预算辩论 · 2023-03-01 · 第 14 届国会

新加坡劳动力老龄化挑战

Committee of Supply – Head S (Ministry of Manpower)

AI 经济与产业AI 与就业AI 与公共部门 争议度 3 · 实质辩论

议员质询新加坡劳动力老龄化及人口结构变化对经济的影响，指出部分行业老年员工比例高，未来劳动力可能快速流失。强调技术变革与工作态度转变带来的挑战，呼吁政府关注灵活工作安排。政府回应未见，核心争议在于如何应对老龄化与技术变革带来的就业结构调整。

关键要点

  • • 人口老龄化加剧
  • • 部分行业老年工人多
  • • 技术与工作态度变化
质询立场

关注老龄化影响与就业调整

政策信号

推动灵活就业与技能培训

"Technology, digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) have already changed the nature of many jobs."

参与人员（28）

完整译文（中文）

Hansard 英文原文译文 · 翻译日期：2026-05-02

主席：人力部S组。朱德明先生。

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新时代的劳动力

朱德明先生（淡滨尼）：主席，我请求动议，“将估算表中S组的总拨款减少100元”。

今年一月，当中国人口自1961年以来首次出现下降的消息传出时，中国股市出现波动。这是由于人口老龄化和生育率下降而被广泛预期的，但仍是一个令人警醒的现实。潜在的消费萎缩和劳动力减少的现实。中国可能面临类似日本三十年经济停滞的局面。

在新加坡，到2030年，大约每四位公民中就有一位年龄在65岁及以上。2022年，我们的居民赡养比降至历史最低点3.8，预计到2030年将降至2.7。

截至2022年6月，我们约有88万人，即大约三分之一的居民劳动力年龄在50岁及以上，其中40万人年龄在60岁及以上。这40万中的相当一部分预计将在本十年末退休。

老年人在陆路交通及辅助服务行业占54%，包括出租车司机、私家车司机和公交司机；在餐饮服务（F&B）、小贩或饮食摊位助理中占42%。这些比例远高于其他行业。

这对我们国家意味着什么？随着劳动力减少，我们的经济将变得不那么充满活力。某些行业可能出现空心化，如陆路交通、餐饮、技工和机械操作员。

如果这是一个渐进的转变，有足够时间调整，问题不大。但情况可能并非如此。

我们的婴儿潮一代中最年长者77岁，最年轻者59岁。他们很可能在本十年末大量退出劳动力市场。虽然我们的出生率在70年代末至80年代初达到峰值，给予我们大约十年的缓冲，但结构性变化可能加速快速流失。

科技、数字化和人工智能（AI）已经改变了许多工作的性质。这些技能是1960、70和80年代出生的人可能不具备或难以轻松掌握的。

工作态度也发生了变化。我们的人民在晚年不愿以同样的节奏、步调和强度工作。朋友们说想放慢节奏的情况很常见，但跑步机似乎只能加速。

在最近与淡滨尼居民的预算后对话中，一位50多岁的居民半喜半忧地表示，他可能不得不在照顾孙辈和全职工作之间做出选择，因为很少有兼职或轻松的工作机会。

新冠疫情也促使人们重新思考工作与生活的优先次序，导致一些年长的新加坡人如果无法找到折衷方案，可能永久退出劳动力市场。我们面临劳动力的严重断崖式下降，这可能从根本上动摇经济和社会。

我们面临的问题是：年长工人是否为未来工作做好准备？工作是否适合年长工人？

首先，我们需要将为老龄化劳动力做准备作为全经济的优先事项。65岁及以上老年人的就业率从2021年的31.7%降至2022年的31.0%，但2019年至2022年间平均仍有所上升，这是积极的。

我们也已明确采取措施，通过拟议的《职场公平法》解决老年工人长期抱怨的年龄歧视问题。这将令许多年长工人感到安心。然而，这些措施对未来可能还不够。我们需要在每个产业转型图（ITM）中加入“适老”岗位的创建和转型支柱。仅创造高经济价值的岗位已不够，我们还必须关注年长新加坡人能够且愿意从事的岗位。

重点当然是引入促进经济增长的岗位。但在整个价值链中，我们必须识别成熟工人能够胜任的岗位。我常想，有多少现有和即将出现的岗位能满足年长新加坡人的身体、心理和生活方式需求？

我们需要加倍努力进行岗位再设计。未来几年将有多少岗位被重新设计以适应老龄化劳动力？这是我们必须密切追踪的数字。

接下来，我想分享SBS Transit（SBST）的经验。我声明我是SBST的独立董事。年长工人在公司中占重要比例。尤其是列车系统的维护工作非常繁重且体力要求高。像许多其他公司一样，我们难以吸引年轻工人。

为了帮助55岁以上的年长工人继续保持生产力，SBST从根本上重新设计岗位。他们有架空接触网系统，即为列车供电的电缆。检查和维护需要使用重型设备进行艰苦的体力劳动。如今，他们使用激光测量仪等轻型设备。采用基于状态的维护以减少体力投入。年长工人被重新部署到较低位置的检查工作。一些工人转为导师或培训师角色。已有超过50名维护人员受益，未来还会有更多受益。

SBST董事会密切监控此类发展。我们需要更多像SBST这样的公司。诚然，SBST规模较大，资源较多。我们还需要为雇佣大部分劳动力的中小企业（SMEs）寻找解决方案。

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接下来，我们需要重新设计工作结构。

我们常听到成熟工人希望有兼职或微型工作，但这类工作稀缺。

创造兼职岗位对公司成本更高。但作为支持低薪工人的社会契约义务，也许现在是对年长工人采取类似思考的时候了。

人力部的兼职再雇佣补助金（PTRG）帮助增加了年长工人的兼职再雇佣机会。请问部方能否更新该补助金的进展和成效？能否续期并加强PTRG？

我们也可以考虑公私合作伙伴关系，促进兼职和微型工作。

日本自1975年起设立银发人力资源中心，作为老年人的就业中介。这些是会员制组织，为年长日本人提供临时和短期工作。公共和市政机构积极创造和寻找适合年长工人的工作。

相关的是设立专门中心，帮助年长工人管理就业需求。

我们现有的就业安置体系对一般劳动力需求运作良好，但年长工人有不同需求，如培训周期短、身体限制和生活期望。

2017年，日本启动了Hello Work Senior，这是专门为60岁以上工人服务的就业中介。该服务与雇主合作，了解其需求和偏好，并匹配合适的年长候选人。

正如老年医学是医学的一个专科，银发就业中心在我们的安置体系中也应有其特殊地位。

我们的老龄化劳动力也是推动辅助技术发展的机会，帮助工人更长久、更安全地工作。

我们的公共交通运营商已安装司机监控、碰撞避免和司机警觉技术。许多公交司机如今能工作至60多岁甚至更久。

还有许多其他行业，尤其是拥有大量年长工人的行业，我们必须深入研究。

我们必须建立专门研究中心，帮助工人延长就业时间。此类研究中心可专注于开发辅助技术、识别更适合年长工人的岗位及开发相应培训。

我们的高等学府，如新加坡管理大学（SMU）成功老龄化研究中心，就是一个例子。请问部方是否考虑设立此类研究中心？

灵活工作安排（FWA）常被视为平衡年长劳动力需求与企业业务需求的解决方案。确实，它不仅对年长劳动力是重要工具。

我们在扩大FWA方面取得显著进展。三方指导原则有助于推动FWA实施，但未来我们可能需要采取更大胆的措施。

鉴于实施难度，我们应允许企业自愿采用FWA。我们甚至可以给予实行进步做法的企业货币激励。但如果进展未达需求，我们可能需要考虑赋予工人某些FWA权利，以加速FWA的推广。

最后，老龄化劳动力也要求我们审视外籍劳动力的角色。

随着人口老龄化，某些行业如医疗保健和护理支持、技工和工匠工作（如管道工、空调维修和木工）对劳动力的需求显著。

如果未来十年内我们无法显著提升生产力，可能不得不大幅增加外籍劳动力。

目前新加坡已有约130万外籍工作准证持有者。因此，我们的外籍劳动力框架需要更加细致、差异化，并促进更高生产力。

某些高接触行业我们希望由更多年长新加坡人承担，而其他更多体力劳动的行业则需要更多外籍支持。现行的广泛行业基础方法需更细致区分。

这是一项艰巨工作，可能需要多年努力。请问部方能否向议会说明如何在老龄化劳动力背景下调整外籍劳动力框架？

快速老龄化的人口对财政可持续性和经济增长构成严重结构性挑战。

老年工人退休后，处理高通胀等问题的能力减弱。年轻工人可能承担更重的照顾责任，有些甚至不得不离开劳动力市场。

如果新加坡人无法填补职位空缺，雇主将不得不依赖外籍劳动力。我们必须果断迅速行动，确保不陷入此困境。

我们需要在老龄化人口背景下发展新的社会契约。只有当我们的岗位和年长工人彼此准备好，才能管理这场潜在危机。

[(程序文本) 动议提出。 (程序文本)]

中小企业

郑丽慧小姐（淡滨尼）：主席，众所周知，中小企业是我们经济的支柱。我们在日常生活中经常接触到许多中小企业，尤其是在零售、餐饮和商业领域。中小企业也是跨国公司的重要支持。

我今天的发言将聚焦于中小企业雇主面临的人力挑战和障碍。

截至2022年9月27日，我们拥有超过29万家中小企业，过去十年持续增长。

在与中小企业代表的讨论中，招聘和留住员工的问题反复被提及。中小企业表示难以与大型企业公平竞争。总体而言，中小企业资源不及大型企业充足。

部分中小企业的人力资源人员还兼任财务或行政职务，导致负责招聘的人员无法专注于人力资源工作。这加剧了招聘难题，可能导致招聘失败或聘用不合适人员。

资源不足也意味着难以提供有吸引力的待遇，其中最重要的是薪酬。

还有公司品牌和声望的认知问题。求职者可能觉得大型企业更具吸引力，且有助于未来职业发展。

小公司晋升和发展空间有限，潜在员工可能认为从事此类职位是走向职业死胡同。

我们如何合理期望中小企业与大型企业和政府机构在同一人才库中竞争人力？当前的通胀压力使情况更为严峻。

主席，我在乘车时与两位Grab司机交谈。

一位是拥有12年建筑经验的项目经理，另一位有20年油气行业经验，且持有NACE三级认证（一种专业涂层检查员认证）。

我内心为行业失去管理和专业技能感到惋惜，但我也理解他们说Grab工作意味着拥有汽车和空调工作环境的便利，无需承受安全压力和项目交付压力。

我也想到如果公司找不到本地人才接替这些职位，赡养比的损失。

主席，许多中小企业正面临且将继续面临生存压力。中小企业雇主的担忧源于影响公司及员工及其家庭生计的真实问题。我恳请人力部关注他们的真实和感知问题，确保没有中小企业在成长和创新的道路上被落下。

远程工作中的劳动力竞争力

沙拉尔·塔哈先生（巴西立-榜鹅）：主席，虽然我们60%的劳动力是专业、管理、执行和技术人员（PMET），灵活工作安排（FWA）或某种程度的远程工作在疫情后职场似乎已成常态，但远程工作是一把双刃剑。

员工欢欣鼓舞，因为它给予我们管理日常生活的灵活性，但这也意味着某些工作可以远程完成，因此可以在全球任何地方完成。

有了FWA或远程工作，我们的新加坡PMET劳动力不再仅在新加坡内部竞争工作，而是与全球劳动力竞争。

因此，鉴于我们的较高工资，我们如何定义新加坡劳动力对全球的独特价值主张？我们如何装备劳动力具备竞争力和生产力水平，使新加坡人才在全球经济中保持相关性并创造价值？

有了远程工作，我们的PMET劳动力如何拓展视野，获得海外工作机会？必须装备PMET哪些技能？如何培养这些技能，确保PMET在全球人才市场具备竞争力？

新加坡技工核心

普里坦·辛格先生（亚历山大）：去年四月，我曾询问人力部长，部方是否在研究新策略以改善新加坡人从事技工职业（如持证电工和管道工）的前景。这是对本届议会开幕演讲的后续。

部长回复称，鉴于本地劳动力有限，且老龄群体多于进入劳动力市场的群体，期望在每个职业中都扩大新加坡人核心并不现实。

阁下，在我向可持续发展与环境部长提交的后续质询中披露，新加坡约有950名持证管道工，其中近90%是新加坡人，约5%是永久居民，剩余为外国人。约70%的持证管道工年龄超过50岁。

我向贸易与工业部长提出的同一质询中，关于持证电工（LEWs）的数据则不够详细。

截至2022年6月底，持证电工约有4000人，其中不到1%是持S准证或就业准证的外国人。大多数持证电工年龄介于41至80岁之间。

与持证管道工不同，贸易与工业部未直接披露新加坡持证电工人数。

阁下，议会应了解，管道工和电工等技工职业在许多经合组织国家享有高度专业地位。这些人群收入中产阶级工资，是经济的重要组成部分。

今年1月9日，《海峡时报》报道，职工总会（NTUC）正寻求与新加坡管道协会合作，为管道行业推行渐进式工资模式（PWM），职工总会秘书长提到，40多岁的人在管道等职业中可能月薪达6000至7000元。

但他也强调，劳工运动不是政府，不制定国家政策，包括PWM的范围。

上月9日，同一报纸宣布拟设立职业晋升模式，支持技工行业，包括管道工和电工，旨在改善职业前景和薪资。

除了拥有强大新加坡人核心技工职业的战略重要性外，事实是这些行业目前薪资较低，吸引力不及办公室或空调环境工作。

鉴于部长去年四月的答复，我想询问政府打算采取哪些具体措施，针对新加坡工人进入技术工种岗位？

作为一个国家和社会，我仍然认为，果断转向积极推广新加坡人从事技术工种岗位，也将改善我们对精英主义的理解。

有韧性且面向未来的劳动力

拉杰·约书亚·托马斯先生（提名议员）：主席先生，去年《印度创业家》杂志的一篇文章指出，印度几乎所有的独角兽企业都起源于印度的一线城市，并将此归因于印度各地的大多数顶尖人才都迁往这些城市工作，导致这些城市成为人才的集中地。

新加坡只是一个城市，没有更大的腹地可供我们吸引人才。因此，我们只能依靠本国人民作为持续成功的主要动力。

诸如缩短工作周或断开连接权利等流行建议——坦白说，作为一名律师，这对我来说是一个完全陌生的概念——正在新加坡被反复提及。这些趋势的核心是让员工内向，优先考虑个人舒适而非职业抱负。这些趋势也是享有一定舒适水平的发达经济体的特有现象。

我们的政府已谨慎开始关注这些问题，涵盖心理健康问题到灵活工作时间。

我想请部长分享他本人及其部门对这些趋势可能如何影响我们劳动力的韧性和生产力的看法，以及即使我们着眼于解决压力、倦怠和工作生活平衡的实际问题，我们如何保持劳动力的韧性、竞争力和生产力。

同时，我们必须现实地认识到，并非所有新加坡人都是或能成为顶尖的全球人才。我很高兴人力部在过去一年推出了吸引全球人才来新加坡的计划，这增强了我们劳动力的韧性。

部长能否详细说明未来继续吸引顶尖人才来新加坡的计划，以及我们如何确保这些人才与新加坡劳动力互补？部长也能否阐述我们如何促进外国人才向新加坡人传授知识和技能，以便提升新加坡人在未来重要领域的能力？

下午1点30分

最后，主席先生，我还想跟进我在预算辩论演讲中提出的问题，即人力部是否可以考虑让行业协会和商会（TACs）在劳动争议中发挥作用——不是作为代表，而是作为各行业独特情况的专家，协助解决此类争议。及早调解和解决争议有助于和谐的劳资关系，进而促进劳动力的韧性。

创造就业，提升技能，增加价值

安珍妮女士（提名议员）：主席先生，SG United Jobs and Skills、SkillsFuture企业信贷、渐进工资模式（PWM）和工作收入补贴（WIS）都是关键措施，在疫情期间挽救了我们的企业和工人。

随着新冠疫情过去，我们的企业期待再次增长。不幸的是，我们正直面完美风暴：食品和能源价格飙升、高利率以及人力成本和人力供应上升。人力部如何支持企业应对人力供应不足的问题？

PWM和外劳政策确实影响人力成本。人力部如何帮助企业管理成本上涨？

新加坡对全球人才开放不是选择题。新加坡需要在大多数行业各层级拥有互补的外劳。人力部去年预算宣布了互补性评估框架（COMPASS），今年将实施。

COMPASS能否根据公司规模和岗位技能区分，认识到微型企业可能需要较低的依赖比率上限（DRC），且某些专业岗位可能没有受训的新加坡人担任？

人力部如何支持企业吸引本地新加坡人进入其行业或部门，尤其是薪资达到或高于S准证和就业准证资格水平的岗位？人力部还采取了哪些措施帮助企业减少对外劳的依赖？

面对多元化劳动力，职场良好实践至关重要。人力部及三方伙伴如何管理《职场公平实践法》的实施，实现其预期目标，同时确保维护职场和谐，防止诉讼文化滋生？

最后，政府如何加强岗位、技能与薪酬价值的匹配？公共服务部门如何树立示范？

人工智能与工作

韩贤德教授（提名议员）：主席先生，在被称为第四次工业革命的时代，一个关键问题是人工智能（AI）和机器学习驱动的机器人到来如何影响工人的薪酬和就业。

经济学家研究的一个典型案例是机器人完全替代人类工人，能够做出人类工人所能做的所有工作。

在这种情况下，机器人到来就像向经济注入了大量同质工人，技术水平和机器及土地存量不变。结果是，传统资本的回报提高，土地租金上涨，但人类工人的实际工资将下降。

这种可称为自动化技术的技术特点是替代人类完成一系列任务，但不提升劳动生产率。然而，这可能不是全部故事，尤其是中长期内。还有其他渠道可能带来工资增长的积极结果，作为采用机器人的后果。

问题是我们如何利用人工智能的机遇，正面应对其威胁，以造福工人。

首先，有些机器人执行的任务与人类劳动互补，从而提升人类劳动生产率。

例如，AI社区科学家开发的深度学习算法使机器能够在一定程度上无需人工监督进行学习。

从事医学研究的工人能够利用深度学习筛选和分析大量医学数据。这可能提升工人生产率，进而提高其工资收入。如何鼓励开发和应用执行与零售及餐饮（F&B）行业工人互补任务的机器人？

第二，机器人到来有时会刺激对传统机器、设备和物理设施的投资，从而推高工资水平。此渠道可能惠及高薪和低薪工人。

在传统增长理论中，边际报酬递减规律起作用，若无持续技术进步，资本积累逐渐放缓，因为每增加一单位资本的回报率降低。在像新加坡这样劳动力稀缺的经济体中，采用机器人可以提升资本回报，刺激资本投资。这将拉动整个技能分布中工人的工资上涨。哪些具体行业可能因采用机器人而刺激资本投资？

第三，机器人到来可能促使部分工人从生产活动转向创新活动，最终提升整体工资水平，因为它刺激创新，进而提升工人整体生产率。

可以进一步研究人工智能领域，重构新加坡采用的生产流程，创造人类工人可执行的新高生产率任务。AI驱动的个性化教学方法可能提升对具备应用这些方法满足学生多样化需求技能的教育者的需求。增强现实技术也可能使工人与机器协作执行先进制造中的高精度任务。如何识别人工智能在本地应用潜力，以提升工人生产率？

主席先生，机器人到来带来威胁，当它们仅仅替代人类完成某些任务，压低工人工资。但机器人也能带来机遇，如果人工智能能被用来创造新的互补任务，提升劳动生产率。可能需要全社会的综合方法，最大化人工智能机遇，减轻对劳动力的威胁。

人力资源

郑兴耀先生（提名议员）：主席先生，通胀压力、利率上升和多个行业人力短缺的叠加，使许多企业，尤其是中小企业面临挑战。虽然我们希望企业投资岗位重塑和技术以提升生产率，但此类转型需要大量时间和资源规划与实现。

企业转型需要特定新领域专业知识，而本地相关人才短缺，例如可持续发展和数字领域。

建筑环境行业也失去了许多高技能的实操或工艺型劳工。这些岗位不受本地人欢迎，但即使我们努力推动行业向更高生产率转型，这些岗位仍然关键。

鉴于企业面临前所未有的多重挑战，政府如何更好地帮助企业应对即时人力短缺，同时支持其转型？

即使我们努力提升生产率，某些岗位仍缺乏足够本地人，尤其是不受新加坡人青睐的岗位。政府能否采取多样化策略，允许更多外劳补充本地劳动力？

强化新加坡人核心

阿卜杜勒·萨马德先生（提名议员）：主席先生，我呼吁所有雇主确保新加坡人成为整体劳动力的核心。

我们的教育体系被认为是世界一流，如果这不能带来就业机会，我们应感到担忧。除了高标准的教育体系，我们还有许多成人培训中心，能够为本地劳动力提供必要技能。雇主应对技能不足的新加坡人持开放态度，并利用人力部提供的职业支持计划（CSP）和职业转换计划（CCP）等相关资金支持。该支持计划允许雇主在员工接受相关培训以获得新岗位技能期间，获得政府资金支持以招聘本地劳动力。

全国职工总会推出的Worker 4.0旨在通过适应力、技术和技术三大领域的培训，转型本地劳动力。技术的应用早在新冠疫情爆发前就已开始，疫情加速了职场技术应用。我提醒并呼吁雇主和管理层，技术是人创造的，技术让工作更轻松更好。我们不应让技术取代工人，而应鼓励工人在工作中拥抱技术，实现更好成果。

雇主应寻找能为员工提供技术知识的培训机构，兼顾雇主和员工的便利。请联系全国职工总会学习中心，其主题是“随时随地学习”。

致所有同事，让我们继续学习、遗忘和重新学习技能，让管理层难以轻易裁员。雇主应内部审视，是否公平对待本地劳动力，保持本地人与外劳的合理比例。

支持成熟专业人士

郑德源先生（先锋选区）：在全国职工总会-新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）专业人士工作组的咨询、调查和焦点小组讨论中，以及我们最新的#EveryWorkerMatters对话中，40岁以上的成熟专业人士尤其焦虑于就业和就业能力。对此，我有三点建议给人力部。

第一，延长就业增长激励（JGI）并恢复职业支持计划（CSP），以激励和鼓励雇主雇用成熟工人，尤其是专业人士。

第二，推出中年职业转型计划，提供个性化职业辅导、咨询和支持，帮助所有成熟工人，包括专业人士，无论是否在职。

第三，虽然我赞赏特别就业补贴的延长，人力部能否考虑提高目前4000新元的薪资上限，使更多成熟专业人士受益？

职场歧视

梁文韬先生（非选区议员）：主席先生，我提及三方职场公平委员会最近发布的中期报告。进步新加坡党（PSP）对该委员会寄予厚望，该委员会成立于2021年9月外劳政策辩论前。但我们发现中期报告在至少两个方面不充分。希望委员会在最终报告中考虑并采纳我们的意见。

首先，报告对新加坡人就业保障关注不足。报告指出，最常见的职场歧视形式是国籍，占三方公平就业实践联盟（TAFEP）收到投诉的近60%。鉴于外国人无自动工作权，外国人投诉歧视的可能性较低，许多投诉应来自新加坡人，抱怨外国人被优先录用。因此，新加坡人遭受职场歧视普遍存在。

我希望新立法能在政府包括总理于2021年7月指出的外劳工作证持有者的质量、数量和集中度问题上，强制实施有意义的改变。

应采取更强有力措施确保职场多元化。人力部应考虑实施多元化配额，或限制某一外国国籍员工在公司总劳动力中的比例。这比COMPASS更能保障职场不成为某一外国国籍偏爱的群体。

下午1点45分

为配合该政策，应取消第9条建议，该条为雇员少于25人的中小企业提供豁免。这是潜在漏洞，可能让大公司设立子公司，雇用1名本地员工和24名外国专业人士。

PSP也多次敦促政府对就业准证持有者征收每月1200新元的税费。这对新加坡专业人士平衡竞争力至关重要，因为随着普通工资上限提高，雇主需为新加坡人支付更多公积金，使新加坡人在工资上不及外国人。

第二，我关注职场和就业法律的世俗性质。每个人应自由信仰宗教，但这不应妨碍他人谋生。

我注意到中期报告第10条建议，允许宗教组织基于宗教及宗教要求做出雇佣决定，适用于所有员工。

这似乎与人力部2013年的立场相悖。当时，一名怀孕7个月的教会女职员因婚外怀孕被解雇，人力部介入确保其获得赔偿，强调职场应保持世俗空间。

因此，我希望部长澄清第10条建议如何与人力部2013年立场一致，或人力部立场是否已改变。

若采纳第10条建议，我呼吁政府将性取向纳入反歧视法保护类别。这符合废除第377A条的精神，更好保护LGBT工人免受基于性取向的歧视。LGBT工人应享有基于能力的公平就业机会。

最后，我希望政府说明自2022年10月以来采取了哪些措施，确保无真实职业需求的雇主不再实行疫苗差别措施（VDS）。各年龄组未接种公民的就业率是否已恢复至与接种者相当水平？

主席先生，职场公平是一个重要议题。人民行动党很高兴政府明年将把这一点写入法律。但在起草法律时，我希望政府能为新加坡人营造一个公平竞争的环境，并确保职场保持世俗性。新加坡人值得拥有更好的环境。为了国家，为了人民。

残疾人士职场歧视

严彦松议员（亚逸） ：先生，根据AWARE和Milieu Insight去年八月的一项调查，约78%的残疾人士（PwDs）报告在职场中经历过歧视。残疾人士面临的歧视可能包括剥削、贬低、刻板印象以及对他们表现出居高临下的态度。

政府已宣布有意将公平就业实践三方联盟（TAFEP）指南纳入新的职场反歧视法中。确保该立法为残疾人士提供足够保护非常重要。

为实现这一目标，法律应包含几个关键条款，这些条款也已由残疾人协会建议。

首先，需要对残疾进行定义，涵盖新加坡所有残疾群体。

其次，应要求雇主为残疾员工提供合理便利。

合理便利是指对工作或工作环境的调整，使合格的残疾人士能够履行工作核心职责，并享有与健全同事相同的就业机会，同时不对雇主造成不合理负担。

新加坡十年前已批准联合国残疾人权利公约（CRPD）。该公约第27条要求缔约方采取适当措施，包括立法，确保职场为残疾人士提供合理便利。合理便利的例子包括提供屏幕阅读器、安装坡道、提供灵活工作安排（FWA）或在线召开会议。

第三，立法必须能够及时执行，并提供必要的补救措施和防止重复违法的措施。

将这些条款写入反歧视法中，将确保其有效防止残疾人士被排除在劳动力之外。

我们需要改变社会态度，促进职场对残疾人士的包容性。我们不能将残疾人士视为慈善的受益者，而应认可他们作为拥有平等权利并为劳动力贡献宝贵技能的个体和工作者。请问相关部委是否计划更多地突出残疾人士在职场的贡献？

提升职场公平

杨婉玲议员（巴西立-榜鹅） ：三方职场公平委员会的中期报告建议备受期待。报告中纳入性别、婚姻状况、怀孕状况和照顾责任等特征，对全国职工总会（NTUC）妇女与家庭组尤为重要。

劳工运动数十年来致力确保职场女性拥有积极安全的工作环境，实现职业抱负。将此类保护写入法律，将助力我们消除女性职场歧视的斗争。

然而，NTUC妇女委员会注意到女性仍面临职场歧视。在我们今年二月与女性工会领导的最新调研中，64%的人同意其职场存在歧视。

许多感受到歧视的女性难以清晰表达不满，或缺乏合适渠道和机会。雇主，尤其是中小企业，也常告诉我们他们缺乏资源和专业知识来应对这类情况。

虽然我们欢迎即将出台的立法，但我们知道实现目标仍任重道远，实际操作可能充满挑战。

我们呼吁相关部委与劳工运动合作，赋能并装备工人，使其能清晰表达歧视投诉，并请问部委将如何与企业合作，支持其有效落实职场公平实践？

新加坡人核心

郑德源议员 ：主席，我声明本人是三方职场公平委员会成员。

我很高兴人力部接受了NTUC-SNEF专业经理人工作组的建议，我们将推出专门的职场公平立法及通过COMPASS的积分系统来规范就业准证的发放。请问人力部能否提供COMPASS的最新情况？

同样，请问人力部能否更新公平考量框架（Fair Consideration Framework）以及三方公平与进步就业实践联盟（TAFEP）迄今接获、调查和结案的案件数量及类型？

我还想询问加强新加坡人核心计划的进展，并建议是否可以公布“三弱”企业名单，因为职场公平立法将于2024年下半年推出，并于2025年及以后生效。

此外，新立法出台后，公平考量框架、TAFEP及观察名单的地位将如何？

外劳政策

叶汉荣议员（杨厝港） ：主席，目前我们面临劳动力紧缺。低生育率意味着我们需要外劳补充本地劳动力，以保持全球竞争力。

其他国家正展开全球人才争夺战。新西兰和香港等地已在疫情后采取措施吸引外籍人才。

我们必须引进具备合适技能和资格且价格合理的外劳。这在满足劳动力需求与保护公民利益之间是一种微妙的平衡。

其中一个担忧是外劳涌入可能加剧新加坡住房短缺，推高租金。政府如何平衡为外劳提供住房与保障新加坡人可负担租赁房屋的需求？

同理，高租金可能令外劳望而却步。政府有何计划缓解此类担忧？

部长能否分享外劳政策更新，包括COMPASS？即将颁布的职场公平立法会带来哪些变化？

引进人力不是唯一问题。人力部如何推动职场技术和生产力提升措施？我们还能做些什么激励企业投资自动化及其他技术？如何装备工人掌握在技术驱动职场中茁壮所需的技能？

COMPASS短缺职业名单

严彦松议员 ：短缺职业名单（SOL）是COMPASS框架中的一项标准。人力部表示首个SOL将于本月公布，预计将识别本地劳动力中技能短缺的职业。

部长能否分享SOL将包含哪些职业？SOL是否会考虑本地理工学院、理工学院和大学毕业生的供应情况，包括本地和外国院校？例如，如果明年信息与通讯技术（ICT）领域有大量本地毕业生，SOL应相应调整。

掌握SOL中的技能短缺信息后，学校、高等院校和成人教育中心能更好规划课程和招生规模，帮助本地学生和工人填补空缺。政府应与理工学院、理工学院和大学紧密合作，扩大SOL相关职业课程的招生。

SOL将多久审查一次？我希望能频繁审查，以便及时响应行业需求变化，避免某职业在本地人才充足时仍留在SOL中。

最后，SOL应作为COMPASS的基础标准之一，而非仅为加分标准。这可促使企业在求助外劳前更努力寻找本地人才。

所有这些措施都能为新加坡人创造更多职场机会，减少对外劳的过度依赖。

外劳政策更新

梁荣华议员（武吉班让） ：先生，几乎在我近期与企业的每次交流中，劳动力短缺问题都会被提及。

随着疫情后大部分经济活动恢复，这一问题似乎加剧。许多企业抱怨，虽然有更多业务和增长机会，但缺乏足够工人抓住这些机会。许多企业请求提高外劳配额和/或放宽外劳准入标准。

先生，现实是新加坡已接近充分就业。事实上，我们依赖庞大的外劳群体来扩展整体经济能力和增长潜力。

数字庞大。目前外劳总数为131万，略低于疫情前的143万，占总劳动力的三分之一，比例相当显著。

在我们这座小岛上，容纳更多外劳存在物理和社会限制。我相信我们在数量上已接近极限。

过度依赖外劳也使我们面临来源国风险和集中风险。疫情期间边境关闭或限制时，这些脆弱性显现无遗。

先生，过去依赖人力驱动的增长策略在当前环境下已不可持续。

请问部长，企业如何应对外劳限制？是否观察到企业更多采用技术和培训提升生产力和能力？

下午2时

去年，人力部宣布多项外劳政策调整。COMPASS框架作为透明系统推出，旨在强化劳动力互补性和多样性，防止来源集中。

就业准证和S准证的最低薪资门槛已于2022年9月提高，建筑和工艺行业的依赖比率上限（DRC）将于2024年1月跟进降低。

海外网络与专才（ONE）准证针对各行业顶尖人才，战略经济优先人力计划（M-SEP）支持对新加坡战略经济优先领域有贡献的企业增长。这些计划附带严格条件，并设有外劳雇佣比例和人数上限。M-SEP参与企业还须承诺雇用和培训本地员工。约有1000家企业符合M-SEP资格，不到总企业数的1%。

先生，我支持加强互补性和多样性的政策方向，设定具体要求确保本地与外劳劳动力的互补组合，目标是打造强大的新加坡人核心。请问部长，针对实现这些目标，外劳政策有何最新进展？

退休保障充足性

萨克提安迪·苏帕特议员（碧山-大巴窑） ：物价上涨威胁退休长者应对不断增长的开支能力，他们无法享受工资上涨的好处。我在预算辩论中提出了几个关于退休保障充足性的问题。

首先，公积金最低退休金额应包含足够缓冲，以应对未来突发事件，如价格剧烈上涨。是否应调整分配比例，将更多资金分配到特别账户，而非普通账户和医疗储蓄账户？

其次，随着2023年市场利率突破4%，我们是否打算调整各公积金账户的利率？公积金终身计划（CPF LIFE）递增计划每年提高2%的派息率，鉴于长期通胀预期变化，可能需要调整。

最后，我更关心自雇人士和非就业家庭主妇，他们没有最低退休金额。

请问部委能否更新新加坡人的退休保障状况？我们如何帮助那些难以应对支出冲击、储蓄耗尽或从未积累多少储蓄的退休家庭？这类家庭是否日益增多？

阿卜杜勒·萨马德议员 ：主席，退休保障充足性话题在各年龄层工友中引起关注。

感谢政府加强努力，确保工人55岁时拥有基本退休金额。此时，我呼吁政府、政府关联公司甚至淡马锡关联公司，若经营良好，继续维持17%的公积金缴纳比例，而非55岁后减少。这将有助于工人公积金储蓄，也体现企业社会责任（CSR）。

请问部委，截至2022年12月，有多少新加坡人达到基本、全额和增强退休金额？有多少人在55岁时选择增强退休金额？有多少人以房产作为抵押，弥补基本与全额增强退休金额的差额，以便55岁时提取现金？

我们每位新加坡人都梦想退休时拥有足够财富，健康和收入是关键。再次强调，我坚信新加坡人期待政府支持，尤其是对表现良好的工人，不在55岁时减少公积金缴纳。

主席 ：刘志强议员，两项发言请。

提升公积金回报

蔡庆伟议员（盛港） ：主席，关于提升公积金回报，我想再次借此机会提出我过去两年在议会中表达的关切。

公积金计划在保障新加坡人退休需求中扮演重要角色，这也是公积金局的使命。

提升回报的机会是许多新加坡人持续关注的。近期银行因定期存款促销排长队，足以证明这一需求。过去一个月，主要银行如华侨银行和星展银行开始提供额外产品，允许投资者将公积金普通账户（OA）资金配置于此。华侨银行现提供八个月期定存，利率为3.88%，星展银行则接受使用公积金OA资金在线申请国库券投资。排长队现象表明，新加坡人对OA资金更高质量回报的需求尚未得到满足。尽管这些额外OA投资产品的长期回报相对有限（例如与全球多元化交易所交易基金（ETF）相比），但需求依然旺盛，显示市场对更多投资选项存在潜在需求。

在2021和2022年预算中，我曾就公积金终身退休投资计划（LRIS）寻求澄清。去年，我询问专家投资委员会是否完成研究，政府是否仍考虑推出LRIS。谭思凌部长曾保证政府仍在评估该计划，我想再次了解自那时以来研究是否已有结论。

毕竟，自2016年8月首次宣布计划至今已近七年。部委是否有更具体的时间表，分享LRIS的详细方案？我希望部委意识到，拖延越久，新加坡人退休储蓄的机会成本和实际成本越高。

此外，我想重申，目前新加坡人可选择的投资选项有限，难以更好掌控财富。自我去年发言以来，仍只有六只ETF供新加坡人投资。随着金融素养提升，民众应被赋能，根据风险偏好和财务目标自主投资。

公积金普通账户利率改革

公积金局的愿景之一是通过终身收入保障新加坡人退休安全。因此，我们必须持续审视并在必要时调整相关机制，确保其有效实现目标。

目前令新加坡人感到困扰的一个主要问题是通货膨胀。我理解普通账户（OA）的流动性使其利率与短期利率挂钩。然而，在我们大部分工作生涯中，我们的大部分公积金供款都分配到普通账户。我赞赏已设定的2.5%的利率下限。但我们必须在普通账户利率与保持退休资金购买力、抵御长期通胀的目标之间取得平衡。虽然我们的公积金资金投资于由政府全额担保的特别新加坡政府证券（SGS），但过去20年，政府投资公司（GIC）的投资组合在名义和实际回报率上分别达到7.0%和4.2%，均能跑赢通胀。

将普通账户利率与存款利率挂钩存在问题，因为这可能相当武断。例如，星展银行（DBS）表示，12个月定期存款利率对于存款金额不超过19,999新元为3.2%，而用于普通账户计算的20,000新元利率却降至0.05%。

我们开始看到利率的鲜明对比。近期新闻报道显示银行之间为吸引存款展开竞争。大华银行（UOB）甚至将其最高奖金利率从3.6%提高到7.8%，而许多银行目前提供3%至4%的定期存款利率。尽管如此，公积金局对2022年11月至2023年1月期间主要本地银行利率的评估为0.52%，令人不禁觉得这些利率被不切实际地压低了，考虑到当前本地银行的存款环境。

主席先生，普通账户的计算公式自1999年以来未曾改变。我们许多人现在拥有如星展Multiplier账户或大华UOB ONE账户，这些账户相比传统储蓄账户更容易获得更高利率。即使政府不愿考虑通胀因素，我也敦促政府在24年后重新审视该公式，考虑当前三家本地银行的定期存款和储蓄利率的实际情况，使其更贴合经济现实。

工作场所健康与安全

普里坦·辛格先生：主席先生，今年一月，国际工作场所安全与健康咨询小组第八次会议提出了建议，政府已接受。

人力部（MOM）新闻稿指出，“2022年发生了一系列工作场所死亡事故，主要由于基本安全疏漏，如安全规划和控制措施不足，以及未遵守安全措施。”

我也知道原定于2022年9月至2023年2月的加强安全期（HSP）已延长三个月至5月31日。延长本身表明之前的加强安全期未能充分达到目标。虽然工作场所死亡率有所改善，但不幸的是，加强安全期前三个月内重大伤害的年化率实际上从每10万人16.8例上升到18.7例。

特别是在建筑环境行业，重大安全疏漏是否多发生在分包工作中？因为利润空间和完成工作的时间可能更紧张，这里是否更普遍存在安全疏漏？

我理解政府正努力解决工作场所死亡和重大伤害问题，但请问政府在落实2023年新建议时将采取哪些不同措施？人力部是否预见需要在工作场所安全态度上进行更深层次的文化变革？如何更有效地遏制死亡和重大伤害？

主席：郑丽慧小姐不在。杨益财先生。

确保更安全的工作场所

杨益财先生（拉丁马士选区）：主席先生，在我的预算辩论演讲中，我表达了对当前糟糕工作场所安全结果的失望，这导致了许多本可避免的基本错误而造成的悲惨生命损失。

过去几个月工作场所死亡人数激增，可能表明随着加强安全期临近结束，公司放松了严格的工作场所安全与健康（WSH）措施。

过去18个月报告的工作场所事故中，有多少是由于公司管理层缺乏或严重不足的安全措施造成的？

尽管加强安全期已延长，人力部是否准备将加强安全期设为常态，或至少将某些加强安全期要求如对系统性WSH疏漏的加重处罚永久化？

先生，我们需要建立更好的举报渠道。必须营造一种文化，让工人感到安全，敢于举报他们在工作场所看到的不安全工作行为。必须确立一种文化，让雇主意识到不安全行为不能被忽视或掩盖。

人力部能否提供过去五年通过各种渠道收到的WSH反馈率的最新数据？人力部是否会审查并加强反馈机制，并在必要时创建新的举报渠道，使任何人包括公众更容易举报不安全工作行为？

先生，我知道资源有限。因此，我敦促人力部将努力重点放在高风险行业，这些行业占工作场所伤害比例过高。人力部数据还显示，中小企业（SME）面临较大WSH风险。我敦促部委加强对中小企业的推广和资金支持，帮助其采用和部署WSH技术。我之前已强调这些技术如何提升工作场所安全标准，尤其是在高风险环境中。

先生，每位工人都应拥有安全的工作场所。劳工运动准备与三方伙伴紧密合作，尽一切努力帮助每位工人每天安全回家。

坐权

李安妮先生（阿裕尼选区）：主席先生，近期关于零售店铺提供座椅及零售工人坐权的讨论引发关注。

多项研究报告指出，长时间站立存在显著健康风险，包括慢性静脉功能不全、肌肉骨骼疾病，甚至在少数情况下孕妇自发流产。这是因无法交替使用肌肉造成的健康危害。

马来西亚和南非等国已制定坐权相关法律。英国要求零售店提供座椅，并允许员工偶尔坐下。

先生，我呼吁政府探讨类似法律，或许通过修订工作场所安全与健康手册（WSH Handbook）实现。

先生，现在是超越行业自律的时刻。我们的法律法规应促进零售工人的健康、福祉和长寿。

技能更应被认可

谢炳辉先生（荷兰-武吉知马选区）：主席先生，先生，我们需要更好地认可和重视职场技能。尽管持续努力解决不同岗位和行业的起薪及职业发展问题，但应对毕业生与非毕业生之间日益扩大的薪酬差距仍有提升空间。副总理黄循财在最近IPS新加坡视角演讲中提到，大学毕业生的中位起薪是工艺教育学院（ITE）毕业生的两倍，是理工学院毕业生的1.5倍。

随着劳动力竞争加剧，差距扩大可能带来负面影响。我们不希望许多有潜力的年轻新加坡人因缺乏必要学历而感到被低估，尽管他们具备相关技能。

下午2时15分

缓解此类问题并非贬低学历，而是实现对技能和能力的平等认可。在美国，谷歌和IBM等公司已减少部分技术岗位对学历的要求。IBM已减少对学位的依赖，IT岗位中不到三分之一要求学位。谷歌和IBM在调整对能力水平的关注后，依然在科技领域保持竞争力。

尤其需要更大程度认可技能，特别是工艺技能。全国职工总会（NTUC）提出的职业晋升模型是提升技术工人工作前景和薪资的良好示范。我支持该模型，其具备明确框架和结构化技能培训，确保质量标准。此类国家级努力可确保关键技能持续且日益被认可。我还建议人力部定期发布特定技能级别的薪资调查，类似大学发布毕业生就业调查及特定专业平均薪资水平，为合理对齐薪资与技能水平提供参考。

在推动全国范围内实现技能与学历同等认可的同时，这一变革需要人力资源（HR）经理和雇主迈出第一步。HR经理是推动结构性变革和优化职场政策的关键。自新冠疫情以来，HR经理的角色显著演变，包括因经济日益复杂需更细致招聘。随着经济不断变化，HR经理还需参与重新设计员工岗位。再加上人力部更有针对性的外劳政策，HR经理的职责更为复杂。

