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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“We have to reconcile all of these tensions into coherent, fiscally sustainable and forward-looking and practical policies for all of our fellow Singaporeans. So, we consult widely. We consult widely with workers, with employers, with unions, with industry partners and we try as much as possible, to ensure that the voices and the concerns are heard. We have this singular objective. We want to empower Singaporeans through all stages of life and we want to ensure that they are equipped to succeed in this changed world. We also have to contemporaneously ensure that our businesses continue to thrive in this transformed landscape, so that we can continue to foster an environment where innovation, where opportunity continues to be accessible to all. So, we balance all these priorities. Sometimes, certain, very expedient and clear pathways may seem so intuitive. Why is it that we are not able to do it? It is because whatever policy that we come up with and implement, it will trigger a cascade of ramifying effects, much further, laterally and down the line. And hence, we walk on a very tight rope and we hope that with your support, with that focus on singularly building a better future for all of our Singaporeans and our future generations that will come after us, we will continue to work hard to build a Singapore that is prosperous, that is full of optimism, resilient and safe for all. So, I thank the Member for her understanding.”
“I recognise and I respect the diversity of the views that have been expressed, not just today, but I think in many of our sessions. And there are also many different views, huge dichotomy and also many tensions between the views that have been expressed. For example, some would want AI to move faster and then others urge more caution. We have even had Mr Gerald Giam and Assoc Prof Ho, who called for rapid AI democratisation, put AI skills into every workers' hands, as quickly as possible. On the other hand, Mr Pritam Singh cautioned against unfettered expansion, urge for tighter guardrails, stronger regulation; and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Dr Wan Rizal, Ms Mariam Jaafar have similarly echoed views to ensure that AI adoption actually translates into real wage growth and not jobless growth. Then, we have got other examples where some want to raise productivity skills and wages in the domestic sectors, while others ask to support lower productivity sectors with easier access to foreign workers. Ms Yeo Wan Ling spoke about the limits as to how much we can expand our foreign workforce and yet, Mr Gerald Giam warns of the dangers of a dual-speed economy. However, at the same time, with some Members, for instance, like Assoc Prof Jamus Lim and Mr Mark Lee, have called for more leeway for domestic-oriented sectors, including F&B and retail, to access foreign workers, to help our SMEs cope with cost pressures. Members of the House, Mr Chairman, these are examples that reflect the fundamental trade-offs that we must all square off. As with all policy decisions, we strike a very careful and a very delicate balance between all of these competing priorities. As the Government of the day, we are entrusted with the responsibility to navigate these complex issues.”
“Mr Chairman, I will take both in the interest of time. The short answer is, for the Mandatory Retrenchment Notification advance notice, we are undertaking the review of the Employment Act and we will look at all that comprehensively. So, rest assured. On the second part, with regard to the ONE Pass. The construct of the ONE Pass is meant to bring the movers and shakers, the rainmakers, the network brokers, here. We believe that the three most valuable traits that we have collectively is our one people, the trust that we have built over the years and the credibility that we have as a hub. And of course, today, in the uncertain world that we live in, the safety, the predictability, the transparency and the frameworks that we have here, and the type of robust debates, the constructive debates that we were able to have here, in the House, all put us in a very good position to attract global talent to be here. And with that, they can spawn multiple enterprises. They can uplift the calibre of all, by transferring cutting-edge technology, thought processes and so on to our locals. Then I think we would have arrived and achieved our end objective.”
“I think the fundamental difference is that, today, we want to see a more differentiated, a more targeted and a more surgical approach towards each sector, rather than a blanket nationalised programme.”
“Let me clarify to Assoc Prof Lim. We, at this current moment, do not intend for it to be a national institutionalised programme for on-the-job training, because we think that, given the current employment situation, at least up to last year, or even up to January, there are still more job vacancies than there are jobseekers. A big part of it, of course, is the expectations may not match the type of jobs that are available in the market today. What we are considering for GRIT is for a group of graduates who may need the additional internships. Having said that, there are many graduates who have already arranged their own industrial attachment and internships while they are in flight, whether it is through ITE, Polytechnics or in the IHLs. So, we do not have plans to develop this into a national programme. Suffice to say, today, we already have a whole series of all these programmes available – GRIT, Overseas Markets Immersion Programme, and these are for junior level persons. Beyond that, even at the mid-career level, we have also got different types of attachment programmes. So, let me set that record straight. A large part of these programmes will be administered by the newly formed WSSG indeed. When it comes to the finance sectors and so on, I believe that WSSG would have to work with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, with the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore and maybe other specialised institutions to get traction and to make sure that our reach and our impact is optimised and maximised for our locals. 6.45 pm I think we all want the same thing for our people. We want to ensure that we deliver the best outcomes for them. We cannot deliver equal outcomes for everyone, but we want to deliver the best outcomes for them.”
“So, ostensibly we understand, we take all this feedback into consideration. We are all living longer, hopefully healthier and these are the considerations that we will constantly take back and review. What was the second? The national masters trade. We wanted to start with three sectors, because obviously there are multiple sectors all over. So, the first one we work with was the electrical trade. Part of the reason is that I am very familiar with the electrical trade, because I happen to also cover energy in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Our licensed electrical workers (LEWs), they are also rapidly ageing. In fact, if I am not mistaken, the median age of our LEWs is about 60, 60 something. So, I think for our own resilience, for our own security and our own reliability, we have to train this group of people. And earlier on I mentioned Jia Xing, I think he has done very well. So, we want to start that on a very firm footing. The other two trades that we have identified is plumber and then the third one is air-conditioning technicians. These are all very important, key. And I think the Member knows the size of our population. If we want to try to spread it too thin, then obviously how to differentiate according to the importance and so on, I think that impact would be a lot more less impactful compared to being very focused on these three. So, we are starting off with these three first. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Manpower", Official Report, 03 March 2026, Vol 96, Issue 23, Correction By Written Statement section.]”
“The most important thing that we require the companies who participate in the the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme, the funding is actually quite generous, it is up to 70%, it is for them to have a clear business plan. There must also be a very clear career path. What are the roles that they are going to transition post that overseas attachment? With that, with our programme partner and WSG dispersing the grant itself, we hope to be able to reach out to a larger swathe of the young population. On the last one, the CPF Investment Scheme, and then maybe the Member could tell me what was the second one. The investment scheme is meant to provide a longer-term horizon for younger CPF members at the point of either starting or maybe very early on in their careers when they have a runway. What we have taken, with getting consultation with many of the investments consultants and advisors is that, we wanted to set it such that that life-cycle product allows for first, an automatic rebalancing without the member having to actively manage the portfolio with age; and the second part is obviously once they reach a certain age, then there would be a liquidation, a phased liquidation. As far as what is that time horizon and whether we can extend it, today, we are just about to talk to the different providers. When we get more information, and once the scheme runs over the course, not the entire course at this time, once we have got the experience in working with some of these providers, we would be able to continue to refine and tweak the scheme further. Having said that, even at our Payout Eligibility Age of 65 today, we find that quite a number of our CPF members have opted to get the payout at 70. And in fact, many of the members have asked us, can we extend beyond 70?”
