would then allow us to be a lot more targeted in leveraging on their expertise, their networks and also skillsets to be able to work closely and to transfer those skillsets to mentor our locals. Given that today, it has really been about two years into the programme, as I have said, the biggest group of ONE Pass holders are in the financial services, infocomms and professional services. Some of the programmes will be curated in those kind of areas for them to be able to come up with the capability transfer programmes. Rather than for us to mandate that they have to do that, we would prefer to work with a more encouraging tone, getting them to inspire our successive generations of Singaporeans to think outside of the box. I hope that gives you that context.”
“I thank Mr Neil Parekh for his supplementary question. I am glad he acknowledges the fact that the programme is very new. Given the fact that it is effectively the second year where the ONE Pass has started, and if you look at the year-on-year increase in new applicants coming in, I think that actually the uptake has been quite promising, the caveat is that we are starting off from a relatively lower base. But what we have done importantly is, our economic agencies, academia and research institutes have gone out to scour the world in terms of identifying the types of talent we need to sustain our growth industries, whether it is in forefront, cutting edge research in deep tech, in infocomm or professional services. Thus far, the type of talent that we have been getting, they are the top 5% of the entire ecosystem. So, you can imagine that it is a very targeted, almost akin to a form of a headhunting exercise. And we would require the different sector leads and the experts to go after this group of global talent. So, it is not about tweaking the ONE Pass to get big numbers to come in. It is about really getting a very differentiated, a very well curated programme to target the best of the best to join us. I hope that gives you the context.”
“Because for the longer-term sustainable ecosystem that we endeavour to build and to succeed, we need to continue to ensure that our only resource – and that of the highest form of human resource – our talent, continues to be here, to be well anchored here. And then, I think we will continue to succeed in making Singapore attractive to leading firms and also investors. I hope that addresses the Member's point.”
“I thank the Member for the supplementary question. We work collectively as an ecosystem, so MOM, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other economic agencies monitor how Singapore performs at a macro level, and this includes the competitiveness of our Singapore economy, as well as how it translates into good employment outcomes for our locals. At the upcoming Committee of Supply, when MOM has the opportunity, we will give a balanced scorecard update as to how the performance has been. The one point that I would like to also alert the Member to is that, when it comes to top global talent – the proverbial rainmakers, the ones that can bring deals, the super magnets for talent – they will reinforce our competitiveness as a hub for global talent, and we can never have enough. In terms of a specific target or key performance indicator, you are not running a business where you can set the return on investment. I think we should be thinking in terms of a measure of what kind of a return on social equity that we would want. And in that sense, we will work across our entire ecosystem with all the different Government Ministries. This programme only started two years ago. But we have already started an annual notification for the existing ONE Pass holders in September last year – so about three and a half, four months back. We will be reviewing the data that we collect and will also be evaluating their contributions to Singapore. And I want to once again reinforce, the impact of ONE Pass holders goes beyond the individual contributions and also the immediate tangible output that can be measured.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, about 3,000 Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Passes were issued in 2024, of which about one in six were new entrants. The conversion of existing work pass holders who meet the ONE Pass criteria also helps us to anchor talent in Singapore. The top three sectors that the ONE Pass holders were employed in were financial and insurance services, information and communications, and professional services. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is working with other sector agencies to increase the outreach to global talent and raise the awareness of the ONE Pass. We also encourage ONE Pass holders to participate in local programmes to mentor, to network and to exchange insights with current and future generations of local leaders, such as the Singapore Leaders Network.”
“Data on the median incomes of platform ride-hail and delivery workers are being monitored and published in the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) annual report on Labour Force in Singapore. MOM is also working with relevant agencies to monitor the impact of the Platform Workers Act, including by engaging Platform Work Associations and platform workers. MOM does not specifically track the daily average hours of platform workers, as their working hours are flexible and may vary widely for different reasons including the preferences of platform workers. Nevertheless, we will consider the Member's suggestions and continue to monitor the situation, reviewing our policies and indicators as necessary.”
“About 3,000 Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Passes were issued in 2024, of which about one in six were new entrants. The conversion of existing Work Pass holders who meet the ONE Pass criteria helps us to anchor talent in Singapore. The top three sectors that ONE Pass holders were employed in were financial and insurance services, information and communication and professional services. The ONE Pass may be revoked if the pass holder spends an extended period of time being inactive without good justifications or has failed to comply with our laws. To date, the Ministry of Manpower has only revoked one ONE Pass, following the ONE Pass holder's conviction for drink driving.”
“From 2020 to 2024, there were a total of 23 work injury compensation claims for mental disorders, which is an average of 4.6 claims per year. Twelve of these claims were successful, six were rejected or withdrawn and the rest are being processed.”
“The top three nationalities for Work Permits (Performing Artiste) are Vietnamese, Chinese and Filipino from 2020 to 2024. The Ministry of Manpower does not provide a breakdown of the number of foreign workers by nationality.”
“Over the past five years, a total of around 245 employers were granted exemptions from the overtime limit of 72 hours per month under section 41A of the Employment Act. Amongst these, around 165 employers were repeat applicants. In granting these exemptions, the Ministry of Manpower takes into account the company's operational requirements and the workers' safety and health to make sure that they are not compromised. Companies have to satisfy several conditions. First, they have obtained the consent of employees in extending their overtime hours. Second, they have a good track record for maintaining employment standards and worker health and safety. Third, they have secured the agreement of the union if it is a unionised company. In addition, high-risk work activities, such as those which involve heavy machinery, are not eligible for overtime exemptions.”