因此，我建议人力部为人力资源行业推出产业转型图（ITM），支持HR专业人士扩展职责，从而显著改善招聘和技能重视。HR经理在扩展职责中获得相关专业知识的同时，也需不断更新对岗位和技能需求的了解。

因此，我想问人力部如何协助雇主和HR经理更好理解各职业及技能需求的细节，与技能发展局（SSG）的技能框架相衔接，使招聘不仅基于学历，也基于技能认证。

总体而言，我们也不能忽视中小企业，尤其是资源有限的微型企业。为帮助中小企业应对HR经理角色的演变，我再次强调需要设立首席人力资源官（CHRO）服务，类似信息通信媒体发展局（IMDA）的首席技术官即服务（CTO-as-a-service）。此类服务可帮助中小企业获得HR资源和专业支持。

进一步强化新加坡人力资源

郑德源先生：良好的人力资源（HR）实践和流程是营造公平包容职场的关键。对此，我向人力部提出三点建议。

第一，建议规定公司必须至少拥有一名人力资源专业学院（IHRP）认证的HR专业人士，方可获准聘用外劳。

第二，建议IHRP认证课程和考试纳入三方合作理念，包括所有相关三方标准、指南和建议，以及与工会和劳资关系体系的合作知识。

第三，HR不能是推动进步实践的唯一守护者。人员经理在支持和推广良好人力资本实践中也扮演关键角色。我相信在这方面还有提升空间，专业机构如IHRP可与新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）、全国职工总会学习中心（NTUC Learning Hub）、高等院校（IHLs）及HR协会合作，提升人员经理的技能和知识，更好地管理和培养员工。

渐进工资模式（PWM）实施更新

莫哈末·法米·阿里曼先生（海洋坊选区）：先生，违反PWM要求的雇主可能面临罚款、处罚及工作准证特权暂停或撤销等后果。人力部与三方伙伴定期开展公众教育和推广活动，提高雇主和工人对PWM及其要求的认识。然而，任何政策或法规都可能存在雇主未完全遵守PWM要求的情况，无论是技术层面还是精神层面，这使低薪工人易受剥削。

因此，我想请人力部更新PWM实施情况，并介绍现有措施或探索的执法策略和机制，以确保公司遵守PWM工资及其他要求。

提升低薪工人

杨婉玲女士：劳工运动的渐进工资模式（PWM）是保护弱势群体的关键，它提升了低薪工人的生活水平，同时为工人提供必要培训以提升技能。PWM目前覆盖七个行业的174,000名低薪工人，包括清洁、安全、零售及从今天起的食品服务行业。

PWM最近也扩展至行政和驾驶职业。作为零售和食品服务三方集群的主席，我注意到这些集群纳入PWM框架的重要性。这些行业与许多新加坡人息息相关。行业工人每天触动新加坡人的心灵和生活，企业的创新和成就使新加坡成为真正的全球城市。鉴于我们希望吸引更多有才华的年轻新加坡人进入这些行业，部委能否更新如何支持和鼓励企业建立有吸引力的职业阶梯并提升生产力？

我也注意到这些行业是首批主要面向消费者（B2C）的行业引入PWM框架。因此，支持低薪工人也包括消费者作为利益相关者。我们呼吁部委与劳工运动合作，传递提升低薪新加坡人生活是全社会共同努力的信息。

外劳福利

李安妮先生：主席先生，去年发生了46起工作场所死亡事故，是自2016年以来最高数字。我们需要对此进行反思。

外劳因议价能力有限，更易遭遇不安全工作环境。他们需要雇主同意才能转职，除非有例外。这可能被用来对付他们，他们可能因害怕遣返而不敢发声。

我们需要使竞争环境更公平，或许允许工人在两种情况下无需雇主同意即可转职。第一，如果他们提供不安全工作证据，应允许他们无须提前通知辞职，并在证据成立的情况下留在本地两个月寻找新雇主。第二，如果他们已在现雇主处工作至少一年，允许提前一个月通知转职，且现雇主在此期间不得取消其工作准证。这将激励雇主创造更安全、体面的工作环境。

此外，人力部能否赋权工人举报不安全工作行为？在安置期间，人力部可向他们保证举报者身份保密，且受保护免遭解雇。若投诉属实，人力部可对举报者给予奖励。

接着，根据《工伤赔偿法》（WICA），指定保险公司处理所有WICA索赔。问题在于，WICA保险公司成为“守门人”，决定索赔有效性后才进行赔偿评估。这存在利益冲突，因为保险公司可能有动机拒绝赔偿。

2019年，时任国务部长表示人力部正在推行监督机制。人力部是否已评估WICA保险公司的表现，确认该机制是否充分？人力部是否主动监控各保险公司表现，还是仅在接到投诉后调查？如何确保指定保险公司遵守索赔处理时限？未遵守者是否受罚？

应公布WICA保险公司手册，便于公众监督保险公司并举报潜在违规。

人力部能否考虑恢复使用独立评估员，如前劳工专员？新西兰和爱尔兰均采用此做法。

最后，关于外劳优质饮食，过去曾出现问题，我曾在议会发言建议：一、新宿舍应配备烹饪设施，许多外劳喜欢自己做饭；二、新加坡食品局（SFA）是否可考虑要求餐饮食品按国家环境局（NEA）对活动餐饮的规定安全配送？若需冷藏或微波炉设备，也应支持。

公积金供款

包慧珊女士（非选区议员）：我有几个关于平台工人公积金供款的问题。

已宣布将为收入低于2,500新元的平台工作者提供过渡援助，以帮助他们应对新的公积金缴纳要求。然而，收入高于2,500新元的平台工作者也将面临调整较低实得工资的困难。人力部是否会分阶段实施员工缴纳公积金的政策，以给予他们更多调整时间？

其次，年龄超过30岁者可以选择不缴纳公积金。如果平台工作者选择退出，这是否意味着平台业主也无需缴纳公积金？如果是这样，选择加入的工作者将比选择退出的工作者给平台业主带来更高成本。我们希望更多平台工作者选择加入，以便他们拥有更多退休储蓄。但我担心选择加入者是否会因成本较高而受到歧视？是否会有措施防止对选择加入者的歧视？

最后，选择加入或退出公积金是一次性决定吗？平台工作者之后可以改变决定吗？

自由教练和/或指导员

潘丽萍女士（惹兰勿刹选区）：主席，体育、健身、学习以及视觉和表演艺术领域的自由教练和指导员群体是新加坡经济的重要组成部分。作为全国职工总会附属机构——全国指导员与教练协会的顾问，我希望人力部关注提升这群自由职业者的工作和收入保障及福祉。

第一，公平报酬。平台工作者和低薪工人已取得不少进展，自由职业者群体也应根据其技能、贡献和业绩获得公平报酬。如今，他们往往是价格接受者。即使有合理理由如业务成本上升，他们也犹豫调整合同费率。合同到期时，常担心因收费较高而失去合同给最低报价者。他们在客户方面也受限，例如公共机构如教育部、人民协会或健康促进局的客户人员，因预算已批准且需额外审批手续，难以在合同期中批准费率上涨。我敦促人力部推动制定采购指南，确保可持续的双赢安排和自由职业者群体的公平报酬，尤其从公共部门客户开始。

第二，资源获取。许多自由指导员和教练面临有限的资源获取，如课堂设施、设备或培训材料。提升他们可包括提供更多体育或学校设施的使用权，或通过政府资助。

最后，认可与专业发展。自由职业者也需要终身学习和支持，确保保持相关性和竞争力。因此，应策划并提供本地及海外的专业发展机会，帮助他们掌握行业最新动态。

加强对弱势工人的支持

杨婉玲女士：平台工作者的影响力显而易见。他们已成为我们日常城市生活不可或缺的一部分，改变了我们的饮食、购物和出行方式。虽然我们庆祝这类工作带来的好处和回报，但不能忽视越来越多平台工作者面临的潜在风险，如退休储蓄不足、健康保障和住房问题。

为此，劳工运动鼓励政府认识到这些问题。我们感谢政府接受平台工作者咨询委员会提出的12项建议，这将加强我们对平台工作者的社会和生活保障。咨询委员会期待工作组就这些建议的具体实施细节进行讨论，但我们的平台工作者已表达对公积金引入可能影响实得收入及生活的担忧。

因此，我们欢迎引入公积金过渡支持措施，以缓解这些担忧。请问人力部能否提供过渡支持的最新情况？此外，我们呼吁人力部与劳工运动及平台协会密切合作，确保平台工作者与平台公司之间公积金缴纳的公平分摊。

对许多平台工作者而言，一天的工作也是一天的收入损失。除了建议中提出的工伤保险福利外，我们呼吁人力部考虑为工作中受伤的平台工作者提供更多保障，如增加医疗补贴和加强伤残及收入损失计划。

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在加强社会契约的同时，我们不能忘记关注边缘的弱势新加坡人，支持他们追求体面生计和回馈社会的机会。

提升退休保障

叶汉荣先生：主席，我们需要推动提升老年人的就业能力，并鼓励愿意工作的老年人继续就业。我有三个方面的问题。

首先，令人担忧的是，某些群体如低薪和临时工作的老年人，公积金储蓄不足以保障退休生活。人力部将如何特别帮助这部分人？

其次，尽管公积金过渡补偿仅为期一年，鉴于老年人公积金缴纳率提高，如何确保企业继续留用老年员工？

第三，要真正了解新加坡人是否有足够退休保障，我们需要超越基本生活水平，制定正式定义，明确老年体面生活的标准。

2019年，本地研究团队推算了老年人在新加坡实现基本生活标准所需金额，该研究被广泛引用。人力部是否认可该结果，或计划自行开展深入研究？此外，过去两年高通胀，是否应重新评估该金额？

第四，我们可以在劳动力方面做更多工作，提供更灵活的工作选择。许多老年人希望兼职工作，甚至在工作与休闲之间灵活切换。有些人想多陪伴家人，有些想旅行、照顾孙辈后再返回工作岗位。

企业可通过多种方式实施此类安排，允许老年员工请几个月假后复职。工作职责的覆盖需灵活且富有创造性。我们也应推动工作分享和微型工作，这些议题此前多次被提及。还应考虑分阶段退休概念，让老年人逐步减少每周工作天数直至退休。人力部如何鼓励这些举措？

我们必须持续推进提升退休保障和老年人就业能力。对于通过工作获得就业的老年人，我们可帮助维护其身心健康，同时提供经济保障。

老年人就业与退休保障

莫哈末法米·阿里曼先生：主席，退休保障仍是许多新加坡老年人的重要关切，尤其在通胀环境下，因为通胀会逐渐侵蚀退休储蓄的购买力。

随着生活成本上升，退休储蓄的价值可能下降，使老年人更难满足基本需求和维持退休生活水平。此外，医疗费用通常随年龄增长而增加，进一步加大退休储蓄压力。

这些因素可能导致财务不安全，使老年人难以实现退休目标。因此，政府和个人需采取措施应对通胀环境下的退休保障问题。

鉴于退休保障的重要性，尤其在通胀环境下，人力部能否更新将采取的措施，以保护老年人的脆弱性并加强其退休保障？

新加坡制造——家庭关怀假

黄国旺先生（义顺选区）：副总理强调我们希望帮助老年人优雅、有尊严和安全地老去。良好的医疗和退休基金固然重要，但这些都无法替代与子女共度的时光。

就在上周六，我在205座组屋探访时，一位居民分享他需要请假带母亲去多次复诊。

立法设立家庭关怀假将让新加坡人能陪伴照顾父母。我相信政府也有同感。所有公务员已有超过十年的家庭关怀假，是时候将此福利扩展至所有工人。

灵活工作安排

蔡庆伟先生：当DORSCON绿色警戒宣布时，许多新加坡人担心将回到疫情前的工作模式——这在很大程度上已成事实。

事实上，许多老板要求员工回办公室工作，更倾向于“看到”员工在工作，担心他们不产出工作成果。正如我在预算辩论中分享，一位朋友戏言，他老板说（我意译）：“你不在办公室，我怎么知道你在工作？”

这种陈旧观念需要被打破。多项研究显示，一家中国公司在远程工作试验中，员工生产力提升了13%。去年，我呼吁公共服务部门带头开展四天工作周试点，类似英国企业的做法。我很高兴向议会报告，英国试点中超过九成采用四天工作周的公司将继续采用更灵活的运营方式。

《妇女发展白皮书》也提出，灵活工作安排（FWA）应成为“普遍且可持续的职场规范”，促进更包容的工作环境，尤其帮助已婚妇女，她们可能比男性更早离开职场。常态化的FWA将确保员工的申请得到公平考虑，而非根本不给选择。

我们了解到，三方关于灵活工作安排的指导方针预计2024年出台。在此之前，我认为有必要强调，这些指导方针应立法并强制执行，而非仅作为可选的建议，允许公司不向员工提供此选项。

我曾在演讲中提及其他政府已立法并寻求加强员工享有FWA权利，旨在创造更包容的工作环境。

鉴于FWA对妇女、年轻父母及个人整体福祉的诸多益处，这不应被视为“可有可无”或“额外福利”，而应成为公司应提供给员工的基本条件。

我们已有机会体验FWA的可能性。我希望新加坡不会重回疫情前的职场常态。

营造包容职场

杨婉玲女士：即使许多人已适应新常态工作，我们希望灵活工作安排（FWA）得以保留。营造安全包容的职场，不仅要消除对“谁”工作的歧视，也要尊重我们选择“如何”工作的方式。

FWA已被证明是员工实现工作与生活和谐的关键，有助于提升员工参与度和生产力，使员工能在工作时完成任务，同时兼顾家庭责任。

三方职场公平委员会的建议与FWA相辅相成，提供灵活性以照顾需照顾幼儿或年迈亲属的返岗女性，确保女性在职场和家庭中扮演多重角色时不受歧视。

FWA不仅限于工作地点，也可延伸至工作时间、工作周甚至工作任务。

鉴于许多行业面临人力困难，雇主需创新采用FWA，最大化劳动力，尤其是那些具备技能且愿意返岗的女性。

鉴于FWA的重要性，我请求人力部说明如何鼓励更多公司持续采用FWA，特别是在绩效评估、岗位及文化重塑方面，支持有照顾责任的女性留任或顺利复工。

主席：沙拉尔·塔哈先生，请两段发言。

就业机会——老年人、残障人士及兼职工人

沙拉尔·塔哈先生：谢谢主席。灵活工作安排（FWA）可包括弹性时间、弹性地点和弹性工作量。

FWA结合岗位重塑，可为老年人、残障人士（PwDs）、兼职工人及照顾者开辟就业机会。例如，呼叫中心操作员或帮助台服务可通过远程工作实现，为老年人、残障人士和兼职工人创造机会。

另一种可能是资助老年人培训成为培训师，将其知识传授给行业。鉴于人口老龄化，越来越多老年人希望就业，尽管节奏较慢，我们如何通过岗位重塑为老年人创造结构性就业机会？

同样，我们如何为残障人士创造结构性就业机会？

在巴西立，我们有几户家庭有成年子女患有轻度自闭症或智商较低。其中一户有三名20至30多岁的残障子女，父母均60多岁，父亲是唯一经济来源，担忧子女未来。子女未能找到工作，整日呆在家中。

我们是否有机会鼓励企业雇用残障人士？

随着延长老年就业补贴、兼职就业补贴及引入前科人员就业提升补贴，这些计划的成功衡量标准是什么？我们如何确保这些资金转化为老年人、残障人士及兼职工人的实际就业改善？

灵活工作安排最新情况

我欣慰地看到，在推动经济增长和提升工人技能的同时，我们也关注加强社会契约，确保增长包容并关注工人工作与生活平衡。

根据与巴西立居民的交流，疫情后，少部分工人完全远程工作，少部分每天回办公室，大多数专业管理及技术人员（PMET）采用三天远程加两天办公室或两天远程加三天办公室的混合模式。

人力部是否有企业远程工作比例的指标，尤其是中小企业？FWA在雇主与员工之间存在诸多摩擦点，如工作时间、工作周时长及绩效评估等。

因FWA引发的感知不公平投诉是否增加？三方灵活工作安排指导方针及其他可提前实施的措施进展如何？

主席：王慧玲小姐，请五段发言。

提升残障人士劳动力参与率

王慧玲小姐（西海岸选区）：本月10日发布的综合劳动力调查（CLFS）数据显示，2021及2022年，15至65岁居民残障人士（PwDs）中，65.7%未参与劳动力市场。

根据社会及家庭发展部（MSF）2020年估计，工作年龄残障人士约32,000人，意味着约21,000名工作年龄残障人士仍未参与劳动力市场。

在未参与劳动力市场者中，77%（约16,000人）表示健康状况不佳、年龄过大或残疾无法工作。但调查未详细说明受访者所指“残疾无法工作”的具体含义。

了解这77%中是否存在实际具备工作能力但因不知如何行动或不相信有适合其残疾的工作或职场而未就业的群体非常重要。通过深入了解他们的求职经历，我们可识别其参与劳动力市场的障碍，从而努力减少这些障碍。

配合2030年新加坡成为包容性社会的愿景，我想请人力部长分享他们从针对劳动力之外的有工作能力残疾人士（PwDs）调查中获得的更多见解，以及新加坡如何提高适龄残疾人士的劳动力参与率？

为残疾人士照顾者提供职场支持

正如我在预算演讲中提到的，照顾严重残疾人士的照顾者在工作选择上面临巨大挑战，他们需要在履行持续照顾责任的同时，经济上支持自己和被照顾者的高额医疗费用及未来退休需求。

工作时间和工作地点的灵活性，以及在需要时请假的能力，对这些照顾者至关重要。这是因为他们照顾的对象无法工作，需要持续照料，而照顾者必须对突发或紧急需求做出响应。

那些获得工作的照顾者往往被安排在明显低于其能力的岗位，薪酬也显著较低，这是照顾者为了换取灵活性所接受的权衡。

然而，即使有这些降低的工作期望，灵活工作安排（FWA）也不易获得，因为照顾者常常面临面试官和职场文化对灵活工作照顾者的偏见。

英国是一个探索支持工作照顾者举措的国家。近年来，英国工作照顾者数量呈上升趋势，无论是照顾老人还是儿童。2022年，英国每五名居民中就有一名是工作照顾者。

为支持他们，英国公务员部门推出了名为“照顾者护照”的倡议。该护照为照顾者及其雇主提供有关员工照顾责任如何影响工作的信息，并引导双方就结合工作与照顾所需的灵活性进行对话。

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该护照旨在平衡员工需求与企业需求。自2010年推出以来，照顾者护照已推广至英国各地的医院、雇主、社区、学校和大学。我希望鉴于我们人口老龄化及鼓励生育更多子女的政策，未来新加坡也能看到推行类似举措的价值，从而满足日益增长的照顾者需求。毕竟，新加坡近四分之三的照顾者都有就业。

我想请人力部长考虑政府是否可以为需要因必要性而采取灵活工作安排的严重残疾人士照顾者，制定类似安排？我们如何继续鼓励企业为更广泛的岗位能力提供灵活工作安排，使照顾者能够更可持续地自我支持？

残疾人士照顾者重返职场

经过多年照顾，找到替代照顾方案的残疾人士照顾者因年龄和经验问题，重返职场困难重重。在求职过程中，他们的照顾技能虽具可转移性，却未被职场认可。

这些技能包括项目和时间管理、增强的同理心和抗压能力，以及在照顾过程中处理冲突的沟通技巧。帮助识别和认可这些职场技能对照顾者极具价值。

在面试时，他们不确定应透露多少照顾责任，担心因雇主偏见而遭受歧视或职业负面影响。我想请人力部长说明政府如何支持这些照顾者的求职、辅导及重返职场准备，并可能减少雇主对照顾者的偏见？

残疾人士的退休保障

研究显示，残疾人士（PwDs）比非残疾人士更贫困、财务更不安全。根据本月早些时候公布的统计数据，新加坡适龄残疾人士的就业率仅为31.4%。虽然部分残疾人士可能受益于父母通过特殊需求信托公司设立的信托，但并非所有残疾人士都能获得类似支持。

我想请人力部长说明残疾人士与非残疾人士在退休保障方面的评估情况，以及在考虑他们所需承担的医疗费用后，政府采取了哪些措施提升他们的退休保障？

残疾人士照顾者的退休保障

对于无法工作的残疾人士，其照顾者成为主要的经济保障来源。我在预算演讲中详细说明了这类照顾严重残疾或罕见疾病人士的照顾者面临的高额开支，因为其被照顾者的治疗费用极高，每年可达20万新元。

这些照顾者将大量财务资源用于治疗其严重残疾的子女和被照顾者。因此，我们看到那些大半生都在照顾亲人的人，自己的退休储蓄却很少。

在2023年预算中，政府已着手加强老年人的退休保障。我想请人力部长说明，如何为严重残疾人士的照顾者提供类似支持，因为他们往往需要一名家长停止工作，同时还要应对持续的高额医疗费用？

支持雇用前罪犯

先锋选区议员郑德源先生：作为我们上月#每个工人都重要对话的一部分，我与全国职工总会（NTUC）同事及志愿者，有幸在NTUC场所举办了一场对话会，邀请了100多名雇主、前罪犯、黄丝带新加坡（YRSG）、新加坡监狱服务（SPS）及新恩使命朋友。这是NTUC及劳工运动首次与该群体进行对话。

本月早些时候，我和团队还在樟宜监狱与一群囚犯进行了交流，作为#每个工人都重要对话的一部分，分享并听取他们对工作、技能、培训及就业能力的看法。我赞扬YRSG和SPS的工作，使我们能直接听取该群体的声音，共同打造新的工人契约。

虽然听到一些雇主愿意帮助和雇用前罪犯令人欣慰，但我们也听到即将获释的囚犯对重新融入社会和职场的恐惧与焦虑。

我有三点建议供人力部考虑，以帮助这群工人：第一，人力部应支持并更好激励和鼓励雇主、企业及行业协会雇用前罪犯，并为他们提供实习机会，帮助他们融入工作岗位。

第二，人力部及我们的职业安置机构（包括私营机构）可为这类求职者提供职业辅导、咨询及指导服务，减少期望不匹配。

第三，人力部应与YRSG及SPS紧密合作，支持就业技能培训，包括求职准备项目，如简历和求职信写作、求职及申请流程导航，帮助他们在获释前做好准备。

工作时间外的工作沟通

杨益财先生：先生，我首次提出赋予员工断开工作联系权是在2020年7月。随后，2020年11月发布了《职场心理健康三方咨询建议》，其中包括工作时间外沟通的建议。2021年9月，工作与生活和谐行动联盟发布了政策模板，帮助企业设定更明确的工作时间外沟通界限。人力部能否提供新加坡企业采纳此类政策的最新情况？人力部如何鼓励更广泛采纳？

根据2023年世界经济论坛（WEF）报告，法国、比利时和葡萄牙等多个国家已立法允许员工断开工作联系。例如，葡萄牙将其工作与生活平衡立法称为“休息权”，拥有10名或以上员工的企业若在规定工作时间外联系员工，将面临处罚。报告还指出，包括比利时一家化工公司和意大利一家银行在内的跨国公司，已与其欧洲工作委员会签署跨国协议，支持员工断开工作联系权。人力部能否研究这些趋势，并探讨如何将部分立法及非立法理念本地化应用于新加坡？

主席：谭思凌部长发言后，我们将休息。

人力部长（谭思凌博士）：除非议员们想行使断开联系权。

主席：哦不不，请继续。[笑声]

谭思凌博士：主席，我感谢政府议会委员会（GPC）议员及其他议员积极关注人力部工作，并支持我们的工人和企业。去年劳动力市场表现强劲。2022年总就业人数增长超过20万，超过疫情前水平3%。本地居民就业已比2019年高出4.4%。本地居民失业率已恢复至疫情前水平。居民工资增长加快。2021年全职居民的名义中位收入增长8.3%。[请参阅辩论后续澄清。]

这一增幅是前一年3.2%的两倍多，即使扣除通胀，2022年实际中位收入增长仍是2021年的两倍多。然而，我们正处于多重十字路口，中期内全球经济不确定性、全球通胀及地缘政治挑战将对劳动力市场产生压力。

我听到大家对自身及工作影响的担忧，尤其是年长工人。但请放心，我们将全程陪伴您。无论您是20多岁、30多岁，还是40多岁中期或50多岁后期，我们将赋能您寻找并追求新机遇。但我们需要您的帮助和支持，迈出第一步，前进，提升职业前景。

若您想转行，我们将提供支持助您提升技能和再培训。若您失业，我们将介入帮助您求职。若您偏好实务工作，我们将提供更多机会，让您掌握技能并获得回报。临近退休时，只要您持续工作并缴纳公积金，便能满足基本退休需求。

我们将利用持续的经济增长为您提供优质工作，持续改善您的就业成果。即使在不确定中，仍有重大机遇可供把握。我昨日在与贸易及工业部（MTI）联合演讲中分享了多项促进企业人才发展的计划。

对于刚起步者，有新加坡全球执行计划（SGEP）支持应届及近年毕业生在高增长企业中追求结构化职业发展路径。全球人才准备计划（GRT）通过共同资助本地年轻人才，支持其参与本地及海外实习，助力人才储备。Tech@SG试点自启动三年来，已在科技初创企业创造逾1500个本地职位。

对于有潜力中小企业的高级领导，企业转型领导力（ELT）计划帮助其发展商业策略和领导能力。面对不断变化的经济，我们需持续推动经济转型，使新加坡更强大，抓住新机遇。我们希望您加入这场转型之旅，这也是我们通过“前进新加坡”计划与国人沟通，了解他们的愿望、对经济的焦虑及就业担忧的原因。

基于此，人力部本次供应委员会（COS）预算的重点围绕三大主题：一、与您共抓机遇；二、加强对您的支持；三、与您共建更好职场。

首先，我们将与新加坡人共抓机遇，支持他们提升职业前景和韧性，使其有能力承担优质工作。同时，我们将继续欢迎合适人才，满足企业需求，打造本地与外籍人才的最佳团队，实现包容性增长，让各类工人共享经济成果。

因此，第二重点是加强对新加坡人退休保障的支持，通过完善中央公积金（CPF）体系，让他们在晚年安心。我们还将继续全社会努力，支持平台工人、低薪工人及年长工人，保障其职场权益。高级国务部长许宝琨和扎基·穆罕默德将在各自演讲中详细阐述。

最后，我们每个人都渴望并应享有公平机会，在职场贡献并茁壮成长。这引出第三重点，即作为团结社会共同努力，确保更安全、公平和进步的职场。我们将持续改善妇女、残疾人士及前罪犯的就业机会。国务部长颜晓芳将在演讲中详细说明。我们也将继续提升职场安全，高级国务部长扎基将在其演讲中涵盖。

让我先分享如何赋能新加坡人承担优质工作。我们拥有强劲且充满活力的经济，已在疫情中展现韧性。我们有令人振奋的愿景，继续转型经济。为抓住机遇，新加坡人需保持开放，迎接新挑战和职业，不断提升和装备未来技能。

人力部及政府将全程陪伴您，助您提升职业前景。

下午3时

疫情期间，政府成立国家就业理事会（NJC），在经济衰退和劳动力市场疲软时提供就业和技能机会。

2020年4月至2022年4月，政府、工会和雇主共同努力，通过SGUnited就业与技能计划，支持约20万本地人就业，其中约15万获得永久职位，其余进入培训和实习岗位。

就业与就业能力局（WSG）和全国职工总会的就业与就业能力学院在全国设有24个SGUnited就业与技能中心，2022年协助安置3400名求职者。

为配合NJC工作，我于2021年9月成立就业工作组，专注帮助更多本地人在信息通信、制造业和金融服务等10个关键行业获得新工作。

阿卜杜勒·萨马德先生会高兴得知，通过针对关键行业的定制努力，我们帮助逾1.1万本地人在这些行业找到新工作。

NJC和就业工作组的成就证明了本地工人的素质和灵活性。人力部和WSG将继续帮助新加坡人转型新工作和新职业。

例如，WSG提供多项职业转换计划（CCPs），为雇主提供薪资和培训支持，帮助新聘员工和现有员工重新培训以适应新或重新设计的岗位。2022年，WSG推出多项针对新兴岗位的CCPs，如可持续发展专家、碳项目开发员和客户智能分析师。

郑丽慧小姐询问我们如何帮助中小企业招聘。中小企业可利用WSG提供的全套计划。特别是，WSG设计了针对中小企业高管的CCP，满足中小企业新员工的特定需求，帮助他们适应中小企业工作环境。

朱德明先生和郑德源先生关心如何更好支持成熟工人，包括专业管理人员（PMEs）的就业和就业能力。我理解成熟工人转行可能更具挑战性，因此CCPs为40岁及以上成熟工人提供更高支持——覆盖90%的薪资和培训费用。为提供更多选择，WSG还推出了SGUnited中年职业路径（SGUP），为40岁及以上人士提供带津贴的全职实习岗位。

2022年，WSG通过CCPs支持约1900名工人，通过SGUP支持约1100名工人。

其中一位是50岁的努尔·哈希姆先生，曾是本地一家安全审计公司的独立系统安全审计员。他希望探索IT行业的职业选择，报名参加了技能未来职业转型计划下的六个月课程。

哈希姆先生掌握了新的技术技能后，于2022年9月在MyCareersFuture网站上申请了SGUP计划。他获得了主办机构Swiz Technologies的IT云和基础设施专家实习岗位。

在为期六个月的实习期间，Swiz Technologies提供了在职培训，包括逐步演示，帮助他了解如何执行IT云和基础设施专家的工作任务。

我很高兴听到，基于他在实习计划中的出色表现，哈希姆先生本月将转为Swiz Technologies的全职员工。

最终，劳工部（MOM）旨在支持新加坡人的职业抱负。这就是为什么我们一直与各行各业的新加坡人交流，了解他们的抱负以及他们对经济和就业的焦虑。

这些在“前进新加坡”计划下的对话使我们能够共同缔造新的社会契约。社会契约必须是相互强化、相互巩固的。这是一个双向对话，以便我们能够吸纳您的反馈，共同缔造新的契约。

我们与政策研究院（IPS）合作，召集了一个关于就业韧性的公民小组，召集一群公民讨论并提出增加职业流动性和帮助工人从失业等挫折中恢复的建议。公民小组将在三月底完成工作，我期待听取他们的建议。

迄今为止，听取了许多新加坡同胞的意见，我听到一个共同的主题。无论您是刚开始职业生涯，处于职业中期，还是职业后期，您都渴望改善职业前景。

更好的职业健康是帮助我们的工人攀升职业阶梯、保持与时俱进和保持就业能力的关键，或者它促使他们能够转换到更符合其技能和兴趣的新工作。

我在上个月启动公民小组时谈到了职业健康。就像身体健康一样，职业健康有三个方面。

第一，拥有更好的洞察力和意识。我们需要更加敏感，更加了解我们的职业前景，相对于行业和经济的增长或转型。

第二，采取有意识和有目的的行动来保持我们的职业健康。信息只有在我们处理并采取行动时才有意义。这意味着采取预防性和积极主动的步骤，保持领先竞争，并准备好抓住新机会。

第三，我们如何从挫折中反弹？有时，尽管我们做了各种努力，意外仍会突然降临。我们正在考虑如何给予工人更有力的帮助，使他们能够更强、更好地从挫折中恢复。但要实现这一点，工人需要保持职业健康，以便更好地准备应对挫折，更加准备好自我振作。

劳工部帮助提高职业健康意识的一种方式是通过职位转型地图（JTMs）。这些JTMs提供了各行业技术和自动化对职位影响的详细洞察。

温显德教授和沙拉尔·塔哈先生询问了我们如何确保劳动力具备全球竞争力，包括如何应对人工智能（AI）带来的威胁。

这些JTMs提供了各行业技术和自动化对职位影响的详细洞察。JTMs将赋能您掌控职业发展和晋升，向您提供保持相关性和竞争力所需的关键技能信息。

郑兴耀先生、安珍妮女士和梁荣华先生询问了劳工部如何支持企业增长和应对人力短缺。

从根本上讲，为应对人力紧缺，企业必须持续转型，提高生产力和人力效率。政府仍致力于支持企业和工人实现这一目标。

JTMs将指导企业如何转型其业务和职位，以保持竞争力和韧性。欲了解更多信息，您可以访问人力发展局（WSG）网站上的JTMs。个人也可以在那里找到重新技能培训、提升技能或开展职业转型的资源。

迄今为止，已完成10个JTMs，另有8个正在进行中。一个例子是企业新加坡于2022年12月发布的食品制造JTM，该地图识别了新兴职位，如新型食品技术经理，并制定了重新设计职位的路径。工人可以通过食品制造专业人员及助理的职业转换计划（CCP）和SkillsFuture工作学习计划等项目重新技能培训，转向新兴或重新设计的职位。今年还将推出更多JTMs。

利用数据和人工智能提供更个性化的职位和技能洞察具有巨大潜力。这有助于改善职位匹配，使您更好地规划下一步行动——无论是参加课程提升技能、转行还是职业晋升。

我很高兴宣布，我们将在2023年第三季度在MyCareersFuture门户网站推出新的CareersFinder功能。CareersFinder是一款职位和技能推荐工具。

我们听到反馈，一些工人希望同时探索职位机会和技能提升，因为两者相互关联。CareersFinder是尝试整合职位和培训推荐的第一步。它利用劳动力市场中技能邻近性和职位转换的数据，帮助求职者根据个人资料识别潜在职业机会，并推荐合适的培训项目，助力实现职业目标。

CareersFinder是一个新功能，将以测试版形式推出，但随着数据增长，它将变得更加强大。我们将持续改进，使其更能响应求职者需求。希望了解更多CareersFinder的个人也可通过WSG网站注册兴趣。

除了支持工人重新技能培训和提升技能外，我们还需要建设一个更具包容性的劳动力市场，奖励不同领域技能的精通。我们的劳动力市场还必须提供多条成功路径，以满足不同兴趣和倾向。

我们的社会传统上更重视“脑力”工作，而非“动手”工作和“用心”工作，这导致职业工资差距。但“动手”工作——制作精良物品、修理复杂机器所需的工艺——对社会运作同样重要，正如谢伟强先生和普里坦·辛格先生也强调的那样。

许多“动手”工作也需要深厚技能。我们正与全国职工总会（NTUC）合作，研究如何重新设计熟练工种，特别是那些在未来经济中仍不可或缺的工种，以提供更好的薪酬、更清晰的职业和技能晋升阶梯，以及其他吸引、留住和奖励这些岗位工人的方式。

随着时间推移，如果我们能够改善这些职位的前景和认知，并为熟练工种提供有吸引力的职业路径，我们将能够以可持续的方式增加本地人在这些岗位上的数量。

关于这一举措的更多细节将在“前进新加坡”计划结束时公布。

为本地工人创造良好机会的关键方面是拥有一个充满活力、持续增长且对国际投资、公司和人才开放的经济。

与全球人才和顶尖公司共事意味着本地人有更多机会承担挑战性任务并晋升职业。这也为生态系统中的其他公司创造更多机会，反过来为各级新加坡人创造更多优质职位，形成良性循环。

拉杰·约书亚·托马斯先生询问我们将如何继续吸引顶尖人才来新加坡。

去年，我宣布了海外网络与专业人才通行证（ONE Pass），适用于固定月薪至少3万新元的人才，相当于就业准证（EP）持有者中收入最高的5%，或在艺术文化、体育、研究和学术领域有杰出成就的人士。这是一个高度针对性的提升，旨在吸引各领域顶尖人才，使我们保持竞争优势。我很高兴地说，我们迄今已收到来自各行业多样化杰出人士的许多有前景的申请。

我想分享两位ONE Pass持有者的例子，他们正在或有潜力为新加坡做出积极贡献。

安井由纪女士是格拉斯哥净零金融联盟亚太区网络的董事总经理，该联盟是由领先金融机构组成的全球联盟，致力于加速经济脱碳。安井女士在推动新加坡脱碳方面发挥关键作用，包括帮助金融机构制定净零转型计划，并动员资金支持能源、水泥和钢铁等关键行业的脱碳努力。

我们还有沃森教授，她本月加入新加坡科技研究局（A*STAR），担任A*STAR皮肤研究实验室及新加坡皮肤研究所执行董事。沃森教授在皮肤病学领域享有国际声誉。

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通过她的领导，她将催化本地研究科学家、学者和行业专业人士社区，解决皮肤疾病和皮肤健康的复杂挑战，造福新加坡及新加坡人。

这只是几个例子。我们期待ONE Pass持有者带来的宝贵贡献及他们为新加坡人创造的机会。

正如拉杰·约书亚·托马斯先生、梁荣华先生和叶汉荣先生所强调的，外籍劳动力补充本地劳动力以推动本地经济至关重要。我们也想向叶先生保证，劳工部与贸易与工业部（MTI）和国土部（MND）等机构密切合作，确保我们的经济增长可持续，同时保持各项目标之间的平衡。在上一次供应委员会（COS）辩论中，我宣布了对外籍劳动力政策的重大调整，以加强外籍劳动力的互补性。我们的重点是妥善实施这些变革。请允许我简要更新。

为确保持有这些准证的外籍人士具备合适的素质，我们已将聘用就业准证（EP）和S准证持有者的成本与本地专业人员、经理、执行人员和技术人员（PMETs）中收入最高三分之一，以及本地助理专业人员和技术人员（APTs）的工资进行了基准比较。有了这些明确的基准，雇主可以预期就业准证和S准证的最低工资和征费将定期且可预测地调整。

今年，EP最低工资不会变动。但正如我去年宣布的，我们将于2023年9月推进第二阶段提高S准证最低工资和一级征费。S准证最低工资将从3000新元提高至3150新元。考虑到本地APT工资随年龄增长，年长S准证持有者的最低工资要求更高。S准证一级征费也将从目前的450新元提高至550新元。雇主可在劳工部网站查阅相关详情。

COMPASS——一套新的、透明且全面的就业准证申请评估框架——将于今年9月应用于新的EP申请。COMPASS激励企业加强本地劳动力，同时辅以高质量和多元化的外籍劳动力。过去一年，我们陆续公布了四项基础标准的细节。企业现可通过MyMOMPortal上的劳动力洞察工具查看其在COMPASS企业层面标准的表现，并与行业同行进行比较。

各位议员可能还记得，在COMPASS框架下，申请人可在第二标准“资格”项下获得积分。如今，雇主已负责确保候选人资格的真实性。为防止通过提交虚假学历资格进行欺诈，欲在第二标准“资格”项下得分的雇主须提交学历验证证明。我们已与三方伙伴及行业协会协商，将于2023年9月与COMPASS一同实施此新流程。我们将适时公布更多细节。请放心，我们将确保顺利实施，尽量减少对雇主招聘流程的干扰。

我们将在本月晚些时候公布两项加分标准的更多细节，即技能加分（第五标准）和战略经济优先事项加分（第六标准）。符合相应标准的申请人将获得加分，计入COMPASS总分。技能加分适用于就业准证申请人所从事的短缺职业清单（SOL）中的职业。SOL识别出劳动力中短缺的、需要小众且高度专业技能的职业，这些职业对维持关键增长或战略优先领域的投资至关重要。

贾拉德·贾姆先生询问了预计纳入SOL的职业更新。劳工部正与行业机构协商，敲定首批SOL。我想向贾姆先生保证，评估过程严谨，既考虑短缺的量化指标，也考虑多种定性因素。一个关键考量是确保行业机构已与业界合作，制定发展本地人才储备的计划，包括与高等院校合作，装备毕业生所需技能，以及培养和提升现有行业或相关岗位人员的技能。相关行业机构还征求了业界合作伙伴和工会的意见。

SOL将涵盖技术、医疗保健和可持续发展等领域的专业职位，这些领域全球技能人才短缺。SOL将定期审查，每三年进行一次重大更新。这确保SOL能响应行业发展，同时为企业提供足够的确定性和准备时间。

战略经济优先事项（SEP）加分是与贸易与工业部、参与的经济机构及全国职工总会共同设计的。这是一项高度选择性的加分，支持通过雄心勃勃的投资、创新、国际化或公司及劳动力转型活动，为新加坡战略经济优先事项做出贡献的企业。

经济机构将与获得SEP加分的企业合作，推动这些关键经济优先事项，并证明其致力于发展本地劳动力。全国职工总会将协助企业开展公司和劳动力转型工作，例如设立公司培训委员会（CTCs），制定工人技能提升计划。获得SEP加分的企业需保持健康的劳动力结构，包括国籍多样性和本地PMET就业比例，作为续期条件。加分标准的完整细节将于三月底前在劳工部网站公布。

帕特里克·郑先生询问公平考虑框架（FCF）的最新情况。自2016年以来，劳工部已与1800多家雇主就FCF进行接触。

正如我在去年COS辩论中宣布的，COMPASS建立在我们现有的FCF努力基础上，通过在申请阶段应用企业相关属性。一旦COMPASS推出，FCF观察名单将重新定位，重点关注企业相关属性得分较低的企业。三方公平与进步就业实践联盟（TAFEP）将为这些企业举办研讨会，强调企业可采取的改进招聘实践的措施。

郑先生还建议公布劳动力结构较弱企业名单。我之前解释过，公布名单会影响这些企业的业务，可能阻碍其改进做法。因此，我们的做法是让TAFEP与其合作，改善其做法。请放心，劳工部将继续认真对待公平考虑，我将在演讲后半部分详细介绍我们在职场公平立法方面的努力。

朱德明先生和郑兴耀先生也建议进一步调整外籍劳动力政策，以解决某些行业本地人不足的问题，或应对人口老龄化。

我们今天已经在这样做。建筑和工艺等行业拥有较高的外籍工人配额，因为我们认识到较少本地人进入这些行业，我们也灵活支持医疗保健和公共住房清洁等关键服务。去年宣布的措施也采取了更细致和有针对性的方式。例如，贡献于战略经济优先事项的企业可利用战略经济优先事项人力配额（M-SEP）计划，获得额外配额。

另一个例子是非传统来源（NTS）职业清单。各位议员可能记得，我去年宣布允许服务业和制造业雇主聘用来自NTS国家的工作准证持有者，涵盖七种职业类型。该NTS职业清单旨在帮助企业适应S准证最低工资和征费的提高。因此，我们将于今年9月1日实施NTS职业清单。

希望雇佣非技术性服务工作准证持有者（NTS Work Permit Holders）的雇主将受到8%的子配额限制，并需满足每月至少2,000新元的固定薪资标准。子配额旨在防止过度依赖NTS工人，确保雇主多元化其劳动力。薪资标准则防止廉价采购，并激励雇主从这些来源国雇佣更高技能或更有经验的工人。将现有NTS S准证持有者转为工作准证的雇主在满足薪资标准方面不会有困难。人力部（MOM）将继续与相关机构和行业密切合作，不时审查NTS职业名单。

议员们，我们的增长必须具有包容性，使所有工人群体都能分享成果。因此，我们将进一步加强对您的支持。让我分享我们如何做到这一点，特别是在退休保障方面。高级国务部长许宝琨和高级国务部长扎基将在他们的发言中进一步阐述我们如何加强对平台工人、低薪工人、年长工人和外籍工人的保护和支持。