“To his first question, for GRIT, we have originally, as of the outset, sized up about 800 of them, so the majority will be at GRIT; and then there is a smaller quantity, number of places at GRIT@Gov. We have as of the outset about 4,000-plus applications, but I do not have the exact numbers with me, but the vast majority of them actually found jobs while they were applying for GRIT, because they contemporaneously also apply for jobs. And we are happy for that, because the whole objective of GRIT was to place them into permanent jobs. Having said that, today, 400 have come on board. There are still quite a substantive number out there that are undergoing on board clearance, including some security checks as well. What we are heartened to see is that by the end of January and into February, like I said, the majority of the original GRIT applicants have actually found jobs. [Please refer to "Clarification by Minister for Manpower", Official Report, 3 March 2026, Vol 96, Issue 23, Correction By Written Statement section.] But having said that, we continue to maintain the scheme. We will extend it to include the 2026 cohort as well. And given the uncertainty that just, the tensions that just came up — actually, the war that just came up over the weekend, we will not sunset the scheme. We will continue to hold it and, depending on the requirements, we may expand it if necessary. For the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme, we are also very heartened by the response. What we are now doing is to expand it to more companies, to even potentially to younger employees as well who join companies.”
“As the poet Li Bai has written, “There will come a time to ride the wind and break the waves, let us set our sails straight and cross the vast sea.” As long as we remain confident and move forward hand in hand, we will surely forge ahead despite the difficulties and create a better tomorrow. (In English): So, to conclude, Mr Chairman, the road ahead will be neither certain nor easy. But we have proven over the last 60 years that we can overcome any challenge as long as we are prepared to tackle them collectively together – we did it before and we will do it again. 5.15 pm Our strong labour market and wage outcomes, they are the result of deliberate choices for us as a society, as a country and as a people to invest in our workers' skills and development, support business transformation, uphold fairness and trust in our workplaces. And we will continue to ride and build on this momentum. We have all got to play our part. Workers will have to take ownership of their career health, businesses will have to continue to transform, and the Government will continue to walk alongside all of you. Tripartism will remain the corner stone of our strength. And it is through trust and partnership, through our tripartite way, that we have weathered past challenges. We will collectively shape a future of work where every one of us can contribute with confidence, grow with purpose and we can look ahead with confidence and assurance, come what may. [Applause.]”
“As the economy transforms, the Government will ensure that our nation's growth remains inclusive and that it creates good, meaningful jobs for Singaporeans. One of the important steps we are taking is to harness the potential of AI to create long-term, quality employment opportunities for Singaporeans. AI is a tool. It is not a competitor, and it is definitely not the exclusive domain of young people. As long as we are willing to try and we dare to use it, we can all benefit from it and improve the way we work. Therefore, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will make AI tools universally accessible, making it easier for Singaporeans to access AI. Singaporeans who enrol in designated or selected courses will receive six months of free subscription, to help everyone develop confidence in the use of AI tools. MOM will ensure that Singaporeans have the support they need at every stage of their career. We will also help graduates from Institutes of Higher Learning establish a solid foundation for their careers. At the same time, we will also provide more flexible work arrangements for older workers who wish to continue working and strengthen their retirement security. As the ancient saying goes, “Even in the twilight years, a hero's ambition does not fade.” With age comes experience, not retreat. The experience and wisdom of our senior workers are the strongest assets in our workplace. Please be assured that regardless of the stage of career you are currently in, we will walk alongside with you. This is MOM’s promise to you. We will help you to continuously keep pace with the rapidly changing job market and stride towards the future with confidence.”
“Mr Pritam Singh suggested that Singapore legislate retrenchment benefit, with larger companies paying a higher amount. I have said before when we pushed for the Workplace Fairness Act that legislation is not a panacea. We adopt a balanced approach. We protect our workers but at the same time we need to give businesses some flexibility to adjust in different situations because retrenchments occur for a whole variety of reasons. And company size is also not an indicator of a company's ability to afford retrenchment benefit. For example, if you mandate retrenchment benefit in larger companies facing financial difficulties, I think we may inadvertently put even more jobs at risk. So it balance, we are reviewing it, and I think Senior Minister of State Koh will provide further updates on the Employment Act review. Next, on promoting safer and healthier workplaces. Every worker deserves to return home safe and healthy. Workplace safety and health (WSH) is a shared responsibility that involves all of us – employers, workers and Government. Minister of State Dinesh will update on moves to strengthen and improve WSH ownership. Finally, migrant workers play an essential role in our economy, contributing to our development by building our infrastructure. Minister of State Dinesh will also update on our continuing efforts to ensure our migrant workers' well-being. Mr Chairman, I will now speak in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the way we work and, this year, Singapore will also become a super-aged society. Some Singaporeans may feel anxious about the future. This is understandable.”
“As work evolves, our employment framework must remain fit-for-purpose. As announced last year, we have embarked on a review of the Employment Act. The tripartite partners are reviewing how the Employment Act can continue to provide appropriate safeguards for different worker groups, including updating coverage and protections for our most vulnerable workers under Part 4 of the Employment Act. We are also looking at how to provide businesses with greater flexibility and efficiency in workplace management, and to streamline key provisions for easier compliance. We aim to ensure that our employment framework remains trusted and relevant, upholding a harmonious and equitable labour compact where both workers and businesses can thrive. Mr Patrick Tay suggested mandating advance notification prior to retrenchment. Mr Ng Chee Meng also asked whether Mandatory Retrenchment Notifications can be brought forward. While advance notification has merits, mandating such a requirement poses non-trivial challenges. Retrenchment is often, in fact I would say, is always a difficult process for all parties involved and is often a last resort for companies. And many a time, senior management, together with the board, conduct backroom negotiations to try to save as many jobs as possible. If we mandate advance notifications, this may inevitably or inadvertently push companies to finalise retrenchments faster, discouraging such negotiations. Businesses have also expressed concerns over the potential leakage of confidential, market-sensitive information. We are not ruling out any option, we are engaging, we review, this will be a comprehensive review, we are consulting tripartite partners on these issues and will update in due course.”