即使在应对疫情的紧迫挑战时，我们仍保持对提升工人退休保障这一长期目标的持续关注。

阿卜杜勒·萨马德先生和萨克提安迪·苏帕特先生询问了新加坡人退休保障的最新情况。我们认识到退休家庭数量在增加，因此不断完善公积金（CPF）体系，特别是针对可能需要更多支持的弱势群体，包括年长工人和低薪工人。

过去十年，55岁时达到同龄人基本退休额（BRS）的活跃公积金成员比例已从约五成提升至近七成。我们预计这一比例将在2027年增至约八成。

莫哈末·法米·阿里曼先生和叶汉荣先生支持提升年长者就业能力。这是帮助公积金成员在55岁后通过就业继续积累退休资金的重要策略。高级国务部长许宝琨将详细介绍我们支持年长工人退休保障的努力。

我们也为低薪工人提供额外支持。今年，我们提升了工作补贴计划（Workfare Income Supplement Scheme，WIS），将最高年度支付额从4,000新元提高至4,200新元，并扩大覆盖范围，使超过50万低薪工人受益。配合WIS的提升，我们提升低薪工人工资的努力将帮助他们为退休储蓄更多。高级国务部长扎基稍后将分享更多细节。

对于需要更多退休支持的年长者，公积金支付是多种退休收入来源之一。年长者还可通过政府的定向支持计划，如社会援助（ComCare）和银发支持计划（Silver Support Scheme，2011年已加强）获得帮助。[请参阅辩论后续的澄清。]

此外，在2023年预算案中，政府宣布加强保障方案和永久消费税券计划，以帮助新加坡人应对高通胀时期并缓冲消费税率上调的影响。年长者还可动用其积累的私人储蓄（如有）。若无，则可通过慈善等社区支持获得额外帮助。

正如您所见，我们是在强势基础上建设。我们正加大力度完善公积金体系。

刘志强先生要求审视公积金普通账户（OA）的利率。我们注意到，尽管当前利率环境较高，OA的挂钩利率保持相对稳定，而其他具有相似风险和期限的市场工具收益率有所上升。

请允许我向议员保证，我们正密切关注利率环境，确保公积金利率挂钩在当前运营环境中保持相关性，同时考虑长期前景。

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即使我们在研究此事，我也要指出，在过去十年低利率环境中，我们支付了公平的利率。OA的2.5%底线利率在20多年里超过了挂钩利率，即使在全球金融危机等市场利率低迷时期亦是如此。

萨克提安迪·苏帕特先生询问，鉴于2023年市场利率超过4%，我们是否打算调整利率。特别账户（SA）利率挂钩于10年期新加坡政府证券（SGS）12个月平均收益率加1%，并每季度审查。这有助于平滑短期市场利率波动。如果挂钩利率超过4%的底线利率，成员将相应获得更高的公积金利息。

此外，政府已并将继续对成员合并公积金余额的首60,000新元（包括普通账户首20,000新元）支付额外1%的利息。55岁及以上成员在首30,000新元合并余额上获得额外2%利息，接下来的30,000新元获得1%。

刘志强先生还询问是否可以使公积金投资计划（CPFIS）更全面，或是否有比CPFIS更直接的方式让成员获得更高投资回报。

刘先生去年也提出过类似观点。事后看来，获得更高回报似乎容易，但我们曾说过，更高回报伴随更高风险和更大亏损可能。

目前，公积金成员可投资多样化产品，包括交易所交易基金（ETF）、股票和黄金产品。偏好无风险的成员，其退休储蓄享有政府承担投资风险的最高6%年利率。

我想向刘志强先生保证，除近期对公积金体系的提升外，我们定期审查公积金利率及CPFIS投资产品范围，确保其符合成员需求及运营环境变化。

我也感谢普里坦·辛格先生在近期预算辩论中提出的建议，即为年轻成员将更多公积金供款分配至特别账户（SA）。这一建议曾由陈楚玲女士在2021年公积金（修订）法案中提出，及萨克提安迪·苏帕特先生在其发言中提及。

我们正在考虑这一想法，并很高兴议员们支持。我真诚希望，如果我们最终提出此方案，工人党（WP）将全力支持。

为帮助中等收入新加坡人增加退休储蓄，我们将于2026年将公积金月薪上限从6,000新元提高至8,000新元，以跟上薪资增长步伐。此举将分阶段实施，今年先提高300新元，以便雇主和雇员适应变化。年度薪资上限仍维持在102,000新元不变。

支持提高薪资上限的工人例子是法兹里·贾米尔先生。他38岁，是南洋艺术学院（NAFA）三维设计学院副院长。仅因提高公积金月薪上限，他预计若工作至65岁并届时开始领取公积金终身支付（CPF LIFE），其合并公积金余额将增加约10万新元，月支付额增加约500新元。当然，若他选择推迟领取，每推迟一年，月支付额将进一步增加最多7%。

由于增幅分四年实施，雇主的经营成本预计仍可控。额外成本约为每年5亿新元，因为并非所有工人都受最高2,000新元增幅影响。年度薪资上限保持不变，也限制了对企业成本的影响。

作为“前进新加坡”行动的一部分，我们正深入研究应如何改善新加坡人的退休保障。鉴于全球挑战带来的更大经济不确定性，至少在中期内，这尤为重要。

目前50多岁至60多岁的群体工作和储蓄时间有限。考虑到这一点，我们将审视公积金体系内外的多种方案，如基于工作的激励措施和银发支持计划，确保他们有更大保障满足基本退休需求。

我们也将为年轻及中年工人，以及先锋和独立世代的年长者做更多工作，其中许多人已退休。

最终，我们希望加强支持，使您只要工作并持续缴纳公积金，就能满足基本退休需求。我们将在适当时候提供更多关于加强公积金体系的更新。

现在，我结束发言的第一部分，提前进入茶歇。

我相信，只要我们共同走过这道十字路口，就能协调一致，缔造新的社会契约，让政府、雇主和新加坡同胞携手改善职业前景、加强退休保障，并为各种工作带来公平的回报和尊重。这是一个新加坡进步过程中没有工人被落下的社会。

在您的工作年华，我们将赋能您寻找并迈向新机遇，只要您迈出第一步。我们也将帮助您提升技能、再培训，并根据您的技能和兴趣促进求职。通过改善职业健康，您将能领先技术趋势，抓住本行业及其他领域的众多新工作机会。

在您的黄金岁月，我们将支持您，使您若曾工作并持续缴纳公积金，能安心享受退休生活。

我期待与您有更多对话，共同创造一个包容且充满机遇的社会。下一部分发言中，我将分享更多关于保障更好工作场所的内容。[掌声]

主席：秩序。我建议现在休息。

[（程序文本）于是议长离开委员会主席席，回到议会主席席。]

议长：我宣布休会，下午4时继续主持会议。秩序。秩序。

会议于下午3时38分休会，至下午4时继续。

会议于下午4时继续。

[议长主持]

[（程序文本）供应委员会辩论继续。]

[议长主持]

[（程序文本）S项（续）]

下午4时

人力部高级国务部长（扎基·莫哈末）发言：主席先生，早前人力部长阐述了人力部将如何加强提升低薪工人及改善工作场所安全的努力。

我将在发言中详细说明：（一）三方合作推进渐进工资措施的进展；（二）进一步支持和提升低薪工人的措施；（三）加强工作场所安全与健康的“安全强化期”（HSP）措施。

我还将阐述我们加强人力资源能力以支持企业、劳动力及工作场所转型的努力。

主席先生，我们通过渐进工资提升低薪工人的三方合作之路始于十多年前，2012年清洁行业首个渐进工资模式（PWM）推出。PWM及其他三方努力已见成效。

去年，低薪工人的实际收入增长4.7%，高于中位数工人的2.0%。这意味着生活成本上升时，低薪工人的收入增长更快。更重要的是，我们正在缩小低薪工人与中位数工人之间的收入差距。我们将继续努力支持低薪工人，实现更强的工资增长。

2023年是提升低薪工人之路的重要里程碑。我们将在7月全面落实三方低薪工人工作组的所有建议。这继去年9月及今年3月实施各类PWM、本地合格薪资要求及渐进工资标志（Progressive Wage Mark）之后。

请允许我汇报三方合作伙伴取得的进展。主席先生，能否请书记员分发一份详细介绍我们支持低薪工人努力的资料？

主席：请继续。[一份资料已分发给尊敬的议员们。]

扎基·莫哈末：谢谢主席。议员们也可通过新加坡议会议员手机应用访问该资料。

去年9月，我们实施了新的本地合格薪资（LQS）要求，所有雇佣外籍工人的公司必须支付本地工人至少LQS水平的薪资。

同时，我们推出了零售行业PWM，并将现有的清洁、安全和园林PWM扩展至内部员工。

今年1月，我们启动了渐进工资标志认证计划。

从今天起，我们迈入另一个里程碑。餐饮服务PWM及行政人员和司机的职业渐进工资将生效。

随着今年7月废物管理PWM的实施，渐进工资措施将惠及多达九成的全职低薪工人。

受行业渐进工资覆盖的工人，到2028年累计工资涨幅将达到80%或以上。

PWM将继续引领低薪工人的工资增长步伐。在劳动力紧张的情况下，未直接涵盖PWM的低薪工人仍应看到实质性工资增长，因为雇主需根据市场力量调整以吸引和留住员工。

主席先生，随着几乎所有PWM的实施，我们现在关注确保雇主理解要求并遵守。

雇主必须根据PWM岗位支付正确的PWM工资。我们认识到PWM要求对许多雇主来说是新事物，雇主需要时间理解并做出必要的人力资源或运营调整以合规。

因此，自去年9月以来实施的新PWM设有六个月的过渡期，我们投入时间教育雇主和工人了解要求。过渡期后，发现不合规的雇主可能面临暂停工作准证特权。

一些议员如拉杰·约书亚·托马斯先生和莫哈末·法米·阿里曼先生询问PWM如何影响雇主的人力部署或劳动力重组计划。

三方合作伙伴认识到，雇主可能需根据运营环境调整人力部署或劳动力结构。但在调整时，雇主应遵循已建立的三方建议，如《管理过剩人力三方建议》（TAMEM）。

雇主应与工会和员工沟通协商，达成协议后再实施措施。最重要的是，雇主应特别注意尽量减少措施对低薪工人的影响。这些原则无论有无PWM都应遵守，这是基本准则。

感谢雇主迄今与政府及劳工运动密切合作，共同提升低薪工人。我也赞同杨婉玲女士和谢耀权先生的观点，消费者和服务采购者在支持和提升低薪工人的全社会努力中扮演重要角色。

今年1月，政府推出渐进工资标志（PW Mark），帮助消费者和服务采购者更容易识别支付渐进工资的公司并支持他们。

采用三方标准提升低薪工人福祉的雇主将获颁渐进工资标志加（Progressive Wage Mark Plus）。这些雇主不仅支付渐进工资，还实施支持低薪工人的其他措施，如提供休息区。

自去年12月开放申请以来，约有2,000家公司获得渐进工资标志。

政府将带头推动此举，促进渐进工资标志的采用。自今日起，政府新招标将要求合资格供应商及分包商在合同期内获得渐进工资标志认证。明年3月1日起，此要求将扩展至报价阶段，涵盖政府采购的众多招标和报价。

提升低薪工人是全社会的共同责任。我强烈鼓励雇主履行职责，支付渐进工资并申请渐进工资标志或渐进工资标志加。

消费者和服务采购者可通过购买获得渐进工资标志认证的公司产品，表达对低薪工人的支持和团结。

主席先生，PWM设定了强劲的工资增长目标，平均约每年8%。为支持低薪工人的工资增长，同时平衡雇主面临的不确定经济状况，我们将继续为雇主调整渐进工资措施提供有力支持。

去年，政府推出了渐进式工资补贴计划（PWCS），以帮助雇主适应新的渐进式工资和本地合格薪金（LQS）要求，以及其他针对低薪工人的自愿加薪措施。

副总理在2023财年预算陈述中宣布，政府将在2023年提高对今年工资增长的PWCS共同资助比例。与去年提升类似，政府将为符合条件的低薪工人的工资增长共同资助高达75%，包括那些未被渐进式工资措施覆盖的工人。

总体而言，这些PWCS的提升将抵消雇主因提升低薪工人收入而产生的显著即时成本压力，并减轻成本转嫁给消费者的风险。

我敦促雇主抓住机会，加快业务转型计划，以提升生产力，提升工人技能，并确保我们能够在长期内持续缩小收入差距。

劳工补助计划是政府支持低薪工人的关键支柱之一。劳工技能支持计划（WSS）是支持低薪工人提升技能、改善就业能力和收入的重要计划。

根据WSS，雇主派遣低薪工人参加培训时，可获得相当于工人基本时薪95%的缺勤工资补贴。

自费参加培训的员工将获得培训津贴，以抵消其培训的机会成本。

WSS在支持低薪工人实现更有成效的就业成果方面取得了成功。因此，我们将从今年7月起提升WSS。

为了让更多低薪工人受益于WSS并在职业生涯早期提升技能，我们将首先把WSS的资格年龄从35岁降低至30岁。此外，月收入最高可达2,500新元的工人现在也可符合WSS资格，较之前的2,300新元收入上限有所提高。通过这些提升，将有7万名更多低薪工人符合WSS资格。

此外，由于通过WSS获得完整资格的低薪工人更有可能获得更高工资，我们将把完整资格的培训承诺奖励从500新元提高至800新元，以鼓励更多低薪工人进行更深入和持续的培训。

去年，政府宣布对劳工收入补贴计划（WIS）进行重大提升，自2023年1月起生效。

这些提升通过将劳工补助的适用年龄从之前的35岁及以上延伸至30至34岁，扩大了覆盖范围，同时将月收入资格上限从2,300新元提高至2,500新元。

此外，劳工补助的支付金额从之前最高4,000新元提高至最高4,200新元每年，约合每月350新元。所有残疾人士（PwDs）无论年龄大小，均可获得最高4,200新元的劳工补助等级。

通过这些提升，超过50万名低薪工人将受益，支付总额达11亿新元，高于之前的8.5亿新元。

渐进式工资措施、WSS和WIS共同加强了我们对低薪工人的支持。

主席，接下来谈谈职场安全与健康（WSH）。Pritam Singh先生和Melvin Yong先生询问政府减少职场死亡和伤害、以及强化安全运营文化的努力。

2022年，人力部（MOM）推出多项措施应对频发的职场死亡事件。2022年全年共有46起职场死亡事故，死亡率为每10万名工人1.3人，高于2019年和2018年疫情前分别为1.1和1.2的水平。

若未实施去年9月启动的加强安全期（HSP）措施，职场死亡人数本会更高。

2022年1月至8月（HSP前）平均每月死亡人数为4.5人，9月至12月（HSP期间）降至2.5人。2.5人的月均死亡数对应的年化死亡率为每10万名工人0.8人，低于我们的WSH2028目标1.0，也远低于HSP前的1.5。这表明只要我们用心，行业能够保持较低的死亡人数。

我们也密切监控重大伤害，因为它们反映持续的安全漏洞且影响严重。重大伤害的月均数从HSP前的49.1人上升至HSP期间的55.3人。

但情况并非全然悲观，因为我们发现HSP的影响在各行业间不均衡。部分重大伤害极可能致死，而另一些如滑倒、绊倒等重大伤害致死概率较低。

建筑业的月均死亡和重大伤害改善最明显，但制造业的月均死亡和重大伤害则有所恶化。建筑业死亡率下降也导致死亡人数减少，因为该行业的重大伤害更易致死。运输和仓储业的月均死亡人数保持不变，但重大伤害恶化。由此可见，需要更有针对性的行业措施。

针对议员们关于我们采取何种不同措施的问题，作为HSP措施的一部分，我们成立了多机构职场安全工作组，成员包括导致大部分死亡和重大伤害的行业主管机构。该工作组旨在研究应实施的额外广泛及行业特定措施，分析各行业不同的风险特征和HSP影响。

下午4时15分

我们还于2023年1月召集了国际职场安全与健康咨询小组。人力部及行业合作伙伴将采纳其建议。因此，人力部在广泛层面推动工作，同时各机构在行业层面参与。

自今日起，人力部将HSP延长三个月至2023年5月31日，以推动进一步的WSH改善并保持警惕。

企业高层领导须承担起职场安全与健康的责任。他们对职场资源和优先事项的影响力推动组织的安全文化。根据《职场安全与健康法》，他们有责任确保工人的安全与健康。

去年10月公布的《公司董事职场安全与健康职责守则》为他们如何履行法律义务提供了实用指导。

作为HSP延长的一部分，人力部引入额外措施加强公司领导的WSH责任感。因严重职场事故被发现存在严重WSH疏漏的公司CEO或董事会成员，必须参加半天的强制性面对面WSH培训课程。这也是他们持续学习的一部分。

人力部还将提高最高罚款额度，以遏制违规的职场安全与健康行为。

为加强职场安全与健康生态系统，我们将发起一项运动，鼓励并赋权工人就职场安全与健康问题发声，并提高对举报者保护的认识。

针对Leon Perera先生早前关于举报的提问，现行《职场安全与健康法》已有举报者保护措施。雇主不得解雇或威胁举报者。若解雇举报者，将构成WSH违规，我们将采取行动。

我向议员保证，如有理由，人力部将协助工人更换雇主，若您有具体案例，欢迎向我们反映。

针对Melvin Yong先生的提问，HSP是对所有雇主和工人的有益警醒，提醒大家提高警惕。但该措施不能无限期持续。我们需要以可持续方式加强职场安全与健康标准和实践。

因此，作为多机构职场安全工作组的一部分，我们正在考虑更深入的改革，包括广泛和行业特定措施。相关措施准备好后将予以公布。

HSP期间的改善表明，打造更安全的工作场所是可能的。

正如Christopher de Souza先生和Wan Rizal博士所说，每个人都必须发挥作用，提升职场安全与健康，让工人安心回家与亲人团聚。

从高层管理开始，公司董事和CEO必须营造安全意识融入所有运营的组织文化，提供安全的工作环境和适当充分的培训，并由主管和安全专业人员支持。

工人本人也应遵守安全工作程序，确保自身及他人安全。他们应向主管报告所有不安全行为，若问题未获解决，应向人力部或工会代表反映。我们将采取行动。

工会领导应与公司管理层一同巡查，加强高层对工人的承诺。

公众也可成为我们的“地面之眼”，通过人力部网站、热线或项目告示牌上的二维码举报不安全行为。例如，举报未佩戴安全带的高空作业工人。人力部将跟进举报，严惩违规雇主。

人力部将继续与企业、行业协会和工人合作，建设更强的职场安全与健康文化。我们共同努力，实现《职场安全与健康2028》使命，将致命伤害率降至每10万名工人低于1人，加入仅有四个达到此死亡率的经合组织国家行列。我之所以称其为目标，是因为极少国家能达成，我们为自己设定了极高标准。

除了职场安全，促进职场身体健康也很重要。

Leon Perera先生询问服务人员是否有坐下的权利。《雇佣法》对工作时间设有规定以保护员工福祉。例如，受该法第4部分保护的员工，每连续工作六小时应至少有一次休息。

除立法外，政府也推动为员工提供适当休息区。我们考虑到工作环境多样，过度或过于严格的规定不适宜强制执行。尽管如此，我们愿与三方伙伴及行业协会讨论可能的三方指导，推广雇主最佳实践。

我们鼓励所有雇主为包括服务人员在内的员工提供充足的休息和福利，若需要支持可申请工作关怀补助。为员工提供良好工作环境是雇主的责任，也能激励员工积极投入工作。

谈及人力资源能力，主席，请允许我分享我们加强人力资源能力的努力。

疫情后，强大的人力资源是业务和劳动力转型的关键推动力。从帮助企业吸引合适人才到实施公平包容的就业实践，人力资源将发挥重要作用。我们将加大支持力度，提升人力资源队伍能力。

人力资源专业认证机构（IHRP）是一个三方组织，支持有志及现有人力资源专业人士的发展。我向Patrick Tay先生保证，IHRP认证框架严谨，确保人力资源专业人士具备正确心态及对人力法规的知识，包括公平就业实践、劳资管理体系及现有三方指导。

所有认证人力资源专业人士均加入一个充满活力的社区，获得广泛的专业网络和资源。例如，IHRP手册由资深人力资源专家编写，向社区提供精选的最佳实践和工具，帮助组织应对劳动力挑战。

迄今，IHRP已出版七本此类手册，涵盖混合办公兴起、数字化转型及心理健康促进等重要议题。我们鼓励企业及人力资源领导采纳。

自2020年以来，IHRP认证专业人士数量已增长三倍，现超过6,500人，显示企业和人力资源专业人士认可认证价值。

虽然我们赞同Patrick Tay先生呼吁更多人力资源专业人士获得认证，但目前无计划强制执行，考虑到对企业的监管成本。此外，良好的人力资源实践适用于所有公司，无论是否雇佣外籍劳工。

不过，我同意议员观点，除了人力资源专业人士，人员经理也在支持良好人力资本实践中扮演关键角色。为此，人力部将与IHRP及其合作伙伴合作，探讨如何更好地装备人员经理，提升其人力资源知识和先进实践。

除了IHRP认证，我们同意Edward Chia先生的看法，人力资源专业人士需持续更新技能，提升专业水平。持续专业发展是认证人力资源专业人士的重要组成部分。人力资源专业人士可获得IHRP技能徽章，涵盖战略劳动力规划和人才管理等新兴领域。

IHRP已被新加坡技能未来署任命为技能发展伙伴（SDP）。人力部正与IHRP合作，更灵敏地识别技能差距，开发基于技能的认证路径。

专业化人力资源队伍并赋予其相关技能和心态是必要但不足的。企业必须利用这些高技能人力资源专业人士，推动人力资源能力转型。

为此，Edward Chia先生会高兴得知，人力部将推出为期五年的人力资源行业转型计划。该计划将制定路线图，促使人力部与行业机构、行业和工会合作，推动人力资源转型，打造未来适应型人力资源队伍。更多细节稍后公布，敬请关注。主席，请允许我用马来语简短结束。

（马来语）：[请参阅本地语言发言。] 主席，正如人力部长所述，政府致力于确保我们的劳动力政策为所有人提供更多机会。

帮助低薪工人一直是人力部的重点。自十多年前推出渐进式工资模式（PWM）以来，它在提高工资和支持低薪工人生活方面发挥了重要作用。

到今年7月，我们将扩大渐进式工资措施，覆盖多达九成低薪工人。这不仅涵盖清洁、安全、园林以及电梯和扶梯维护工人，还包括食品服务、零售、废物管理等新行业，以及行政人员和司机等职业。

这些行业的工人将享有显著的工资增长，并获得培训机会及职业晋升。

通过这些措施，受行业渐进式工资覆盖的工人到2028年累计工资将增长高达80%或更多。例如，预计清洁工到2028年最低工资将达到2,420新元，保安人员将达到3,530新元。

所有与雇佣外籍劳工的公司合作的本地工人，月薪也将至少达到本地合格薪金（LQS）1,400新元。

总体而言，这些措施将支持我们进一步缩小低薪与中等收入工人之间的工资差距。同时，工人也必须积极参与培训和技能提升。

（英语）：主席，政府致力于加强对低薪工人的支持，并与雇主合作改善职场安全。

我们必须共同努力，建设更具包容性和凝聚力的社会，让每个人共享发展成果，确保新加坡进步过程中没有工人被落下。社会也应继续尊重和珍视各行各业的工人。

主席：人力部高级国务部长许宝琨。

人力部高级国务部长（许宝琨博士）：主席，在当前充满挑战的经济环境下，年长工人和平台工人需要更强的住房和退休保障网，以及更好的生计保护。

自雇人士（SEP）在本地劳动力中的比例保持在约8%至10%。然而，随着平台经济的发展，平台工人成为快速增长的SEP群体。

包括Hazel Poa女士、梁荣华先生、Saktiandi Supaat先生和Yeo Wan Ling女士在内的多位议员强调需降低平台工人在工作中面临的风险，并提出如何更好支持他们的建议。

政府确实认识到平台工作的不稳定性。与典型自雇人士不同，平台工人受平台公司的管理控制，且收入通常较为有限。

因此，政府去年11月全面接受了平台工人咨询委员会的建议。平台工人的公积金特别账户和普通账户缴纳、公平代表权以及工伤赔偿将于2024年下半年开始实施。

其他国家也在寻找保护平台工作者的方法。西班牙政府于2022年通过了骑手法案，承认为数字平台工作的食品配送骑手为雇员。美国劳工部提出了一项规则，旨在使平台工作者更容易被视为雇员，享有同等的福利和联邦劳动保护。虽然英国没有专门针对平台工作者的立法，但其法院通过判例法方式裁定了平台工作者的身份。

下午4点30分

在新加坡，我们没有简单地将平台工作者指定为雇员，也没有将此政策问题交由法院决定，而是采取了经过深思熟虑的三方合作方法，为我们的平台工作者提供三个具体立法保护领域。

在为期一年多的广泛咨询过程中，咨询委员会与平台工作者和平台公司进行了深入交流，双方强调平台工作的灵活性是生态系统的关键特征，应予以保留。

平台工作者希望拥有选择工作时间和工作量的灵活性。平台公司需要灵活高效地匹配劳动力供需以满足消费者需求。简单地将平台工作者指定为雇员会限制公司和工作者都渴望的这种灵活性和自主权。

我们的做法是在加强平台工作者保护的同时，保留平台工作的优势，使平台系统能够在长期内保持可持续发展。

这就是我们独特的三方合作方法。自政府接受建议以来，我们与三方合作伙伴、平台工作者和平台公司等主要利益相关者一道，在复杂问题上取得了良好进展。让我分享一些最新情况。

我们成立了新的平台工作者工伤赔偿实施网络（PWIN），研究如何调整现有的员工工伤赔偿制度，使其适用于平台工作者，确保他们享有充分保障和快速理赔，同时考虑平台工作的独特性质。

Poa Hazel女士和Yeo Wan Ling女士谈到了需要解决平台工作者住房和退休需求的关切。

原则上，年龄和收入水平与员工相同的平台注册工作者，如果工作年限相同，应能通过公积金储蓄实现类似的退休保障水平。然而，与员工不同的是，平台工作者目前仅自行缴纳医疗储蓄（MediSave）部分，并未获得平台公司的公积金缴纳。

因此，委员会建议将平台公司和平台工作者的公积金缴纳比例分别与雇主和员工保持一致。这将帮助平台工作者在公积金普通账户和特别账户中积累储蓄，除了医疗储蓄账户之外。同时，这也确保了在新加坡同一领域运营的所有公司处于公平竞争环境，并使平台工作者获得与员工类似的基本保护。

这一调整将从2024年下半年开始逐步实施。实施当年30岁以下的平台注册工作者，即1995年及以后出生者，将被强制纳入。

事实上，政策研究所（IPS）的一项研究发现，年轻平台工作者更倾向于额外的公积金缴纳，以满足他们的住房需求，因为他们更可能承担住房义务或计划购房。

IPS去年调研的一位平台工作者Hamza表示，他刚转为私家车司机时不得不支付一大笔现金购房，这让他措手不及。他认为如果工作提供公积金缴纳，这种担忧会小得多。

一旦委员会关于公积金的建议实施，像Hamza这样的平台工作者将能利用额外缴入普通账户的公积金支付住房贷款，而不必动用现金。我们希望这能缓解许多年轻平台工作者在偿还住房贷款时的压力。

1995年以前出生的年长平台工作者可以选择加入公积金缴纳。针对Poa Hazel女士的问题，选择加入后不可撤销。平台工作者目前享有选择加入公积金的特权，这是员工所没有的。坚持缴纳公积金并让收益随时间累积利息，将帮助他们实现住房和退休保障。

此外，与平台公司讨论时，如果允许平台工作者在选择加入后再退出，将增加合规复杂性和成本。这是我们与这些公司实施讨论中得到的反馈。

我们强烈建议年长平台工作者选择加入，因为他们同样可以通过平台公司的额外缴纳积累退休资金。

事实上，借助平台公司的额外公积金缴纳，65岁以上的平台注册工作者将能获得与同龄员工相同水平的公积金缴纳，而无需自行缴纳额外公积金。与员工一样，月收入在50至500新元之间的平台注册工作者也能获得平台公司的公积金缴纳，而无需自行缴纳。

公司、工作者和消费者在交流中都认可需要加强对平台工作者的保护，但对这些建议的成本影响表示担忧。Poa Hazel女士会高兴地知道，政府计划在五年内均匀分阶段增加公积金缴纳，平台工作者每年约增加2.5个百分点，平台公司每年约增加3.5个百分点。

这将有助于缓解他们的担忧，平稳过渡。如有必要，我们将进一步调整。

考虑到平台公司额外缴纳的公积金，平台工作者的总收入可能会增加。但我知道一些平台工作者担心公积金变化对实际收入的影响。因此，我们将为月收入不超过2500新元、缴纳比例提高的低收入平台工作者提供过渡支持，正如副总理在预算案中宣布的。

我希望这能回应Poa Hazel女士、梁荣华先生、Saktiandi Supaat先生和Yeo Wan Ling女士的关切。

此外，提前将公积金缴纳与员工对齐的平台注册工作者将获得更强支持。第一年，我们将抵销平台工作者缴入普通账户和特别账户的额外缴纳的75%。抵销比例将在接下来的三年逐步减少，直至完成公积金缴纳的分阶段实施。

针对梁荣华先生呼吁政府支持平台工作者再就业和技能提升，我想向他保证，无论平台注册工作者选择在平台工作多久，我们都会通过职业转换计划（CCP）为希望转行的工作者提供薪资和培训支持，同时通过就业与技能中心提供职业辅导和建议，正如部长在演讲中提到的。

一旦平台注册工作者的公积金缴纳比例完全与员工对齐，我们还将永久提高他们的工作补贴（Workfare）支付，达到员工水平。这意味着符合条件的平台工作者每年可获得最高4200新元，较目前的2800新元有所增加，其中40%以现金形式发放，而目前仅为10%。

他们的工作补贴增加将全部以现金形式发放。

从2024年下半年起，所有符合工作补贴资格的平台工作者将开始按月而非按年领取工作补贴。届时，由于平台工作者的公积金缴纳将更为频繁，而非目前每年申报净贸易收入并缴纳医疗储蓄后才领取工作补贴，我们将能够实现更频繁的工作补贴发放。

因此，随着缴纳频率的提高，我们也将建立机制更频繁地发放工作补贴。

上述措施将缓解实际收入的担忧，同时确保平台工作者的退休储蓄显著增加。以2024年满30岁的中位收入平台注册工作者为例，若从一开始选择加入公积金缴纳，预计到65岁时可积累约45万新元的公积金储蓄，用于住房和退休需求。

在与平台工作者交流时，他们还提出了平台公司可能歧视选择缴纳公积金者，分配较少工作的问题，这也是一些议员提出的观点。

三方工作场所公平委员会在其最新发布的中期报告中建议，增强三方公平就业守则（TGFEP），明确中介机构包括平台公司应公平对待所有工人，包括合同工如平台工作者。

这意味着平台公司不得在分配工作时歧视，劳工部将调查任何不公平行为。我们希望向所有有此担忧的工作者提供这一保障。

虽然歧视对收入的影响是许多平台工作者关注的重点，但在交流中，他们也提出了工作条件、收入、安全和与客户及时解决争议等问题。

许多平台工作者普遍感到他们的反馈和关切未得到应有的重视。

解决这些问题需要平台工作者与平台公司之间的平衡关系。应为平台工作者提供明确的代表声音，以表达他们的关切，维护平台生态系统内的工业和平与和谐。

这种关系必须基于新加坡独特的三方合作模式，鼓励协商、开放沟通和调解。平台工作者能够自我代表并为自身利益谈判至关重要，尤其是在行业持续发展和商业模式不断变化的背景下。

例如，在英国和西班牙，工会已与平台公司签订集体协议，就收入、申诉处理和安全等工作条件进行谈判。在新加坡，目前有代表平台工作者的协会，但它们未被正式纳入我们的劳资关系框架，因此缺乏代表权。

虽然其他司法管辖区允许平台工作者以与员工相同方式组建工会，但我们认识到平台行业与传统雇佣行业不同。例如，平台工作者通常在多个应用平台同时工作，且地理分布广泛，工作时间和接单时间较为短暂和流动，这影响了他们的组织方式和代表的选举。

平台经济也极具动态性，商业模式可能迅速演变，这影响双方可谈判的内容。

因此，代表框架必须适应平台行业的需求和特点。一个由三方合作伙伴、平台公司代表及现有平台工作者协会组成的三方工作组（TWG）正在讨论如何通过法律支持的框架，正式授权代表机构集体代表平台工作者。

这一三方结构是有意为之。TWG旨在为三方合作伙伴共同制定框架提供渠道。通过这一过程，他们不仅共同拥有最终框架，更重要的是建立相互信任。这是促进平台领域和谐劳资关系的基础，也是新加坡劳工环境的核心优势。我们需要在平台生态系统中培养同样的三方合作精神。

讨论进展顺利，三方合作伙伴遵循三项核心原则。

第一，利益相关者同意维护三方合作精神，这一精神已为企业和工人带来良好成果，也能帮助平台行业可持续发展，惠及平台公司和平台工作者。

第二，利益相关者认识到，虽然现有的雇佣领域代表框架运作良好且具有参考价值，但平台领域不同，代表模式需相应调整。

第三，利益相关者同意代表框架应足够灵活，使平台工作者和平台公司的个别代表拥有最大空间进行谈判，寻求对各方公平的双赢结果。良好的判断力和善意是实现这一目标的关键。TWG完成工作后，我们将提供进一步更新。

主席先生，加强平台工作者保护需要全社会共同努力。这些果断举措对于建设更具包容性的社会至关重要。每个人都有责任维护平台工作者的利益，使他们更好地应对未来经济不确定性。

下午4点45分

平台工作者需为其公积金缴纳部分储蓄。平台公司则为其提供劳动力而缴纳公积金。作为消费者的新加坡人愿意承担平台服务成本的部分增加，因他们知道这将有助于提升平台工作者的保护。

政府将在未来几年分阶段实施建议，并提供过渡支持，以减轻对平台生态系统和消费者的影响。这是我们构建社会契约、促进更具包容性社会的方式。

正如Denise Phua女士和Saktiandi Supaat先生指出的，还有其他自雇人士（SEPs）拥有更大业务自主权，不受平台工作者类似的管理控制，但他们在工作过程中也面临独特挑战。

我们将继续审视是否需要超越鼓励SEPs自愿缴纳公积金的措施，综合考虑SEPs的需求和挑战及其工作安排的性质和背景。

作为需求多样的群体，对SEPs的支持通常根据其所在行业的需求量身定制。

针对Denise Phua女士关于艺术和体育自雇人士支持的提问，文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）将在其供应委员会辩论中分享更多支持专业需求的举措。

接下来，我想聚焦支持成熟工作者的努力。随着健康状况和预期寿命的改善，越来越多的长者能够继续从事生产性就业，支持自身退休生活。

因此，过去几年我们建立了支持愿意延长工作时间的长者的结构和政策，帮助他们实现更强的退休保障。

通过这些努力，我们的长者居民就业率保持健康，甚至在过去几年疫情带来的经济动荡中有所提升。2019年至2022年间，55至64岁长者的就业率从67.6%升至70.6%，65至69岁长者的就业率从44.6%升至47.5%。这分别在经合组织国家中排名第11和第4，且与韩国等亚洲国家相当。

我们将抓住这一势头，继续加强对愿意继续工作的长者的支持。

主席先生，请允许我用普通话继续我的发言。

（普通话）：[请参阅方言发言。]叶汉荣先生询问政府如何确保我们的长者工作者能够继续为经济做贡献。

多年来，我们制定了政策，支持长者工作者如愿延长工作时间，并逐步增强退休保障。

因此，尽管近期经济动荡，我们的长者居民就业率依然保持健康并有所提升。

我们将继续加强对长者工作者的支持。

今年，我们将法定退休年龄和再就业年龄分别提高至63岁和68岁，支持长者工作者如愿延长工作时间。

我们还将把高级就业补贴（SEC）延长至2025年，以支持雇佣年长员工的雇主。根据SEC，雇佣年龄在60岁及以上且月薪不超过4,000新元的新加坡籍员工的雇主，可获得最高8%的工资抵扣。这些工资抵扣将自动发放给符合条件的雇主。

针对朱德明先生的问题，我很高兴宣布兼职再就业补助金（PTRG）将延长至2025年。该补助金将增加参与企业中年长员工兼职再就业的机会。

为了获得最高12.5万新元的补助支持，雇主必须提供兼职再就业岗位，在工作场所实施灵活工作安排（FWA），并为45岁及以上的成熟及年长员工采用结构化职业规划。

这将帮助更多年长员工继续就业，发展与公司共同成长所需的技能，并延长其职业寿命。

年长员工自身也在这一过程中发挥关键作用。我鼓励他们积极开放地拥抱新机遇，准备提升技能并在新岗位出现时灵活转型。

（英文发言）：我要感谢朱德明先生、王志豪先生、梁荣华先生和沙拉尔·塔哈先生对这些惠及年长员工努力的支持。

陈洁仪女士也询问了有多少企业同时采用了这两项计划，以及这些年长员工所担任的职位。

自引入以来，高级就业补贴（SEC）已惠及近10万名雇主，这些雇主共雇佣了超过46.1万名年长员工。同时，超过5,700名雇主成功申请了兼职再就业补助金（PTRG），并承诺实施渐进式年长员工就业政策，预计将惠及超过4.5万名年长员工。

来自批发零售贸易、住宿和餐饮服务活动以及制造业等多个行业的雇主均受益于这两项计划。这些雇主提供了多样的职位。

莱斯利·巴西尔·丹克先生是我们的一位年长员工，他在著名的新加坡莱佛士酒店工作了51年。他是兼职再就业补助金的受益者。自1972年从维护部门开始，丹克先生担任过各种活动管理和监督职责。如今，他是莱佛士酒店的导师兼驻店历史学家，兼职工作。这种安排使他能够逐步减少工作时间，更多陪伴家人，同时通过导览向宾客分享酒店丰富的历史。也许你们中的一些人有机会参加他的导览。

他对酒店历史的深入了解在2017年至2019年酒店重大修复过程中发挥了重要作用，他与工程师、建筑师和室内设计师密切合作完成了翻新工程。

这是兼职再就业补助金如何惠及年长员工和雇主的一个极佳例子。

兼职再就业补助金的申请将于下个月四月重新开放。我希望雇主能利用这些计划提供的资源，推行渐进式做法。

我们的三方伙伴也一直与企业合作，提升年长员工的就业能力。新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）推出了指导手册，帮助雇主开展结构化职业规划，职工总会（NTUC）则通过公司培训委员会（CTCs）协助雇主采用结构化职业规划。

结构化职业规划为雇主提供了一个主动规划未来业务需求的流程，识别年长员工需要发展的技能以与公司共同成长，并支持他们获取这些技能。这不仅保护了年长员工的就业能力，延长了他们的职业寿命，也帮助雇主在劳动力紧张的市场中留住经验丰富的员工。

正如阿卜杜勒·萨马德先生、王志豪先生和莫哈末·法米·阿里曼先生指出的，退休保障是我们支持年长员工的另一个关键领域。

正如黄循财副总理在预算案中宣布的，我们致力于提高年长员工的公积金缴纳率。

我们已根据三方工作组（TWG-OW）的建议，于2022年和2023年提高了年长员工的公积金缴纳率，并将在2024年继续提高，以加强他们的退休保障。至此，我们将完成对65至70岁员工公积金缴纳率的既定提升计划。对于55至65岁员工，我们将继续推进。

阿卜杜勒·萨马德先生会高兴地听到，到2030年左右完成全部提升时，55至60岁员工的公积金缴纳率将与年轻员工持平。现年55岁的会员预计其每月退休金将提高约10%。

我们还将继续通过公积金过渡抵扣支持雇主。

我要感谢我们的三方伙伴对这一重要举措的支持和共识。这些建议对于继续工作的年长员工以更有信心进入退休生活至关重要。

主席先生，我们已采取措施提升平台工作者和年长员工的待遇。我们需要与利益相关者紧密合作，落实我所分享的各项举措，并依靠新加坡同胞的支持，共同营造一个包容且更强大的劳动力市场，确保无人被落下。正如工会的姐妹兄弟们所说——每一位员工都很重要。

主席：人力部国务部长颜晓芳。

人力部国务部长（颜晓芳女士）：主席先生，感谢各位议员提出关于保障更公平、更包容工作场所的宝贵意见。

陈振声部长谈到将与大家一路同行。一个更公平、更进步的工作场所使每个人无论背景如何，都能根据自身优势和兴趣贡献力量，实现最大潜能。

[副议长（克里斯托弗·德索萨先生）主持]

我将分享更多关于我们如何继续与大家同行的计划。

疫情改变了我们的工作方式。灵活工作安排（FWA）变得更加普遍和重要。雇主越来越认识到FWA在吸引和留住人才、拓宽人力资源池方面的价值。

疫情期间的重点是远程办公，但FWA不仅限于远程办公，还包括兼职工作、错峰工作时间、工作共享、灵活排班等多种工作安排。

2021年，超过九成员工在提供至少一种持续性FWA的公司工作，高于2019年超过七成的水平。这是令人鼓舞的。

正如朱德明先生、黄振龙先生、王慧玲小姐、沙拉尔·塔哈先生和杨婉玲女士等多位议员指出的，我们可以做更多工作支持照顾者、年长者和残疾人士（PwDs）继续工作或重新进入职场。FWA是实现这一目标的关键策略。

我们已取得良好进展，将继续与三方伙伴合作，以双赢方式鼓励更多FWA的采用。

企业运营环境各异，员工需求也多样。关键是管理层与员工之间要定期对话，更好理解彼此需求，建立互信。在雇主尚未准备好之前，僵硬地推行FWA可能导致职场文化紧张，影响生产力，最终损害雇主和员工利益。

虽然我们理解蔡志强先生和黄振龙先生的良好意图，但立法并非万能良方。

在有FWA立法的司法管辖区，雇主仍可拒绝不切实际的申请。英国作为最早实施FWA申请权利立法的国家之一，使用FWA的员工比例仅从2013年的26%略增至2020年的30%。

我们首先需要塑造正确的职场规范，增进雇主与员工之间对FWA的相互理解。

如先前宣布，三方伙伴正紧密合作，计划于2024年制定并推出《三方灵活工作安排指南》。该指南将要求雇主公平合理地考虑FWA申请。

针对严杰拉尔先生的问题，雇主有权接受或拒绝FWA申请，但必须有合理理由。同时，员工应合理提出申请，负责任地使用FWA。

例如，某些FWA形式对某些岗位不切实际，如期望机器维护岗位完全远程办公。某些FWA可能涉及重大资源投入，雇主在评估申请时理应考虑这些因素。

我们还必须区分FWA对个人和团队生产力的影响。

例如，部分员工可能觉得远程办公更高效，想更频繁在家工作，但团队生产力可能因面对面互动和协作减少而下降。因此，我们需给予雇主和员工时间调整，寻找个人与企业层面实施FWA的最佳平衡。

下午5点整

我们希望看到的职场规范是，员工能舒适地提出FWA申请，并理解因业务需求并非所有申请都能获批，但申请会被公正合理地评估。三方伙伴将在制定《三方指南》时深入讨论这些问题，并广泛征求意见，确保指南实用且平衡，兼顾企业和员工需求。

除了塑造规范，我们还与三方伙伴合作，加强对雇主实施FWA的支持。多位议员多年来呼吁此举，包括杨婉玲女士、叶汉荣先生、蔡志强先生、黄振龙先生、王慧玲小姐、沙拉尔·塔哈先生和万瑞扎尔博士等。调查显示，FWA在各类渐进职场政策中对员工留任影响最大，雇主有动力推广FWA。

我鼓励提供FWA的雇主采纳自愿性的《三方灵活工作安排标准》，并在新加坡人力部的MyCareersFuture门户网站（MCF）及招聘会中被认可为进步雇主，以更好吸引求职者。

去年，采用《三方标准》的公司员工人数增长了18%。目前，超过29%的员工在采纳该标准的公司工作。

星巴克是一个进步雇主的例子，许多人都熟悉。星巴克新加坡为一线员工提供多样FWA，包括兼职、弹性班次和班次调换。他们为有特殊需求的员工提供额外支持，如允许父母转为兼职以陪伴子女或新生儿，或照顾有特殊需求的家属。办公室员工在可能的情况下可远程办公。对不同岗位员工的灵活支持促成了星巴克员工低流失率，且五分之四的管理岗位由内部人才担任。

我要感谢我们的三方伙伴——新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）和职工总会（NTUC）——在推广职场FWA方面的坚定承诺。

仅去年，三方伙伴就与约2,000名雇主、人力资源从业者和员工接触，鼓励采纳《三方灵活工作安排标准》和实施灵活工作。这些通过SNEF的培训活动和NTUC的“更好职场运动”进行。我们也看到更多雇主利用各种资源，如人力资源专业认证机构（IHRP）的混合办公手册和免费诊所，以及职场公平促进局（TAFEP）提供的行业指南。我们将继续开发更多资源，指导雇主遵守即将出台的指南。

沙拉尔·塔哈先生会高兴得知，2022年，超过三成受雇居民在调查当月曾远程办公。过去两年，TAFEP未收到任何关于远程办公不公平待遇的投诉。

然而，随着更多人采用FWA，确保人力资源从业者具备公平实施能力将愈发重要。我们将持续加强相关工作，推动职场FWA。如果执行得当，我们能为照顾者营造更友好的家庭工作环境，许多人认为这比立法父母照顾假更可持续，正如黄振龙先生所建议。

杨文兴先生提出的下班后沟通问题，是人力资源能力在政策实施中确保灵活工作适当采用的另一个例子。

迄今已有超过500名公司代表参加了SNEF的研讨会和简报，帮助人力资源部门实施该政策，该政策源自工作生活和谐行动联盟制定的模板。

自2020年推出《职场心理健康三方建议》以来，人力部和职场安全与健康理事会鼓励企业采纳最适合自身需求的建议。正如之前所述，诸如休息权和断联权等立法可能导致僵硬和诉讼频发的职场文化。相反，我们应采取支持性方法，鼓励雇主定期与员工沟通，实施最适合企业和个人需求的公司政策。

我们赞同朱德明先生、沙拉尔·塔哈先生和杨婉玲女士的观点，岗位重设计对推动职场FWA至关重要。需要进一步支持进行岗位重设计以提升岗位生产力和吸引力的企业，可利用政府计划，如生产力解决方案补助中的岗位重设计支持。

女性尤其受益于FWA，因为她们通常承担更多家庭照顾责任。也有女性可能中断职业生涯，需要更多支持重返职场。因此，劳动力新加坡（WSG）于去年六月推出了名为herCareer的计划。herCareer包括支持女性求职者的就业促进项目和服务，包括现场面试机会。过去三年，WSG和职工总会就业与就业能力学院（e2i）通过其项目和服务安置了超过83,000名女性求职者。

社区伙伴也在支持女性就业方面发挥重要作用。例如，新加坡工商联合会于2021年成立了新加坡女性企业家网络，培养和支持女性人才。同年，新加坡妇女组织理事会（SCWO）推出了女性董事导师计划，帮助女性实现职业发展目标。职工总会U Women and Family在全岛推广“女性支持女性”导师计划，社区女性由女性领导和工会领导指导。职工总会U Women and Family、职工总会学习中心和e2i还启动了“女性重返职场”项目，提供培训和岗位匹配机会。同时，WSG与其他社区伙伴合作支持女性重返职场，包括马登基金会（Yayasan Mendaki）和明天女儿（Daughters of Tomorrow）。

这些集体努力推动了25至64岁女性就业率的增长，从2020年的73%提升至2022年的76%，尽管疫情影响仍然显著。我们将继续与伙伴合作，为女性提供所需支持，并鼓励雇主继续发挥作用。

我们认识到某些群体可能需要更多支持以充分发挥职场潜力，如残疾人士（PwDs）和前罪犯。我们致力于与伙伴携手，为他们提供所需支持。

令人鼓舞的是，居民残疾人士的就业率持续提升，2021至2022年达到31.4%。但作为社会，我们仍有提升空间。王慧玲小姐询问如何提高残疾人士的劳动力参与率，沙拉尔·塔哈先生询问如何创造更多就业机会。最新发布的《赋能蓝图2030》中，社会及家庭发展部（MSF）和人力部设定了2030年残疾人士就业率达到40%的目标。

全社会需共同努力实现这一宏伟目标。根据《赋能蓝图2030》，已成立由公众及公私部门成员组成的新工作组，开发支持残疾人士就业的新方法。

人力部将加强赋能就业补贴（EEC）。目前，EEC为月薪低于4,000新元的残疾员工雇主提供最高20%的永久工资抵扣。雇佣未就业至少六个月的残疾员工的雇主，还可获得额外最高10%、为期六个月的临时工资抵扣。2022年，EEC惠及超过10,000名残疾人士，其中近2,000名为未就业至少六个月者。

我很高兴宣布，政府将通过将额外工资抵免的支持水平从10%提高到20%，并将支持期限从六个月延长至九个月，来加强额外工资抵免。

加上永久工资抵免，雇主在聘用至少六个月未工作的残疾人士（PwD）时，前九个月可获得最高40%的工资抵免，之后可获得20%的工资抵免。这意味着在第一整年就业期间，最高可获得8,400新元的工资抵免。

这一增强措施是在政府另外提供的补助之外，这些补助为雇主提供支持，以改善工作场所、重新设计岗位或根据需要提供培训。

Vivian Ser女士是一位妻子和母亲，在EEC和SG Enable的支持下，作为厨师在诺富特酒店工作。诺富特的人力资源团队在她入职过程中与Ser女士的工作和行动辅导员密切合作。由于Ser女士视力受损，她承担厨房中不涉及加热的部分工作，如真空封装和摆盘。诺富特还实施了简单的工作场所便利措施，如带语音功能的秤和触觉贴纸，帮助她安全地导航环境。

家庭支持同样关键。Ser女士的丈夫和儿子是她最大的支持者，也在交通安排等方面提供实际帮助。在家人、雇主、同事和辅导员的支持下，Ser女士最近庆祝了她在诺富特工作满一周年。

从Ser女士的故事可以看出，全面的支持对帮助残疾人士进入并留在就业岗位上起到了积极作用。Gerald Giam先生询问如何解决与残疾相关的歧视问题。

我们都可以采取的第一步是避免刻板印象，认识到每个人都有技能和经验，可以为我们的工作团队贡献力量。展望未来，劳资三方工作场所公平委员会建议拟议中的《工作场所公平法》保护残疾人士免受职场歧视。

Rachel Ong小姐也询问了残疾人士及其照顾者的退休保障问题。符合条件的低收入工人，包括残疾人士及其照顾者，可获得工作收入补贴（WIS），通过现金支付和公积金缴款提升他们的收入和退休储蓄。自2023年1月起，我们进一步加强了工作收入补贴，允许所有符合条件的残疾人士无论年龄大小均可获得最高支付等级，最高可达每年4,200新元。

政府还提供额外支持以增强退休保障，支持那些无法工作且退休储蓄有限的残疾人士及其照顾者。这包括银发支持计划，为工作期间收入低或无收入且家庭支持有限的老年人提供每季度最高900新元的现金支付。为鼓励补充储蓄，我们还于2021年推出了配对退休储蓄计划（MRSS）。根据MRSS，政府将为符合条件的老年人公积金账户的年度补充储蓄最高匹配600新元。这些措施也将帮助提升Saktiandi先生提到的家庭主妇的退休保障。

Rachel Ong小姐还询问了希望重返职场的残疾人士照顾者的支持。照顾者可以利用新加坡劳动力发展局（WSG）的一系列就业促进计划和服务。例如，需要求职协助的照顾者可以访问WSG的职业连接中心和全国职工总会（NTUC）的e2i职业中心，获得职业咨询和指导。需要技能提升的，可以申请职业转换计划（CCP），该计划为雇用并为中年求职者提供新职业培训和薪资支持的雇主提供帮助。

我们特别关注的另一群体是前罪犯。就业对他们成功重新融入社会至关重要。

前罪犯有时在获释后面临污名化和有限的职业机会等挑战。这些问题可能因教育水平低、缺乏行业相关技能和近期工作经验而加剧。释放后的最初几年尤为困难，因为前罪犯面临从监狱到工作环境的过渡问题。

针对前罪犯的雇佣激励将鼓励更多雇主为他们提供就业机会。我们将推出新的雇佣激励——提升就业抵免（UEC），继续支持雇用前罪犯。根据新的UEC，通过黄丝带新加坡和新加坡监狱服务的就业计划雇用前罪犯的雇主，将自动获得前九个月20%的工资抵免，每名前罪犯员工最高可获得5,400新元。

下午5时15分

直接雇用符合条件的前罪犯的雇主可通过税务局（IRAS）申请此抵免。该抵免适用于2023年4月至2025年12月期间新雇用的前罪犯。

我们将在此后审查该计划，以评估其在改善前罪犯就业结果（如工作保留和工资）方面的有效性。我们希望这能在支持前罪犯就业方面发挥一定作用。主席先生，请允许我用中文说几句话。

（中文）：【请参阅本地语言发言。】为了建设包容性社会，我们将帮助社会中的每个人充分发挥其在劳动力中的潜力。有些人可能需要更多支持，如残疾人士和前罪犯。

我们将加强残疾人士的就业支持抵免。雇用至少六个月未工作的残疾人士的雇主，将获得为期九个月最高40%的工资抵免，之后获得最高20%的工资抵免，第一年最高可达8,400新元。

我们还将推出新的雇佣激励，帮助前罪犯，雇用前罪犯的雇主将在九个月内每月获得最高20%的工资抵免，每名新雇用的前罪犯员工最高可达5,400新元。

在雇主、社区伙伴和政府的支持下，我们可以帮助残疾人士和前罪犯为我们的劳动力和社会做出贡献。

（英文）：主席先生，每个人都必须发挥作用，确保新加坡拥有更公平、更包容的工作场所。政府将继续提供您所需的支持，陪伴您走过每一步。〔掌声〕

副主席：谭思灵博士部长。

谭思灵博士：副主席，我想对我演讲的第一部分做两点澄清。

首先，我曾说全职就业居民的名义中位数收入在2021年增长了8.3%。我想澄清这是2022年的增长率。

其次，我曾说银发支持计划在2011年得到加强。我想澄清是在2021年加强的。

高级国务部长许文远、高级国务部长扎基、国务部长颜国兴和我分享了人力部（MOM）本次供应委员会（COS）的三个主题：（一）抓住机遇，（二）加强对您的支持，（三）与您共同确保更好的工作场所。我之前已讲述了前两个主题，现在谈谈第三个——我们如何团结一致，与您共同确保更安全、更公平、更进步的工作场所。我们正通过多种方式实现这一目标。

国务部长颜国兴已分享了我们支持女性工作者、帮助残疾人士和前罪犯就业的努力。高级国务部长扎基也详细介绍了我们确保工作场所安全的措施。现在让我谈谈《工作场所公平法》，这是确保公平竞争环境的重要一步。

各位议员应已看到由我与黄志明兄弟和叶国荣博士共同主持的劳资三方工作场所公平委员会提出的20项临时建议。

关于立法的呼声可追溯至1998年，包括劳工议员在内的多方提出立法建议，以加强我们应对歧视的努力。确实，这一重大举措将加强我们维护工作场所公平的整体框架。Gerald Giam先生要求为残疾人士提供全面保护，梁文韬先生建议将性取向纳入立法范围。他们都可以放心，所有形式的歧视都不被容忍。这是我们的国家政策，也体现在现行的劳资三方公平就业守则（TGFEP）中。

劳资三方委员会建议新法加强对基于国籍、年龄、性别、种族、宗教、残疾和心理健康状况的歧视的保护。对拟议领域的更强保护也支持新加坡的关键社会和经济目标。

例如，保护免受年龄歧视有助于支持成熟工人的就业，这对我们老龄化社会至关重要。这些特征是新加坡职场中常见的歧视形式，过去五年劳资三方公平与进步就业实践联盟（TAFEP）和人力部收到的歧视投诉中，这些类型占超过95%。

我们有处理这些案件的经验，并有信心有效调解。劳资三方合作伙伴将与相关利益相关者合作，确保对定义和雇主责任范围等问题有清晰认识，使立法达到预期效果。

部分议员提出了对立法的建议。梁文韬先生询问立法如何保障新加坡人的就业安全。立法将通过更好地保护新加坡人免受职场歧视而使他们受益。针对违规雇主将有更广泛且更有效的执法手段，以威慑职场歧视。公平考虑框架的职位广告要求也将纳入立法，使我们能对违反该要求的雇主采取行动，利用新的执法手段。

劳资三方委员会还建议保护举报职场歧视或骚扰者免受报复，给予员工举报的信心。大多数国籍歧视投诉确实来自本地员工，因此他们将从更强的保护中受益。

梁文韬先生还建议不应豁免小型企业。小型企业可能缺乏全面实施新规的企业能力。鉴于拟议立法只是第一步，我们将暂时豁免员工少于25人的小型企业。

然而，小型企业的员工仍受TGFEP保护。被不公平解雇者可向劳资三方争议管理联盟（TADM）提出申诉。对于这些雇主，我们也将通过TGFEP加强教育和执法。劳资三方委员会同意，立法实施后将监测实际情况，并在五年内审查豁免，考虑收紧范围。

梁文韬先生提到2013年宗教组织的具体案例。根据当时的指导方针和法律，该教会无充分理由解雇该员工。随着《工作场所公平法》的引入，劳资三方委员会咨询了多个机构、宗教组织和倡导团体的意见。我们认识到维护宗教和谐对多宗教社会至关重要，因此必须给予宗教组织实践宗教的空间。因此，鉴于宗教组织的宗旨和性质，劳资三方委员会建议允许宗教组织基于宗教及其宗教要求自行决定雇佣事项。

必须强调，这种赋予宗教组织的自由裁量权范围非常有限。仅适用于宗教场所和具有单一宗教目的和功能的宗教组织。且不允许基于无宗教依据的其他受保护特征进行歧视。

关于疫苗差异化安全管理措施（VDS），我们已联系未接种疫苗的工人并提供就业援助。如需进一步帮助，他们可联系新加坡劳动力发展局（WSG）或就业与就业能力学院（e2i）。若工人认为雇主无正当职业需要而强制接种疫苗，可向人力部或TAFEP求助。自2022年10月发布更新的工作场所COVID-19疫苗接种建议以来，此类投诉仅有少数。

Janet Ang女士和Yeo Wan Ling女士也会放心，我们将继续与雇主、员工、人力资源合作伙伴及其他关键利益相关者沟通，明确立法意图及维护工作场所公平所需的全社会努力。在实施过程中，我们还将与全国职工总会合作，帮助员工更好地处理案件并寻求救济。

我们也将与新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）合作，引导雇主采用公平就业做法并遵守立法。即使我们通过立法加强对工人的保护，我要强调，我们希望保持新加坡和谐且非诉讼的职场文化。

为此，委员会还建议鼓励争议首先在企业内部解决，如无法解决，则通过调解修复雇佣关系，法院裁决仅作为最后手段。

我们将继续欢迎包括今天议员们在内的所有反馈。劳资三方委员会将考虑这些反馈，形成最终建议。主席先生，接下来请允许我用中文结束发言。

（中文）：【请参阅本地语言发言。】过去一年，我参与了许多对话会。大多数新加坡人理解我们在经济复苏路上面临诸多挑战。我很高兴新加坡人仍对未来充满希望，积极与我们分享他们的期望和愿望。

这让我想起一首新谣《细水长流》。歌词说“谁人年轻时不曾梦想”。当我刚进入职场时，也充满抱负，但我明白职业道路可能不会一帆风顺，可能会遇到各种障碍，才能抵达理想的目的地。

无论你是年轻人，还是像我一样的中年人，请放心，我们将陪伴你走过每一步，帮助你变得更有韧性，与你一同前行。无论你是20出头、30多岁、40多岁还是50多岁，我们都会赋能你寻找并努力争取新机会，抓住更好的工作机会。如果你想转行，可以放心我们会支持你提升和再培训技能。如果你刚失业，可以放心我们会介入帮助你找工作。如果你喜欢动手工作，可以放心会有更多学习机会。我们将助你职业转型。

如果你临近退休，我们将继续加强公积金体系，帮助你满足基本退休需求，让你安享晚年。

俗话说，预防胜于治疗。新加坡人能否持续抓住机遇，取决于他们的职业健康。我们应对自己的职业健康负责，了解职业需求、行业趋势、兴趣和能力。

为此，我们将在MyCareersFuture门户推出新的CareerFinder功能。该功能将利用数据分析和人工智能，为你提供更个性化的职位和技能洞察，提升职位匹配效果。

我们还需建设更具包容性的劳动力市场。俗话说，“行行出状元”。虽然“脑力”工作仍是重点，但我们不应忽视“动手”工作。无论哪个行业，都应有多条成功路径。

我们正在研究如何重新设计此类岗位——提供更好的起薪、更好的技能提升机会，以及其他吸引和留住员工的方式。改变社会对这类工作的看法需要时间和过程，我们必须坚持不懈。

我们也在加强对新加坡人退休保障的支持。公积金体系是新加坡退休保障的关键支柱，满足工人的基本退休需求。为确保公积金体系保持相关性，我们必须研究如何提升老年人的公积金月度支付。

在《细水长流》这首歌的结尾，歌词说，“人生有千般起伏，知己难寻，唯有真挚友谊如源头流水，长长久久”。我希望你们将人力部视为职业道路上的亲密伙伴，提供反馈和建议，共同创造和完善政策。这也是政府“前进新加坡”运动更新社会契约的目标。

我们将继续与你们携手共渡难关，迈向更美好的未来！

主席：我们还有时间进行澄清。Desmond Choo先生。

Desmond Choo先生：谢谢主席，我想向高级国务部长许文远提出几个澄清问题。

我们的资深员工就业率与经合组织国家相当，这令人非常安心。为这些资深员工设定一个就业率目标是否有意义？除了资深就业津贴（SEC）和兼职再就业补助金（PTRG）之外，还需要采取哪些措施以促使更多雇主雇用资深员工？

许宝琨博士：主席先生，感谢朱德明议员的提问。正如他所提及的，也如我在早前发言中分享的，与经合组织国家及其他先进亚洲经济体相比，我们的资深员工就业率相当不错。

在考虑是否应为资深员工设定就业目标时，重要的是要认识到，新加坡的每位资深员工，实际上每位资深人士，都有不同的人生志向。有些人更愿意照顾孙辈，有些人则可能想做更多年轻时未能做的事情。

我们很难设定一个硬性目标，强迫所有人违背意愿继续就业。考虑到我们与其他先进经济体相比，表现其实并不差。

因此，回应议员第二个相关问题，我们正努力创造一个支持框架，让尽可能多的资深员工能够继续就业，前提是他们有此意愿。

例如，逐步提高再就业年龄和退休年龄，给予他们法律保障，使他们若选择继续工作，能得到保护；确保公平就业实践及法律框架，防止年龄歧视。这些措施同样有助于保护他们，实现他们的志向。

此外，还有其他措施，无论是资深就业津贴（SEC），还是兼职再就业补助金（PTRG），都能帮助减少雇主因成本考虑而产生的摩擦，我们希望尽可能消除雇主的顾虑，给予他们额外支持，促成就业机会。

但最重要的是确保资深员工持续提升技能。他们必须具备行业所需的技能，才能获得就业机会。

因此，我们从各个角度采取一整套措施，与三方伙伴合作，帮助他们进行结构化职业规划，使雇主和人力资源专业人士意识到岗位重塑的必要性。

在员工达到退休年龄前的40多岁和50多岁时，与他们进行对话，规划职业下一步，使他们即使进入50多岁和60多岁，也能理解公司需求，雇主、人力资源部门和员工共同努力，发展符合公司长期目标的技能。

这是一整套努力，我认为目前我们正朝正确方向前进。让我们继续推动现有工作，希望未来几年资深就业率能持续攀升。

正如我在发言中所说，尽管经历了疫情和经济危机，我们的资深就业率实际上是上升的，而非下降。这是值得鼓励的，我们将继续努力。

主席：贾瑞德·贾姆先生。

贾瑞德·贾姆彦松：感谢部长回应我关于短缺职业名单（SOL）的提问。有两点澄清。

劳工部是否也会发布针对技术工种、工业岗位及其他关键职业的短缺职业名单？例如，英国的短缺职业名单包括焊工、老年护理员、日托经理和医疗工作者。这些职业在新加坡同样短缺。劳工部可据此与产业及教育机构合作，弥补本地劳动力的技能缺口。

第二，我注意到部长提到短缺职业名单每三年更新一次。鉴于就业市场快速变化，这是否足够？劳工部能否更频繁更新名单，以确保其与不断变化的就业市场和环境保持相关性？

陈秀龙博士：感谢贾姆议员的两点意见。澄清一下，鉴于我们市场规模相较许多劳动力庞大的国家较小，如果我们公开发布名单，许多劳工来源国将了解我们的某些弱点。

因此，我倾向于将名单范围保持非常紧凑和狭窄，我们与贸易及工业部（MTI）、国家发展部（MND）、卫生部（MOH）及各行业机构紧密合作，策划名单，并通过这些机构解决相关行业的短缺问题。这是第一点。

关于议员提到的三年审查周期，我们也希望为在新加坡设立或运营的企业提供一定程度的确定性和可预测性。如果名单频繁变动，企业将难以适应和灵活应对。

我们认为三年是处理短缺职业名单问题的合理周期。我之前发言中已分享相关标准。为让议员放心，MTI、我们及其他行业机构也会进行年度审查。如果某些短缺问题在一年内加剧，我们不会犹豫，及时作出回应。希望这能解答他的疑问。

主席：萨克提安迪·苏帕特先生。

萨克提安迪·苏帕特：谢谢主席。我感谢部长对我提出的退休保障相关问题及预算辩论中建议的回应。

我有一项关于公积金终身年金递增计划的澄清。鉴于物价上涨和通胀，以及我对新加坡及全球长期均衡通胀前景的担忧，资深人士将如何受到影响？

目前，公积金终身年金递增计划每年约增长2%。我在预算辩论中建议，是否可将增长率提高50个基点，甚至100个基点，以考虑当前及未来群体的物价上涨，作为现有2%方案之外的额外选项或修订。

陈秀龙博士：感谢议员澄清。公积金终身年金递增计划起步较低，但随着时间推移，实际收益会超过标准及基本计划。

当前，由于地缘政治不确定性，通胀较高。我们也见证了全球供应链中断及多次加息。

我们推出的广泛举措将改善中长期退休保障。

在过去两年及当前经历的冲击期间，政府持续介入，推出保障计划；消费税券成为永久计划；还有一系列支持措施帮助新加坡人及公积金会员度过难关。

劳工部的公积金退休保障方案是长期措施，提供基本退休保障。在特定时期，政府会像免疫接种一样，提供“加强针”，提升会员退休生活水平，缓解部分开支。

过去12个月推出的措施对低收入群体覆盖广泛，基本抵消通胀带来的支出增加；对中等收入群体也有较大覆盖。这是目前的构架。希望这能回应议员的关切。

主席：宝雅女士。

宝雅女士：我有两点澄清。第一，新工作场所公平立法是否涵盖平台工作者？第二，部长刚才提到符合基本退休金额度的公积金会员比例，能否也告知符合全额退休金额度的比例？

陈秀龙博士：第一点，答案是肯定的。第二点，关于全额退休金额度，如果允许我先处理一两项其他澄清，我稍后会回复您。

主席：杨婉玲女士。

杨婉玲女士：主席，我想重申，目前约有26万适龄女性未参与劳动力市场。若为女性创造合适条件，她们将成为新加坡强大的人力资源。我感谢甘副部长认可劳工运动及全国职工总会妇女与家庭组的工作。

此外，我想请高级国务部长说明政府如何进一步与劳工运动合作，支持寻求就业的女性？

另外，除了就业促进津贴（EEC），还有哪些就业支持措施帮助残障人士？

甘秀凰女士：政府一直与全国职工总会及工会紧密合作，支持女性就业。我已提及多项措施。

展望未来，我们认为政府可与工会，尤其是女性工会领导者合作，组建导师圈，扩大与其他女性团体及志同道合组织的合作，拓宽覆盖面，接触更多女性。

关于残障人士支持，有《赋能蓝图2030》，我之前提过。另有专门工作小组成立，社会及家庭发展部（MSF）将在准备好时分享详情。

主席：梁文韬先生。

梁文韬：谢谢主席。我有三个问题要问部长，但首先感谢部长对我所有问题（除一项）给予直接简明的答复。我通常很少从其他部长那里得到如此回应。

然而，我们必须继续努力改善新加坡工人的状况。尽管随着重开，就业情况有所改善，但就业和工资增长仍然非常不均衡。

例如，劳工部承认2022年第四季度新增的47,400个职位中，大多数由非居民占据。有IT毕业生抱怨难以立即找到工作。

我有三个问题。

第一，部长未答复我的问题：为何您和政策制定者如此确定新加坡专业、经理及执行人员（PME）不会因雇主无需为就业准证持有人缴纳公积金而处于不利地位？

第二，部长是否考虑加快推进工资保障机制（PWM）中的收入增长，使低收入工人在2024年即可获得每月至少1,800新元的实得工资？

根据部长提供的资料，低收入工人要到2028年才能达到此水平，但这等待时间太长——五年之久，且许多工人在疫情期间也遭受了重大影响。

最后，鉴于未来几年本地IT毕业生数量将显著增加，部长是否预期新加坡人在IT行业，尤其是高层职位中，将占据更大比例？

陈秀龙博士：感谢梁文韬议员的三至四个澄清，但我恳请先回应宝雅女士的问题，毕竟你们来自同一政党。

关于她第二点的澄清，我先整体说明。过去十年，55岁时达到本群体基本退休金额度的活跃公积金会员比例，从约五成提升至近七成，预计2027年将增至约八成。

2022年能存下基本退休金额度的会员中，约七成可选择存下全额退休金额度。

关于议员第一点，我想纠正议员关于平台工作者是否涵盖在工作场所立法中的说法。

工作场所公平立法要求雇主与雇员之间有正式合同和关系。

平台工作的性质是许多平台工作者同时为多个平台工作，可能有两三个平台。或许许宝琨高级国务部长因其更深入了解，可更好回应此问题。

因此，单一雇主与雇员关系的定义与平台工作不完全相同。但我们会进一步明确三方公平就业守则（TGFEP），涵盖对平台工作者的歧视问题。

关于梁议员的四点，感谢您的赞赏。这是劳工部全体同事的集体努力。我也从同事们的答复中学到了很多。

目前我们几乎实现充分就业，居民就业水平比疫情前高出3%。在居民就业处于如此高水平时，企业若要发展，必须招聘员工。第四季度您看到更多非居民获得职位。

关于为何我确定新加坡PME不会因雇主无需为就业准证持有人缴纳公积金而受损，请参考我过去多次解释。我们设定最低合格薪金时，会考虑本地同类群体的总薪金及雇主公积金缴纳额，作为基准。

从在新加坡工作十年者角度看，EP持有者薪金呈上升趋势，不会仅为5,000新元。EP持有者的合格薪金通常超过10,000新元。

因此，我们相信已充分解决本地人与外国人之间的收入差距。

此外，我们认为无需强制外国人缴纳公积金，因为公积金主要保障新加坡人的退休和住房安全。我们不认为外国人需要同等安全网，因此不对他们征收公积金。

关于加快PWM收入增长，我将由甘子健高级国务部长回答。

议员最后一问，如何确保未来五年新加坡人在IT行业高层职位占比增加，我们将继续通过我过去两天详细介绍的各项计划——如SGEP、全球人才计划、Tech@SG——培训、投资、提升和再培训新加坡核心人才。

如果梁议员有更多建设性方案帮助培训和提升新加坡核心人才，我乐意考虑。但是否能保证未来五年所有人都能进入高层职位，没有人能保证。

我们能保证的是在各级别提供公平竞争环境，但不能保证每个人都取得同样高的成就。希望这回答了您的问题。

甘子健部长：我想提醒议员们关注我们分享的这张信息图，梁议员也提及，我认为非常清晰。实际上，您看到的大多数PWM岗位薪资都远高于1,800新元。

例如，保安岗位2023年薪资为2,585新元，预计2028年将达3,500新元，五年内增长56%。

园林工人目前为1,700新元，确实低于1,800新元。清洁工为1,570新元，但到2028年将增至2,400新元，五年内增长84%。

因此，虽然有既定步骤，但几乎可以保证他们中的绝大多数，实际上是全部，在起薪时就超过1,800新元。

让我们不要忘记，政府的做法不仅仅局限于工资，如果议员忘了包括工作补贴（Workfare）。如果你考虑每年4200新元，大约是每月350新元，此外，根据你的年龄和标准，但通常你可以获得这么多。这大约覆盖了你工资的25%，加上政府的补贴。所以，如果你看总收入，我认为，我们应该看整体情况。

但我必须感谢工会和雇主与我们站在一起，因为过去两年并不容易。我们刚刚走出疫情，但看到劳工运动和雇主都同意如此激进的加薪，我认为这充分体现了我们三方合作运动在支持低薪工人和与他们团结一致方面的力量。我认为我们必须记住，我们仍然处于疫情后阶段，但现在我们同意56%和84%的工资增长，这些数字非常显著。

但我们也必须现实一点。要再推动更多，我认为雇主无法承受。因此，我们必须保持关注，这也是政府通过渐进式工资补贴计划（Progressive Wage Credit Scheme，PWCS）支持他们的原因。所以，我只是想设定背景。但请放心，我们都在同一页，我们在这里支持我们的低薪工人。

许宝琨博士：主席，关于平台工作者是否涵盖在正在计划的职场公平立法中，我想快速澄清一下。

答案是否定的，因为职场公平立法只涵盖雇主与雇员的关系。我之前的发言中花了不少时间说明为什么我们不将平台工作者归类为雇员——以保持双方所需的灵活性。

但正如我之前所说，三方公平就业守则将明确声明，任何对合同工的歧视都将被视为违反三方公平就业守则。人力部（MOM）可以调查并对这些平台公司施加行政处罚，如果它们存在歧视行为。

我希望议员们也能意识到，公司歧视选择加入公积金（CPF）的工人并不符合其利益，因为我们试图提出的方案是，到2024年，30岁以下的人将被强制要求缴纳公积金。这意味着，从此以后，所有1995年以后出生的年轻工人，无论他们何时进入平台工作，到他们40岁或50岁时，只要出生于1995年以后，平台公司都需要为他们缴纳公积金。

换句话说，随着时间推移，平台工作的工人大多数将需要强制缴纳公积金。因此，公司没有理由歧视这部分更大的劳动力群体，因为这会限制他们获得劳动力的能力。

主席：梁先生，我们稍后回到您这里。还有三位议员尚未提问澄清问题。卢伟雄先生。

卢伟雄：谢谢您，主席。我感谢国务部长分享我们尚未准备好立法设立父母照顾假，但我至少想请求考虑制定三方标准或三方指导方针，关于带薪父母照顾假。

其次，我想问政府为何为公务员提供父母照顾假，而这些理由为何不适用于其他所有工人？

颜晓芳女士：我想重申，政府认识到照顾父母是一项重要责任，尤其是在新加坡人口老龄化的背景下。我们这里所有有父母的人都会同意这一点。

我们致力于为照顾者提供必要支持，使他们能够兼顾工作和照顾责任。但除了议员卢伟雄建议的立法之外，我们认为有必要退一步问自己，对于照顾者，尤其是照顾年迈父母的人，什么样的支持更可持续。仅仅多一两天的父母照顾假会有很大不同吗？还是更可持续的家庭友好型职场文化对这些照顾者更有帮助？

下午6点

政府鼓励雇主实行家庭友好政策，公共服务部门以身作则，为自己的员工提供父母照顾假。我们希望其他雇主也能效仿：关心员工，实行家庭友好政策，提供员工照顾年迈家属所需的灵活性。

政府还加强了对老年照顾者的其他支持，包括那些需要在工作和照顾之间兼顾的人。照顾者可以利用一系列护理服务，如居家和日间护理，以支持其年迈亲属的日常和社交需求。

还有各种短期照顾选项，如老年护理中心和护理院的临时照顾，帮助照顾者在短时间内照看老人，包括周末。因此，我们关注的是为老年照顾者提供更全面的支持，而不仅仅是增加几天父母照顾假。

主席：谢炳辉先生。

谢炳辉：谢谢主席。我感谢高级国务部长许家铭宣布人力部将推出人力资源专业人士产业转型图（ITM）。我觉得这将真正支持人力资源专业人士在其扩展角色中的工作。

我也注意到他提到人力资源专业人士学院（IHRP）有认证和操作手册。我想进一步询问，是否有更多支持人力资源专业人士在工作转型、变革管理和岗位重塑方面的措施，以便他们更好地支持组织未来的工作并执行转型。

他还提到IHRP为人力资源专业人士设有技能徽章。请问有多少人力资源专业人士获得了这些技能徽章？未来有何计划扩大这一举措？

许家铭先生：感谢议员的提问。我认为这些非常有用，尤其是我希望人力资源界能认可我们所做的发展。

我先说技能徽章。2021年至2022年间，人力资源专业人士学院颁发了超过2400个技能徽章。这些徽章涵盖了人才管理、战略劳动力规划等多种能力。作为人力资源领域指定的技能发展伙伴，IHRP将与行业合作识别新的技能缺口，并持续更新技能徽章以跟上新兴趋势。

关于议员第二个问题，关于我们与行业共同开发的岗位转型图（JTM），它们支持雇主和人力资源在岗位转型工作中。这对我们的人力资源社区是有价值的。每个JTM详细说明了技术和自动化对行业及劳动力的影响，并为雇主提供转型岗位的路径，给予工人获得所需技能的机会。目前已有约10个JTM完成，包括一个针对人力资源的，另有8个正在规划中。

此外，劳动力发展局（WSG）和IHRP正合作设立岗位重塑卓越中心，将与行业机构和行业协会合作。这很重要，因为它能帮助公司了解与其岗位设计需求相关的资源。

我希望这能帮助人力资源社区推动岗位重塑，并协助数字化转型。我认为这仍是维持业务转型的关键推动力。我也鼓励人力资源界利用资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）的首席技术官即服务（CTO-as-a-Service）计划、人力资源科技转型计划以及生产力解决方案补助金。

因此，有多种政府补助支持我们的人力资源社区。我希望他们觉得这些有用，并推动企业的职业转型。

主席：叶汉荣先生。

叶汉荣：谢谢主席。简单澄清一下。我想问人力部，鉴于当前高通胀环境，现在是否是提高年长工人公积金缴纳率的好时机，因为这会增加企业成本？

许宝琨博士：主席，我们理解雇主可能担心业务成本的影响，正如议员所提。因此，雇主缴纳率的提高是渐进的，每年不超过一个百分点。我们提前进行调整，给予雇主充足时间调整和管理业务成本的影响。

为了缓解2024年公积金缴纳率提高带来的业务成本上升，我们将提供公积金过渡补贴（CPF Transition Offset），以帮助缓解部分成本压力。

我们预计年长工人公积金缴纳率提高带来的业务成本增加将较为温和，因为此次提高的百分点较2022年和2023年之前的提高幅度更低。

因此，这次补贴肯定会帮助缓解我们计划中的这轮提高。

所有这些公积金缴纳率提高的补贴，是在我们为支持年长工人就业提供的其他计划基础上，如年长就业补贴（Senior Employment Credit，SEC）和兼职再就业补贴（Part-time Re-employment Grant，PTRG）。

这些都将帮助减轻企业雇佣年长工人的成本影响。

主席：我们接近截止时间了。我将接受最后两个澄清问题。梁文伟先生和杨婉玲女士。

梁文伟：谢谢主席。就我刚才的问题再澄清一下。首先，关于渐进式工资补贴（PWM）。感谢高级国务部长的回复。但我认为他没有进行同类比较。

人民行动党建议的生活工资是1800新元的实得工资，但材料中显示的数字实际上是毛工资。所以我想澄清这一点。

我还想问一个澄清问题。如果政府已经在工作补贴（Workfare Income Supplement，WIS）方面投入更多，为什么不把WIS直接加到工资里，形成一个明确的单一政策生活工资？这是一个问题。

还有一个问题想向国务部长澄清。当然，部长，我之前已经得到您的回答。但我认为讨论还未结束，所以我继续问。关于——

主席：抱歉，梁先生，现在不是讨论时间，是澄清时间。

梁文伟：是的，正确。

主席：这是您第二次提问，请简明扼要。

梁文伟：好的，非常感谢，主席。

主席：为了全体议员的公平。

梁文伟：是的，是的，好的。

那么，我想问您提到的工资组成部分，您调整了就业准证（EP）持有者的工资，使其与新加坡人缴纳公积金相当，而EP持有者不需缴纳公积金。您认为这足够有力地起到威慑作用吗？还是您认为我们提出的征收附加费的建议会是更好的解决方案？

许家铭：我不确定我还需要讲多少，但我们已经有一个清单，这里每一项都肯定超过1800新元。我不知道你想如何定义生活工资，但任何人都可以给出一个数字。正如我所说，我们的做法与您的不同——任何人都可以给数字，无论是1800、1600还是2500，随便你说。

但不同的是，我们的做法是雇主和劳工运动达成了共识。基本上，这意味着当我们给出数字时，是雇主认为他们能承受，市场能吸收的数字。这些工资增长已经是我认为在新冠疫情期间任何人都能做到的激进水平。你必须对市场上的雇主公平。正如我所说，再看看工资增长：清洁工84%，保安56%。这已经相当激进了。

我想再说一遍——请记住我们所处的市场环境。同时，我们的做法是公平平衡的，市场愿意支付，雇主都同意。这个清单是透明的。因此，在很大程度上，我认为市场可以承受，政府也支持。

无论你是否把工作补贴算进去，老实说，工人真正关心的是他们每月实际拿到手的钱。这就是我们必须实施各种措施的地方。这不是唯一措施，因为政府还提供其他计划，包括社会援助（ComCare）、银发支持（Silver Support）以及一系列政府补贴，支持我们的低薪工人，包括医疗补贴、住房补贴和教育补贴。

政府投入了大量承诺，这就是我们展示关怀的方式，不仅仅是生活工资，还有其他所有支持和补贴。

先生，我只想说，任何人都可以给数字。但关键是你能否兑现和执行。这将是我们未来几年的重点。

主席：陈志荣部长。

陈志荣博士：梁先生，为了节省时间，我尽量简短。但实际上，我只能请您回去看议会记录，立场没有改变。

我知道您问了很多问题，我想回应其中一些。

您提到的做法，限制公司从每个国籍雇佣外国人的硬性上限，我认为这种做法非常僵硬，过于死板。

我一生都在私营部门，也在多个国家创办过企业。我认为如果这样做，我很多老朋友可能会放弃来这里。

现实是，如果你想发展产业，必须确保投资于本地人才，同时也能吸纳——用“吸纳”这个词，而不是“敞开大门任由他们进来”——足够的人才，使他们能补充本地人才，我们共同繁荣。我认为这是一种更细致的做法。

我们推出了COMPASS，采取非常细致的立场，激励企业加强本地核心和劳动力多样性。我们也确保这些公司能获得所需的额外人才——这是过去几天辩论中的共同主题。许多议员都在诉说新加坡人才和劳动力紧缺的情况。

所以，我们希望确保这些公司仍能获得高质量的互补人才，当某些技能稀缺且不断发展时，我们可以引进他们，同时培训本地人才，为本地人创造更多好工作机会。

您一直强调征收附加费。政府征收附加费很容易，因为这能产生收入。但在就业准证层面，梁先生，我们的重点是确保能区分，吸引全球最优秀、最高素质的人才来这里。

如果你看，雇主的劳动力预算不是无限的。我们应该考虑双赢的合作伙伴关系，让我们受益，让雇主获胜，这样新加坡员工也会受益。这一直是我们的意图。这就是为什么我们所有政策都着眼于确保经济充满活力，有足够资源继续投资于人才，推动新加坡发展，成为充满机遇、希望和乐观的地方。

我希望您能放下分歧，专注于团结大家，共同建设未来的新加坡。这才是我们的核心使命。[掌声]

主席：抱歉，杨女士，我们已到下午6点15分截止时间，您无法提出第二个澄清问题。

梁文伟：主席，我想说一点。

主席：抱歉，梁先生，我们已到截止时间。谢谢。朱德明先生，您是否愿意撤回您的修正案？

下午6点15分

朱德明：主席，我感谢陈志荣部长、高级国务部长许家铭、许宝琨博士和国务部长颜晓芳耐心回答我们的所有质询。我们知道，在人口老龄化和地缘政治紧张等结构性难题中，保持劳动力竞争力是困难的。

我希望我能用一首中文歌的合适歌词来感谢他，但我没有。我只能表达我们的感激之情，感到非常欣慰的是人力部和他本人将陪伴新加坡人口，从他们找到第一份工作直到退休。为此，我请求撤回我的修正案。

[(程序文本) 修正案，经许可，撤回。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 3,759,250,200元拨款用于S项，列入主要预算。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 106,763,800元拨款用于S项，列入发展预算。 (程序文本)]

英文原文

SPRS Hansard 原始记录 · 抓取日期：2026-05-02

The Chairman : Head S, Ministry of Manpower. Mr Desmond Choo.

1.08 pm

Workforce for New Era

Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines) : Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head S of the Estimates to be reduced by $100".

When it was reported in January this year that China's population declined for the first time since 1961, the Chinese stock markets wobbled. It was widely expected because of its ageing population and declining fertility. But it was still a sobering reality. A reality of potential shrinking consumption and most certainly, a declining workforce. It faces perhaps a Japanese-style three decades-long economic stagnation.

In Singapore, by 2030, around one in four citizens, will be aged 65 and above. Our resident old-age support ratio reached an all-time low at 3.8 in 2022. It is projected to reach 2.7 in 2030.

As of June 2022, 880,000 or roughly one-third of our resident workforce is 50 years and above, 400,000 are 60 years old and above. A significant number of these 400,000 would have retired by the end of this decade.

Seniors comprised 54% share of workers in land transport and supporting services, people doing taxi, private-hire car drivers and bus drivers; and 42% of the Food & Beverage (F&B) services, hawkers or food and drink stall assistants. These are much higher than that in other industries.