“In response to Mr Melvin Yong, we have some ways still to go to boost productivity growth in PWM-covered sectors. As highlighted by the Singapore Productivity Centre’s Food Services Productivity report, improving productivity is essential for resilience and sustainable growth, especially for firms in sectors facing manpower shortages, competitive pressures and rising operational costs. The Government is fully committed to walking alongside employers and lower-wage workers on this journey. I spoke earlier about some of the initiatives we will be rolling out to this end, including the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package. The extended PWCS support in 2027 and 2028 will also raise the minimum qualifying threshold for wage increases from $100 to $200, better targeting businesses that invest in capability and workforce development. These efforts are aligned with the Economic Strategy Review's recommendation to broaden the range of good jobs across our economy. Minister of State Dinesh will share about how we will further support upskilling for lower-wage workers. Ultimately, uplifting our lower-wage workers is a whole-of-society effort. We hope employers will take advantage of support to deepen their transformative efforts and lower-wage workers will seize the upskilling opportunities to move into higher-value jobs. Members, including NTUC Secretary-General Mr Ng Chee Meng, spoke about the challenges faced by caregivers, including the "sandwiched generation". We will continue to encourage inclusive workplace practices, supporting workers who may face higher barriers to workforce participation such as women, caregivers and persons with disabilities. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Shawn Huang will provide updates on these efforts.”
“As announced, we will extend the PWCS to 2028. We have extended it by two years to support businesses doing their part to uplift lower-wage workers. Mr Shawn Loh and Mr Liang Eng Hwa suggested extending or making PWCS co-funding permanent. Meanwhile, Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Pritam Singh asked how PWCS can be better tied to productivity outcomes. Our policies strike a balance between these two perspectives. Productivity improvement is key to achieving sustainable wage gains. The PWM is central to these efforts, linking wage growth to skills development, career progression and job redesign. However, productivity improvement can be uneven across sectors. In domestically oriented sectors where many of our lower-wage workers are employed, it takes time to redesign labour-intensive work processes and it also takes time to allow our lower-wage workers to upskill into new roles. Therefore, on top of broad-based enterprise transformation measures, we introduced the PWCS, temporarily cushioning the near-term cost impact of moves to support lower-wage workers. This ensures that support remains a catalyst, not a substitute for productivity improvement. The PWCS is reviewed regularly to provide adequate support to businesses while they transform. Just as crucially, as Ms Yeo Wan Ling highlighted, this ensures a manageable pace of change for lower-wage workers to upskill into new roles, limiting disemployment risks. Many companies have made good use of Government support to innovate and evolve alongside their workers. Over 600 companies have tapped on the Company Training Committee Grant since August 2022. Likewise, over 600 companies have taken up the PSG-JR since 2020. That said, we must continually renew our efforts.”
“00 pm Thus, MOM has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Specialists Trade Alliance of Singapore to embark on a pilot to uplift the electrical trade. As part of this pilot, we will work with industry to develop initiatives for tradespeople, such as a more structured career and skills progression ladder, and apprenticeships. We have started with the electrical trade given its essential role in our future economy, that it has deep skills content and the need to build a strong local pipeline. We will learn from this to scale up our efforts to other trades. We will provide updates at a later stage. Building workplaces that leave no one behind also means ensuring that our growth is shared. We will continue to support wage improvements for our lower-wage workers such as through raising the LQS. We have received feedback from businesses that MOM's policies add to costs, and many employers are feeling the squeeze amidst tight margins. I hear you. I do not just hear you, I empathise with you. But at the same time, I want to also share with you a different perspective, that our manpower policies also serve important social objectives. As highlighted in the Ministry of Finance's Occasional Paper on inequality, policies such as our PWM play a crucial role in achieving inclusive growth and prevent social fissures from deepening. The majority of labour-related business cost increases arising from Government policies go towards uplifting wages for lower-wage workers. Without such policies, our lower-wage workers will fall further behind, just as Singapore's Gini coefficient showed before the introduction of the PWM in 2012. The Government will nevertheless continue to help our businesses to mitigate the cost pressures that you are experiencing. We are with you.”
“We are working with the Labour Movement and trade associations to make similar efforts for the skilled trades. We agree with Ms Diana Pang and Mr Saktiandi Supaat that the skilled trades can and should offer good job opportunities for those who prefer "hands-on" work that require dedication and mastery. Many such trades will remain essential in our future economy. They may also be resilient, or even complementary, to automation by AI. Electrical work, for example, will remain indispensable in our transition to a green and AI-powered economy. Yet, with the workforce ageing in such trades, we need to think harder about workforce renewal and attracting more Singaporeans to join these trades. There are young Singaporeans that are building fulfilling careers in the skilled trades. For example, Mr Koh Jia Xing, an electrical engineer with Syntigro Engineering Ptd Ltd. Having trained in aerospace engineering at ITE, Jia Xing decided that he wanted to embark on a career in electrical engineering. In his career thus far, one project stood out for him – replacing a hospital's main electrical switchboard, with the hospital still fully operational. That is a very difficult task. Believe you me, I have run hospitals before and any outage will result in a significant compromise in human lives. So, this is high-stake, very challenging work, but it is one that gives a sense of fulfilment, and that pride in how skilled tradespeople can keep critical systems running. Today, Jia Xing is pursuing a Masters in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology. We want to support those with similar aspirations to Jia Xing. 5.”
“Details will be announced subsequently. To further drive workforce transformation efforts, we must also develop our HR leaders and professionals because these are the people behind the people. To uplift human capital management standards, we formed a Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development last year. The Workgroup has made important progress in developing strategies to strengthen firms' HR capabilities, such as through establishing clear benchmarks for human capital performance and expanding professional HR practice to more organisations. Senior Minister of State Koh will share more on the Workgroup's recommendations. Finally, our third priority is to build more inclusive workplaces that leave no one behind. Economic growth and business transformation must go hand-in-hand with fairness and inclusion. Our workplaces must continue to provide every worker with safety, opportunity and dignity. In the past, success in the labour market was narrowly defined by academic qualifications, linear career paths and traditional professions. Increasingly, there is greater awareness that there are diverse pathways to success, and every profession deserves recognition and respect. As the Prime Minister said, inclusive growth also means creating good jobs in domestic and essential services where many workers are employed. The Economic Strategic Review has also recommended broadening the range of good jobs in our economy. Assoc Prof Terence Ho has identified several areas where we can redesign jobs to attract more young Singaporeans, including healthcare and skilled trades. The Prime Minister has outlined how we are increasing pay and progression in the education, healthcare and social service sectors.”