But what does this really mean for us as a nation? Our economy would become less vibrant as our workforce shrinks. We might face a hollowing out of certain industries such as in land transport, F&B, tradesman and machine operators.

It is less of a problem if it was a gradual shift with sufficient time to adjust. But it might not be so.

The oldest of our baby boomer generation is 77 years old and the youngest is 59 years old. They are likely to exit the workforce by the end of this decade in large numbers. While our birth rate peaked in the late-1970s to the early-1980s, giving us another 10 odd years of buffer, structural shifts might accelerate rapid erosion.

Technology, digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) have already changed the nature of many jobs. These are skill sets that people born in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s might not particularly equipped with or can be picked up easily.

Work attitudes have also changed. Our people also do not want to work at the same pace, cadence and intensity in their later years. How common is it to hear of friends saying that they wanted to slow it down? But the treadmill seemingly can only go faster.

At the recent post-Budget dialogue with Tampines residents, a resident in his 50s commented with part joy and part exasperation that he might have to make a choice between caregiving for his grandchildren and his full-time work because there are rarely part-time work or slower work opportunities to go into.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also fostered a re-thinking of work-life priorities and lead some older Singaporeans to exit the workforce permanently if unable to find a compromise. We face a serious cliff-drop in the workforce. It can unsettle the economy and society fundamentally.

The questions before us are: are the older workers ready for the future jobs and are the jobs ready for the older workers?

First, we need to make preparing for an ageing workforce an economy-wide priority. Our employment rate of seniors aged 65 and above has eased from 31.7% in 2021 to 31.0% in 2022. It still rose on average between 2019 and 2022. This is positive.

We have also moved definitively to tackle ageism, a perennial complaint of older workers, through a proposed Workplace Fairness legislation. This would reassure many older workers. Yet, these moves might not be sufficient for the future. We need to include within each of the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) a pillar on creating and transforming "age-friendly" jobs. It is no longer sufficient to create jobs that are of high economic value. But we must also focus on jobs that our older Singaporeans can and will do.

The focus must rightly be so on bringing in jobs that grow the economy. But in the entire value chain, we must identify jobs that mature workers can do well. I often wonder what is the percentage of available and upcoming jobs that would match the physical, mental and lifestyle needs of older Singaporeans.

We need to double down on our job redesign efforts. What is the number of jobs that will be redesigned over the years to match our ageing workforce? This must be a number we track closely.

Next, I would like to share on the experience of SBS Transit (SBST). I would like to declare that I am an Independent Director of SBST. Older workers are a significant part of the company. Maintenance, especially in the train systems, can be very laborious and physically taxing. We struggle to attract younger workers into the workforce like many other companies.

To help the older workers aged above 55 years old to continue to be productive, SBST is redesigning jobs from the ground up. They have an overhead catenary system or the electrical cables supplying power to the trains. Inspection and maintenance require hard physical work with heavy equipment. Today, they use light-weight equipment such as laser-gauges. Condition-based maintenance is practised to reduce physical deployment. Older workers are redeployed to inspection closer to ground than higher-level ones. Some workers had gone into mentorship or trainer roles. More than 50 maintenance crew have benefited from this change. More will benefit in the years to come.

The SBST Board monitors such development closely. We need more companies such as SBST. Admittedly, it is a larger company with more resources. We need solutions for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which hire the bulk of our workforce.

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Next, we need to look at redesigning our work structure.

We have often heard of mature workers hoping for part-time work or micro jobs but there is a dearth of them.

Creating part-time jobs do cost companies more. But as it is a social compact imperative to pay more to support our lower-wage workers, perhaps it is also time for similar thinking for older workers.

MOM's Part-time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) has helped to increase the availability of part-time re-employment to senior workers. Could the Ministry update on the progress and achievements of the Grant? Can we renew and enhance the PTRG?

We can also consider private-public partnerships in fostering such part-time and micro jobs.

In Japan, Silver Human Resources Centers have been established since 1975 as job agencies for seniors. These are membership-based organisations that provide older Japanese with temporary and short-term work. Public and municipal agencies leaned in to create and find work for older workers.

An associated point is creating specialised centres that focus on helping our older workers to manage employment needs.

Our current job placement ecosystem has worked well for the general needs of the workforce, but older workers have different needs such as a shorter training runway, physical limitations and life expectations.

In 2017, Japan started the Hello Work Senior. It is a job placement agency specially catered for workers aged above 60 years old. The service works with employers to understand their needs and preferences and match them with suitable older candidates.

As geriatrics is a specialty within medicine, silver placement centres can have its special place in our placement ecosystem.

Our ageing workforce is also an opportunity to advance assistive technology to help workers work for longer and safer.

Our public transport operators have already put in driver monitoring, collision avoidance and driver alertness technology. Many of our bus captains today are able to work well into their late-60s and beyond.

There are many other industries, especially those with a significant number of older workers, that we must deep dive into.

We must establish research centres dedicated to helping workers stay employed for longer. Such research centres can focus on developing assistive technology, identifying jobs that may be more suited for senior workers and developing appropriate training to transit into such jobs.

Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), such as the Singapore Management University (SMU) Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, are a case in point. Can the Ministry consider looking into establishing such research centres?

Flexible work arrangement (FWA) is often cited as the solution to balance the needs of older workforce and business needs of companies. Indeed, it is an essential tool, not just for an older workforce.

We have made significant strides in expanding FWA. Tripartite guidelines are useful to guide tripartite progress in implementing FWA but we might need to take bolder steps in the near future.

We should rightly allow for voluntary take-up by companies because of the difficulties in implementation. We can even grant monetary incentives to companies with progressive practices. But if progress does not meet our needs, we might need to consider giving workers certain rights to FWA to accelerate the scaling up of FWA efforts.

Lastly, our ageing workforce also necessitates us to look into the roles played by our foreign workforce.

As our people age, there is a significant need in certain industries such as healthcare and caregiving support, tradesman and craftsman work such as plumbing, air-condition servicing and carpentry.

If we are unable to improve our productivity significantly over the next decade, we might have no choice but to greatly increase our foreign workforce.

There are already around 1.3 million foreign Work Pass holders in Singapore today. Therefore, our foreign workforce framework will need to be more nuanced, differentiated and promote higher productivity.

There could be certain high-touch industries that we would want to keep for a larger core of older Singaporeans and there are other industries where we need more foreign support, especially those involving more physical work. The current broad-based sector-based approach would need to be more finely differentiated.

This is difficult work and might require a multi-year effort. Can the Ministry share with the House how it would calibrate its foreign manpower framework within the context of an ageing workforce?

The rapidly ageing population poses serious structural challenges to fiscal sustainability and economic growth.

When older workers retire, they are also less able to deal with problems such as higher inflation. Our younger workers are likely to shoulder heavier caregiving loads, with some even having to leave the workforce to do so.

If Singaporeans are unable to fill job openings, employers will have to look to foreign labour to do so. We must act decisively and swiftly to ensure we do not find ourselves in such a predicament.

We need to evolve a new social compact within the context of an ageing population. Only when both our jobs and our older workers are ready for each other, would we be able to manage this smouldering crisis.

[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]

SMEs

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines) : Mr Chairman, it is trite that SMEs form the backbone of our economy. We encounter many SMEs in our day-to-day life, especially in retail, food and beverages (F&B) and commercial sectors. SMEs also form critical support for multinational corporations (MNCs).

My speech today will focus on the manpower challenges and obstacles faced by SME employers.

As of 27 September 2022, we have more than 290,000 SMEs following consistent growth in the past decade.

In my discussions with SME representatives, the issues of hiring and retaining staff have been raised repeatedly. SMEs have shared that they are not able to compete with large enterprises on equal footing. Comparatively and in general, SMEs are not as well-resourced as large enterprises.

In some SMEs, their HR personnel are performing dual functions on top of their finance or administrative roles. Consequently, the persons responsible for employment matters are not able to exclusively specialise and focus on their HR duties. This exacerbates the problem since they may not succeed in hiring or may end up hiring staff who are unsuitable for their needs.

Having less resources also translates into being less able to put out attractive offers, the most important part of it would be remuneration.

There is also the issue of perceived branding and the prestige of the company in question. Jobseekers may thus find larger enterprises more attractive and that their CVs will be bolstered for future prospects.

For small companies, the runway for progression and development may be limited such that prospective employees deem taking up such positions as heading towards a dead end even right from the beginning.

How can we reasonably expect our SMEs to compete with larger enterprises and Government agencies for manpower from the same talent pool? This is made worse by the current inflationary pressures.

Chairman, I chatted with two Grab drivers during my rides.

One was a project manager with 12 years construction experience and the second had 20 years in oil and gas and was also a certified NACE Level 3, a specialised coating inspector certification.

In my heart, I lamented the loss in management and specialised skills for the industries. However, I also understand when they said that the Grab job meant the convenience of having a car and the comfort of working in air-conditioning. They are without the stresses of safety and the pressures of project delivery.

I thought about the loss of dependency ratio too if the companies cannot find local talent to take over such positions.

Chairman, many SMEs are and will remain increasingly hard-pressed to survive. SME employers' concerns stem from real issues that affect their companies and the livelihoods of all on the payroll, and the staff's families. I implore the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to address their concerns, real and perceived, to ensure that no SME is left behind in their journey towards growth and innovation.

Workforce Competitiveness in Remote Work

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol) : Chairman, while 60% of our workforce are PMETs and flexible work arrangements (FWAs) or some degree of remote working appear to be the norm for our PMETs in this post-pandemic workplace, remote working is a double-edged sword.

While employees rejoice as it gives us the flexibility to manage our daily lives, it also means that some jobs can be done remotely and hence can be done anywhere in the world.

With FWAs or remote working, our Singaporean PMET workforce are no longer competing for jobs only within Singapore but rather, we are competing against a global workforce.

Hence, given our higher wages, how do we define the unique value proposition of our Singaporean workforce to the world? How do we equip our workforce with competency and levels of productivity such that our Singaporean talents are relevant and add value to the global economy?

With remote working, how can our PMET workforce expand our horizon and gain access to jobs beyond our shores? What skills must we equip the PMETs with and how do we develop these skills to ensure that our PMETs are competitive in the global talent market?

A Singapore Core of Tradesmen and Women

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied) : In April last year, I asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry was looking into new strategies to improve the prospects of skilled trade jobs for Singaporeans such as licensed electricians and plumbers. It was a follow-up to my speech at the opening of Parliament this term.

The Minister replied to say that it would not be realistic to aim to grow the Singapore Core in every single occupation in view of our finite local workforce, with the ageing cohorts larger than the cohorts that are entering the workforce.

Sir, in reply to a follow-up Parliamentary Question (PQ) filed to the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, it was disclosed that of the 950 licensed plumbers in Singapore, close to 90% are Singaporeans, some 5% are Permanent Residents (PRs) while the remaining licensed plumbers are foreigners. Around 70% of the licensed plumbers are above the age of 50.

The reply to the same Parliamentary Question I put to the Minister for Trade and Industry for licensed electrical workers (LEWs) was less granular.

As of end-June 2022, there were close to 4,000 LEWs, of which less than 1% were foreigners from various nationalities on either S Passes or Employment Passes. The majority of the LEWs were between 41 and 80 years of age.

Unlike licensed plumbers, the number of Singaporeans who are LEWs was not directly revealed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

Sir, the House would be aware of the highly professional status of plumbers and electrical workers, to name a few trade occupations in many OECD countries. Such individuals earn middle-class wages and are an integral part of the economy.

On 9 January this year, the Straits Times reported that NTUC was looking to work with the Singapore Plumbing Society to effect a Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the plumbing sector with the NTUC Secretary-General referring to a person is in his or her mid-40s potentially earning $6,000 to $7,000 in vocational trades such as plumbing.

However, he also stressed that the Labour Movement is not the Government and does not set national policy, including the scope of the PWM.

Earlier last month, on 9 February, the same newspaper announced the proposed setting up of the Career Progression Model to support the skilled trades industry, covering occupations such as plumbers and electricians, with a view to better career prospects and salaries.

Apart from the strategic importance of having a strong Singaporean Core in skilled trade occupations, the simple fact is that these trades do not pay as well today and are less attractive than working in an office type or air-conditioned setting.

In view of the Minister's reply last April, can I inquire what efforts the Government intends to take to specifically target Singaporean workers into skilled trade jobs?

As a nation and society, it remains my view that a decisive shift to aggressively promote skilled trade jobs for Singaporeans would also alter our understanding of meritocracy, for the better.

Resilient and Future-ready Workforce

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas (Nominated Member) : Sir, an article in Entrepreneur India last year pointed out that almost all of India's unicorns originated from India's Tier 1 cities and attributed this to the fact that the majority of top talent from across India moves to these cities to work, leading them to become concentrations of talent.

Singapore is just a city and has no greater hinterland from which we could draw talent. As such, we can rely only on our people as the primary fuel for our continued success.

Trending suggestions like a shorter work week or a right to disconnect – which, honestly, to me, Sir, as a lawyer, is an entirely foreign concept – are being echoed in Singapore. The gist of these trends is for employees to turn inwards, to prioritise personal comforts over career ambition. These trends are also a particular phenomenon of advanced economies that enjoy some level of comfort.

Our Government has prudently started looking at these matters, ranging from mental health concerns to flexible working hours.

I would like to ask the Minister to share his views and the Ministry's views on how these trends may affect the resilience and productivity of our workforce and how, even as we look to tackling real issues of stress, burnout and work-life harmony, we can maintain the resilience and competitiveness of our workforce and its productivity.

At the same time, we must be realistic that not all of our Singaporeans are or can become top global-level talent. I am glad that MOM has introduced schemes in the past year to attract global talent to Singapore, which bolsters the resilience of our workforce.

Could the Minister elaborate on the future plans to continue to attract top talent to Singapore as well as how we will ensure that these talents are complementary with the Singapore workforce? Could the Minister also elaborate on how we can facilitate knowledge and skills transfer from foreign talents to Singaporeans so that we can level up Singaporeans in key areas that would be important in the future?

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Finally, Sir, I would also like to follow up on a question I asked in my Budget debate speech, that is whether the Ministry could consider a role for trade associations and chambers (TACs) to play in employment disputes – not as representatives, but as experts on each industry’s unique situation that could assist in resolving such disputes. Mediating and settling such disputes early can help harmonious labour relations, which contributes to workforce resilience.

Grow Jobs, Grow Skills, Grow Value

Ms Janet Ang (Nominated Member) : Mr Chairman, the SG United Jobs and Skills, SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit, Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) all are key measures that have saved our businesses and our workers during the pandemic years.

With COVID-19 behind us, our businesses are looking forward to grow again. Unfortunately, we are riding straight into a perfect storm with soaring food and energy prices, high interest rates and rising manpower costs and manpower availability. How is the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) supporting businesses to address the lack of manpower availability issue?

PWM and foreign labour policies do impact manpower costs. How is MOM helping businesses to manage the costs increase?

Singapore being open to global talent is not an option. Singapore needs a complementary foreign labour at all levels across most sectors. MOM has announced the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) at last year’s Budget and this will be implemented this year.

Can COMPASS differentiate companies by size and job skills, recognising that micro companies may need a lower Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) and some specialist jobs may not have any Singaporeans trained to take up those roles?

How is MOM supporting businesses to attract local Singaporeans into their industry or sector, especially for job roles at or higher than the S Pass and Employment Pass qualifying salary levels? How else is MOM doing to help businesses reduce reliance on foreign manpower?

With a diverse workforce, it is imperative for good practices at the workplace. How does MOM and the Tripartite partners intend to manage the implementation of the Fair Practice in the Workplace legislation and achieve its intended purpose while at the same time ensuring that we maintain workplace harmony and not allow for a litigious culture to take root?

And, finally, what is the Government doing to strengthen the alignment between jobs, skills and pay for value? And how does the Public Service intend to model the way forward?

Artificial Intelligence and Work

Prof Hoon Hian Teck (Nominated Member) : Mr Chairman, in the age, sometimes called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a critical question is how the arrival of robots enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning affects the pay and employment of workers.

A stark case economists study is where a robot is a perfect substitute for a human worker, able to do exactly what the human worker is able to do.

In this case, it is clear that the arrival of robots is like an influx of identical workers into the economy, with its given technology and stock of machines and land. The result is that while the return to conventional capital is raised and land fetches higher rent, the real wage earned by human workers will decline.

Such technology which might be called automation technology has the feature that acts to replace humans in a range of tasks and does not boost labour productivity. This is, however, not likely to be the complete story, especially over the medium to long term. There are other channels that might deliver more positive results on wage growth and as a consequence of adopting robots.

The question to be asked is how can we harness the opportunities and face head on the threats of AI in order to benefit our workers.

First, there are robots that perform tasks that make them complementary to human effort and thus to augment the productivity of human labour.

For example, with deep learning algorithms developed by scientists within the AI community machines are enabled to learn, to a certain extent, without human supervision.

Workers doing medical research are able to take advantage of deep learning to sieve through and analyse large amounts of medical data. This might boost the productivity of workers and further raise their wage earnings. What can be done to encourage the development and application of robots that perform tasks which are complementary to workers who are employed in the retail and food and beverage (F&B) sectors?

Second, the arrival of robots sometimes stimulates investment in conventional machines, equipment and physical structures, which will then exert an upward pull on wage rates. This channel might confer benefits to both high-wage and lower-wage workers.

In conventional growth theory, the law of diminishing returns operates so that in the absence of steady technical progress, capital accumulation gradually slows down as each additional unit of capital fetches a lower rate of return. In the labour-scarce economy, like Singapore, the adoption of robots can boost the return to capital and spur capital investment. This acts to pull up the wages of workers across the whole distribution of skills. In what specific industries might capital investment be stimulated as a result of the adoption of robots?

Third, the arrival of robots by causing some workers in the economy to shift from participating in production to participating in innovative activity, might ultimately shift up the whole wage path because it stimulates innovation and thus the overall productivity of workers.

There can be further research in the area of AI that can restructure the production process adopted in Singapore to create new high productivity tasks that can be performed by human workers. AI-enabled individualised teaching methods might raise the demand for educators who have the skills to apply these methods to meet the diverse needs of students. Augmented reality technology might also enable workers to work alongside machines to execute high-precision tasks in advanced manufacturing. How can we identify potential applications of AI to our local landscape to boost worker productivity?

Mr Chairman, the arrival of robots produces threats when they simply replace human workers in a set of tasks and thus depresses workers wage earnings. However, the arrival of robots can also provide opportunities for workers if AI can be harnessed to create new complementary tasks that raise labour productivity. It is likely that a society-wide approach is needed to maximise the opportunities of AI and to mitigate the threats to the workforce.

Human Resource

Mr Cheng Hsing Yao (Nominated Member) : Chairman, the combination of inflationary pressures, increased interest rates and shortage of manpower across many sectors have made it challenging for many businesses, especially SMEs. Although we want companies to invest in job redesigns and technologies to improve their productivity, such transformation will take much time and resources to plan and realise.

To transform, companies require specific new areas of expertise that are short of relevant local talents, for example, in the areas of sustainability and digital.

In the built environment sector, it has also lost many highly skilled hands-on or craft-based labour. Such roles are not popular with locals. They are critical even as we try to transform the sector towards higher productivity.

In view of the unprecedented confluence of challenges companies are facing, how can the Government better help companies to deal with the immediate labour shortages, while supporting their transformation?

Even as we try to raise productivity, there are just insufficient locals to fill the demand for certain roles, especially the ones not favoured by Singaporeans. Can the Government adopt a variegated approach to allow more foreign workers to supplement local workers for such roles?

Strengthening of Singaporean Core

Mr Abdul Samad (Nominated Member) : Chairman, I would like to make a call for all employers to make and ensure our Singaporeans become the Core of the total workforce.

Our education system is considered one of the best in the world and we must be worried if this does not lead to job opportunities for them. Aside from our high standards of education system, we also have many adult training centres that should be able to equip our resident workforce with the required necessary skillsets. Employers should be receptive to Singaporeans who fall short of required skills but make use of the relevant funding support such as the Career Support Programme (CSP) and the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) that are provided by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). This support scheme allows an employer to received funding support from Government to recruit our resident workforce into their company while going through the relevant training to acquire the new skillsets for the new jobs.

When NTUC launched Worker 4.0, it was aimed at transforming our resident workforce by going through trainings in three broad areas: Adaptability, Technological and Technical. The use of technology has started even before COVID-19 struck the world. With COVID-19, it only accelerated the use of technology at the workplace. I would like to remind and appeal to employers and management that it is humans that created technology and technology makes jobs easier and better. We should not make technology replace our workers but rather encourage our workers to embrace technology during their course of work for better outcomes.

Employers should identify training providers that can provide technological knowledge for their workforce at both their and their workers' convenience. Do engage NTUC Learning Hub, whose theme is to "learn anytime and anywhere".

To all my fellow workers, let us continue to learn, unlearn and relearn skills so that your management finds it difficult and more challenging to release you. For employers, always look around internally and ask if you have done justice to our resident workforce with your ratio of locals to foreigners.

Support for Mature PMEs

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer) : During our NTUC-Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) PME Taskforce consultations, surveys and focus groups as well as in our latest #EveryWorkerMatters conversations, mature PMEs, especially those above 40 years of age, are anxious about the prospects of their employment and employability. In this respect, I have three suggestions for MOM.

First, extend the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) and restore the Career Support Programme (CSP) which was the precursor to the JGI to incentivise and encourage employers to hire mature workers, especially PMEs.

Second, introduce a Mid-Life Career Transition programme involving individualised career coaching, advisory and counselling to provide personalised guidance and support for every mature worker including PMEs, whether they are in or out of employment.

And third, while I applaud the extension of the Special Employment Credit, can MOM consider raising the current $4,000 salary cap to benefit even more mature PMEs?

Workplace Discrimination

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member) : Mr Chairman, I refer to the recently released interim report of the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness. The Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has high hopes of the Committee which was set up just before debate on foreign talent policy in September 2021. But we have found the interim report to be inadequate in at least two areas. We hope the Committee will consider and incorporate our views in the final report.

First, there is an inadequate focus on the job security of Singaporeans. The report noted that the most common form of workplace discrimination is nationality, which accounts for close to 60% of the complaints received by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP). As it is quite unlikely that foreigners will complain about discrimination when they have no automatic right to work in Singapore, many of these complaints must be from Singaporeans complaining that the foreigners have been preferred. Workplace discrimination against Singaporeans is thus prevalent.

I hope the new legislation would enforce meaningful changes in the quality, number and concentration of foreign work pass holders that the Government, including the Prime Minister, have identified as potential problems in July 2021.

Stronger actions can be taken to ensure that our workplaces remain diverse. MOM should consider imposing diversity quotas, or limits on the total percentage of a company's workforce that may be from a certain foreign nationality. This will be a stronger safeguard than COMPASS in ensuring their workplaces do not become communal enclaves where one foreign nationality is favoured over others.

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To complement that policy, we should also take out Recommendation 9, which provides exemptions for SMEs that employ less than 25 employees. This is a potential loophole that will allow larger companies to set up subsidiaries that employ one local and 24 foreign PMETs.

The PSP has also repeatedly urged the Government to introduce a $1,200 monthly levy on Employment Pass holders. This is urgently needed to level the playing field for Singaporean PMEs because employers will have to pay more and more CPF contributions for Singaporeans as the ordinary wage ceiling is raised, making Singaporeans less competitive on wages compared to foreigners.

The second area that I am concerned about is the secular nature of our workplace and employment laws. Everyone should be free to practise their religion but this should not hinder anyone else from earning a living.

I note that Recommendation 10 in the interim report that religious organisations should be allowed to make employment decisions based on religion and religious requirements for all workers.

This appears to be a reversal of MOM's stance in 2013. At that time, a pregnant church employee was sacked in the seventh month of her pregnancy because she had conceived a child in an extramarital relationship against church teachings. MOM intervened to secure compensation for her because employment law had been violated. MOM also stressed that workplaces must be preserved as a secular space in Singapore.

Thus, I hope the Minister can clarify how Recommendation 10 is aligned with MOM's stance in 2013 or whether MOM's stance has changed since then.

If Recommendation 10 is adopted, then I would like to call on the Government to include sexual orientation as a protected category in the anti-discrimination law. This is in line with the spirit of repealing section 377A and will better protect LGBT workers from discrimination based on their sexuality, which still exists in Singapore. LGBT workers should be allowed to earn a living on a level playing field based on merit, like anyone else in Singapore.

Finally, I would like the Government to elaborate on actions it has taken since October 2022 to ensure that employers without genuine occupational requirements no longer practise vaccination-differentiated measures (VDS). Is the employment rate of unvaccinated citizens back on par with vaccinated citizens for each age group?

Mr Chairman, workplace fairness is an important issue. The PSP is glad that the Government will be enshrining this in law next year. But when drafting the law, I hope the Government will enforce a level playing field for Singaporeans and ensure that workplaces remain secular. Singaporeans deserve better. For country, for people.

Workplace Discrimination against PwDs

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied) : Sir, about 78% of persons with disabilities (PwDs) have reported experiencing discrimination at the workplace, according to a survey last August by AWARE and Milieu Insight. Discrimination faced by PwDs can range from exploitation and denigration to stereotyping and displaying patronising attitudes towards them.

The Government has announced its intention to enshrine the TAFEP Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in a new workplace anti-discrimination law. It is important to ensure that this legislation provides sufficient protection for PwDs.

To achieve this, the law should incorporate several key provisions, which have also been recommended by the Disabled People's Association.

First, it needs a definition of disability that is inclusive of the entire disability population in Singapore.

Second, it should require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to PwD employees.

A reasonable accommodation is a modification to a job or work environment that enables a qualified PwD to perform the essential functions of the job and have the same employment opportunities as their abled colleagues without imposing an unreasonable burden on the employer.

Singapore has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) a decade ago. Article 27 of the CRPD requires signatories to take appropriate steps, including legislation, to ensure that reasonable accommodation is provided to PwDs in the workplace. Examples of reasonable accommodations may include providing screen readers, installing ramps, offering FWAs or conducting meetings online.

Third, the legislation must be enforceable in a timely manner and provide the necessary remedies and measures to prevent repeat offences.

Enshrining these provisions in the anti-discrimination legislation will ensure that it is effective in preventing PwDs from being excluded from the workforce.

We need to change societal attitudes to foster inclusivity in the workplace for PwDs. Rather than viewing PwDs as beneficiaries of charity, we must recognise them as individuals and workers who possess equal rights and contribute valuable skills to the workforce. Is the Ministry looking to do more to highlight the contributions of PwDs in the workplace?

Enhancing Workplace Fairness

Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol) : The recommendations in the interim report by the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness is one that is greatly anticipated. The inclusion of characteristics such as sex, marital status, pregnancy status and caregiving responsibilities are of particular significance to the NTUC's Woman and Family Unit.

The Labour Movement has for decades worked to ensure women in the workplace are given a positive and safe work environment to achieve their career aspirations. The enshrining of such protections will help in our fight towards eliminating workplace discrimination faced by women.

Yet, the NTUC Women's Committee has noted that women continue to face workplace discrimination. In our latest February sensing with women union leaders, 64% agree that discrimination is prevalent in their workplaces.

For many of the women who feel such discrimination, they often find it difficult to articulate their grievances clearly or they lack the right channels or opportunities to do so. Employers, too, especially SMEs, have often told us that they lack the resources and know-how to address such situations.

While we welcome the legislation to come, we know we have miles to go before we sleep and welcome it. Maybe in practice, it may prove to be a daunting task.

We call on the Ministry to work with the Labour Movement in empowering and equipping our workers to be able to provide clear articulation of discrimination grievances and seek clarification on how the Ministry will engage and support companies in effectively implementing workplace fairness practices.

Singaporean Core

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan : Chairman, I declare my interest as a member of the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness.

I am glad that MOM has accepted the recommendations of the NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce and we are going to introduce a dedicated workplace fairness piece of legislation as well as a points system via COMPASS to regulate the issuance of Employment Passes. Can MOM provide an update on COMPASS?

On the same note, can MOM also update us on the Fair Consideration Framework and the number and type of cases reported, investigated and closed at Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) thus far?

I will also wish to ask the status of the Strengthening the Singaporean Core efforts and suggest if we can publish the triple weak list of companies as the workplace fairness piece of legislation will only be introduced in the latter half of 2024 and is effective 2025 and beyond.

Also, after the new piece of legislation, what will be the status of the Fair Consideration Framework, TAFEP as well as the watchlist?

Foreign Workforce Policies

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang) : Chairman, we currently have a tight labour market. Our low total fertility rate (TFR) means we need a foreign workforce to complement our local workforce to compete globally.

Other countries are waging a war for global talent. Countries such as New Zealand and Hong Kong already have measures to attract foreign talent post-COVID-19.

We must bring in foreign workforce with the right skills and qualifications and at the right price. It is always a delicate balance between meeting our labour needs and protecting our citizens' interests.

One concern is that the influx of foreign workforce may exacerbate the shortage of housing in Singapore, causing rental prices to go up. How does the Government plan to balance housing required for these foreigners and the need for affordable properties to rent for Singaporeans?

In the same token, foreigners may be deterred from working in Singapore due to high rents. What are the Government's plans to assuage these concerns?

Can the Minister also share updates to our foreign workforce policies, including COMPASS? What can we expect from the upcoming workplace fairness legislation that is to be enacted?

Importing manpower is not the only issue. What is MOM doing to promote technology and productivity-enhancing measures in our workplaces? What else can we do to incentivise companies to invest in automation and other technologies? How can we equip workers with the skills needed to thrive in a tech-enabled workplace?

COMPASS Shortage Occupation List

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song : The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) is one of the criteria in the COMPASS framework. MOM has said that the first SOL will be announced this month. It is expected to identify occupations requiring skills that are currently in shortage in the local workforce.

Could the Minister share what occupations will be included in the SOL? Will the SOL take into account the pipeline of local ITE, polytechnic and university graduates in both local and foreign institutions? For example, if there are many local graduates in, say, information and communications technology (ICT) next year, the SOL should be revised accordingly.

With the knowledge of skill shortages in the SOL, schools, tertiary institutions and adult education centres can better plan their curriculum and intake size to better prepare local students and workers to fill them. The Government should work closely with ITEs, polytechnics and universities to expand their intake of courses for occupations in the SOL.

How frequently will the SOL be reviewed? I hope it will be reviewed frequently so that it can be responsive to changes in industry requirements and we will not have situations where an occupation remains on the SOL when there is sufficient local talent in that area.

Finally, the SOL should be included as one of the foundational criteria of COMPASS instead of only being a bonus criterion. This could prompt firms to search harder for available local talent before turning to foreigners.

All these can create more opportunities for Singaporeans in the workplace and reduce the heavy reliance on foreigners in our workforce.

Update on Foreign Workforce Policies

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) : Sir, in almost every recent engagement that I have with businesses, the manpower crunch problem would surface.

The problem seems to have worsened as we resumed most of our economic activities post-COVID-19. Many businesses lamented that there may well be more businesses to do or more growth opportunities out there but there are not really enough workers to go around to grab these opportunities. Many ask for a higher foreign worker quota and/or for MOM to loosen the foreign worker criteria.

Sir, the reality for Singapore is that we are already in a near full-employment economy. In fact, we are leveraging and dependent on a large pool of foreign labour to stretch our overall economic capacity and growth potential.

The numbers are large. Our total foreign workforce currently stands at 1.31 million, slightly less than the pre-COVID-19 level of 1.43 million. This represents one-third of our total labour workforce, a very significant share.

There are physical and social limits as to how much more foreign labour we can accommodate on our tiny island. I believe we are already near the limits in terms of numbers.

Being too dependent on foreign manpower also expose us to source country risks as well as concentration risks. We have seen these vulnerabilities played out during the pandemic when borders were closed or restricted.

Sir, the manpower-driven growth strategies of the past are no longer sustainable in our current context.

Can I ask the Minister for an update as to how the businesses have coped with the foreign manpower constraints? Have we seen noticeable shifts in companies tapping on technologies and training to improve productivity and capabilities?

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Sir, last year, the Ministry announced a number changes to the foreign workforce policies. The COMPASS framework was introduced as a transparent system to strengthen the complementarity and diversity of our workforce and prevent sources concentration.

The qualifying salary for Employment Passes and S Passes has been raised in September 2022 and the reduction of the Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) for the construction and process sectors will follow suit in January 2024.

The Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass targets the top talents across sectors while the Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) scheme support growth of businesses that contribute to Singapore's strategic economic priorities. These are targeted schemes that comes with tight conditions to fulfil and also with a specific percentage and number cap to limit the number of foreign workers a firm can hire. In the case of M-SEP, participating companies must also commit to hiring and training local workers. Only about 1,000 firms are eligible for M-SEP or less than 1% of the total number of companies.

Sir, I support the policy approaches to strengthen complementarity and diversity, with specific requirements to ensure a complementary mix of local and foreign workforce, and with the intent and goal to develop a strong Singaporean Core. In this regard, may I ask the Minister if there are any updates to our foreign workforce policies to attain these goals?

Retirement Adequacy

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh) : Rising prices threaten our retired seniors' ability to meet growing expenses, where they do not enjoy the benefit of rising wages now. I have raised a few questions on retirement adequacy in my Budget debate speech.

First, the CPF minimum retirement sum should build in enough buffer for future unexpected events, such as dramatic price increases. Is it time to adjust the allocation ratios such that a greater percentage is allocated into the Special Account instead of the Ordinary and Medisave Accounts?

Second, as market interest rates crossed 4% in 2023, do we intend to revise the interest rates on the respective CPF Accounts? The CPF LIFE Escalating Plan, which increases payouts by 2% annually, may need to be tweaked, given the changed longer-term inflation outlook.

Finally, I am even more concerned for self-employed persons and non-working homemakers who do not have the minimum retirement sum.

Can the Ministry provide an update on Singaporeans' retirement adequacy? How do we assist retiree households that have limited ability to accommodate expenditure shocks, outlived their savings or never accumulated much to begin with? Are such households becoming more prevalent?

Mr Abdul Samad : Chairman, the topic of retirement adequacy has been attracting attention and interest among our fellow workers, from the young to the golden generation.

I appreciate the Government stepping up their efforts to ensure that our workers have enough for their basic retirement sum when they reach 55 years old. At this juncture, I would like to appeal to our Government, Government-linked companies or even Temasek-linked companies, that are doing well to continue with their 17% contribution instead of reducing it when their workers reach the age of 55 years old. This will certainly help our workers CPF savings and make this as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Can the Ministry share as of December 2022, how many Singaporeans have reached the respective Basic, Full and Enhanced Retirement Sums? How many actually take up the Enhanced Retirement Sum when they reach 55? How many Singaporeans have actually put their property as a provision to match the difference between the Basic and Full Enhanced Retirement Sums so that they can cash out at the age of 55?

For every Singaporean, we dream to retire with enough wealth for our retirement years with income and good health as a serious matter. Once again, I strongly believe our fellow Singaporeans look forward to such support of not to reduce CPF contributions at the age of 55 for those that are doing well.

The Chairman : Mr Louis Chua, both cuts, please.

Enhancing CPF Returns

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang) : Chairman, on the topic of enhancing CPF returns, I would like to once again take the chance to raise concerns that I have previously voiced out in Parliament in the past two years.

The CPF scheme plays an important role in securing Singaporeans' retirement needs and it is after all the CPF Board's mission.

An opportunity to enhance these returns is therefore something which many Singaporeans continuously look out for. The long lines at the banks recently due to the promotional fixed deposit rates is evidence enough of this demand. In the past month alone, major banks such as OCBC and DBS have begun offering additional products for investors to allocate their CPF Ordinary Account (OA) monies to. OCBC is now offering eight-month deposits at an interest rate of 3.88%, while DBS now accepts online applications for T-bill investments using CPF OA funds. Again, the long lines forming suggest that Singaporeans' needs for higher quality returns to their OA funds is largely unmet. The excess demand for these additional OA investment products despite their rather modest long-term returns as compared to a globally diversified portfolio of Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs) for example, further shows that there is pent-up demand for more investment options that need to be satiated.

In Budgets 2021 and 2022, I sought clarification on the CPF Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme (LRIS). Last year, I asked if the Expert Investment Council had completed their studies and if the Government was still considering rolling out the LRIS. Minister Tan See Leng assured us that the Government is still evaluating the scheme and I would like to once again check in if there has been any conclusion on their studies since then.

It is, after all, close to seven years since August 2016 when the plans were first announced. Is there a more concrete timetable on which the Ministry can share details of the proposed LRIS? I hope the Ministry is cognisant that the longer the delay, the higher the opportunity cost and real cost to Singaporeans' retirement savings.

Moreover, I would like to reiterate the lack of options currently available to Singaporeans to allow them to take better control of the wealth they have. Since my speech last year, there are still only six ETFs available for Singaporeans to invest in. With increasing financial literacy among our people, they should be empowered to take greater charge of their investment decisions according to their risk appetites and financial goals.

Reform of CPF Ordinary Account Rates

The CPF Board's vision is, among others, to enable Singaporeans to have a secure retirement through lifelong income. It is imperative that we therefore consistently review and revise, where necessary, the mechanisms that underlie its functions to ensure that it serves its purpose as effectively as possible.

One of the key concerns frustrating Singaporeans now is inflation. I understand that the liquidity of Ordinary Accounts (OA) pegs them to shorter-term interest rates. However, for much of our working lives, the bulk of our CPF contributions gets allocated towards the OA. I appreciate the interest rate floor that has been put in place at 2.5%. However, we must balance CPF OA rates against the goal of preserving the purchasing power of our retirement funds and guarding against inflation over time. While our CPF monies are invested in Special Singapore Government Securities (SGS) fully guaranteed by the Government, GIC's portfolio has been able to beat inflation both nominally and in real terms at 7.0% and 4.2% returns respectively over the past 20 years.

Pegging OA interest rates to deposit rates has its issues as it can be quite arbitrary. For example, DBS states that the 12-month fixed deposit rates for deposits up to $19,999 is 3.2%, while an amount of $20,000, which is used for OA calculations, drops to 0.05% instead.

We are beginning to see a stark contrast in rates. Recent news articles show banks competing with one another to get deposits. UOB has even raised its maximum bonus rates from 3.6% to 7.8%, while many now offer fixed deposit rates at 3% to 4%. Despite this, the CPF Board's assessment of major local banks interest rates to be at 0.52% for the period from November 2022 to January 2023 and one cannot help but feel as though these are unrealistically suppressed, given the realities of the deposit environment of the local banks today.

Chairman, the OA formula itself has remained unchanged since 1999. Many of us now have the likes of a DBS Multiplier or UOB ONE account where higher interest rates can be earned easily as compared to historical savings accounts. Even if the Government does not wish to take inflation into account, I urge the Government to reconsider the formula after 24 years, to take into account the current nature of fixed deposits and savings rates from the three local banks so that it better reflects economic realities.

Workplace Health and Safety

Mr Pritam Singh : Sir, in January this year, the eighth Meeting of the International Advisory Panel on Workplace Safety and Health made its recommendations, which the Government accepted.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s press release stated that "2022 saw a spate of workplace fatalities largely due to basic safety lapses, such as inadequate safety planning and control measures, and non-compliance with safety measures."

I also know that the Heightened Safety Period (HSP) which was to have been from September 2022 to February 2023, was extended by three months until 31 May. The fact of the extension itself indicates that the previous HSP did not adequately meet its objectives. While the workplace fatality rate has improved, unfortunately, the annualised rate of major injuries actually increased from 16.8 to 18.7 per 100,000 workers during the first three months of the HSP.

For the built environment sector, in particular, do major safety lapses occur in the context of subcontracting work where margins for profits and time to complete work may be narrower and are safety lapses more prevalent here?

I understand that effort is being put into this issue of workplace fatalities and major injuries, but may I ask what the Government is going to do differently when implementing these new 2023 recommendations? Does the Ministry foresee a deeper cultural shake-up required in the attitudes towards workplace safety? How are fatalities and major injuries going to be arrested in a more significant way?

The Chairman : Miss Cheng Li Hui. Not here. Mr Melvin Yong.

Ensuring Safer Workplaces

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas) : Mr Chairman, in my Budget debate speech, I expressed my dismay at the current poor workplace safety outcomes, which resulted in the tragic loss of lives, many of which were due to basic errors that could have and should have been avoided.

The spike in workplace fatalities in the past few months might have been a sign that companies are relaxing their stringent Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) practices as the Heightened Safety Period (HSP) draws nearer to its end.

How many of the workplace accidents reported in the past 18 months were due to a lack of or grossly inadequate safety measures by the companies' management?

The recent extension of the HSP notwithstanding, is MOM prepared to make HSP a permanent fixture or at least make permanent some of the HSP requirements, such as the enhanced penalties for systemic WSH lapses?

Sir, we need to establish better whistle-blowing channels. We must build a culture where workers feel safe to report unsafe work practices that they see at their worksites. We must entrench a culture where employers must realise that unsafe practices cannot go unreported and cannot be swept under the carpet.

Can MOM provide an update on the WSH feedback rate, across its various channels, over the past five years? Can MOM review and enhance its feedback structures, and where needed, to create new reporting channels that make it easier for anyone, including a member of public, to report unsafe work practices?

Sir, I know that resources are finite. As such, I urge MOM to focus efforts on the high-risk sectors which account disproportionately for the number of workplace injuries. MOM's data also shows that SMEs have the greatest risk of poor WSH outcomes. I urge the Ministry to enhance outreach and funding support for SMEs to adopt and deploy WSH technologies. I have previously highlighted how such technologies have improved safety standards at the workplace, especially in high-risk environments.

Sir, every worker deserves a safe workplace. The Labour Movement stands ready to work closely with our tripartite partners to do all we can to help every worker return home safely at the end of every workday.

The Right to Sit

Mr Leon Perera (Aljunied) : Mr Chairman, there has been recent debate over the provision of chairs at retail outlets and the right of retail workers to sit.

Multiple studies report there are significant health risks associated with prolonged standing, including chronic venous insufficiency, musculoskeletal disorders as well as spontaneous abortion for pregnant women in some rare cases. This is a health hazard caused by an inability to alternate muscle usage.

Countries like Malaysia and South Africa have enacted laws on the right to sit. The UK requires retail outlets to provide seats and to allow staff to sit occasionally.

Sir, I call on the Government to explore similar laws, perhaps by amending the WSH Handbook.

Sir, the time has come to go beyond industry self-regulation on this issue. Our laws and regulations should promote our retail workers' health, well-being and longevity.

Need for Greater Recognition of Skills

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui (Holland-Bukit Timah) : Mr Chairman, Sir, we need to better recognise and value skill sets in the job market. While there are continuing efforts to address starting salaries and career progression for different job roles and sectors, more can be done to address the growing wage disparity between graduates and non-graduates. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong shared in his recent speech at the IPS Singapore Perspectives that today, the median starting pay for a university graduate is double that of an ITE graduate, and 1.5 times that of a polytechnic graduate.

As our workforce becomes increasingly competitive, a widening gap can lead to negative outcomes. We do not wish for a situation where many young and promising Singaporeans would eventually feel undervalued despite having the relevant skill sets simply because of a lack of necessary qualifications.

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Mitigating such outcomes does not mean to devalue paper qualifications but it is about having an equal recognition for skills and competencies. In the US, companies like Google and IBM have reportedly reduced the need for paper qualifications in some tech roles. IBM has shifted away from degree requirements with less than one-third of its IT jobs requiring one. We do not see Google and IBM being less competitive in the tech world when changing its focus on one’s level of competency.

There is a greater need to recognise skills especially craftmanship. The Career Progression Model proposed by NTUC is a good example of uplifting the work prospects and salaries of skilled essential tradesmen. I am supportive of this model which has a clear framework and structured skills training so that quality standards can be assured. Such national-level efforts can ensure that essential skills are continuously and increasingly recognised. I would also propose for MOM to have regular surveying of salaries of specific skills level published, much like how universities publish graduate employment survey and the average salary level for specific graduate course degrees. This can provide a further guide to fairly align salary range with levels of skills.

While we push for nationwide efforts to recognise and value skills the same way as one’s qualifications, such a change will require human resource (HR) managers and employers to take the first step. HR managers are key to making structural changes and fine-tuning workplace policies. Since COVID-19, the role of a HR manager has significantly evolved which includes the need for more nuanced recruitment as an increasingly complex economy requires more differentiated skills. With constant changes to our economy, HR managers also have to be involved in redesigning jobs for the employees. Likewise, with MOM’s more targeted foreign worker policies, this creates additional complexities to the role of a HR manager.

Therefore, I propose for MOM to introduce an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the HR industry and support our HR professionals’ expanded roles which can make a significant improvement in recruitment and valuing skills. While HR managers obtain the relevant expertise in their expanded role, they would also need to refresh their knowledge on job roles and the necessary skill sets.

Hence, I would like to ask how MOM would assist employers and HR managers to better understand the granularity of each profession and skills requirement which dovetails with SSG’s skills framework so that recruitment is not merely based on paper qualifications but also on skills certifications.

Overall, we must also not neglect our SMEs, especially micro ones which do not have the necessary resources to expand HR roles. To help our SMEs cope with the evolving needs of aHR manager, I would re-emphasise on the need for a chief human resources officer (CHRO) as a similar service to the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA)’s Chief Technology Officer-as-a-service. Such a service can support SMEs in access to gain access to HR resources and expertise.

Furthering Strengthening HR in Singapore

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan : Good human resource (HR) practices and processes are an essential ingredient if we wish to foster a fair and inclusive workplace. One way this can be achieved is by having certified HR professionals in our organisations. I have three suggestions to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

First, it would be to mandate companies to have at least one Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP)-certified HR professional before they can be allowed to hire any foreign manpower.

Second, is for the IHRP certification course and examinations to include the knowledge of the concept of tripartism including all the requisite tripartite standards, guidelines and advisories as well as working with unions and the industrial relations system.

Third, HR cannot be the sole custodians of progressive practices. People Managers also play a critical role in supporting and cascading good human capital practices in the organisation. I believe more can be done in this respect and professional bodies like the IHRP can work with partners like Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and NTUC Learning Hub, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and HR associations to equip People Managers with the requisite skills and knowledge to better engage and nurture their workforce.

Update on Implementation of Progressive Wage Model (PWM)

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade) : Sir, the employers who violate the PWM requirements can face fines, penalties and other consequences such as the suspension or revocation of their Work Pass privileges. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) together with tripartite partners also conduct regular public education and outreach efforts to raise awareness of the PWM and its requirements among employers and workers. However, as with any policy or regulation, there may be instances where employers are not fully compliant with the PWM requirements, be it in the terms of technical requirements or in spirit. These leaves low-wage workers susceptible to exploitation.

In this regard, I would like to ask MOM to give an update on this implementation and what measures are in place or explore enforcement strategies or mechanisms to ensure that companies comply to PWM wages and other requirements.

Uplifting Lower-wage Workers

Ms Yeo Wan Ling : The Labour Movement's Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is key to protecting our vulnerable as it uplifts our lower-wage workers' livelihoods while equipping our workers the requisite training to upscale and improve. The PWM now covers 174,000 lower-wage workers in seven sectors including cleaning, security, retail and, starting today, the food services industries.

The PWM was also introduced into occupations – administration and driving – recently. As the chairperson for the tripartite clusters for retail and food services, I note the significance of these clusters to be included in the PWM framework. These are very relatable industries for many Singaporeans. The workers in these industries touch the hearts and lives of Singaporeans daily and the businesses' innovations and achievements put Singapore in the world map as a true global city. Given that we hope to attract more talented young Singaporeans into these industries, can the Ministry provide an update on how it will support and encourage companies to embrace attractive career ladders and drum up productivity?

I note too that these industries were the first predominantly business-to-consumer (B2C) industries to introduce the PWM framework. As such, supporting our lower-wage workers would include consumers as a stakeholder. We call on the Ministry to work with the Labour Movement to bring home the message that uplifting the lives of our lower-wage Singaporeans is a whole of community effort.

Migrant Worker Welfare

Mr Leon Perera : Mr Chairman, last year saw 46 workplace deaths, the highest since 2016. We need to reflect on that.

Migrant workers are more vulnerable to unsafe workplace practices because of their limited bargaining power. They need employers’ consent to transfer to a new job, save exceptions. This can be held against them and they might not dare to speak up for fear of repatriation.

We need to make the playing field less uneven perhaps by allowing workers to transfer jobs without their employers’ consent in two scenarios. If they provide evidence of unsafe work, they should be allowed to resign without notice and stay here for two months to find another employer if that evidence is borne out. Second, they should be allowed to transfer if they have been working for at least one year with their current employer with a one-month notice period without their current employer being allowed to cancel their Work Permit during that period. This will incentivise employers to create safer, decent work environments.

Also, can MOM empower workers to call out unsafe work practices? When settling in, MOM can assure them that whistle-blowers’ identities are kept confidential and they will be protected from dismissal. MOM can reward whistle-blowers if complaints are found to be valid.

Next, under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), designated insurers process all WICA claims. An issue is that the WICA insurers become “gatekeepers” who determine which claims are valid before compensation is assessed. This creates a conflict of interest since insurers might be incentivised to deny validity.

In 2019, the then-Minister of State said MOM was rolling out a system of checks and balances. Has MOM reviewed the performance of WICA insurers to see if this system is adequate? Does MOM proactively monitor each insurer’s performance or does it only investigate complaints? How does MOM ensure that designated insurers comply with stipulated timelines for processing claims? Are insurers penalised for failing to comply?

The WICA insurers’ manual should be published so the public can hold insurers accountable and report potential non-compliance.

Can MOM also review the use of an independent assessor such as the Commissioner of Labour previously? This is done in New Zealand and Ireland.

Lastly, on the subject of good quality food for migrant workers, there have been issues in the past and I have spoken on this topic in the House before. I suggest that: one, every new dormitory should be equipped with cooking facilities for workers. Many migrant workers prefer to cook their own food; secondly, can the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) consider mandating that catered food is delivered in safe eating conditions as per the National Environment Agency (NEA) regulations applicable for cooked food supplied by caterers for events? If this means food storage or a shift towards freezers and microwaves, so be it.

CPF Contributions

Ms Hazel Poa (Non-Constituency Member) : I have several questions pertaining to CPF contributions for platform workers.

It has been announced that transitional assistance will be provided to platform workers who earn below $2,500 to help them cope with the new requirement to contribute CPF. However, those earning above $2,500 will also have difficulties adjusting to a lower take-home pay. Will MOM be implementing the employee contribution in phases to give them more time to adjust?

Secondly, those aged above 30 can opt out of making CPF contributions. If a platform worker opts out, does this mean the platform owner will not need to contribute CPF as well? If this is the case, then those who opt in will cost the platform owners more than those who opt out. It is desirable for more platform workers to opt in so that they have more retirement savings. However, my concern is whether those who opt in would be discriminated against because they are more costly. Will there be measures put in place to prevent discrimination against those who opt in?

Lastly, is the decision to either opt in or out of CPF a one-off decision? Can platform workers change their minds subsequently?

Freelance Coaches and/or Instructors

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar) : Chairman, the freelancer community of coaches and instructors in the fields of sports, fitness, learning, and visual and performing arts are an important part of Singapore’s economy. As an adviser to the NTUC affiliate, the National Instructors and Coaches Association, I seek MOM’s attention to uplift this group of freelancers for their better job and income security and well-being.

One, fair compensation. Much has been done for platform workers and lower-wage workers. The freelancer community too should be paid fairly, based on their skills, contributions and track records. Today, many of them are often the price takers. They are hesitant in adjusting their contract rates even when there are valid reasons to do so such as rising business costs. When contracts are up, there is often the fear of losing contracts to the lowest bidder should they charge higher. They face constraints even with clients such as those in public agencies like the Ministry of Education (MOE), People’s Association (PA) or Health Promotion Board (HPB) as the client staff may find it hard to seek approvals for rate hikes mid-contract because of already approved fixed budgets and the need for additional paperwork to get approvals for adjustments. I urge MOM to facilitate the development of a procurement guide to ensure a sustainable win-win arrangement and fair compensation for the freelancer community starting with their public sector clients.

Two, access to resources. Many freelance instructors and coaches face limited access to resources such as class facilities, equipment or training materials. Uplifting them can include providing them with greater access to sports or school facilities or through Government grants.

Lastly, recognition and professional development. Freelancers too need lifelong learning and support to ensure they remain relevant and competitive. So, curate and provide local and overseas professional development opportunities to help them stay updated with the latest developments in their industries.

Strengthen Support for Vulnerable Workers

Ms Yeo Wan Ling : The influence of platform workers is clear for us to see. They have become an integral part of our daily urban lives having transformed the way we eat, shop and move. While we celebrate the benefits and rewards such work brings, we cannot overlook the potential risks that an increasing number of platform workers face, be it the rising concerns over adequate retirement savings, health safety nets and housing.

To this end, the Labour Movement is encouraged that the Government recognised these concerns. We thank the Government for accepting the 12 recommendations provided by the advisory committee on platform workers that will strengthen our social and livelihood safety nets for our platform workers. While the advisory committee looks towards the working group to deliberate on the details of the operationalisation of these recommendations, our platform workers have voiced their concerns on how the introduction of CPF may affect their take-home earnings and subsequently their livelihoods.

We hence welcomed the move to introduce a CPF transition support which will help alleviate these concerns. Can the Ministry provide an update on the transitional support? Further, we call on the Ministry to work closely with the Labour Movement and our platform associations to ensure that there is fair apportionment of CPF contributions between the platform worker and the platform company.

For many platform workers, a day of work is also a day of painful loss revenues. In addition to the insurance benefits for work injuries as put forth in the recommendations, we call for the Ministry to consider further safety nets for platform workers who are injured in the course of their work, through added healthcare subsidies and enhanced injuries and loss of income plans.

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As we look to strengthen our social compact, we must not forget to turn our attention to our vulnerable Singaporeans who are on the fringes and support them in their desire to earn decent livelihoods and the opportunity to contribute back to Singapore.

Enhancing Retirement Adequacy

Mr Yip Hon Weng : Chairman, we need to push for improvement in senior employability and encourage those who wish to work to continue. I have queries in these three areas.

First, it is worrying to learn that certain segments of the population such as senior workers in low-wage and casual jobs do not have sufficient CPF to address their retirement adequacy. How will the Ministry help this group of people separately?

Separately, notwithstanding the CPF Transition Offset which is for one year, how do we ensure that companies continue to retain their senior workers, given the increase in the senior worker CPF contribution rates?

Second, to truly understand whether Singaporeans have sufficient retirement adequacy, we need to move beyond subsistence level retirement and develop a formal definition of what defines a decent quality of life in old age.

In 2019, a team of local researchers derived the amount of money needed for seniors to achieve a basic standard of living in Singapore. This study has been constantly quoted since. Does the Ministry stand by its results or does MOM plan to do its own in-depth study? Moreover, with high inflation in the past two years, is it time to review this amount?

Third, we can do more on the labour front by having more flexible work options. Many older workers would like to work part-time and even go back and forth between periods of work and leisure. Some want to spend more time with their families. Others wish to travel and take care of their grandchildren and return to work after.

There are a few ways companies can implement this and older workers can be allowed to take a few months' leave and then return to the job. Coverage of duties would have to be arranged with flexibility and creativity exercise. We also should push on with job sharing and micro jobs which have been raised several times before. We should also consider the concept of phased retirement. This allows seniors to gradually decrease the number of workdays a week until retirement. How can the Ministry encourage these initiatives?

We must continue to make progress towards improving retirement adequacy and senior employability. For the seniors who derive employment from their work, we can help maintain their physical and mental well-being whilst also providing financial security.

Seniors' Employment and Retirement Adequacy

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman : Chairman, retirement adequacy remains an important concern for many senior citizens in Singapore, especially in an inflationary environment because it can erode purchasing power of retirement savings over time.

As the costs of living increases, the value of retirement savings may decrease, making it more difficult for seniors to meet their basic needs and maintain the standard of living in retirement. Additionally, healthcare cost tends to increase with age which can put further pressure on retirement savings.

These factors can create financial insecurity and make it difficult for seniors to meet their retirement goals. As a result, it is important for the Government and individuals to take steps to address retirement adequacy in an inflationary environment.

Given the importance of retirement adequacy, especially in inflationary environment, can MOM provide an update on measures that will be put in place to protect the vulnerability of the seniors and strengthen their retirement adequacy?

SG Made for Families – Parent Care Leave

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon) : Deputy Prime Minister highlighted how we want to help our seniors age with grace, dignity and security. Having good healthcare and retirement funds are important. But none of these are a substitute for time with their children.

Just last Saturday, a resident shared during my home visit at Block 205 that he needed leave from work to bring his mother for her repeated medical appointments.

Legislating parent care leave will let Singaporeans be there to care for their parents. I am sure the Government feels the same way. All public servants have had parent care leave for over 10 years. It is time to expand this to all workers.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis : When DORSCON Green was announced, many Singaporeans shared their fears of having to go back to the pre-COVID-19 way of work – and this has for the most part been quite true.

In fact, many bosses are asking their staff to work from the office, with a preference to "see" their staff working, for fear of them not producing work. As I shared in my Budget debate speech, one friend quipped that his boss said, and I paraphrase, "if you are not in the office, how do I know that you are working?"

This old myth needs debunking. One of many studies has shown that a Chinese company saw a 13% increase in productivity for employees allowed to work remotely in a work-from-home (WFH) experiment. Last year, I called for the public service to take a leadership role and undertake a four-day work week pilot, similar to the one which companies in the UK embarked on. I am pleased to update this House that more than nine out of 10 companies that adopted a four-day working week in the UK trial will continue to use the more flexible way of operating, according to findings.

The White Paper on Women’s Development has also proposed Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) to be a "pervasive and sustainable workplace norm", to foster a more inclusive work environment especially for married women who may otherwise leave the workforce significantly earlier than men. A normalised FWA will enable employees’ FWA requests to be considered fairly, instead of not giving them the real option to begin with.

We understand that there is the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements that will be ready by 2024. And leading up to this, I find it pertinent to maintain that these guidelines should be legislated and enforced, and not be seen as mere guidelines that leaves companies the option of not even extending this option to their employees.

I have mentioned in my previous speeches how other governments have legislated and are looking at ways to strengthen worker’s rights to FWAs, with the key intent on creating a more inclusive work environment for all.

Given the numerous benefits FWA has on women, young parents and the overall well-being of an individual, this should not be seen as a “good to have” or “extra”, but as part and parcel of what companies should offer to their employees.

We had an opportunity to experience what it could look like to have FWAs. I hope that my worst fears of a return to pre-COVID-19 workplace norms in Singapore will not come true.

Creating Inclusive Workplaces

Ms Yeo Wan Ling : Even as many of us at work transit to the new normal, one thing we hope remains the same, Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs). In creating safe and inclusive workplaces, one must not only eliminate discrimination regarding the "who" at work, but also the "how" we choose to engage in our work.

FWAs have proven to be key to allowing employees achieve better work-life harmony and it can promote a more engaged and productive workforce, allowing our workers to accomplish their tasks at work while meeting their personal responsibilities at home.

The recommendations of the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness go hand-in-hand with FWAs, providing the flexibility to accommodate back-to-work women who have to take care of young children or elderly loved ones is a function of ensuring that women who hold multiple roles both at work and at home are not discriminated against for the outsized role we women play in society.

FWAs also not limited merely to that of location but can also be extended to work hours, the work week and even work tasks.

Given the difficulties many industries face regarding manpower, employers need to be ingenious and creative in its adoption of FWAs to ensure that we can maximise our workforce and this can start with our back-to-work women who possess both the skills and desire to return to work.

Recognising the importance of FWAs, I seek the Ministry's clarifications on how it attempts to encourage more companies to continue to embrace FWAs and, in particular, performance appraisals, job and culture redesign, to support women with caregiving responsibilities to say in their jobs or to return to the workplace seamlessly after a hiatus in their careers?

The Chairman : Mr Sharael Taha, both cuts please.

Employment Opportunities – Seniors, PwDs and Part-time Workers

Mr Sharael Taha : Thank you, Chairman. Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) can take the form of flexi-time, flexi-place and flexi-load.

FWAs, together with job redesign, can unlock employment opportunities for seniors, persons with disabilities (PwDs), part-time workers and caregivers. For example, call centre operators or help desk providers can be done remotely via FWAs and this can create opportunities for seniors, PwDs and part-time workers.

Another possibility is to fund training for seniors to be trained as trainers to impart their knowledge to the industry. Given our ageing population and more of our seniors wanting to find employment although at a slower pace, how do we create structural employment opportunities for seniors through job redesign?

Similarly, how can we create structural employment opportunities for PwDs?

In Pasir Ris, we have a few families with adult children with either mild autism or low IQ. One such family in my constituency has three children with disabilities in their 20s and 30s. The parents are in the 60s. The father is the sole breadwinner and the parents are worried for the future of the children. The children have not been able to find employment and are stuck at home all day.

Is there an opportunity for us to encourage businesses to also employ PwDs?

With the extension of the Senior Employment Credit, Part-time Employment Grant and introducing Uplifting Employment Credit for ex-offenders, what is the measure of success for these schemes? How do we ensure that these fundings translate to actual improvements in employment opportunities for seniors, PwDs and part-time workers?

Update on Flexible Work Arrangements

I am heartened to see that while we work towards growing our economy and equipping our workers with the right skill sets, we are also focusing on strengthening our social compact by ensuring growth is inclusive and we have work-life balance for workers in mind.

Anecdotally, through interactions with residents in Pasir Ris, it seems that post-pandemic, a small percentage of workers are either working entirely from home or are going back to work every weekday and the larger proportion of our PMET workforce are on a three plus two or two plus three arrangements of working remotely and working from office.

Does the Ministry have any indicators of the percentage of businesses practising remote working, especially for SMEs as there are many friction points in FWAs between employer and employee, such as working hours, hours of working week and performance assessment, just to name.

Has the number of complaints of perceived unfairness brought about by FWAs increase? What is the progress of the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements and other elements that can be implemented earlier?

The Chairman : Miss Rachel Ong, five cuts.

Raising Workforce Participation of PwDs

Miss Rachel Ong (West Coast) : Data from the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey (CLFS) released earlier this month on 10 February, showed that among resident Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the working ages of 15 to 65 in 2021 and 2022, a majority of 65.7% are outside of the labour force.

Given the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF) 2020 estimate of 32,000 PwDs who are of working age, this means about 21,000 working-age PwDs are still outside of the labour force.

Of those outside of the labour force, a majority of 77% or 16,000 PwDs indicate that they are in poor health, too old or disabled to work. However, not much information was provided on what the respondents meant by their being “too disabled” to work.

It would be important for us to find out whether there is a group of PwDs from within the 77% who are actually work-capable but have stayed out of the workforce because they are not aware of what to do or do not believe that there are jobs or workplaces that can accommodate their disability. In better understanding their job search experiences, we can then identify their barriers to participating in the workforce and thus work towards reducing these barriers.

In conjunction with the vision for Singapore as an inclusive society in 2030, I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower if they have further insights gathered from the survey on work-capable PwDs outside the workforce, and how Singapore can raise the workforce participation rate of working-age PwDs?

Workplace Support for PwD Caregivers

As mentioned in my Budget speech, caregivers of people with severe disabilities find great challenges in the work options that allow them to fulfil their ongoing caregiving responsibilities while financially supporting the high medical expenses and future retirement needs for themselves and their wards.

Flexibility regarding work hours and work spaces as well as the ability to take leave when required, are essential for these caregivers. This is because their wards are not work-capable and require consistent care, and caregivers need to be responsive to sudden or emergency needs.

Those who are offered jobs tend to be for roles that underemployed them with significantly lower pay, a trade off that caregivers accept for the flexibility accorded.

Yet, even with these lowered job expectations, such Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) are not easily accessible, as caregivers often are confronted with interviewers and work cultures that have biases against working caregivers of FWAs.

One country that has explored support initiatives for working caregivers is the UK. In the recent years, the UK has seen an uptrend in the number of working caregivers, whether supporting seniors or children. In 2022, this number was one in five residents.

To support them, the UK Civil Service launched an initiative called the Carer's Passport. This Passport provides caregivers and their employers with information about how employees' caring responsibilities impact their work and provides a guided conversation on the flexibility needed to combine work and care.

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It aims to balance the needs of the employee with the needs of the business. Since its launch in 2010, the Carer's Passport has rolled out to hospitals, employers, communities, schools and universities across the UK. I am hopeful that Singapore will one day see value in moving towards such an initiative, given our aging population and also push for larger families and hence, an increasing need for caregivers. After all, close to three-quarter of our caregivers in Singapore are employed.

May I ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Government could consider how a similar arrangement can be made for caregivers of people with severe disabilities, who need to take on flexible work arrangements (FWAs) out of necessity? How may we continue to encourage companies to make FWAs available for a larger range of job competencies, so that our caregivers can support themselves more sustainably?

Caregivers of PwDs Returning to Work

After many years of caregiving, caregivers of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) who have found alternative caregiving options, find it hard to re-enter the workplace due to concerns over age and experience. In their job search, they struggle with the lack of recognition of caregiving skills on the job market, despite their transferability.

These skills can range from project and time management, expanded skills in empathy and stress tolerance, as well as communication skills as they navigate conflict situations in caregiving. Support to identify and recognise these skills in the workplace would be of great value to caregivers.

In interviews, they are uncertain whether how much to share about their caregiving responsibilities for fear of discrimination or negative repercussions on their career due to possible biases by employers. I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower how the Government can support these caregivers in the areas of job search, coaching and preparing them to re-enter the workforce, and perhaps also to reduce biases employers may have against caregivers?

Retirement Adequacy of PwDs

Studies have shown that people with disabilities (PwDs) are poorer and more financially insecure than non-disabled people. Just 31.4% of working aged PwDs in Singapore are employed as of published statistics earlier this month. Granted that some may have the benefit of parents who are able to set up a trust for them via the Special Needs Trust company, not all PwDs have similar access.

I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower what is the assessed retirement adequacy of PwDs as compared to the non-disabled in our workforce and what is being done to raise their retirement adequacy, factoring the medical expenses they need to incur?

Retirement Adequacy for PwD Caregivers

For non-work-capable PwDs, their caregivers become the main source of financial security. In my Budget speech, I had expounded on the high expenses this group of caregivers of people with severe disabilities or rare disorders face, due to the extremely high cost of treatment for their wards, which can amount up to $200,000 a year.

These caregivers spend a large portion of their finances for the treatment of their severely disabled child and ward. With that, we may see that those who spend most of their lives caring for their loved ones will see too little savings for their own retirement.

In Budget 2023, we see that the Government has moved to strengthen retirement adequacy for our seniors. I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower, how might something similar be done for the caregivers of severely disabled persons who often require one parent to stop work, while also managing ongoing high medical expenses?

Support for Hiring Ex-offenders

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): As part of our #EveryWorkerMatters conversation last month, together with my National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) colleagues and volunteers, I had the great opportunity to host a dialogue session at our NTUC premises for more than 100 employers, ex-offenders, Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG), Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and New Charis Mission Friends. This is the first time that NTUC and the Labour Movement has engaged this community for a dialogue.

On another occasion earlier this month, my team and I had an opportunity to engage a group of inmates at Changi Prison, as part of our #EveryWorkerMatters conversation, to share as well as hear their thoughts on jobs, skills, training, and employment and employability in general. I applaud the work of YRSG and SPS, and for making our engagement possible, so that we can hear first-hand from this community as we forge a new workers' compact.

As much as it was happy to hear some employers leaning forward to help and hire ex-offenders, we hear the fears and anxieties from the inmates who are soon to be released and want to re-integrate back into society and the workforce.

I have three suggestions for MOM to consider to help this group of workers: first, MOM should support and better incentivise and encourage employers, businesses and trade associations to hire ex-offenders as well as offer internship opportunities for them, to assist them to assimilate into these jobs.

Second, MOM and our career placement agencies, including the private ones, can provide career coaching, advisory and mentoring services for this group of jobseekers, so that we can minimise the expectation mismatch.

Third, MOM working closely with YRSG and SPS can support employability skills training, including job readiness programmes, such as resume and cover letter writing, navigating the job search and job application process before their eventual release.

After-hours Work Communication

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye : Sir, I first spoke about the need to give employees a right to disconnect from work in July 2020. The Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at the Workplace was subsequently promulgated in November 2020, which included recommendations on after-hours work communication. In September 2021, the Alliance for Action on Work-life Harmony issued a policy template to help companies set clearer boundaries for after-hours work communication. Can MOM provide an update on the adoption of such after-hours work communication policy by companies based in Singapore? What is MOM doing to encourage greater adoption?

According to a 2023 report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), several countries – France, Belgium and Portugal – have legislated laws to allow employees to disconnect. Portugal, for example, labels its work-life balance legislation the "right to rest", with companies of 10 or more staff facing penalties for contacting staff outside of set working hours. The same report also states that multinational corporations (MNCs), including a Belgian chemical company and an Italian bank, have signed multinational agreements with their European Work Councils to support workers' right to disconnect. Can MOM study some of these trends and how we could potentially localise some of these legislative and non-legislative ideas for Singapore?

Mr Chairman : We will have our right to a break after Minister Tan See Leng's speech.

The Minister for Manpower (Dr Tan See Leng) : Unless the Members of the House want to exercise their right to disconnect.

The Chairman : Oh no, no, please proceed. [ Laughter. ]

Dr Tan See Leng : Mr Chairman, I thank our Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Members of Parliament and the others, who have taken an active interest in MOM's work and spoken in support of our workers and our businesses. Our labour market posted strong growth last year. Total employment grew by more than 200,000 in 2022, surpassing its pre-pandemic level by 3%. Resident employment is already 4.4% above 2019 levels. Resident unemployment rates have recovered to pre-COVID-19 levels. Resident wages also increased at a faster rate. The nominal median income of full-time employed residents grew by 8.3% in 2021. [ Please refer to the clarification further in the debate. ]

It is more than double that of the previous year of 3.2% and even after adjusting for inflation, the real median income growth in 2022 was more than double that of 2021. However, we are at multiple crossroads, the uncertain global economic environment, global inflation and geopolitical challenges in the medium term, will weigh on the labour market going forward.

I hear your concerns about what this means for you and how it will impact your jobs, especially for older workers. But rest assured, we will journey with you every step of the way. Whether you are in your early 20s or 30s, or whether you are in your mid-40s or your late-50s, we will empower you to find and work towards new opportunities. But we need your help, your support to take the first step, to move forward, to improve your career prospects.

If you want a career change, you can be assured of the support we will provide you to upskill and to reskill. If you fall out of employment, you can be assured that we will step in, to help you in your job search. If your interest is in hands-on work, you can be assured of more opportunities to achieve and to be rewarded for the mastery of those skills. And as you approach retirement, you can be assured that if you have worked and contributed consistently to your CPF, you will be able to meet your basic retirement needs in your golden years.

We will leverage our continued economic growth to provide good jobs for you. We will improve and continue to improve, your employment outcomes. And even in the midst of this uncertainty, there are significant opportunities that we can continue to capitalise on. I shared in my speech with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) yesterday, on how we have a suite of programmes to promote talent development in our enterprises.

For those starting out in their careers, there is the Singapore Global Executive Programme (SGEP) to support fresh and recent graduates to pursue structured career progression pathways in high-growth companies. The Global Ready Talent (GRT) programme also helps to build a talent pipeline by co-funding local young talent, to take on both local and overseas internships. The Tech@SG pilot has also created more than 1,500 local jobs in tech startups in the past three years since launch.

And for senior leaders of our promising SMEs, the Enterprise Leadership for Transformation (ELT) programme also helps them to develop their business strategies and leadership capabilities. With the ever-changing economy, we need to continue to press on with economic transformation, to allow us to emerge stronger and to seize new opportunities for Singaporeans. We want you and we invite you to join us on this journey of transformation, and this is why we have been engaging Singaporeans to understand their aspirations, their angst about the economy, their anxieties about the economy and jobs under the Forward Singapore exercise.

It is against this backdrop that MOM's priorities for this Committee of Supply (COS) will centre on three main themes. First, seizing opportunities with you. Number two, strengthening support for you. And last but not least, securing better workplaces with you.

First, we will seize opportunities with Singaporeans by supporting them to improve their career prospects and their resilience, so that they will be empowered to take on good jobs. At the same time, we will continue to be open to workers of the right calibre and in areas where we need them, so that our businesses can build the best team of local and foreign talents to grow. Our growth should also be inclusive and enable all segments of our workers to reap the economic benefits.

Hence, our second focus is to strengthen support for Singaporeans' retirement adequacy by enhancing the Central Provident Fund (CPF) system, so that they can have peace of mind in their golden years. We will also press on with our whole-of-society effort to provide greater support for platform workers, lower-wage workers and senior workers, by protecting their interests at work. Senior Ministers of State Koh Poh Koon and Zaqy Mohamad will elaborate more on our efforts on this front in their respective speeches.

And finally, every one of us desires and deserves a fair opportunity to contribute and thrive at work, which brings me to our third focus, and that is to act collectively as one united society. We must work in solidarity to secure safer, fairer and more progressive workplaces. We will continue to improve employment opportunities for women, for persons with disabilities and ex-offenders. Minister of State Gan Siow Huang will elaborate on these in her speech. We will also continue with the efforts to improve safety in the work place and this will be covered by Senior Minister of State Zaqy in his speech as well.

Let me start by sharing how we are empowering Singaporeans to take on good jobs. We have a strong and vibrant economy that has shown its resilience through COVID-19. We have an exciting vision to continue transforming our economy. To seize these opportunities, Singaporeans will need to stay open to new challenges and careers, and continuously upskill and equip themselves with future skills.

MOM and the Government will be there with you every step of the way in this journey to improve your career prospects.

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During COVID-19, the Government stood up the National Jobs Council (NJC) to provide jobs and skill opportunities amidst a deep recession and a weak labour market.

From April 2020 to April 2022, the combined efforts of the Government, the unions and the employers supported the placement of around 200,000 locals under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, out of which around 150,000 were placed into permanent jobs, with the rest placed into traineeships and attachment opportunities.

WSG and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute's 24 SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres across the country were also able to assist and place 3,400 jobseekers in 2022.

To complement the NJC's work, I set up the Jobs Taskforce in September 2021 with the specific goal of helping more locals enter new jobs in 10 key sectors such as information and communications, manufacturing and financial services.

Mr Abdul Samad would be happy to know that through customised efforts targeted at key sectors, we helped place more than 11,000 locals into new jobs in these sectors.

The NJC and the Jobs Taskforce's achievements are a testament to the calibre and the agility of our local workers. MOM and WSG will continue to help Singaporeans pivot to new jobs and new careers.

For example, WSG offers many Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs). CCPs provide salary and training support to employers to reskill new hires and workers for new or redesigned jobs. In 2022, WSG launched several new CCPs for emerging jobs such as sustainability specialist, carbon project developer and customer intelligence analyst.

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked how we are helping SMEs with hiring. SMEs can tap on the full suite of programmes offered by WSG. In particular, WSG has designed the CCP for SME executives to meet the specific needs of SME hires. This programme helps new employees acclimatise to an SME working environment.

Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Patrick Tay would like to know how we can better support mature workers, including PMEs, in their employment and employability. I appreciate that mature workers may find it slightly more challenging to switch careers. Hence, the CCPs provide an even higher level of support – 90% of salary and training costs – for mature workers aged 40 and above. To provide more options for mature workers, WSG also offers SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways (SGUP), which provides full-time attachments with an allowance for those aged 40 and over.

In 2022, WSG supported about 1,900 workers through CCPs and another 1,100 through SGUP.

One such individual is Mr Noor Hashim, a 50-year-old who was previously an independent systems security auditor with a local security auditor company. He wanted to explore career options in the IT industry and he signed up for a six-month course under the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme.

Equipped with his new tech skills, Mr Hashim applied for the SGUP Programme on the MyCareersFuture website in September 2022. He landed an attachment role as an IT cloud and infrastructure specialist with the host organisation, Swiz Technologies.

During this six-month attachment, Swiz Technologies provided on-the-job training, including step-by-step demonstrations, to help him understand how to perform the job tasks of an IT cloud and infrastructure specialist.

I am glad to hear that based on his strong performance in the attachment programme, Mr Hashim will be converted to a full-time staff with Swiz Technologies this month.

Ultimately, MOM is here to support Singaporeans' career aspirations. That is why we have been engaging and speaking to Singaporeans from all walks of life to understand their aspirations and their anxieties about the economy and jobs.

These conversations under Forward Singapore have allowed us to come together to forge a new social compact. A social compact has to be mutually reinforcing, mutually consolidating. It is a two-way dialogue so that we can take in your responses and forge a new compact together.

We have worked with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) to convene a Citizens' Panel on employment resilience and convene a group of citizens to discuss, to propose ideas to increase career mobility and to help workers to bounce back from setbacks such as unemployment. The Citizens' Panel will conclude its work by the end of March and I look forward to hearing their recommendations.

Having heard from many fellow Singaporeans so far, I hear a common theme. Whether you are starting out in your career, whether you are in your mid-career or in a later stage of your career, you aspire to improve your career prospects.

Better career health is key to helping our workers move up the career ladder, stay current and stay employable, or it facilitates them to be able to switch to a new job that can better match their skills and their interests.

I spoke about career health when I launched the Citizens' Panel last month. Just like physical health, career health has three aspects.

One, having better insights and awareness. We need to be more sensitised and to be more aware of our career prospects, relative to how the industry and the economy is growing or transforming.

Two, taking deliberate and purposeful actions to keep up our career health. Information is only meaningful if we process it and we act on it. This means taking pre-emptive and proactive steps to stay ahead of the competition and being ready to seize new opportunities when they come.

Three, how do we bounce back from setbacks? Sometimes, in spite of whatever we do, curve balls will still come our way, out of the blue. We are thinking about how to give a stronger helping hand to help workers to bounce back stronger and better from setbacks. But for this to work, workers need to keep up with their career health so that they are better prepared for setbacks and they are more ready to pick themselves up.

One way MOM is helping to improve awareness on career health is through the Jobs Transformation Maps (JTMs). These JTMs provide detailed insights on the impact of technology and automation on jobs in each sector.

Prof Hoon Hian Teck and Mr Sharael Taha asked about how we ensure our workforce is globally competitive, including how to cope with threats arising from artificial intelligence (AI).

These JTMs provide detailed insights on the impact of technology and automation on jobs in each sector. The JTMs will empower you to take control of your career development and progression by giving you information on the critical skill sets you will need to stay relevant and competitive.

Mr Cheng Hsing Yao, Ms Janet Ang and Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked how MOM can support our businesses to grow and cope with manpower shortages.

Fundamentally, to cope with the manpower crunch, businesses must continue to transform, to increase their productivity and to improve manpower efficiency. The Government remains committed to supporting businesses and workers to achieve this.

The JTMs will guide businesses on how they can transform their businesses and their jobs to remain competitive and resilient. To find out more, you can access the JTMs on WSG's website. For individuals, you can also find resources there to reskill, upskill or embark on career transitions.

To date, 10 JTMs have been completed, with eight additional JTMs in progress. One example is the Food Manufacturing JTM launched by Enterprise Singapore in December 2022, which identified emerging job roles such as novel foods technical manager, and set out pathways to redesign jobs. Workers can reskill themselves via programmes such as the CCP for Food Manufacturing Professionals and Associates and SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes to move into emerging or redesigned roles. There will be more JTMs launched this year.

There is tremendous potential to harness data and AI to provide you more personalised jobs and skill insights. This can help to improve job matching and allow you to better plan what next steps you can take – either to take a course to upskill, to make a career switch or to progress in your career.

I am happy to announce we will launch a new CareersFinder feature on the MyCareersFuture portal in the third quarter of 2023. CareersFinder is a job and skills recommender.

We have heard feedback that some of our workers prefer to explore job opportunities and skills upgrading at the same time as they are inter-related. CareersFinder is the first step to try and integrate job and training recommenders. It uses data on skill adjacencies and job transitions in the labour market to help jobseekers to identify potential career opportunities, personalised based on their individual profiles and recommend suitable training programmes to help them achieve their career goals.

CareersFinder is a new feature, which will be launched in a beta version, but it will become more powerful as the data grows. We will continue to enhance it over time to make it even more responsive to jobseekers' needs. Individuals who wish to find out more about CareersFinder can also register their interest via WSG's website.

Besides supporting workers to reskill and upskill, we need to build a more inclusive labour market that rewards mastery of skills in different areas. Our labour market must also provide multiple pathways to success to cater to different interests and inclinations.

Our society has traditionally valued "head" work much more than "hands-on" work and "heart" work, contributing to occupational wage disparity. But "hands-on" work – the craft required to make something well, to fix a complex machine – is just as important for our society to function, as Mr Edward Chia and Mr Pritam Singh have also highlighted

Many of these "hands-on" jobs require deep skills too. We are partnering NTUC to look into how we can redesign skilled trades, particularly those that remain indispensable in our future economy, to offer better salaries, clearer career and skill progression ladders and other ways to attract, retain and reward workers in these jobs.

Over time, if we are able to shift the prospects and perceptions of such jobs and offer attractive career pathways for skilled trades, we will be able to increase the number of locals in these roles in a sustainable way.

More details on this initiative will be shared at a later date when the Forward Singapore exercise concludes.

A crucial aspect of how we create good opportunities for local workers is by having a vibrant, growing economy that is open to international investments, companies and talent.

Working alongside global talent and in top companies means locals have access to more opportunities to take on challenging assignments and to move up in their careers. This also creates more opportunities for other companies in the ecosystem and in turn creates more good jobs for Singaporeans at every level of the workforce, creating a virtuous cycle.

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas asked about how we will continue to attract top talent to Singapore.

Last year, I announced the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass (ONE Pass) for talent earning at least $30,000 in fixed monthly salary, which comparable to the top 5% of EP holders, or those with outstanding achievements in arts and culture, sports, research and academia. This was a highly targeted enhancement to attract top talent in diverse fields so that we can keep ahead of the competition. I am happy to say that we have received many promising applications so far from a diverse group of accomplished individuals across sectors.

I would like to share two examples of ONE Pass holders who are making or who have the potential to make positive contributions to Singapore.

Ms Yuki Yasui is the managing director of the Asia Pacific network at the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, a global coalition of leading financial institutions committed to accelerating the decarbonisation of the economy. Ms Yasui plays a key role in driving decarbonisation in Singapore, including helping financial institutions draw up their net-zero transition plans and mobilising finance to support decarbonisation efforts in key industry sectors such as energy, cement and steel.

We also have Prof Rachel Watson, who joined A*STAR this month as the Executive Director of the A*STAR Skin Research Labs and the Skin Research Institute of Singapore. Prof Watson is internationally renowned in dermatology.

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Through her leadership, she will catalyse our local community of research scientists, academics and industry professionals to tackle complex challenges in skin disease and skin health for the benefit of Singapore and Singaporeans.

These are just a few examples. We look forward to the valuable contributions that our ONE Pass holders will bring and the opportunities that they will create for Singaporeans.

As Mr Raj Joshua Thomas, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Yip Hon Weng highlighted, it is key for our foreign workforce to complement our local workforce to drive our local economy. We would also like to assure Mr Yip that MOM collaborates closely with agencies such as MTI and MND to ensure that our economic growth is sustainable, as we maintain a balance between our various objectives. At the last Committee of Supply (COS) debate, I announced significant changes to our foreign workforce policies to strengthen the complementarity of our foreign workforce. Our focus has been on implementing these changes well. Allow me to give you a quick update.

To ensure that foreigners coming in on these passes are of the right calibre, we have benchmarked the cost of hiring an Employment Pass and S Pass holder to the wages of the top one-third of local Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) and the local Associate Professionals and Technicians (APTs) respectively. With these clear benchmarks, employers can expect regular and predictable adjustments to the EP and S Pass qualifying salaries and levies.

This year, there will be no change to the EP qualifying salary. We will, however, proceed with the second step of the increase to the S Pass qualifying salary and Tier 1 levy in September 2023, as I had announced last year. The S Pass minimum qualifying salary will be raised from $3,000 to $3,150. The qualifying salary for older S Pass holders will be higher, given that local APT wages rise with age. The S Pass Tier 1 levy will also increase from the current $450 to $550 in September 2023. Employers will be able to find these details on the MOM website.

COMPASS – a new, transparent and holistic assessment framework for EP applicants – will be applied to new EP applications from September this year. COMPASS incentivises firms to strengthen their local workforce, complemented by a high quality and diverse foreign workforce. We have released details on the four foundational criteria progressively over the past one year. Firms now have access to a Workforce Insights Tool on MyMOMPortal, where they can see how they fare on the firm-level criteria of COMPASS and benchmark their performance to industry peers.

Members may recall that under the COMPASS framework, applicants can score points under Criterion 2 on "Qualifications". Today, employers are already responsible for ensuring the authenticity of their candidate's qualifications before hiring. To safeguard against gaming by submitting fraudulent educational qualifications, employers who wish to score points under Criterion 2 on qualifications, will be required to submit verification proof for qualifications declared on the EP application. We have consulted tripartite partners as well as industry associations and we will implement this new process in September 2023 together with COMPASS. We will share more details in due course. Rest assured we will ensure smooth implementation and we will minimise disruptions to employers' hiring process.

We will be releasing further details on the two bonus criteria, the Skills Bonus (Criterion 5) and the Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus (Criterion 6) later this month. Applicants meeting the respective criteria will earn bonus points towards their total COMPASS score. The Skills Bonus is accorded to EP applicants in occupations on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The SOL identifies occupations requiring niche and highly specialised skills in short supply within our workforce and which are critical to sustaining investments in both key growth or strategic priority areas.

Mr Gerald Giam asked for an update on the occupations expected to be included in the SOL. MOM, in consultation with sector agencies, is finalising the inaugural SOL. I would like to assure Mr Giam that the evaluation process is a rigorous one, taking into account quantitative metrics of shortage alongside various qualitative factors. One key consideration is ensuring that sector agencies have worked with industry to put in place plans to develop the local pipeline for these good jobs, including working with our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to equip graduates with the necessary skills, as well as developing and upskilling those already in the sector or adjacent roles. Where relevant, the sector agencies also obtained input from industry partners and unions.