“Under the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package, the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+) will be rolled out in March 2026, this month. This builds on the earlier Support for Job Redesign under the Productivity Solutions Grant programme (PSG-JR), which supported smaller-scale projects, leading to improved retention and wage growth. The Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+) will expand support significantly. Enterprises can now receive up to 70% of project costs capped at $150,000 per company, which is higher than the PSG-JR cap of $30,000. So, it is a five-fold increase. This will allow companies to redesign more roles, engage experts to build internal capabilities and implement AI-native workforce solutions. The redesigned SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit will also be launched late this year. Companies can tap on the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to further defray the out-of-pocket expenses of workforce transformation. Assoc Prof Terence Ho has asked how Singapore can build expertise in human-centric job redesign, ensuring that AI augments rather than replaces human contribution. We do so through initiatives, such as the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package, which couples productivity support with workforce support. We have also worked very closely with NTUC through the Company Training Committee programme. Through WDG(JR+), enterprises can work with consultants to assess their AI readiness, identify opportunities and redesign roles. They can also receive support to implement workforce technology solutions, such as AI-powered HR tools. We will continue to improve access to AI support under Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package, with pre-packaged solutions targeted at specific company needs.”
“They have asked how MOM considers sector needs and business costs when calibrating our policies. Our policy changes are developed in close consultation with sector agencies and with industry partners. Where essential or strategic areas have limited scope for automation or localisation, MOM works with sector agencies to provide targeted foreign manpower flexibilities, calibrated to avoid entrenching labour-intensive business models. We closely monitor business cost increases, keeping in mind Singapore's continued ability to attract investments and talent. Between 2019 and 2025, profit rates in Singapore grew by 4.4% per year, indicating that businesses have been improving profitability alongside cost increases. Singapore was also ranked the most talent-competitive economy in the 2025 Global Talent Competitiveness Index. In addition, we are ramping up business cost support measures through targeted wage credit schemes, which Senior Minister of State Koh and Minister of State Dinesh will elaborate on further later. We understand that businesses need time to shift towards more productive models and, therefore, we announced, ahead of time, we implement changes at a measured pace and phased out approach. As businesses transform, jobs will also evolve. To succeed, firms must invest in developing their workers to take on new and redesigned jobs. As announced last year, the Government has set aside over $400 million for the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package. Working with the Singapore Business Federation and SNEF, the scheme aims to strengthen the link between enterprise transformation and workforce development, capturing growth and creating jobs. Dr Wan Rizal asked about the implementation of the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package.”
“For the Manufacturing and Services sectors, we will combine the bottom two tiers. For this new combined tier, the levy rates for the Higher- and Basic-skilled workers will be $300 and $470 respectively for Manufacturing; and $400 and $600 respectively for Services. So, please take note. The higher-skilled workers will enjoy a lower levy compared to the relatively unskilled workers. So, we will retain existing levy rates for the highest tier, so that firms with a higher reliance on Work Permit holders will continue to pay higher rates because we hope that they can work with us to redesign, to improve and transform their work processes to achieve higher productivity. This revised levy schedule will take effect from 2028. We are giving a heads-up in advance so that companies can plan for it. MOM will work closely with industries to strengthen the framework for identifying higher-skilled workers eligible for lower levies in each sector. Second, we will add eight new occupations to the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL) from September 2026, in the areas of food services, social services and air transportation. The NTS-OL allows businesses to hire higher-quality non-PMET workers from non-traditional source countries for specific roles with not enough locals. Mr Mark Lee shared the challenges of domestic-oriented sectors that operate on thin margins and rely on S Pass holders for frontline roles, such as F&B. With the upcoming expansion of the NTS-OL to include four more F&B roles, including frontline waiters, businesses can retain these workers who may not meet the higher S Pass qualifying salary. Both Mr Mark Lee and Mr Shawn Loh raised an important point. We need to be pro-worker and we need to be pro-business.”
“Of course, like I said, the caveat is it depends on our prevailing local wages and the prevailing economic conditions then. With an ageing local workforce, Singapore needs Work Permit Holders to deliver essential infrastructure, goods and services. Our Work Permit numbers in the construction sector have grown by 36% over the past five years, as we catch up on important projects post-COVID-19. Across all sectors, Work Permit numbers have grown by 186,000, or 27%. So, we agree with Ms Yeo Wan Ling that our Work Permit growth must be sustainable, given our infrastructural and social constraints. Our businesses must operate more efficiently by adopting technology and redesigning jobs. And we have grants to help companies to do that. So, even as we manage numbers, we will continue to support businesses in accessing higher quality, the key thing is higher quality, Work Permit holders. To this end, we will make two enhancements to our Work Permit framework. First, we will streamline our Work Permit levy framework to make it easier for businesses to understand, and they can plan how they hire, how they can train and how they can retain the Work Permit holders. Over the decades, our levy framework has evolved to comprise 24 different rates and different tiers. We will start by reducing the number of rates from 24 to 20, and we will progressively streamline this further over time. So, for the Marine Shipyard and Process sectors, we will work towards aligning the levy rates with Construction. For a start, we will raise the levies for basic-skilled workers by $100 and $150 respectively. This is set to incentivise companies to hire higher-skilled workers. So, our exhortation is for companies to bring in higher-skilled workers, retain them and train them well.”
“Second, we must stay open to skills and expertise from abroad while ensuring they continue to complement our local workforce. 4.45 pm Our EP and S Pass Qualifying Salaries are regularly updated to keep pace, they are keeping pace with local wage benchmarks – they do not lead the local wage benchmarks – so that it ensures that foreigners who come here do not compete mainly based on accepting lower salaries. As announced, we will raise the EP minimum qualifying salary from $5,600 to $6,000, in line with the wages of the top one-third of local PMETs. This will apply to new EP applications from 1 January 2027 and the renewals from 1 January 2028, to give employers time to adjust. Beyond meeting the qualifying salary, EP applicants must also pass COMPASS. Mr Patrick Tay requested an update on how our COMPASS framework incentivises firms to improve their workforce profile. Since implementation about two-and-a-half years ago, in 2023, about two-thirds of the current EP holders have passed through COMPASS. Results suggest that we are moving in the right direction. The share of firms with higher dependence on foreigners of a single nationality has decreased by 20%, while the share of firms with a higher dependence on foreigners in general has decreased by 37%. For the S Pass, we will continue to raise the minimum qualifying salary in line with wages of the top one-third of our local associate professionals and technicians (APTs). In the first step, we will raise the minimum qualifying salary from $3,300 to $3,600. This will apply to new applications and renewals from 1 January 2027 and 2028 respectively. By around 2030, if the economy continues to grow, the S Pass minimum qualifying salary is expected to be around $4,000 to $4,500.”