The SOL will include specialised roles spanning areas such as tech, healthcare and sustainability, where there are global shortages of skilled professionals. The SOL will be reviewed regularly, with a major refresh every three years. This ensures that the SOL is responsive to industry developments while preserving enough certainty and runway for businesses.

The Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) Bonus was designed together with MTI and participating economic agencies as well as the Labour Movement, NTUC. This is a highly selective bonus which supports firms that are contributing to Singapore's strategic economic priorities through ambitious investment, innovation, internationalisation, or company and workforce transformation activities.

Economic agencies will work with firms receiving the SEP Bonus to pursue these needle-moving economic priorities and who are able to demonstrate their commitment to developing our local workforce. NTUC will work with firms on company and workforce transformation efforts, for example, by establishing Company Training Committees (CTCs) to chart out worker upskilling plans. Firms receiving the SEP bonus would be expected to maintain healthy workforce profiles on nationality diversity and local PMET employment, as a condition for renewal. Full details on the bonus criteria will be released on MOM’s website by the end of March.

Mr Patrick Tay asked for an update on the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF). Since 2016, MOM has engaged a total of more than 1,800 employers under the FCF.

As I announced during last year's COS debate, COMPASS builds on our current efforts under the FCF, by applying firm-related attributes at the point of application. Once COMPASS is rolled out, the FCF Watchlist will be re-purposed to focus on firms scoring poorly on the firm-related attributes. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) will conduct workshops for these firms to highlight measures that firms can take to improve their hiring practices.

Mr Tay also asked to publish the list of companies with weak workforce profiles. I have explained before that doing so will affect the business of these firms and potentially hinder their effort to improve their practices. So, instead, our approach is to have TAFEP work with them to improve their practices. Rest assured that MOM will continue to take fair consideration seriously and I will elaborate on our efforts under the Workplace Fairness Legislation in the second part of my speech.

Mr Desmond Choo and Mr Cheng Hsing Yao have also suggested calibrating our foreign workforce policies further to address issues such as insufficient locals in certain sectors, or in anticipation of our ageing population.

We already do so today. Sectors such as construction and process have higher foreign worker quotas, as we recognise that fewer locals join these sectors and we exercise flexibilities to better support essential services like healthcare and the cleaning of public housing. Our moves announced last year also took on a more nuanced and targeted approach. For instance, businesses that contribute to our strategic economic priorities can tap on the Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) scheme to access additional quotas.

Another example is the Non-Traditional Source (NTS) Occupation List. Members would recall that I announced this last year to allow employers in the Services and Manufacturing sectors to hire Work Permit Holders from NTS countries for seven occupational types. This NTS Occupation List is intended to help firms adjust to the S Pass qualifying salary and levy increases. We will hence implement the NTS Occupation List on 1 September this year.

Employers who wish to hire NTS Work Permit Holders will be subject to a sub-quota of 8% and a fixed monthly salary criterion of at least $2,000. The sub-quota guards against over-reliance on NTS workers and ensures that employers diversify their workforce. The salary criterion safeguards against cheap-sourcing and incentivises employers to hire higher-skilled or more experienced workers from these source countries. Employers who are putting their existing NTS S Pass holders on Work Permits will have no trouble meeting the salary criterion. MOM will continue to work closely with the agencies and industries to review the NTS Occupation List from time to time.

Members of the House, our growth must also be inclusive so as to enable all segments of our workers to reap the benefits. We will therefore also further strengthen our support for you. Let me share how we are doing so, especially in the area of retirement adequacy. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon and Senior Minister of State Zaqy will elaborate further on how we intend to strengthen protection and support for Platform Workers, lower-wage workers, senior workers and migrant workers in their speeches.

Even as we were tackling the immediate challenges of the pandemic, we maintained a steady focus on our longer-term objective of enhancing our workers' retirement adequacy.

Mr Abdul Samad and Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked for an update on the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans. We recognise that the number of retiree households has been increasing and thus have been enhancing the CPF system, especially for the vulnerable segments who may require further support, including our senior workers and lower-wage workers.

Over the last decade, the proportion of active CPF members attaining their cohort Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) at age 55 has improved from about five in 10 to almost seven in 10 today. We expect this number to increase to about eight in 10 in 2027.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman and Mr Yip Hon Weng spoke in favour of enhancing the employability of seniors. That is an important strategy to help CPF members continue to build up their retirement nest egg through employment even after age 55. Senior Minister of State Koh will be elaborating more on our efforts in supporting the retirement adequacy for senior workers.

We also provide additional support for our lower-wage workers. We have implemented enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS) this year to increase the maximum annual payments, up from $4,000 to $4,200 and expanded the coverage so that over half a million lower-wage workers can benefit. Together with the enhanced WIS, our efforts in uplifting the wages of lower-wage workers will help them save more for their retirement. Senior Minister of State Zaqy will share more details later.

For seniors who require further support for their retirement, CPF payouts are one of many sources of retirement income. Seniors may also receive targeted support from the Government through schemes such as ComCare and the Silver Support Scheme, which we enhanced in 2011. [ Please refer to the clarification further in the debate. ]

Further, at Budget 2023, the Government announced enhancements to the Assurance Package and permanent GST Voucher scheme, to help Singaporeans tide through this period of higher inflation and to cushion the impact of the GST rate increase. In addition, seniors may also tap on their accumulated private savings, if available. If not, they may receive additional support from the community such as through charities.

As you can tell, we are building from a position of strength. We are doing more to enhance the CPF system.

Mr Louis Chua asked for a review of the interest rates of the CPF Ordinary Account (OA). We are aware that the OA pegged rate has remained relatively stable amidst the current elevated interest rate environment while the yields of other market instruments of comparable risk and duration have increased.

Let me reassure the Member that we are watching this interest rate environment very closely to ensure that the CPF interest rate pegs remain relevant in the prevailing operating environment, while taking into consideration the longer-term outlook.

3.30 pm

Even as we study this, I should point out that during the low interest-rate environment of the last decade, we have paid a fair interest rate. The 2.5% floor for the OA has exceeded the pegged rate for over 20 years, even when market interest rates were low, such as during the Global Financial Crisis.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked if we intend to revise the interest rates as market interest rates crossed 4% in 2023. The Special Account (SA) interest rate is pegged to the 12-month average yield of 10-year Singapore Government Securities (SGS) plus 1% and is reviewed quarterly. This helps to smoothen the short-term market fluctuations on the interest rates. If the pegged rate exceeds the floor rate of 4%, members will correspondingly earn the higher interest rate on their CPF savings.

On top of this, the Government has and will continue to pay 1% of extra interest on the first $60,000 of members' combined CPF balances, including the first $20,000 in members' OA. Members aged 55 and above receive 2% extra interest on the first $30,000 of combined CPF balances and 1% on the next $30,000.

Mr Louis Chua also asked if the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) could be made more comprehensive and if there could be more direct means by which members can earn higher investment returns other than via CPFIS.

Mr Chua had raised similar points last year. With the benefit of hindsight, it will always appear easy to achieve a higher rate of returns. But we have said before, that higher returns also come with higher risk and a greater potential for losses.

Today, CPF members can invest in a diverse range of products, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), shares and gold products. Members who prefer not to take any risks with their retirement savings already enjoy risk-free interest rates of up to 6% per annum on their CPF savings, where investment risk is entirely borne by the Government.

I would like to reassure Mr Louis Chua that in addition to our recent enhancements to the CPF system, we review CPF interest rates and the range of investment products under the CPFIS regularly to ensure that they remain relevant to members' needs as well as the changes in the operating environment.

I would also like to thank Mr Pritam Singh for his suggestion during the recent Budget debate to reallocate a greater proportion of CPF contributions for younger members to their SA. This was raised by Miss Cheryl Chan during the CPF (Amendment) Bill in 2021 and by Mr Saktiandi Supaat during his cut.

We are considering this idea and are very glad that Members have come out to support it. I sincerely hope that if and when we do eventually put up this proposal, the Workers' Party (WP) would be in full support of it.

To help middle-income Singaporeans save more for retirement, we will also be raising the CPF monthly salary ceiling from $6,000 to $8,000 in 2026 to keep pace with rising salaries. This will be done in phases, starting with $300 this year, to allow employers and employees to adjust to the changes. There will be no change to the annual salary ceiling at $102,000.

An example of a worker who is supportive of the higher salary ceiling is Mr Fadzli Jamil. He is 38 years old and is the associate dean in the School of 3D Design at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). As a result of just raising the monthly salary ceiling for his CPF contributions, he can expect around an additional $100,000 in his combined CPF balances or a $500 increase in his monthly CPF LIFE payouts if he works until age 65 and starts his payouts then. Of course, for each year, should he choose to defer the start of his payouts, his monthly payouts will increase further by up to 7%.

Employers' business costs are also likely to remain manageable as the increases are spread out over four years. The additional business cost impact is around half a billion per annum because not all workers are affected by the maximum increase of $2,000. The annual salary ceiling, which remains unchanged at this juncture, will also limit the impact on business costs.

As part of the Forward Singapore exercise, we are taking a deeper look at what should be done to improve the retirement adequacy of Singaporeans. This is especially relevant with the greater economic uncertainties amidst global challenges, at least in the medium term.

For the group that are in their 50s and early-60s today, they have a limited runway to work and save. With this in mind, we will review our range of solutions both from within and outside the CPF system, such as work-based incentives and the Silver Support scheme, to give them greater assurance that they can meet their basic retirement needs.

We will also do more for our younger and middle-aged workers and the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation seniors, many of whom are retirees.

Ultimately, we want to strengthen our support such that as long as you work, as long as you contribute consistently to your CPF, you will be able to meet your basic retirement needs. We will provide further updates on our efforts to strengthen the CPF system in due course.

Let me now conclude the first part of my speech and speed up the tea break.

I believe that if we journey through the crossroads together, we will be able to align the crossroads and forge a new social compact, one where the Government, employers and our fellow Singaporeans can work together to improve career prospects, strengthen retirement adequacy and bring fair levels of reward and respect for all forms of work. It is one where no worker is left behind as Singapore progresses.

In your working years, we will empower you to find and work towards new opportunities if you take the first step. We will also help you to upskill, to reskill and to facilitate your job search based on your skills and interests. With improved career health, you will be able to stay ahead of technological trends and seize many new job opportunities within and beyond your sector.

In your golden years, we will support you such that you will be able to have a peace of mind if you have worked and you have contributed consistently to your CPF.

I look forward to having more conversations with you and working together to create an inclusive society abundant and brimming with opportunities. I will share more about securing better workplaces with you in the next segment of my speech. [ Applause. ]

The Chairman : Order. I propose to take a break now.

[(proc text) Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. (proc text)]

Mr Speaker : I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.00 pm. Order. Order.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.38 pm until 4.00 pm.

Sitting resumed at 4.00 pm.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

[(proc text) Debate in the Committee of Supply resumed. (proc text)]

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

[(proc text) Head S (cont) – (proc text)]

4.00 pm

The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Zaqy Mohamad) : Mr Chairman, earlier, the Minister for Manpower outlined how the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will strengthen our efforts to uplift lower-wage workers and improve workplace safety.

In my speech, I will elaborate on: (a) tripartite progress in implementing Progressive Wage measures; (b) measures to further support and uplift lower-wage workers; and (c) Heightened Safety Period (HSP) measures to strengthen workplace safety and health.

I will also elaborate on our efforts in strengthening human resources (HR) capabilities to support businesses, workforce and workplace transformation.

Chairman, our tripartite journey to uplift lower-wage workers through Progressive Wages started more than 10 years ago with the first Progressive Wage Model (PWM) in the cleaning sector in 2012. PWMs and other tripartite efforts have borne fruit.

Last year, real incomes of lower-wage workers grew by 4.7%, faster than the median worker at 2.0%. This means that as costs of living rose, the incomes of lower-wage workers rose even more. More importantly, we are narrowing the income gap between lower-wage workers and the median worker. We will continue our efforts to support lower-wage workers so that they achieve stronger wage outcomes.

The year 2023 is a milestone year in our journey of uplifting lower-wage workers. We will see all recommendations of the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers fully implemented by July. This follows the implementation of various PWMs, the Local Qualifying Salary requirement and Progressive Wage Mark – last September, and in March this year.

Allow me to update on the progress that tripartite partners have made. With your permission, Mr Chairman, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout detailing our efforts to support our lower-wage workers.

The Chairman : Please proceed. [ A handout was distributed to hon Members. ]

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : Thank you, Chairman. Members may also access the handout through the SG Parl MP mobile app.

Last September, we implemented the new Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) requirement for all firms that employ foreign workers to pay their local workers at least the LQS.

At the same time, we also introduced the retail PWM, and extended existing cleaning, security and landscape PWMs to in-house workers.

In January, we launched the Progressive Wage Mark accreditation scheme.

Starting from today, we embark on another milestone. The Food Services PWM and Occupational Progressive Wages for Administrators and Drivers will come into effect.

With the implementation of the Waste Management PWM this July, the suite of Progressive Wage moves will benefit up to nine in 10 of our full-time lower-wage workers.

Workers covered by Sectoral Progressive Wages will see cumulative wage increases of up to 80% or more, by 2028.

PWMs will continue to set the pace for wage increases for lower-wage workers. Amidst a tight labour market, lower-wage workers who are not directly covered by Progressive Wages should still see meaningful wage increases, as employers will have to adjust according to market forces to attract and retain workers.

Chairman, with almost all PWMs implemented, our attention is now focused on ensuring that employers understand the requirements and comply with them.

Employers must pay workers the right PWM wage based on the PWM job role. We recognise that the PWM requirements are new for many employers and employers need time to understand them and make necessary HR or operational changes to comply.

Hence, for new PWMs implemented since last September, MOM allowed a run-in period of six months, where we invested time to educate employers and workers on the requirements. After the run-in period, employers who are found to be non-compliant may face suspension of their Work Pass privileges.

Some Members such as Mr Raj Joshua Thomas and Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman asked how PWM might affect employers' manpower deployment or workforce restructuring plans.

Tripartite partners recognise that employers may need to adjust manpower deployment plans or their workforce structure, based on their operating environment. However, when there is a need to make adjustments, employers should act in accordance with well-established tripartite advisories, such as the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower (TAMEM).

Employers should engage and discuss with unions and employees and reach an agreement before implementing any measures. Most importantly, employers should also pay special attention to minimise the impact of any measure on our lower-wage workers. These principles should be adhered to, with or without PWM. That is the basic fundamental.

I thank employers for working closely with the Government and the Labour Movement thus far on this important endeavour of uplifting our lower-wage workers. I also agree with Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Xie Yao Quan that consumers and service buyers also play an important role in our whole-of-society effort to support and uplift lower-wage workers.

In January, the Government launched the Progressive Wage Mark, or PW Mark, to help consumers and service buyers more easily identify firms that are paying Progressive Wages and support them.

Employers who also adopt the Tripartite Standard on Advancing Well-Being of Lower-Wage Workers will be accredited with the Progressive Wage Mark Plus. These are employers who not only pay progressive wages, but also implement other measures that support lower-wage workers, such as providing for rest areas.

Since applications opened last December, about 2,000 companies have received the Progressive Wage Mark.

The Government will take the lead in this effort and help further the adoption of the Progressive Wage Mark. For new tenders called from today onwards, the Government will require eligible suppliers and subcontractors to be accredited with the Progressive Wage Mark for the duration of the contract period. From 1 March next year, we will extend this requirement to quotations as well. This will cover the slew of tenders and quotations for procurement by the Government.

Uplifting lower-wage workers is our collective responsibility as a society. I strongly encourage employers to do their part by paying progressive wages and apply for the Progressive Wage Mark or Progressive Wage Mark Plus.

Consumers and service buyers can show their support and solidarity with our lower-wage workers by purchasing from Progressive Wage Mark-accredited companies.

Chairman, the PWMs have set strong wage growth targets, on average of about 8% year-on-year. To support wage growth of our lower-wage workers, while balancing the uncertain economic conditions facing employers, we will continue to provide strong support to employers in adjusting to Progressive Wage measures.

Last year, the Government introduced the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS) to help employers adjust to the new Progressive Wage and LQS requirements, and other voluntary wage increases for lower-wage workers.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced in his Budget Statement for FY2023 that the Government will increase our PWCS co-funding share for wage increases given this year, in 2023. Similar to the enhancement made last year, the Government will co-fund up to 75% of wage increases for eligible lower-wage workers, including those not covered by our Progressive Wage moves.

All in all, these PWCS enhancements will offset a significant proportion of immediate cost pressures on employers arising from our efforts to uplift lower-wage workers and mitigate cost transfer to consumers.

I urge employers to take the opportunity to accelerate their business transformation plans so that we can improve productivity, upskill our workers, and ensure that we can continue to close the income gap sustainably over the long term.

Workfare is one of the key pillars of Government's support for our lower-wage workers. The Workfare Skills Support Scheme (WSS) is an important scheme that supports the upskilling of lower-wage workers, to improve their employability and earnings.

Under WSS, employers who send lower-wage workers for training receive an Absentee Payroll subsidy of 95% of their workers' basic hourly wage.

Employees who self-sponsor their training will receive a training allowance, which offsets their opportunity costs of training.

WSS has been successful in supporting lower-wage workers in achieving more impactful employment outcomes. This is why we will be enhancing WSS from July this year.

To allow more lower-wage workers to benefit from WSS and upskill earlier in their careers, we will first lower the eligibility age for WSS from 35 to 30 years old. Additionally, workers earning up to $2,500 a month will now be able to qualify for WSS, up from the current qualifying income cap of $2,300. With these enhancements, 70,000 more lower-wage workers will be eligible for WSS.

In addition, as lower-wage workers who achieve Full Qualifications through WSS are more likely to earn higher wages, we will raise the Training Commitment Award for Full Qualifications from $500 to $800, to encourage more lower-wage workers to undertake deeper and more sustained training.

Last year, the Government announced significant enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS) which have taken effect from January 2023.

The enhancements increased coverage by extending Workfare to those aged 30 to 34 years, from 35 years and older previously, as well as raising the qualifying monthly income cap to $2,500 from $2,300 previously.

In addition, Workfare payments have been increased to up to $4,200 per year, from up to $4,000 previously – that is about $350 a month. All persons with disabilities (PwDs) will also qualify for the highest Workfare payment tier of up to $4,200, regardless of age.

With these enhancements, over half a million lower-wage workers will benefit from payments amounting to $1.1 billion, up from $850 million previously.

Collectively, the Progressive Wage moves, WSS and WIS strengthen our support for our lower-wage workers.

Chairman, moving on to workplace safety and health (WSH). Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Melvin Yong have asked about the Government's efforts to reduce workplace fatalities and injuries and instilling a stronger safe operations culture.

In 2022, MOM introduced various measures to address the spate of workplace fatalities. We ended 2022 with a total of 46 workplace fatalities and a fatality rate of 1.3 per 100,000 workers, which was higher than the pre-COVID-19-pandemic rates of 1.1 in 2019 and 1.2 in 2018.

The number of workplace fatalities would have been higher without the implementation of the Heightened Safety Period (HSP) measures last September.

The average number of fatalities per month reduced from 4.5 in January to August 2022, before HSP, to 2.5 in September to December 2022 during HSP. The average of 2.5 fatalities per month brings the annualised fatality rate to 0.8 per 100,000, which is below our WSH2028 target of 1.0 and much lower compared to 1.5 before HSP. What this suggests is that the industry can keep the fatality numbers low if we put our hearts and minds to it.

We also monitor major injuries closely as these reflect persistent safety lapses and have debilitating effects. The average monthly major injuries worsened from 49.1 before HSP to 55.3 during HSP.

But it is not all doom and gloom because we found that the impact of HSP was uneven across sectors. There are major injuries that have high probability of fatalities and there are also major injuries like slips, trips and falls which have low probability of fatality.

Although the monthly average fatal and major injuries in the construction sector showed the most improvement, the monthly average fatal and major injuries worsened for the manufacturing sector. So, when the rate for the construction sector came down, that also resulted in fewer fatalities because major injuries there tend to be more fatal. We also monitored and saw that for transportation and storage, the monthly average fatal injuries remained the same, while major injuries worsened. Nonetheless, this suggested that more targeted sectoral measures were needed.

So, to Members' questions as to what we are doing differently? As part of our HSP measures, we stood up the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce, which comprises lead agencies of the sectors that contributed most of the fatal and major injuries. This aims to study additional broad-based, and at the same time, sectoral measures that should be implemented, by looking into the different risk profile and impact of HSP in each sector.

4.15 pm

We also convened the International Advisory Panel on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) in January 2023. MOM and our sector agency partners will also take into account their recommendations. So, it is both MOM at the broad-based level and we also have agencies involved at the sectoral level.

With effect from today, MOM has extended the HSP by three months till 31 May 2023 to drive further WSH improvement and maintain vigilance.

It is important for corporate senior leadership to take charge and be accountable for workplace safety and health. Their influence and control over workplace resources and priorities drive the safety culture in their organisations. Under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, they are liable for ensuring their workers' safety and health.

The approved Code of Practice for Company Directors' WSH Duties gazetted last October provides practical guidance on how they may fulfil their legal WSH obligations.

As part of the HSP extension, MOM introduced additional measures to strengthen WSH ownership among company leaders. CEOs or board of directors of companies found to have serious WSH lapses following serious workplace incidents have to attend a mandatory half-day in-person WSH training course. So, it is always continuous learning for them too.

MOM will also increase the maximum fines to deter errant workplace safety and health behaviour.

To strengthen the workplace safety and health ecosystem, we will also launch a campaign to encourage and empower workers to speak up on workplace safety and health concerns and raise awareness on the protections for workers who whistle-blow.

To Mr Leon Perera's question earlier about whistle-blowing, under the WSH Act today, there are already existing protections for whistle-blowers. Employers cannot dismiss or threaten them. To dismiss them will be a WSH contravention and we will take action.

I can assure the Member that MOM will facilitate the change of employers if there is a reason to and we will do so if you have any specific cases you want to raise to us.

To Mr Melvin Yong's query, HSP was a useful wake up call to all employers and workers to be extra vigilant. But it cannot continue indefinitely. What we do need to do is to strengthen workplace safety and health standards and practices in a sustainable manner for the long term.

This is why we are considering deeper reforms, both broad-based and sectoral measures, as part of the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety Taskforce. We will announce these measures when ready.

The improvements seen during HSP demonstrate that safer workplaces are possible.

As Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Wan Rizal said, everyone must play our part to uplift workplace safety and health so that our workers can have a peace of mind when they return home safely to their loved ones.

Starting with the top management, company directors and CEOs must set the culture of their organisations where safety consciousness is integrated in all of its operations and provide a safe work environment with appropriate and adequate training for their workers, supported by supervisors and safety professionals.

Workers themselves are responsible for following safe work procedures to ensure their own safety and that of others in the workplace. They should report all unsafe practices to their supervisors and if their concerns are not addressed, they should alert MOM or their union representatives. We will take action.

Union leaders should join company management for walkabouts to strengthen top management's commitment to their workers.

Members of the public can also be our "eyes on the ground" by reporting unsafe practices to MOM. For example, you may report workers who are working at height without safety harnesses. You can do so via MOM's website or hotline or the QR code found on project signboards. MOM will follow up on these reports. We will take errant employers to task.

MOM will continue to work with companies, industry associations and workers to build a stronger workplace safety and health culture. Together, we can get back on track with our Workplace Safety and Health 2028 mission to reduce the fatal injury rate to below one per 100,000 workers and join just four countries in the OECD that have achieved this fatality rate. The reason why I say that this is a target is because there are very few countries that can achieve this and we are setting very high standards for ourselves.

Beyond workplace safety, promoting physical health at workplaces is also important.

Mr Leon Perera asked about service staff having the right to sit. The Employment Act establishes some rules on working hours to protect employees' well-being. For example, employees covered under Part 4 of the Act should have at least one rest break for every six consecutive hours of work.

Besides legislation, the Government also promotes the provision of proper rest areas for employees. We are mindful of the wide range of work settings for which it will not be appropriate to impose excessive or overly prescriptive regulations. Nonetheless, we are open to discussing with tripartite partners and industry associations on possible tripartite guidance on best practices for employers.

We encourage all employers to provide adequate rest and welfare for all staff, including service staff, and tap on the Workcare Grant should they require support to do so. It is only right for employers to provide their staff with a conducive work environment. Staff will also be motivated and engaged as a result.

Moving on to HR capabilities. Chairman, let me also share our efforts to strengthen HR capabilities.

Post-pandemic, a strong HR is a critical enabler of business and workforce transformation. From helping businesses attract the right talent to implementing fair and inclusive employment practices, HR will play an integral role. We will do more to support and build up the capabilities of our HR workforce.

IHRP is a tripartite organisation that supports the professional development of aspiring and existing HR professionals. I would like to assure Mr Patrick Tay that the IHRP certification framework is robust as it ensures that HR professionals have the right mindset and knowledge on manpower regulations, including fair employment practices, labour management system and existing Tripartite Guidelines.

All certified HR professionals join a vibrant community which provides access to an extensive professional network and resources. One example is the IHRP playbooks. These playbooks are developed with master or senior HR professionals to provide the community with curated best practices and tools that they can adopt in their organisations to respond to workforce challenges.

To date, IHRP has produced seven such books, covering important issues such as the emergence of hybrid workplaces, digital transformation and the promotion of mental well-being. We encourage firms and company HR leaders to adopt them.

The community of IHRP-certified professionals has tripled since 2020 and is now over 6,500 strong. This suggests that businesses and HR professionals see value in certification.

While we echo Mr Patrick Tay's call to have more HR professionals certified, we have no plans to make it mandatory at this point. We are mindful of imposing regulatory costs on businesses. Besides, good HR practices apply to all companies, whether or not they hire foreign manpower.

Nevertheless, I agree with the Member that besides HR, People Managers also play a critical role in supporting good human capital practices. To this end, MOM will work with IHRP and its partners on the suggestion to better equip People Managers with requisite HR knowledge and progressive practices.

Besides IHRP certification, we agree with Mr Edward Chia that HR professionals also need to continually update their skills and hone their expertise. Continuous professional development is a key part of being a certified HR professional. HR professionals can take up IHRP skills badges in emerging areas such as strategic workforce planning and talent management.

IHRP has been appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore as a Skills Development Partner (SDP). MOM is working with IHRP to more responsively identify skills gaps and develop skills-based credentialling pathways for HR professionals.

Professionalising our HR workforce and equipping them with relevant skills and mindsets is necessary but insufficient in itself. Enterprises must make use of these highly skilled HR professionals to transform their HR capabilities.

To this end, Mr Edward Chia will be pleased to know that MOM will be launching a five-year HR Industry Transformation Plan. This will set out a roadmap for MOM to work together with sector agencies, the industry and the unions to spur HR transformation and build a future-ready HR workforce. More details will be released later. Watch out for it. Mr Chairman, may I just cover the last bit in Malay, please?

( In Malay ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] Mr Chairman, as stated by the Minister for Manpower, the Government is committed to ensuring that our workforce policies provide more opportunities for all.

Helping lower-wage workers has always been one of MOM's priorities. Since the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) was introduced more than 10 years ago, it has contributed significantly to raising wages and supporting the lives of our lower-wage workers.

By July this year, we will expand the Progressive Wage measures to cover up to nine in 10 lower-wage workers. This not only covers workers in the cleaning, security, landscape as well as lift and escalator maintenance, but also new sectors such as food services, retail, waste management and occupations such as administrators and drivers.

Workers in these sectors will enjoy significant wage increases and be given training opportunities as well as career progression.

With this, workers covered by the Sectoral Progressive Wages will see cumulative wage increases of up to 80% or more by 2028. For example, we can expect cleaners to get at least $2,420 by 2028, while security officers will get $3,530 by 2028.

All other local workers working with companies employing foreign workers will also be paid at least the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) amount of $1,400 monthly.

On the whole, these measures will support our goal of bridging the wage gap further between lower- and middle-income workers. At the same time, workers must play their part in training and skills upgrading.

( In English ): Chairman, the Government is committed to strengthening the support of our lower-wage workers and partnering employers to improve workplace safety.

We must all do our part for a more inclusive and cohesive society, where everyone enjoys the fruits of growth and no worker is left behind as Singapore progresses. Society must also continue to appreciate and respect workers in all trades.

The Chairman : Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon.

The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon) : Mr Chairman, in today's challenging economic climate, senior workers and platform workers require stronger safety nets for their housing and retirement needs and better protections for their livelihoods.

The proportion of Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) has remained steady at about 8% to 10% of the resident workforce. However, with the rise of platform-enabled work, platform workers have become a fast-growing group of SEPs.

Several Members, including Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, highlighted the need to reduce the risks that platform workers face during the course of their work and made suggestions on how to better support them.

Indeed, the Government recognises the precarious nature of platform work. Unlike typical SEPs, platform workers are subject to management control by platform companies and tend to have modest incomes.

This is why in November last year, the Government accepted the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers in full. CPF contributions to Special and Ordinary Accounts, enhanced representation and also work injury compensation for platform workers will commence from the second half of 2024.

Other countries are also looking at ways to protect their Platform Workers. In Spain, the Government passed the Riders’ Law in 2022 that recognises food delivery riders working for digital platforms as employees. The US Labour Department proposed a rule that would make it easier for platform workers to be considered as employees, with the same access to benefits and federal labour protections. While the UK has no Platform Worker-specific legislation, their courts have ruled on the status of Platform Workers’ status using the case law approach.

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Here in Singapore, instead of simply designating Platform Workers as employees or leaving it to the Courts to decide on a matter of policy, we have taken a carefully considered Tripartite approach to provide three specific areas of legislated protections for our Platform Workers.

Over the course of a wide-ranging segment of engagements by the Advisory Committee that lasted for over a year, Platform Workers and Platform Companies emphasised that the flexible nature of platform work was a key feature of the ecosystem that should be preserved.

Platform Workers desire the flexibility to choose when and how much they want to work. Platform Companies need the flexibility to efficiently match the supply and demand of labour to meet consumer needs. Simply designating Platform Workers as employees would constrain this flexibility and autonomy that both the company and the workers desire.

Our approach strengthens the protections for Platform Workers while retaining the advantages of platform work, so that the platform system can remain sustainable in the longer term.

This is our unique tripartite approach. Since the Government’s acceptance of the recommendations, we have made good progress working through complex issues with our key stakeholders, including tripartite partners, Platform Workers and Platform Companies. Let me share some updates.

We started a new Platform Workers Work Injury Compensation Implementation Network (PWIN) to look into how the existing Work Injury Compensation system for employees can be adapted to reap its benefits, such as adequate coverage and expeditious claims, while taking into consideration the unique nature of the platform work.

Ms Hazel Poa and Ms Yeo Wan Ling spoke about the need to address concerns on the housing and retirement needs of Platform Workers.

In principle, Platform Workers of the same age and income level as employees should be able to achieve a similar level of retirement adequacy through their CPF savings, if they have worked for the same number of years. However, unlike employees, Platform Workers only make MediSave contributions on their own and do not receive CPF contributions from the Platform Companies today.

Hence, the Committee recommended aligning CPF contribution rates by Platform Companies and Platform Workers with that of employers and employees respectively. This will help Platform Workers build up their savings in their CPF Ordinary and Special Accounts, on top of their MediSave Accounts. It also ensures a level playing field for all companies operating in the same field in Singapore and allows Platform Workers to receive similar basic protections as employees.

This alignment will be gradually phased in, starting from the second half of 2024. It will be mandatory for the cohort of Platform Workers below 30 years old in the year of implementation, meaning those born in or after 1995.

In fact, a study by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) found that younger Platform Workers expressed stronger preference for additional CPF contributions to help meet their housing needs, as they were more likely to have housing obligations, or have plans to buy a house.

One of the Platform Workers IPS spoke to as part of their studies last year was Hamza. He had to fork out a large amount of cash for his new house just when he first switched to private hire driving. This caught him off guard and he felt it would have been less of a concern for him if he had a job that provided CPF contributions.

Once the Committee’s recommendations on CPF have been implemented, Platform Workers like Hamza will be able to tap on the additional CPF contributions to the Ordinary Account to pay for their housing loans instead of using cash. We hope that this will help to relieve the stress felt by many younger Platform Workers on servicing their housing loans.

Older Platform Workers born before 1995 can opt in for CPF contributions. To Ms Hazel Poa’s question, the decision to opt in would not be reversible. Platform Workers today have a concession to opt in for CPF, which is a choice that employees do not have. Staying committed to these CPF contributions and allowing the earnings to accumulate interest over time is what will help these workers develop housing and retirement adequacy.

Furthermore, in discussions with Platform Companies, it would be complex and add to compliance cost if Platform Workers are allowed to opt out after opting in. This is the feedback we get from the implementation discussions we have with these companies.

We strongly recommend that older cohorts of Platform Workers opt in, as they can similarly benefit from having additional contributions by the Platform Companies to build up their retirement nest egg.

In fact, with the additional CPF contributions from Platform Companies, Platform Workers aged above 65 will be able to receive the same level of CPF contributions as employees of the same age, without having to make additional CPF contributions themselves. Like employees, Platform Workers who earn between $50 and $500 a month will also be able to receive CPF contributions from the Platform Companies without having to make CPF contributions on their own.

Companies, workers and consumers all recognised the need for more protections for Platform Workers during our engagements with them. But there were concerns about the cost impact of these recommendations. Ms Hazel Poa will be happy to note that the Government intends to phase in the additional CPF contributions evenly across five years, at around 2.5 percentage points per year for the Platform Workers and about 3.5 percentage points per year for Platform Companies.

This will help to address their concerns and smoothen the transition. We will calibrate this further if necessary.

Platform Workers are likely to see an increase in their total earnings after factoring in additional CPF contributions from Platform Companies. But at the same time, I know that some Platform Workers are concerned about the impact of the CPF changes on their take-home pay. This is why we will provide transitional support targeted at the lower-income Platform Workers earning up to $2,500 a month who see an increase in their CPF contribution rates, as Deputy Prime Minister announced during the Budget.

I hope this addresses the concerns from Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Ms Yeo Wan Ling.

In addition, Platform Workers who align their CPF contributions to employees earlier will receive stronger support. In the first year, we will offset 75% of the additional contribution the Platform Worker makes to the Ordinary and Special Accounts. The offset will taper down gradually over the next three years of the phase-in period for CPF contribution.

And to Mr Liang Eng Hwa’s appeal for the Government to support Platform Workers with reemployment and reskilling, I want to assure him that regardless of how long Platform Workers decide to stay in platform work, we will support those who wish to transit to other sectors, through the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) which provide salary and training support to employers to reskill new workers, and the Jobs and Skills Centres, which provide career coaching and advice, both of which Minister had mentioned earlier on in his speech.

Once the CPF contribution rates of Platform Workers have been fully aligned with that of employees, we will also permanently increase Workfare payments for these Platform Workers to match those of employees. This means that eligible Platform Workers could receive up to $4,200 per year, an increase from $2,800 per year today, with 40% of these given in cash compared to the 10% today.

Their increase in Workfare payments will be fully in cash.

From the second half of 2024, all Platform Workers eligible for WIS will also start to receive monthly instead of yearly WIS payments. We will be able to do so by then, as Platform Workers’ CPF contributions will be made more regularly, instead of the current arrangements in which they receive WIS only on a yearly basis after they declare their Net Trade Income at the end of each year and made the required MediSave contributions.

So, as a result of a more regular contribution, we will be able to have a mechanism to give WIS more regularly as well.

The above measures will mitigate the concerns in take-home pay while ensuring Platform Workers receive a significant boost to their retirement savings. Take for example a median income Platform Worker who turns 30 in 2024 and opts in from the start for the CPF contributions. Based on our estimates, he can use about $450,000 in CPF savings by age 65 for his housing and retirement needs.

In my engagements with Platform Workers, they also raised concerns about Platform Companies discriminating against those who opted for CPF, by assigning less jobs to them, a point that some Members raised as well.

The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness has, in its recently released interim report, recommended that the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) be enhanced to provide clarity that intermediaries, including Platform Companies, should treat workers fairly, including contracted workers, like Platform Workers.

What this means is that Platform Companies must not discriminate when assigning work and MOM will investigate any unfair practices. So, this is the assurance we want to give to all the workers out there if you have this concern.

While the impact of discrimination on earnings has been top of mind for many Platform Workers, in my engagements with them, many also raised concerns about issues such as working conditions, earnings, safety at work and timely dispute resolution with customers.

A prevalent sentiment amongst many of them, is that they are often not accorded due recognition on their feedback and concerns.

Addressing these issues requires a balanced relationship between the Platform Workers and the Platform Companies. Platform Workers should be provided a clear representative voice to surface their concerns to maintain industrial peace and harmony within the platform ecosystem.

This relationship must be premised on Singapore’s unique approach of tripartism that encourages consultation, open communication and conciliation. The ability for Platform Workers to represent themselves and negotiate for their interests is critical as the industry continues to evolve and business models continue to change.

In other countries like the UK and Spain for instance, unions have entered into collective agreements with platform companies to negotiate better working conditions, in areas such as earnings, grievance handling and safety. In Singapore, currently, there are associations that represent these Platform Workers, but they are not formally recognised within our industrial relations framework and therefore they lack the mandate to negotiate on their behalf.

While other jurisdictions have taken the approach of allowing platform workers to unionise in the same way that employees do, we recognise that the platform sector is distinct from traditional employment sectors. For instance, unlike employees, Platform Workers multi-home on different App platforms and are more geographically dispersed and transient in the time that they use to work or receive work. This has implications on how they can organise themselves and how their representatives are chosen.

The platform economy is also dynamic. Business models can evolve very rapidly and this has implications on what both parties can negotiate on.

Therefore, the representation framework has to be suited to the needs and characteristics of the platform sector. A Tripartite Workgroup (TWG), comprising our tripartite partners, representatives from the Platform Companies and also existing Platform Worker associations, is currently in discussions to determine how a representative body can formally seek mandate to represent Platform Workers collectively, through a framework that is backed by law.

This tripartite set-up was a deliberate move. The TWG was designed as an avenue for tripartite partners to co-create this framework. Through this process, they develop shared ownership of the eventual framework but more importantly, they build mutual trust. This is fundamental to fostering harmonious industrial relations in the platform space, which has been a core strength in our Singapore’s labour landscape. And we need to cultivate this same spirit of tripartism in the platform ecosystem.

The discussions are making good progress and the tripartite partners have been guided by three key principles.

First, stakeholders agree to uphold the spirit of tripartism, which has achieved good outcomes for businesses and workers, and can also help the platform sector evolve sustainably, to benefit both Platform Companies and Platform Workers.

Second, stakeholders recognise that while the current representation framework in the employment space works well and is a useful reference, the platform space is different from regular employment and the representation model will need to be adapted accordingly.

Third, stakeholders agree that the representation framework should be flexible enough such that individual representatives of Platform Workers and Platform Companies have the maximum space to negotiate and find win-win outcomes that are fair to all parties. Exercising good sense and goodwill is key to this endeavour. We will provide further updates once the TWG has completed its work in a few months.

Mr Chairman, strengthening protections for platform workers will require a whole-of-community effort. These decisive moves are necessary for a more inclusive society. Everyone has a part to play to safeguard the interests of platform workers today so that they can be better prepared in the face of future economic uncertainties.

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Platform workers themselves will need to set aside savings for their component of CPF contributions. They will in turn receive contributions from platform companies who tap on them for labour. Singaporeans, as consumers, are willing to bear some increases in costs to platform services, knowing that their contributions will make a difference to enhance protections for platform workers.

The Government will implement the recommendations in stages over the next few years and provide transitional support to allay the impact to the platform ecosystem and to consumers. This is how we build a social compact and engender a more inclusive society.

As Ms Denise Phua and Mr Saktiandi Supaat pointed out, there are other groups of SEPs who have greater control over their own business models and are not subject to similar levels of management control as platform workers, but who also face unique challenges over the course of their work.

We will continue to review if there is a need to go beyond encouraging SEPs to make voluntary contributions to their CPF accounts, taking into account the needs and challenges of SEPs as well as the nature and context of their work arrangements.

As a diverse group with different needs, support to SEPs is usually tailored to the needs of the sectors they function in.

Specific to Ms Denise Phua's question on the support for arts and sports SEPs, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) will share more about their initiatives to better support their professional needs in their Committee of Supply (COS) debates.

Next, I would like to focus on our efforts to support our mature workers. With better health and life expectancy, more seniors are capable of remaining in productive employment and supporting their own retirement.

Hence, over the last few years, we have put in place structures and policies to support senior workers who wish to work longer to do so and to achieve stronger retirement adequacy as they do so.

Through these efforts, our senior resident employment rate has remained healthy and even increased despite the economic turbulence in the past few years of the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2022, the employment rate rose from 67.6% to 70.6% for seniors aged 55 to 64 and from 44.6% to 47.5% for seniors aged 65 to 69. This places our employment rate at 11th and fourth respectively when compared with the OECD countries. This is comparable to other Asian countries such as South Korea.

We will seize this momentum and continue to strengthen support for our senior workers who wish to continue working.

Sir, allow me to continue the rest of my speech in Mandarin.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] Mr Yip Hon Weng has asked about how the Government can ensure that our senior workers can continue to contribute to the economy.

Over many years, we have put in place policies to support senior workers to continue to work for longer if they wish to do so, and build towards stronger retirement adequacy.

As a result, our senior resident employment rate has remained healthy and even increased despite the recent economic turbulence.

We will continue to strengthen support for our senior workers.

We have raised the statutory retirement and re-employment ages to 63 and 68 respectively this year. This supports senior workers to continue working longer, if they wish to.

We will also extend the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) until 2025 to support employers who hire senior workers. Under the SEC, employers that hire Singaporean workers aged 60 and above and earning up to $4,000 per month can expect up to 8% of wage offsets. These wage offsets will be automatically disbursed to employers who qualify.

In response to Mr Desmond Choo's question, I am happy to announce that the Part-time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) will be extended to 2025. This grant will increase the availability of part-time re-employment to senior workers in participating companies.

To receive up to $125,000 in grant support, employers have to offer part-time re-employment, implement flexible work arrangements (FWAs) at the workplace and adopt structured career planning for their mature and senior employees aged 45 and above.

This will help more senior workers to stay in employment, develop the skills needed to grow with the company, and extend their career longevity.

Senior workers themselves, too, play a key role to make this process a success. I encourage them to be open and proactive in embracing new opportunities, and ready to upskill and pivot to new job roles as they emerge.

( In English ): I want to thank Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Heng Chee How, Mr Liang Eng Hwa and Mr Sharael Taha for their support for these efforts that will benefit senior workers.

Ms Jessica Tan also asked how many enterprises have taken up both schemes and the roles those senior workers took on.

The Senior Employment Credit (SEC) has in fact benefited almost 100,000 employers that hired over 461,000 senior workers since it was introduced. At the same time, more than 5,700 employers successfully applied for the Part-time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) and committed to implementing progressive senior employment policies, which we expect to benefit over 45,000 senior workers.

Employers from a wide variety of sectors have benefited from both schemes, such as wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food service activities, and manufacturing. These employers offer a range of job roles.