“In a fast-changing global environment and under tighter resource constraints, businesses can only thrive by continuously transforming their business models and investing in their workforce. Therefore, enabling business transformation remains central to our foreign workforce strategy. We will continue to remain globally connected and open to talent that can complement our skilled local workforce, while reducing reliance on foreign labour where there is scope to raise productivity. We will make further enhancements to our foreign workforce policies in line with this approach. First, we will continue to compete globally for top-tier talent. Since the launch of the Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass for pinnacle talent in 2023, there has been healthy growth in take-up. Currently, over 8,000 individuals are on the ONE Pass, and many of them contribute to sectors which are critical to our future economy. Take Dr Anders Jacobsen Skanderup. He is an Assistant Director at the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore. He developed Fragle, which is a novel AI-based method to monitor cancer progression and relapse through blood tests. Or Mr Oliver Jay, Managing Director at OpenAI, whose experience in bridging Silicon Valley and Asia supports Singapore’s ambitions as a leading AI hub. Previously, Mr Jay spent two years mentoring Singaporean leaders in high-growth Singapore companies such as Carousell and Glints. To strengthen our attractiveness to top talent in critical and emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing, we will introduce a new ONE Pass AI and Tech track in January 2027. This will replace the Tech.Pass and offering more attractive terms than the Tech.Pass.”
“Hence, this new scheme will be voluntary. Members who prefer to actively manage their own investments can continue to invest their Ordinary and Special Account balances via the CPFIS. Members can also opt to retain their savings in their CPF accounts to continue earning risk-free returns. We agree with Mr Shawn Loh, with Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari and Mr Saktiandi Supaat that investor literacy is key. Members must understand the products and their risks, and decide the most suitable option for themselves. We will work with the selected product providers and partners, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore to enhance investor education. I also want to thank our Members for their suggestions on product design, such as on cooling-off windows, the target date and encouraging retention. We will consider them as we further engage the industry. We target to launch the new scheme in the first half of 2028, but of course, if we can do so earlier, we will. More details will be announced in due course. Let me move to our second priority, which is enabling businesses to thrive and create good jobs for Singaporeans in a changed landscape. Ms Yeo Wan Ling requested an update on how we will refresh our foreign workforce policies to generate growth and good jobs for Singaporeans, while recognising the limits to which we can keep growing our foreign workforce. Thriving businesses are the engine of good jobs. Before joining the Government, I was in the private sector all my life, so I can understand the angst faced by private entrepreneurs and business owners. Thriving business, they are engines of good jobs, rising wages and they continue to sustain opportunities for Singapore.”
“For seniors who may face challenges in building up enough savings despite their best efforts, we are committed to support you. As announced, we will provide a CPF top-up of up to $1,500 for eligible Singaporeans aged 50 and above, with CPF balances below the prevailing Basic Retirement Sum. The top-up will be automatically credited this year. Finally, we will provide more choices within the CPF system for Singaporeans to grow their retirement savings. Today, the CPF system offers risk-free interest of up to 6%. Members seeking potentially higher returns can invest through the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS), which has around 700 products available. However, this requires financial knowledge and active investment management. As the Prime Minister announced, the CPF Board will introduce a new investment scheme, with life-cycle investment products that will automatically shift to lower-risk assets via a glide-path, as the investor grows older. This helps to calibrate exposure to investment risk at different life stages and it mitigates market downturn risk when it is time to exit. To keep choices simple, we will curate to two to three reputable commercial providers offering a small number of options. To Mr Saktiandi Supaat’s question on product provider selection, the applications will be rigorously evaluated by independent investment consultants appointed by the CPF Board, covering investment capability and track record, amongst others. We will cap all-in fees to keep costs low and are prepared to provide some time-limited support to interested members. We agree with Mr Saktiandi Supaat that for many Singaporeans, especially older workers and those prioritising certainty, the CPF risk-free returns remain highly attractive. Not everyone has the appetite for investment risk.”
“The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is studying a more integrated approach to support career longevity, including enabling individuals to plan earlier for later-stage career transitions, and equipping employers to design age-friendly jobs and workplaces. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will share more about these initiatives. In the interim, we will extend the Senior Employment Credit until December 2027 to continue supporting employers hiring senior workers. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen our retirement adequacy policies to give our seniors greater assurance. We have been enhancing the CPF system over the last few years, providing Singaporeans with more support. This has only been possible because of our strong social compact and belief in shared responsibility between individuals, families, employers and the Government. We will continue to stay this course. As announced, we will increase CPF contribution rates in 2027 for senior workers by 1.5 percentage-points for workers aged above 55 to 60, and one percentage-point for workers aged above 60 to 65. This will better support retirement adequacy for seniors who wish and want to take the option to continue working. With this, we have reached the target contribution rates for senior workers aged above 60 to 65, as recommended by the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers. We will extend the CPF Transition Offset for another year to help cushion half of the increase in employer CPF contributions. Later this year, we will also announce the new retirement sums for cohorts beyond 2027, to allow members to better plan ahead. With rising living standards, the new retirement sums will better reflect the savings needed to meet basic retirement needs in the future.”
“But at the same time, I want to reassure you, new opportunities will arise, and we will help you to seize them. Last year, we launched the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, which provides temporary financial relief and job search support to involuntarily unemployed individuals, helping them regain their footing and return to work with confidence. The scheme has made a difference for many Singaporeans, but we can do more. Just as what Secretary-General Mr Ng Chee Meng and Mr Patrick Tay have suggested, expanding the scheme’s coverage beyond the current qualifying income cap. The Jobseeker Support scheme has been in place for about less than a year, we are reviewing the scheme and its parameters when we have more experience. So, we will ask for your indulgence and patience in supporting us through this journey. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will provide further updates on the scheme. Let me now turn to the later stages of one’s career. As Singaporeans lead longer and healthier lives, we must shift from managing the pressures of ageing, to unlocking the benefits of career longevity. As previously announced, we will raise the retirement and the re-employment ages to 64 and 69 respectively on 1 July 2026, and this will keep us on track to raising them to 65 and 70 before 2030. This will give our seniors more flexibility and assurance, while enabling employers to retain experienced workers. Beyond how long we work, we must also transform how effectively we work by creating more flexible and varied pathways for seniors to remain engaged and productive.”
“For caregivers, seniors and those facing greater hardship, we will explore new ways to support you to work more flexibly, or better still, get you to return to work. For SMEs, we will test ways to support your own internal mobility and also perhaps, suggest to you, adopt new work models. The workgroup will release its recommendations in the second half of this year. These efforts will also help address concerns about underemployment, which Mr Patrick Tay had requested updates on. MOM has been studying underemployment in the form of overqualification, where workers possess higher educational qualifications than typically required for the job. Preliminarily, we found that most overqualified workers in Singapore took up their current jobs voluntarily, for reasons such as flexibility or planned career transitions. The share of involuntarily overqualified workers remains small and stable. Our efforts to strengthen the career and employment ecosystem will better support these workers to find jobs more aligned with their aspirations or develop the skills to enter such jobs. We will release detailed findings later in the year. Third, for Singaporeans who aspire to leadership positions, we will help you develop the skills to do so. In the past year, we have expanded the capacity, the uptake of our professional development programmes. With the support from EDB, the Singapore Leaders Network run by the Human Capital Leadership Institute has grown to over 4,000 members, with new and expanded offerings. This includes the Overseas Transition Support programme, which has supported already about 120 professionals. Finally, as the economy evolves, some Singaporeans will inevitably find their jobs changing or coming to an end.”
“We are expanding our Careers and Skills Passport partnerships to five more job portals – MyCareersFuture, Careers@Gov, EASE, FindSGJobs and eFinancialCareers. We have also integrated Careers and Skills Passport with HR tech firm JobTech's platform, enabling employers to search for candidates based on verified skills data. 4.30 pm For employers, tools, like TalentTrack and TalentTrack+, can help you better assess your workforce readiness and identify internal talent for new roles. In total, our tools and initiatives have already helped over 800,000 individuals and 38,000 firms. Through WSSG, we will also strengthen our ecosystem of career and employment service providers to serve different workforce segments more effectively. As our workforce evolves, new forms of career support are needed – some of which can be delivered effectively through private service providers specialising in certain industries, certain sectors or workforce segments. For example, WSG has partnered Ingeus and AKG, two private job matching firms, to provide more specialised support for PMEs since 2017. We have observed higher re-entry rates among those assisted, compared to retrenched residents in general. To take this further, we convened the Alliance for Action on Advancing Career and Employment Services (AfA-ACES). Under this workgroup, we will launch nine pilots with private sector partners to test new services, covering a range of individual and employer segments. For example, for the individuals, for fresh graduates, we will test services combining career guidance and industry exposure to support your school-to-work transition. For mid-level professionals, we will pilot personalised career agents to help you move into better roles.”
“With more timely and comprehensive labour market and skills insights, WSSG can help to reduce skills mismatches and time-to-hire. Creating a single point of contact will also simplify how we support businesses to address hiring, training and workforce transformation needs. WSSG will play a critical role in expanding the career health movement, going beyond reactive job matching, to proactive career planning. As outlined in the handout distributed to Members, we have initiatives targeting both workers and employers. For workers, we launched Career Health SG last year with a fundamental message – stay proactive, pre-emptive about your career. The response has been encouraging thus far. Nearly two-thirds of our workers now see value in improving their career health. But there is more to be done. Many are still unsure as to how to begin. So, starting on your career health journey does not have to be that overwhelming. We have been building practical tools to help our fellow Singaporeans. The Careers and Skills Passport lets you take stock of your skills, and CareersFinder helps you to discover the job options that you may not have even considered. For those who need even more personalised support, we have expanded access to career planning programmes. Almost nine in 10 respondents reported having clear direction and greater confidence after attending such programmes. These tools have delivered positive outcomes. Following the integration of Careers and Skills Passport with job portals, JobStreet and FastJobs, our partners found that job applications with verified credentials are 1.5 times more likely to be shortlisted by employers.”
“Thank you. I will continue. As we have heard from the Prime Minister, SSG and WSG will merge into Workforce and Skills Singapore (WSSG), a new Statutory Board under MOM and jointly overseen with the Ministry of Education. It will be established in the third quarter of 2026, helmed by Dilys Boey, who is the current Chief Executive of WSG. Its mission will be to empower Singaporeans to develop future-ready skills and access good job opportunities; enable businesses to create good jobs for Singaporeans and develop their workforce; and promote a culture of lifelong learning and career health. Secretary-General Mr Ng Chee Meng asked how this merger will benefit Singaporean workers, and how we will better translate training into employment and productivity gains. Ms Eileen Chong said that the new agency should not just support workers, but also employers, to take forward SSG's ongoing efforts in encouraging skills-first hiring. Today, our skills and employment facilitation capabilities sit in separate agencies. Bringing them together under one roof creates a single, powerful engine for human capital development. It will collaborate with other agencies and stakeholders to benefit both workers and employers. For workers, this means simpler access and more integrated career support in a fast-changing marketplace. It means a single portal to access training, career guidance and job opportunities, without having to navigate multiple agencies. By combining career and skills data, we can give you a clearer picture of where opportunities are, enabling better-informed career and training decisions. For the employers, the merger will help us be even more responsive to your talent needs.”
“While an AI-ready workforce offers significant potential to improve productivity, we must steer AI adoption to enhance our workers' potential, not displace, not replace it. I will elaborate later on our support for employers to do so. Second, we will help workers better navigate the labour market and seize new opportunities with confidence. To this end, we are fundamentally reviewing our jobs and skills ecosystem, which Ms Gho Sze Kee spoke about earlier. We have four goals, the "4Vs": volume, we want to reach a larger share of the workforce; variety, we want to cater to more diverse needs in a complex job market; velocity, or speed, matching people to opportunities more quickly; and value, value-add, supporting long-term career health. To drive these strategic shifts, we are forming a new agency. With your permission, Mr Chairman, Sir, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout detailing our efforts to support Singaporeans' career journey. Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGPARL App.”
“We will do so in four ways: by building an AI-ready workforce; helping workers navigate the labour market with confidence; developing our local professional talent pipeline; and supporting displaced workers. One of our foremost priorities is to build an AI-ready workforce. A recent report by McKinsey, EDB and Tech in Asia found that about three in five Southeast Asian firms have yet to see meaningful financial gains from AI. This is partly due to a lack of internal expertise and low employee adoption. We cannot afford to let this gap persist. To translate the potential of AI into good jobs for Singaporeans, we will take decisive steps to build an AI-ready workforce. Like learning a language, developing true fluency in AI comes from consistent use and building confidence through experimentation. Therefore, we will make it easier for Singaporeans to have hands-on experience and access to the latest AI tools. As announced at Budget, those who take up selected SkillsFuture AI courses will receive free subscriptions to premium versions of best-in-class AI tools for six months. MOM has been engaging providers, such as Google, Manus, Microsoft and OpenAI. We will announce details in due course, including the tools and platforms that qualify. Assoc Prof Terence Ho suggested for AI access to be extended even more widely, including to mature and lower-income workers. I agree that access should be inclusive, regardless of age or income. Hence, this initiative will be open to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, and they are paired with practical and accessible training for AI at various levels. Beyond this, we will continue to explore ways to include more mature and lower-income workers in our national AI journey.”
“A broad-based wage subsidy for SMEs to hire graduates may not provide the same quality of experience, if companies lack the capacity to train them or provide meaningful careers once the subsidies end. A general subsidy may also entail even more wastage, given that 80% of our graduates have been able to secure jobs within months after graduation without such wage subsidies today. Additionally, we also have to balance against unintended outcomes, where companies might end up retrenching older workers and replace them with cheaper graduates so that they can save on manpower costs. So, our approach on balance is appropriate for the present situation, where many full-time roles remain available. To help match graduates to such roles, we have stepped up career guidance and employment facilitation efforts through WSG, e2i and the IHLs. Beyond this, overseas work stints help and equip Singaporeans with the necessary skills and perspectives for a globalised economy. Since launching in 2024, WSG's Overseas Markets Immersion Programme has already supported more than 120 local professionals to gain overseas experience. Together with other agencies' overseas deployment programmes, over 430 local workers have benefited as of 2025. We recognise that our youths have a growing interest in gaining overseas experience. Hence, we will expand the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme to support young professionals gain overseas exposure even earlier in their careers. Providing early opportunities strengthens our talent pipeline and our companies' global competitiveness. Details will be shared in due course. Beyond a strong start, we will also ensure that all workers have the resources to thrive throughout their careers.”
“Jewel, who has a diploma in Applied AI and Analytics, was given the opportunity to apply what she has learnt to support DBS' technology systems and large-scale operations. Dominic, a Communications graduate, got the chance to develop partnerships with DBS' stakeholders. I am sure that their GRIT experience has given both graduates more clarity and confidence to take their next steps. GRIT remains open to graduates from the 2025 cohort and we will extend applications to the 2026 cohort. We are also speeding up applicant onboarding. If market conditions call for it, we may expand capacity. Several Members have made suggestions on supporting our youths. Mr Gerald Giam suggested introducing wage support for SMEs to hire graduates. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim proposed a national apprenticeship programme to strengthen on-the-job training. These suggestions are in line with the Government's ongoing efforts. We have been enhancing work-based learning and on-job training through schemes, like the AI Apprenticeship Programme and the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme. The Work-Study Programme has grown significantly and as the Ministry of Education shared earlier on, the Work-Study Diploma programme will be enhanced in line with the Economic Strategy Review's (ESR's) recommendation to support flexible pathways that blend training and working throughout life. We are also subsidising 70% of traineeship costs through GRIT. While we will continue to study such suggestions and look into more ways to support our fresh graduates, we should also design our support carefully and sustainably. For example, GRIT sources the traineeships from leading companies in growth areas, ensuring that our graduates gain high quality experiences and stronger long-term prospects.”
“MOM has three priorities this year. Together with our tripartite partners, we will: one, empower Singaporeans to build meaningful careers; two, enable businesses to transform and provide quality jobs; and three, build more inclusive workplaces that leave no one behind. Let me begin with our first priority, empowering Singaporeans to build meaningful careers throughout life. To our youths, we are committed to giving you a strong start to your careers. Transforming from school to work can be daunting, especially with the angst and anxiety over how AI is changing entry-level jobs. Fortunately for us, the market for fresh graduates remains resilient, at least for now. Vacancies continue to outnumber jobseekers. Over four in 10 openings are entry-level PMET roles suitable for young graduates. By December 2025, over eight in 10 university graduates from the 2025 cohort had already found employment and this is comparable to the 2024 cohort. We will continue to prioritise creating more full-time opportunities for fresh graduates. While vacancies are available, some graduates do indeed face challenges in finding the right match. To support them, we introduced the GRIT scheme last year, alongside GRIT@Gov for the public sector. GRIT helps our graduates acquire structured, industry-relevant work experience. Over 400 graduates have already embarked on traineeships in the various industries. Employers have told us that GRIT has helped them increase hiring amidst a more cautious environment and they intend to emplace good performers onto full-time positions. We incentivise employers to do so by continuing subsidies for trainees emplaced during the traineeship period. Take Ms Jewel Goh and Mr Dominic Wong, two recent graduates who started their traineeships at DBS.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Chinese Valentine's Day. I thank Members who have spoken in support of our workers and also our employers. The nature of work is changing rapidly. Geopolitical conflicts, as seen from recent developments over the weekend, are upending the world as we know it and reshaping global trade and investment flows. AI is transforming how we work and our workforce, too, is evolving. This year, Singapore will become a super-aged society. Even as we seek new growth frontiers, we must ensure that our growth remains inclusive and that it creates meaningful careers for all. We start from a relatively good position today. Despite a challenging global environment, Singapore's labour market remains resilient. As of December, last year, we have recorded 17 straight quarters of employment growth since we emerged from COVID-19 in 2021. Our resident unemployment rate has remained low at 2.9%. The labour market remained tight in 2025, with more vacancies than jobseekers. Real incomes at the median grew by 8.3% from 2020 to 2025, or about 1.6% per annum. Lower-wage workers saw real incomes grow by 15% from 2020 to 2025, or about 2.8% per annum, faster than the median worker. This was bolstered by productivity improvements and targeted wage support. 4.15 pm These outcomes reflect our workers and businesses' resilience and contributions, and investments in growth areas, like AI and advanced manufacturing, as well as very good collaboration with our tripartite partners. MOM will continue to walk with workers and businesses, so that every worker, every worker matters and every worker can realise their potential, achieve their career aspirations and every business can thrive by bringing out the best in their people.”
“The Employment Claims Tribunals adopts a simplified and guided process that is accessible to parties even without legal representation. Workers, including non-unionised employees, may also apply for a Community Courts Tribunals Friend, which will allow a third party to be present during tribunal proceedings to provide support. This third party can be a person from a non-governmental organisation.”
“The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), as the key body leading Singapore's labour movement, delivers various programmes to upskill and uplift workers. NTUC is one of the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) service delivery partners to whom we would provide funding, which could be either in part or in full, for programmes which are aligned with our policy objectives. These programmes and initiatives include employment facilitation services, Career Conversion Programmes, the administration of Company Training Committees (CTC), the Migrant Workers' Centre and the NTUC-U Care Centre, which provides lower-wage workers with guidance on work-related issues and opportunities for earning a better living. For example, the Government has set aside a total of $300 million for NTUC's CTC Grant to support companies in enterprise and workforce transformation. As is common for such programme partnerships, a portion of the grants might include funding for our partners' manpower to support the programmes. MOM does not track consolidated funding to NTUC across the whole-of-Government. MOM does not provide dedicated funding for NTUC's general staffing or executive remuneration.”
“In both 2024 and 2025, more than 98% of resident workers who reached the statutory retirement age and wished to continue working were offered reemployment. In 2024, 0.4% of these resident workers were paid the Employment Assistance Payment (EAP)1 in lieu of being offered reemployment while in 2025, the corresponding proportion was 0.6%. The average EAP quantum was $12,300 in 2024 and $17,400 in 2025.”
“The Tukang Purpose-Built Dormitory (Tukang PBD) is built and owned by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) at a total construction cost of $58 million. NESST Singapore Limited (NESST) operates Tukang PBD and pays a monthly lease payment to MOM based on market valuation under a Government Build-Own-Lease arrangement. MOM has provided about $6.2 million to NESST since its establishment in March 2023. The funding was provided to set up NESST as MOM's Company Limited by Guarantee in the initial years, as well as pilot innovations in migrant worker housing and grow capabilities in dormitory management. We are unable to share commercially sensitive information about NESST, including Tukang PBD's operating costs.”
“The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) is designed to supplement the incomes of lower-wage workers and build up their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings for retirement, housing and healthcare. The current 40% cash and 60% CPF payout structure reflects this dual objective in helping lower-wage workers meet their immediate needs, while building up CPF savings for future needs.1 Although the cash to CPF ratio is the same for workers aged 70 and above, the CPF component of WIS effectively supports their near-term needs. The CPF component that goes into their MediSave Account can be used to defray medical expenses. The part that goes into the Retirement Account is converted into retirement payouts. The Ministry of Manpower has recently enhanced WIS payments from 2025 across all age bands, which increases the quantum of cash received. For example, a 70-year-old employee earning $1,700 a month saw their total WIS payment increase from $4,200 to $4,900 per year from 2025. The cash quantum correspondingly increased from $1,680 to $1,960. To support seniors with greater financial needs, the Government has provided various forms of support to help Singaporeans cope with cost-of-living concerns. For instance, Budget 2026 introduced support measures such as: up to $570 of U-Save rebates in FY2026 for eligible Singaporean Housing and Development Board households, to help with their utilities expenses; $200 to $400 Cost-of-Living Special Payment in cash for eligible Singaporean adults; and $500 Community Development Council Vouchers for all Singaporean households.”
“Based on a six-month post-retrenchment follow-up conducted in 2025, the mean duration for retrenched residents to re-enter employment was 2.6 months for those aged below 40; 2.7 months for those aged 40 to 59; and 2.2 months for those aged 60 and above. The median duration was 1 month for those aged 60 and above, and 2 months for the other age groups.”
“The Ministry of Manpower does not have data on the length of time taken for adult caregivers to return to the workforce after discharging their caregiving responsibilities. Caregiving is often part of ongoing family arrangements and may change over time as needs evolve. Some individuals may also return to work while caregiving continues, which makes it difficult to determine when caregiving has fully ended. Available data show that around one in four residents who were outside the labour force primarily due to caregiving responsibilities returned to work within two years. Among those who did not return, around eight in 10 had no intention to seek employment. We will continue monitoring labour force participation and return patterns among caregivers and make adjustments where appropriate.”
“From 2022 to 2025, nominal wage of full-time employed residents at the 20th percentile rose by 13.9% cumulatively. Over the same period, headline inflation was 8.3% and core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport, was 7.8%. After adjusting for headline inflation, lower-wage workers at the 20th percentile experienced real wage growth of 5.2% cumulatively from 2022 to 2025.”
“We are also working on different simulated scenarios. We are also using energy storage systems to ensure that base load is always maintained. I think these are the paths that we will all have to undertake collectively as we move forward. And of course, I look forward to the strong support of Ms Tin and fellow Members of this House as we decarbonise.”
“Indeed, part of that diversification and energy transition resulting in lower carbon alternatives will come with costs. To start off with, we are very mindful of the type of cost pressures and the pain that it may inflict, in fact, that it would inflict on, more importantly, our households and our businesses. So, where we come in is, we try to allow for the low carbon importers to strike up commercial arrangements with the big energy intake customers. So, the likes of, whether it is Google, Amazon Web Services, some of these data centres, we allow them to negotiate and we ring-fence it. But there will come a time when the Government will work with all of the different sectors alongside with our carbon tax to smear that price along. It will not happen within this very short period of time, but it is also something that we have to take into consideration. And for the longer term, as we move on to decarbonisation, notwithstanding the fact that the natural gas will always be our base, we are, indeed, mindful of the cost of continuing with natural gas, then you have to add the cost of decarbonising that natural gas, the emissions you have to capture – you have to aggregate it, you have to transport it, then you have to store it – these also come with costs. So, our carbon pricing is a reflection of the true cost of that particular modality of energy generation. And with that, we hope to be able to socialise it across our entire population, our country. The underlying principle has to be how we deal with, first and foremost, through energy conservation and how do we become a lot more efficient in managing peak pricing versus trial pricing. But those are in the developmental process. We are developing the Virtual Power grid.”
“To the first point, indeed, as I have alluded to just now on the ammonia study that we have proceeded with, we have actually worked with a local conglomerate where we have moved on to do FEED studies, where not only do we look at ammonia as one possible pathway – and I will tell you why we look at ammonia; I know the Member was talking about hydrogen – because ammonia as a molecule, hydrogen as a molecule, they are both quite well understood. It is just that today, the transportation of green hydrogen is very, very, very expensive and logistically, today, the chains are not established yet. So, as an intermediary, we will need a carrier and to carry that green hydrogen across, we carry it in the form of green ammonia. So, we are working closely with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore because our aspirations are beyond the FEED study, beyond the sandbox. We are hoping that eventually, we could potentially, if we are able to prove the viability and feasibility of that sandbox, we can, not just use that as one form of energy as part of our green hydrogen strategy, but we could also potentially be a bunkering hub in the transportation and the movement of green ammonia from the east to the west. On the second part, in terms of how we want to help the SMEs. Indeed, we do have plans. For many of these bigger sandboxes, we encourage – whether it is the generating companies (gencos), whether it is large companies – to work locally with our SMEs as well to bring them along. And the point that I alluded to earlier on, on the $800 million Decarbonisation Grand Challenge, is something that we hope to be able to crowd in from the big gencos, the big MNCs, to our local SMEs to bring them along in helping us to decarbonise. To the third point on renewable energy imports.”
“Mr Chairman, with your permission – because there are three clarification statements – I would try my best to be succinct and brief.”
“Most of the information by the way that I have shared, can be found in public sources, such as the National Survey of RIE and our A*STAR annual report. We will be focused. We will always stay the course and we will continue to always invest in our future. I hope that clarifies.”