Mr Leslie Basil Danker is one of our senior workers who has been with the renowned Raffles Hotel Singapore for 51 years. He has been a beneficiary of the Part-time Re-employment Grant. Since starting out with the maintenance department in 1972, Mr Danker has taken on various event management roles and supervisory responsibilities. Today, he is the mentor resident historian of Raffles Hotel, working on a part-time basis. This arrangement allowed him to wind down and spend more time with his family while continuing to share the hotel's rich history with guests through guided tours. Perhaps some of you might be on his guided tour one of these days.

His detailed knowledge of the hotel's roots came to the fore during the hotel's landmark restoration process from 2017 to 2019, where he worked closely with engineers, architects and interior designers for the undertaking of the renovation.

This is an excellent example of how the Part-time Re-employment Grant has benefited both the senior worker and the employer.

Applications for the Part-time Re-employment Grant will reopen in April, which is next month. I hope that employers will leverage the resources provided through these schemes to put in place progressive practices.

Our tripartite partners have also been working with companies to improve senior workers' employability. SNEF introduced a guidebook to help employers conduct structured career planning and NTUC is working with employers to adopt structured career planning through their Company Training Committees (CTCs).

Structured career planning provides employers with a process to proactively map out future business needs, identify skills that senior workers need to develop to grow with the company and support them in acquiring those skills. This not only protects our senior workers' employability and extends their career longevity but also helps employers retain an experienced pool of workers amidst a tight labour market.

As Mr Abdul Samad, Mr Heng Chee How and Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman pointed out, retirement adequacy is another key area that we support senior workers on.

As Deputy Prime Minister Wong has announced at the Budget, we are committed to raising the CPF contribution rates for senior workers.

We have implemented the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers' (TWG-OW) recommendation to increase senior workers' CPF contribution rates in 2022 and 2023 and will continue to do so in 2024 to strengthen their retirement adequacy. With this, we will have completed the scheduled increase in CPF contribution rates for workers aged 65 to 70. For those between 55 and 65, we will press on ahead.

Mr Abdul Samad would be glad to hear that by the time we complete the full increase around 2030, those aged 55 to 60 will have their CPF contribution rates equalised to that of younger workers. A 55-year-old member today can expect monthly retirement payouts to be boosted by about 10%.

We will also continue to support employers with the CPF Transition Offset.

I want to thank our tripartite partners for their support and consensus for this very important move. These recommendations are necessary for senior workers who continue working to enter their retirement with more confidence.

Mr Chairman, we have put in place measures to uplift our platform workers and senior workers. We will need to work closely with stakeholders to implement the initiatives I have shared about and will count on support from fellow Singaporeans to mutually reinforce an inclusive and strengthened workforce where no one is left behind. Because as my sisters and brothers from the unions would say – every worker matters.

The Chairman : Minister of State Gan Siow Huang.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Ms Gan Siow Huang) : Mr Chairman, I thank Members who have contributed ideas on securing fairer and more inclusive workplaces.

Minister Tan See Leng spoke about journeying with you every step of the way. A fairer and more progressive workplace enables everyone, regardless of background, to contribute according to your strengths and interests and achieve your fullest potential.

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]

I will share more on how we plan to continue journeying with you.

The pandemic has changed the way we work. Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) have become more prevalent and important. Employers increasingly see the value of FWAs to attract and retain talent and to tap on a wider pool of manpower.

While the focus during the pandemic was on telecommuting, FWAs go beyond telecommuting and include other work arrangements such as part-time work, staggered work hours, job sharing, flexible shift scheduling and so on.

In 2021, over nine in 10 employees worked in firms that provided at least one form of FWA on a sustained basis. This is up from over seven in 10 employees in 2019. This is encouraging.

As several Members such as Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Louis Ng, Miss Rachel Ong, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Yeo Wan Ling highlighted, we can do more to support caregivers, seniors and persons with disabilities (PwDs) to continue working or to re-enter the workforce. FWAs are a key strategy to do so.

We have made good progress and we will press on with tripartite partners to encourage more FWAs in a win-win manner.

Businesses have different operating contexts and employees also have varied needs. The key is for management and staff to have regular dialogue with each other to better understand each other's needs and build mutual trust. Implementing FWAs in a rigid manner before employers are ready risks creating a more acrimonious workplace culture and affecting workplace productivity, which ultimately hurts employers and employees.

While we can understand Mr Louis Chua's and Mr Louis Ng's good intentions, legislation is not a panacea.

In jurisdictions with FWA legislation, employers can still reject requests that are not practicable for the business. The UK, one of the first few countries that implemented a right to request FWAs legislation, only saw the proportion of UK workers using FWAs increasing very marginally from 26% in 2013 to 30% in 2020.

We need to first focus on shaping the right norms at work and building mutual understanding between employers and employees on FWAs.

As announced previously, the tripartite partners are working closely to formulate and introduce Tripartite Guidelines on FWAs by 2024. The guidelines will require employers to consider requests for flexible work arrangements fairly and properly.

To Mr Gerald Giam's question, while employers have the prerogative to accept or reject an FWA request, they must have valid reasons for their decision. At the same time, employees should be reasonable in their requests and use FWAs responsibly.

For example, certain forms of FWAs are simply not practical for some jobs, such as expecting full telecommuting for a job role in machine maintenance. Some FWAs may also have significant resource implications, which employers understandably need to take into consideration when assessing the request.

We must also differentiate the impact of FWAs on individual and team productivity.

For instance, while some employees may feel more productive telecommuting and want to work from home more frequently, team productivity could fall due to reduced in-person interaction and collaboration. As such, we need to allow employers and employees time to adjust and find the optimal balance at the individual employee and business levels when implementing FWAs.

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What we want to see is a workplace norm where employees feel comfortable requesting for FWAs and understanding that while not all requests can be acceded to due to business needs, the requests will be assessed properly and fairly. The tripartite partners will deliberate on these issues when crafting the Tripartite Guidelines, and we will consult widely, to ensure that the guidelines are practical and well-balanced in supporting the needs of both businesses as well as employees.

Besides shaping norms, we have been working with the Tripartite Partners to strengthen support for employers in implementing FWAs. Many Members of Parliament have called for this over the years, including Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Louis Chua, Mr Louis Ng, Miss Rachel Ong, Mr Sharael Taha and Dr Wan Rizal, and many others. It is in employers' interest to make FWAs more available, as our surveys have found that FWAs had the greatest impact on staff retention amongst other progressive workplace policies.

I encourage employers who offer FWAs to adopt the voluntary Tripartite Standard on Flexible Work Arrangements and be recognised as progressive employers on Workforce Singapore's MyCareersFuture Portal (MCF) and job fairs, so as to better attract jobseekers.

Last year, the number of employees who worked in companies that adopted the Tripartite Standard increased by 18%. In total, more than 29% of all employees now work in companies that have adopted the Tripartite Standard.

One example of a progressive employer is Starbucks, which many of us are familiar with. Starbucks Singapore offers a diverse range of FWAs, including part-time, flexi-shifts and shift swapping for their frontline employees. They provide additional support to employees with needs, such as by allowing parents to switch to part-time work to spend more time with their children or new-born, or to care for their dependents or family members with special needs. Employees doing office-based tasks are allowed to telecommute where possible. The flexibility and support accorded to employees, across different roles, has contributed to Starbucks' low attrition rate for their employees, as well as four out of five managerial posts being filled by their own in-house talent.

I want to thank our tripartite partners – SNEF and NTUC – for their strong commitment in promoting FWAs at the workplace.

Just last year alone, the tripartite partners engaged around 2,000 employers, HR practitioners and employees to encourage the adoption of the Tripartite Standard on FWAs and implementation of flexible work. These are done through SNEF's training engagements and NTUC's Better Workplace Campaign. We also continue to see more employers tap on various resources such as IHRP's Playbook on Hybrid Workplaces and free clinics, and sector-specific guides offered by TAFEP. We will continue to develop more resources to guide employers on how to comply with the upcoming Guidelines.

Mr Sharael Taha would be happy to know that in 2022, over three in 10 of employed residents had telecommuted at some point in the month they were surveyed. TAFEP has so far not received any complaints of unfair treatment relating to telecommuting over the past two years.

Nevertheless, as we expect more people to take up FWAs, it will be increasingly important to ensure that HR practitioners are equipped to implement it in a fair manner. We will continue to enhance these efforts to enable FWAs at the workplace. If done well, we can create family-friendly work environments for our caregivers, which many think will be more sustainable than legislating parent-care leave, as Mr Louis Ng suggested.

After-hours communication, which Mr Melvin Yong raised, is another example of the importance of HR capabilities in the implementation of policies to ensure work flexibility is adopted appropriately.

To date, more than 500 company representatives have attended SNEF's workshops and briefings that help HR to implement this policy, which was actually derived from a template developed by the Alliance for Action on Work-Life Harmony.

Since the launch of the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at Workplaces in 2020, MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council have been encouraging companies to adopt the recommendations within the Tripartite Advisory that best suit their own company's needs. And as shared earlier, legislation such as the right-to-rest and the right-to-disconnect can create a rigid and litigious workplace culture. Instead, we should adopt an enabling approach by encouraging employers to regularly engage employees to implement company policies that best suit both business and personal needs.

We agree with Mr Desmond Choo, Mr Sharael Taha and Ms Yeo Wan Ling that job redesign is important to enable FWAs at workplaces. Companies requiring further support in job redesign to make their jobs more productive and attractive for workers, can tap on Government schemes, such as the Support for Job Redesign under the Productivity Solutions Grant.

Women in particular benefit from FWAs, as they often carry heavier caregiving responsibilities at home. There are also women who may take a break from their careers and need more support to return to work. Therefore, in June last year, Workforce Singapore (WSG) launched an initiative called herCareer. herCareer includes employment facilitation programmes and services that support women jobseekers, including walk-in interviews to meet with hiring employers on the spot. Over the last three years, WSG and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) have placed more than 83,000 women jobseekers across its programmes and services.

Community partners can also play an important part in supporting women at work. For example, the Singapore Business Federation launched the Singapore Women Entrepreneurs Network in 2021, to nurture and support women talent. In the same year, the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) introduced a mentoring programme for aspiring women directors to help them achieve their professional development goals. NTUC U Women and Family has further expanded its Women Supporting Women Mentorship Programme across the island, where women in the community are mentored by women leaders and union leaders. NTUC U Women and Family, NTUC LearningHub and e2i also started a career returner programme called "Women Returning to Work", which includes training and job-matching opportunities. Concurrently, WSG collaborates with other community partners to support women returning to work. These include Yayasan Mendaki and Daughters of Tomorrow.

These collective efforts have contributed to the growth in employment rate for women aged 25 to 64, from 73% in 2020 to 76% in 2022, despite the pandemic. We will continue to work with partners to provide women with the support they need, and we encourage employers to continue to do their part.

We recognise that some groups may need more support to achieve their full potential in the workforce, such as persons with disabilities (PwDs) and ex-offenders. We are committed to providing them with the support they need, working hand-in-hand with our partners.

We are encouraged that the employment rate of resident PwDs has continued to improve, reaching 31.4% in 2021 to 2022. But we can do better as a society. Miss Rachel Ong asked about raising the workforce participation rate of PwDs, while Mr Sharael Taha asked about creating more employment opportunities for them. In the recently released Enabling Masterplan 2030, MSF and MOM set an employment rate target of 40% by 2030 for PwDs.

Our whole of society needs to come together to achieve this aspirational goal. Under the Enabling Masterplan 2030, a new task force comprising members of the public, people and private sectors has been set up to develop new ways of supporting the employment of PwDs.

MOM will be enhancing the Enabling Employment Credit (EEC). Today, the EEC provides employers of PwDs earning below $4,000 a month with permanent wage offsets of up to 20%. Employers who hire PwDs who have not been employed for at least six months receive an additional time-limited wage offset of up to 10% for six months. In 2022, the EEC benefitted more than 10,000 PwDs, including close to 2,000 who had not been in work for at least six months.

I am pleased to announce that the Government will enhance the additional wage offset by raising the support level from 10% to 20% and increasing the support duration from six to nine months.

Taken together with the permanent wage offset, employers can receive up to 40% wage offsets for the first nine months of employment when hiring a PwD who has not been working for at least six months and 20% wage offsets thereafter. This means up to $8,400 in wage offsets for the first full year of employment.

This enhancement is on top of separate Government grants that provide employers with support to improve the workplace, redesign the job or provide training as needed.

Ms Vivian Ser, a wife and mother, has been working with Novotel as a cook with support from the EEC and SG Enable. Novotel's HR team worked together with Ms Ser's job and mobility coaches during her onboarding process. As Ms Ser is visually impaired, she takes on parts of the kitchen process which do not involve heating, such as vacuum sealing and plating. Novotel also put in place simple workplace accommodations, such as a talking scale and tactile stickers to help her navigate her environment safely.

Family support is also key. Ms Ser's husband and son are her biggest cheerleaders and also provide practical support such as in her transport arrangements. With support from her family, employer, colleagues and coaches, Ms Ser recently reached her one-year anniversary with Novotel.

As seen from Ms Ser's story, holistic support makes a difference to helping persons with disabilities enter and stay in employment. Mr Gerald Giam asked what can be done to address discrimination associated with disabilities.

A first step that we can all take is to avoid stereotyping and to recognise that everyone has skills and experience which they can bring to our teams at work. Looking ahead, the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness has recommended that the proposed Workplace Fairness legislation protect PwDs against workplace discrimination.

Miss Rachel Ong also asked about retirement adequacy for PwDs and their caregivers. Eligible lower-income workers, including PwDs and their caregivers, receive the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), which will boost their income and retirement savings through cash payments and CPF contributions. We have further enhanced Workfare from January 2023 to allow all eligible PwDs to qualify for the highest pay-out tier, regardless of age. This will provide up to $4,200 in annual payments.

The Government also provides additional support to boost retirement adequacy, which would support PwDs and their caregivers if they are unable to work and have little retirement savings. This includes the Silver Support scheme, which provides quarterly cash payouts of up to $900 to seniors who had low or no incomes during their working years and have little family support. To encourage top-ups, we also introduced the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) in 2021. Under the MRSS, the Government will match top-ups of up to $600 per year to eligible seniors' CPF accounts. These measures will also help boost the retirement adequacy of homemakers whom Mr Saktiandi spoke about.

Miss Rachel Ong asked about support for caregivers of PwDs who wish to return to the workforce. Caregivers can tap on Workforce Singapore's suite of employment facilitation programmes and services. For example, caregivers who need job search assistance can visit WSG's Careers Connect and NTUC's e2i career centres for career advisory and guidance. Those who need a skills top-up can apply for Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs), which provide training and salary support to employers who hire and reskill mid-career jobseekers for new occupations.

Another group that we pay close attention to is ex-offenders. Employment is critical for their successful reintegration into society.

Ex-offenders sometimes face challenges, such as stigmatisation and limited career opportunities, upon their release. The problems can be compounded by low educational qualifications, lack of industry-relevant skills and recent work experience. The challenges are more acute in the initial years after release, as ex-offenders face problems transiting from prison to the work environment.

A hiring incentive for ex-offenders will help encourage a wider range of employers to provide job opportunities to ex-offenders. We will introduce a new hiring incentive, the Uplifting Employment Credit (UEC) to continue supporting the hiring of ex-offenders. Under the new UEC, employers who hire ex-offenders through Yellow Ribbon Singapore and Singapore Prison Service's employment programmes will automatically qualify for a wage offset of 20% for the first nine months, amounting to up to $5,400 for each ex-offender employee.

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Employers who hire eligible ex-offenders directly can apply through IRAS to receive this credit. Employers will receive the credit for new ex-offenders hired between April 2023 and December 2025.

We will review the scheme, thereafter, to assess its effectiveness in improving ex-offenders' employment outcomes, such as job retention and wages. We hope that this will go some way in supporting the employment of ex-offenders. Mr Chairman, let me say a few words in Mandarin.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] To build an inclusive society, we will help everyone in society to achieve their full potential in the workforce. Some may need more support, such as Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and ex-offenders.

We will enhance the Enabling Employment Credit for PwDs. Employers who hire PwDs who have not worked for at least six months will receive wage offsets of up to 40% for a duration of nine months and wage offsets of up to 20% thereafter, amounting up to $8,400 in the first year of employment.

We will also introduce a new hiring incentive to help ex-offenders where the employers who hire ex-offenders will receive monthly wage offsets of up to 20% for a duration of nine months, amounting up to $5,400 for each newly-hired ex-offender employee.

Together, with the support of employers, community partners and the Government, we can help PwDs with disabilities and ex-offenders contribute to our workforce and society.

(In English) : Mr Chairman, everyone must play their part to secure fairer and more inclusive workplaces for Singapore. The Government will continue to provide the support that you need and journey with you every step of the way. [ Applause. ]

Mr Deputy Chairman : Minister Dr Tan See Leng.

Dr Tan See Leng : Mr Deputy Chairman, I would like to make two clarifications with respect to the first segment of my speech.

First, I had said that the nominal median income of full-time employment residents grew by 8.3% in 2021. I wish to clarify that this was the growth rate in 2022.

Second, I had said that the Silver Support Scheme was enhanced in 2011. I wish to clarify that it was enhanced in 2021.

Senior Minister of State Koh, Senior Minister of State Zaqy, Minister of State Gan and I have shared about the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s three themes for this Committee of Supply (COS): (a) seizing opportunities, (b) strengthening support for you and (c) securing better workplaces with you. I have earlier covered the first two themes and I will now touch on the third – how we stand in solidarity to secure safer, fairer and more progressive workplaces with you. We are doing so in a couple of ways.

Minister of State Gan has shared details on our efforts to support our women at work and help persons with disabilities (PwDs) and ex-offenders find employment. Senior Minister of State Zaqy has also elaborated on our efforts to ensure safety in the workplace. Let me now share about the Workplace Fairness Legislation, which is a significant step towards ensuring a level playing field.

Members will have seen the 20 interim recommendations by the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness, which I co-chair with Brothers Ng Chee Meng and Dr Robert Yap.

Calls for legislation date back to 1998, with various parties, including Labour Members, proposing for legislation to strengthen our efforts in tackling discrimination. Indeed, this significant move is going to strengthen our overall framework to uphold workplace fairness. Mr Gerald Giam asked for comprehensive protection for PwDs, while Mr Leong Mun Wai suggested to cover sexual orientation in the legislation. They both can be assured that all forms of discrimination are not tolerated. This is our national policy and it is reflected in the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) today.

The Tripartite Committee has recommended that the new legislation provide stronger protection against discrimination on the grounds of nationality, age, sex, race, religion, disability and mental health conditions. Stronger protection against discrimination in the proposed areas also supports Singapore's key social and economic objectives.

For instance, protecting against discrimination on the grounds of age helps to support the employment of mature workers, which is critical for our ageing society. These characteristics are the common and familiar forms of workplace discrimination in Singapore. Together they account for more than 95% of discrimination complaints received by Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) and MOM in the past five years.

We have experienced dealing with these cases and we are confident to mediate them effectively. Tripartite partners will work with relevant stakeholders to ensure that there is clarity on issues, such as definitions and scope of employers' responsibilities to enable the legislation to achieve its intended effect.

Some Members have raised suggestions on the legislation. Mr Leong asked how the legislation will address job security for Singaporeans. Legislation will benefit Singaporeans by better protecting them against workplace discrimination. There will be a wider range of enforcement levers against errant employers that are more effective as deterrence against workplace discrimination. The Fair Consideration Framework job advertising requirement will also be legislated, which will allow us to take action against employers who breach this requirement, using the new enforcement levers.

The Tripartite Committee has also recommended protection against retaliation for those who report workplace discrimination or harassment, to give assurance to employees to come forward to report it. The majority of complaints on nationality discriminations are by locals indeed. So, they will benefit from the greater protection.

Mr Leong also suggested small firms should not be exempted from the legislation. Small firms may not have the corporate competencies to comprehensively implement the new rules from day one. As the proposed legislation is only the first step, we will exempt small firms with fewer than 25 employees for a start.

Workers in small firms, however, will continue to still be covered by TGFEP. Those who are unfairly dismissed can lodge claims with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). For these employers, we will also step up education and enforcement efforts via TGFEP. The Tripartite Committee agrees that we will monitor the ground situation after legislation is introduced and review the exemption with a view to tightening it within five years.

Mr Leong referred to a specific case in a religious organisation in 2013. For that case, based on prevailing guidelines and laws, the church did not have sufficient grounds to dismiss the employee. With the introduction of the Workplace Fairness Legislation, the Tripartite Committee consulted various agencies, religious organisations and advocacy groups on their views. We recognise that maintaining religious harmony is important in our multi-religious society. It is, therefore, important to give religious organisations the space to practise their religion. As such, given the purpose and character of religious organisations, the Tripartite Committee has recommended allowing religious organisations the discretion to make employment decisions, based on religion and their religious requirements.

It must be emphasised that this discretion given to religious organisations is very carefully scoped. It will only apply to places of worship and religious organisations with sole religious purpose and function. It will also not allow them to discriminate based on other protected characteristics, where there is no religious basis to do so.

On the question of vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS), we have reached out to and offered employment assistance to the unvaccinated workers. They can also approach Workforce Singapore (WSG) or Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), if they require further assistance. Workers who feel that their employers are imposing vaccination as a requirement without genuine occupational needs may approach MOM or TAFEP for assistance. Since the release of the updated advisory on COVID-19 vaccination at the workplace in October 2022, there has only been a handful of such complaints.

Ms Janet Ang and Ms Yeo Wan Ling will also be assured to know that we will continue to engage employers, employees, HR partners and other key stakeholders to make clear the intent of the legislation and the whole-of-society effort required to uphold workplace fairness. During the implementation process, we will also work with NTUC to help employees to better navigate the case management process and seek remedies for their grievances.

And we will work with SNEF to guide employers to adopt Fair Employment practices and comply with the legislation. Even as we introduce stronger worker protections in legislation, and let me emphasise this, we want to preserve Singapore's harmonious and non-litigious workplace culture.

To this end, the committee has also made recommendations to encourage disputes to be resolved within the firm in the first instance. And if not, through mediation to repair the employment relationship where possible, with adjudication at the Courts only as a last resort.

We will continue to welcome all feedback, including from Members today. The Tripartite Committee will take the feedback into consideration for its final recommendations. With that, Mr Chairman, let me now conclude in Mandarin.

( In Mandarin ) : [ Please refer to Vernacular Speech .] In the past year, I have been involved in many dialogue sessions. Most Singaporeans understand that we face many challenges on our road to economic recovery. I am glad that Singaporeans are still hopeful about their future and actively sharing their hopes and aspirations with us.

This reminds me of a Xinyao song, "Small Stream that Flows Forever". The lyrics say “who does not dream when they are young”. Back when I first entered the workforce, I was just as ambitious, but I understood that my career path may not be smooth, and I may face various obstacles before arriving at my intended destination.

Whether you are a young person, or like me, a middle-aged person, rest assured that we will journey with you every step of the way, and help you become more resilient and move forward with you. Whether you are in your early-20s, 30s, mid-40s or late-50s, we will empower you to find and work towards new opportunities and seize better job opportunities. If you are looking for a career change, you can be assured of the support we will provide you to upskill and re-skill. If you have just lost your job, you can be assured that we will step in to help you in your job search. If your interest is in hands-on work, you can be assured of more opportunities to learn. We will help you in your career transition.

If you are approaching retirement, we will continue to strengthen the CPF system, help you meet basic retirement needs, so that you can enjoy your golden years.

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Whether Singaporeans can continue to seize opportunities depends on their career health. We should be responsible for our own career health, understand the needs of our career, industry trends, our interests and capabilities.

To assist, we will be launching a new CareersFinder feature on the MyCareersFuture portal. The feature will harness data analytics and artificial intelligence to provide you with more personalised jobs and skills insights to improve job matching.

We also need to build a more inclusive labour market. As the saying goes, "Every Trade has its Master". Even though "head" work remains a priority, we should not overlook "hands-on" work. Regardless of the industry, there should be multiple pathways to success.

We are looking into how we can redesign such jobs – with better starting salaries, better upskilling opportunities, and other ways to attract and retain workers in these jobs. Shifting society's perceptions of such jobs takes time and process, so we have to persevere.

We are also strengthening support for Singaporeans' retirement adequacy. The CPF system is a key pillar for Singapore's retirement adequacy, and it meets workers' basic retirement needs. To ensure the CPF system remains relevant, we must study how we can boost the CPF monthly payouts for seniors.

At the end of the song "Small Stream That Flows Forever", the lyrics say, "There are thousands of ups and downs in life, only the best confidantes meet forever, for their friendship is forever, like water flowing from its source". I hope you will see MOM as a close partner in your career path, provide feedback and suggestions and co-create and improve policies together. This is also the objective of the Government's Forward Singapore exercise to renew the social compact.

We will continue to work with you to ride out the storm and move towards a better future!

The Chairman : We have some time for clarifications. Mr Desmond Choo.

Mr Desmond Choo : Thank you, Mr Chairman, I would like to ask Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon a couple of clarifications.

It is very reassuring that our senior workers' employment rate is comparable to the OECD countries. Would it be useful to have a target employment rate for these senior workers? What measures beyond the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) and Part-time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) are needed to have more employers to hire senior workers?

Dr Koh Poh Koon : Mr Chairman, I thank Mr Desmond Choo for the question. As he mentioned and as I shared in my speech earlier, we do have quite a good employment rate for our senior workers compared to OECD countries and other advanced Asian economies.

In looking at whether we should set a target for senior worker employment, it is important to realise that every senior worker, every senior in fact, in Singapore has different aspirations in life. Some prefer to take care of their grandchildren, and some may want to do more of things that they had not been able to do when they were younger.

It is very hard for us to set a hard target and force everyone to continue in employment against their wishes. This is with the background that we are really not doing too badly compared to other advanced economies.

What we are trying to do here then, in response to the Member's second question, which is related, is to create an enabling framework to allow as many senior workers as possible to remain in employment, if that is their aspiration to do so.

So, by progressively raising re-employment ages and retirement ages to give them the legal protection to remain in employment should they choose to do, making sure there are fair employment practices and a legal framework to prevent discrimination against ageism. That again also helps to protect them and allows their aspirations to be realised.

And then some of these other measures, whether it is the Senior Employment Credit (SEC), whether it is the Part-Time Re-employment Grant (PTRG) that helps to reduce friction if employers feel that cost may be a consideration, we want to take away as many of those worries as possible from the employer side, to give them an extra leg-up to be able to get employment opportunities.

But ultimately, what is important is to make sure our senior workers continue to upskill themselves. They must ultimately have the skills that the industry needs in order to be able to access employment opportunities.

So, it is a whole suite of efforts that we do from all angles and some of the things that we are doing with the tripartite partners are also going to be helpful, helping them to do structured career planning, making employers and HR professionals attuned to the need to look at job redesign.

Having a conversation with the workers before they reach retirement age in their 40s and 50s to start planning for the next step of their career so that even as they enter their 50s and 60s, they understand what the company wants and there is a concerted effort from the employer, the HR side as well as the workers to develop skills that are relevant to the company's longer-term objectives.

So, it is a whole suite of efforts and I think at this moment we are all moving in the correct direction. Let us continue to push on with what we are doing now and, hopefully, with the trajectory that we are seeing, the senior employment rate will continue to hit even higher levels in the next few years to come.

And as I said before in my speech, despite the pandemic and economic crisis, our senior employment rate has actually gone up and not declined. So, that is something encouraging that we want to pursue.

The Chairman : Mr Gerald Giam.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song : I thank the Minister for replying to my questions on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Two clarifications on that.

Will the Ministry also publish a SOL for skilled trades, industrial jobs and other essential occupations? For example, the UK's SOL includes welders, care workers for seniors, day care managers and healthcare workers. These are also occupations which are in such short supply in Singapore. So, MOM can then use this to work with the industry and educational institutions to close the skills gaps, in our local workforce.

The second question I have is that I note that Minister said that the SOL will be refreshed every three years. I am not sure if this is sufficient, given the fast-evolving job market. Could MOM update the SOL more frequently to ensure it stays relevant with the constantly evolving job market and circumstances?

Dr Tan See Leng : I thank Mr Giam for his two points. To clarify, given the small size of our market relative to many of the other bigger countries in terms of their workforce, if we were to publish the list and make it so open, in many of these countries where the workers come from, they will then understand what are some of our vulnerabilities.

So, to that extent, I would rather keep the list to a very tight, narrow scope where we work very closely with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the Ministry of National Development (MND), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the different sectoral agencies to curate it and work through these agencies to address some of these sectors' shortages. So, that is the first point.

To the Member's second point about a three-yearly review, we also want to provide a certain level of certainty and predictability to businesses setting up here or businesses that are already operating here. If we keep moving this list very frequently, businesses will find it very hard to adapt, to respond and to be nimble.

The three years, we feel, is a sufficient runway for us to address some of this in the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). And I have already shared in my earlier speech what are some of the criteria that we will put in place. Just to reassure the Member, that between MTI and ourselves and some of the other sector agencies, we will also conduct yearly reviews. So, we do not have to go through the full three years but within one year, if certain shortages have become even more acute, we will not hesitate to respond. I hope that addresses his points.

The Chairman : Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat : Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to thank Minister for his answers to my cuts as well as to some of the suggestions I have raised during my Budget debate speech on retirement adequacy.

I have one clarification for the Minister in regard to the CPF LIFE Escalation Plan. It is a bit specific. It is in regard to my concern that with the rising prices and inflation and, of course, my concern about the longer-term equilibrium inflation outlook that Singapore and countries globally are facing, how will seniors be affected?

As of now, the CPF LIFE Escalating Plan rises by about 2% payouts annually. So, my suggestion in my Budget debate speech was whether it can be increased by another 50 basis points or possibly another 100 basis points, to take into consideration the rising prices for the current cohort and probably future cohorts, as an option beyond the 2% option that we have now; so as an additional option or a revision to the current 2%.

Dr Tan See Leng : I thank the Member for his clarification. The CPF LIFE Escalating Plan has a lower start but over time, it actually exceeds the Standard and the Basic Plan, as we speak today.

Today, we are in an era where inflation is high because of the geopolitical uncertainties. We have also seen the global supply chain disruptions as well as a lot of interest rates tightening.

The broad initiatives, the broad measures that we put up today, will improve retirement adequacy over the medium to long term.

During times of shocks such as what we have gone through the last two years and what we are still going through, the Government has constantly come in and intervened. We have had the Assurance Package; the GST Vouchers have become a permanent GST Voucher scheme. And there was a whole slew of support schemes that has been put up to support all Singaporeans and our CPF members to tide through this particular period.

You can see the MOM schemes in terms of CPF financial retirement adequacy, as a long haul, over a very long period of time, to provide the basic retirement adequacy. And at certain times, if I may borrow a term, it is like an immunisation, you get a booster coming in from the Government to help to uplift the members' retirement lifestyle and smoothen out some of the expenses.

If you look at the measures that we have rolled out over the last 12 months or so, for the low-income, the coverage is very substantial and it covers practically all of the inflationary increases in terms of spending. For the middle-income, it covers it substantially. That has been the construct thus far. I hope that addresses the Member's point.

The Chairman : Ms Hazel Poa

Ms Hazel Poa : I have two clarifications. First is, will the new workplace fairness legislation cover platform workers? And secondly, the Minister gave us the proportion of CPF members who meet the Basic Retirement Sum just now. Can the Minister also tell us the proportion who can meet the Full Retirement Sum?

Dr Tan See Leng : To the first clarification, the answer is yes. For the second clarification, in terms of the Full Retirement Sum, if you can let one or two other clarifications go through, I will come back to you.

The Chairman : Ms Yeo Wan Ling.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling : Chairman, I would like to reiterate that there are about 260,000 women of economic age not in the workforce today. They will be a formidable workforce tapped for Singapore should we create the right conditions for our women to return to work. I like to thank Minister of State Gan for acknowledging the work that the Labour Movement and the NTUC Women and Family Unit has done.

I would, in addition, like to ask the Senior Minister of State how can the Government further the partnership with the Labour Movement to support women who are seeking employment?

Also, beyond the Enabling Employment Credit (EEC), what other employment support is there for persons with disabilities (PwDs)?

Ms Gan Siow Huang : The Government has been working in close partnership with NTUC and the unions to support women employment. I have named quite a few.

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Looking forward, we think that there are more opportunities for the Government to work with the unions, especially the women union leaders, to form mentorship circles to expand our partnership with other women's groups and like-minded groups, to cast our net wider to be able to reach out to more women.

As for support for persons with disabilities (PwDs), there is an Enabling Masterplan 2030. I mentioned it earlier on. There is also a separate task force that has been formed. I believe MSF will also be sharing the details when ready.

The Chairman : Mr Leong Mun Wai.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Thank you, Chairman. I have three questions for the Minister, but before that, I would like to thank the Minister for answering all my questions except one with very direct and succinct answers. I usually do not get that from most of the other Ministers.

However, we have to continue to work on improving the situation for Singaporean workers, because while the job situation has kind of improved because of the reopening, job and wage growth is still very uneven.

For example, even MOM admitted that out of the 47,400 jobs growth in the fourth quarter of 2022, most of those were actually from non-residents and there are some complaints from IT graduates that they are unable to find jobs as soon as they want.

So, I have three questions.

First, the question that the Minister did not answer me. Can I ask the Minister what makes him and the policymakers so certain that the Singaporean PMEs are not disadvantaged although employers do not need to contribute CPF for Employment Pass holders?

Second question, can I ask whether the Minister will consider accelerating the income increase under the PWM so that lower-income workers can get a minimum of $1,800 of monthly take-home pay by 2024?

Looking at the materials that were distributed by the Minister, the lower-income worker will get that by 2028, but that is far too long – five years to wait – bearing in mind that many of these workers also suffered considerably during the pandemic.

The last question, does the Minister expect Singaporeans to occupy a larger share of our IT jobs going forward, especially in higher positions, in the next five years, given that the number of IT graduates – local IT graduates – will be increasing significantly over the next few years?

Dr Tan See Leng : I thank Mr Leong for his three to four clarifications, but can I humbly request for me to address Ms Hazel Poa's point? After all, you are from the same party.

On the second part of her clarification, let me set the entire context by giving the full response. Over the last 10 years, the proportion of active CPF members attaining their cohort's Basic Retirement Sum at age 55 has improved from about five in 10 to almost seven in 10 today. We expect this number to increase to about eight in 10 in 2027.

For members who are able to set aside the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) in 2022, about seven in 10 – about 70% – can choose to set aside the Full Retirement Sum.

To the Member's first point, I wish to make an amendment that was on the Member's part about whether platform workers are covered by the workplace legislation.

The Workplace Fairness Legislation needs to have a formal contract – a formal relationship between the employer and the employee.

I think the nature of platform work is that many of the platform workers have multiple platforms that they work for. You could be on one, you could also be on another. I think some of them have about two or three. Perhaps Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will be better placed to respond to this because of his deeper knowledge.

In that sense, to say that it is a singular relationship between an employer and employee, the nature of it is not a like-for-like comparison. But what we will do is that the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) will be clarified further to include the discrimination of platform workers.

To Mr Leong's four points, thank you for that compliment. It is really the collective work of all of my colleagues in the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). I have also learnt a lot from my learned colleagues here in their responses and replies to your questions as well.

If you look at it, we are at almost full employment. We are at 3% above pre-pandemic level. This is 3% above 2019. At a point in time when our resident employment is at this kind of high level, for companies to want to grow, to fulfil all this and so on, they have to hire. They have to hire workers. Obviously, in the fourth quarter, you see more non-residents finding jobs.

To the Member's point about how certain I am that Singaporean PMEs are not disadvantaged because for the Employment Pass (EP) holders, the employers do not have to contribute to CPF, please refer to my numerous explanations in the past. The way we calculate the Minimum Qualifying Salary is after taking into consideration the gross salary of a local – in a similar cohort – plus the CPF contribution of the employer and we set that as the benchmark.

If you look at it from the perspective of someone who has been here for 10 years, the salary of that EP holder is on a rising scale. It will not be at $5,000. For the EP holder, for him to be able to get the EP, the company will have to set that qualifying salary probably at above $10,000.

With that, we believe that we have adequately addressed any form of income disparity between our locals and foreigners.

On top of that, we do not see a need for us to ensure that foreigners have to contribute to CPF because our CPF provides for retirement adequacy, housing – a roof over the heads of our Singaporeans. We do not see the need to provide the same level of safety net for foreigners. Hence, we do not impose this CPF contribution on them.

To the Member's point about how to accelerate the income under PWM, I will leave it to Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad to answer the question.

The Member's last point was about how I ensure that the larger share of IT jobs in high positions will go to Singaporeans in the next five years. We will continue, through all of the programmes that I have been painstakingly elaborating on over the last two days – whether it is SGEP, Global Ready Talent, Tech@SG – these are all programmes that we set up to train, to invest, to upskill and to reskill our Singaporean Core talent and we will continue to do so.

If Mr Leong has even more constructive programmes that we can do to train and upskill our Singaporean Core, I am happy to also take that into consideration. But as to whether I can provide some form of guarantee over the next five years, whether they will all end up in high positions, I do not think anyone can guarantee that.

We can guarantee a level playing field at the outset at every single level, but I do not think anyone can guarantee a similar high outcome or success for everyone. I hope that answers your question.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : I just want to bring Members back to this infographic that we shared, which Mr Leong shared, which I thought was really quite clear. Actually, most of your PWMs that Members see here are pretty much above $1,800.

If Members look at the wage growth, for example, security – they are at $2,585 in 2023, today. By the time they hit 2028, it is $3,500. The kind of wage growth is quite significant at 56%.

Landscape workers is $1,700, admittedly below $1,800. Cleaning is $1,570 but by 2028, they will get $2,400. That is an 84% wage increase in five years.

So, there is a scheduled step, but at the same time, it can almost be guaranteed that almost all of them, in fact, all of them will exceed $1,800 at the start.

Let us not forget that the Government's approach goes beyond just wages too, if the Member forgot to include Workfare. If you think about $4,200 a year, that is about $350 per month, in addition, depending on your age and criteria, but generally, you could get as much as that. That covers about 25% of your wage in addition to top-ups by the Government. So, if you look at total income, I think, let us look at the entirety.

But I have to credit the unions as well as the employers for standing with us on this because the last two years have not been easy. We have just come out of the pandemic and yet, to see both the Labour Movement and the employers agree to such aggressive pay increases, I think that speaks volumes of our tripartite movement in terms of supporting our lower-wage workers and standing in solidarity with them. I think it is quite critical for us to remember that we are still coming out of the pandemic and yet now we are agreeing to wage increases of 56% and 84% which are significant numbers.

But we have to also be realistic. To push any further, I do not think the employers can take it. So, we have to keep watch, that is why the Government also supports them through the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS). So, I just thought to set the context. But rest assured, we are all on the same page. We are here to support our lower-wage workers.

Dr Koh Poh Koon : Sir, very quickly on the clarification on platform workers and whether they are covered by the workplace fairness legislation that is being planned.

The answer is no, because workplace fairness legislation only covers employer-employee relationships. I did spend a significant part of my speech earlier to say why we are not classifying platform workers as employees – to maintain the flexibility that both parties desire.

But having said that, as I said in my speech before, the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair Employment Practices will scope in a clearer statement to say that any discrimination, even of contracted workers, will be deemed to be in violation of the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair Employment Practices. MOM can investigate and impose administrative penalties on these platform companies if they do discriminate.

The other thing which I hope perhaps Members will realise is that it is not in the interest of the companies to discriminate against workers who opt in for CPF simply because the scheme we are trying to propose here is that by 2024, those who are below 30 years old will be mandatorily required to contribute to CPF. Which means that henceforth, as a cohort, all younger workers born after 1995, whichever timepoint they choose to enter platform work – by the time, they are 40 years old or 50 years old – so long as they are born after 1995, platform companies will need to contribute CPF for them.

In other words, over time, the bulk of the workers available for platform work will need mandatory CPF. Therefore, it is not in the company's interest to disadvantage those in this larger group of workforce that will then constrain their ability to get labour.

The Chairman : Mr Leong, we will circle back to you. There are three Members that have yet to ask clarifications. Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang : Thank you, Sir. I appreciate the Minister of State shared that we are not ready to legislate parent care leave yet, but can I at least ask that we consider tripartite standards or tripartite guidelines on paid parent care leave?

Second, could I ask what are the reasons as to why the Government provides parent care leave to public servants and how those reasons do not apply to all other workers?

Ms Gan Siow Huang : Well, I would like to reiterate that the Government recognises that caregiving for parents is an important responsibility, especially with Singapore's ageing population. All of us here who have parents will agree too.

We are committed to providing caregivers with the necessary support so that they can fulfil both their work as well as caregiving responsibilities. But beyond legislation, which the hon Member Louis Ng has suggested, it is useful for us to take a step back and ask ourselves, for caregivers, especially of elderly parents, what would be more sustainable support for them. Would just one or two more days of parent care leave make a lot of difference? Or is it something that is more sustainable in the form of family-friendly workplace culture that would be more useful for these caregivers?

6.00 pm

The Government encourages employers to have family-friendly practices and the Public Service leads by example by providing the parent care leave for our own employees. We hope that other employers out there will do likewise: care for their employees, have family-friendly practices and provide the flexibility that the employees need to care for their elderly family members.

The Government also has strengthened other areas of support for caregivers of seniors, including those who have to juggle between work and caregiving. Caregivers can tap on a range of care services, such as home- and day-care to support the day and social needs of their elderly loved ones.

There are also various respite care options in senior care centres and nursing homes to help caregivers to look after their seniors for short periods of time, including over the weekends. So, we do look at a more holistic set of support for caregivers of the elderly, and not just pin on a few more days of parent care leave.

The Chairman : Mr Edward Chia.

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui : Thank you, Chairman. I would like to thank Senior Minister of State Zaqy for announcing that MOM will launch an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for human resource (HR) professionals. I feel that this will really support HR professionals in their expanded role.

I also note that he mentioned the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) has certification and playbooks. I would like to further ask if there is further support for HR professionals in the area of job transformation, change management and redesign, so that they can better support the organisation in the future of work and also execute such transformation.

He also mentioned that IHRP has skills badges for HR professionals. May I ask how many HR professionals have attained these skills badges and what are the plans to expand this initiative?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : I thank the Member for his question. I think they are very useful, and especially one that, I hope, the HR community appreciates in terms of the development that we have put in.

I will start off with the skills badges. Between 2021 and 2022, Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) awarded over 2,400 skills badges. It could be HR professionals with skills in various competencies such as talent management and strategic workforce planning. As the appointed Skills Development Partner for HR, IHRP will work with the industry to identify new skills gaps and will continue to refresh the skills badges to keep up with the emerging trends.

To the Member's second question in terms of the work that we do with playbooks and HR certifications, the Job Transformation Maps (JTMs) developed together with the industries support employers and HR in their job transformation efforts. And that is something that we think will value-add to our HR community. Each of the JTM provides detailed insights on the impact of technology and automation on the industry and the workforce, as well as lays out pathways for employers to transform jobs and give opportunities to workers to acquire the requisite skills. Today, there are about 10 JTMs which have already been completed, including one for HR, and there are eight more being planned.

In addition, WSG and IHRP are working to set up a Job Redesign Centre of Excellence, which will work with the sector agencies and the trade associations. This is important because you want to help to point out to the companies what the resources are that are relevant to their job design needs.

This, I hope, will help the HR community to work towards the redesigning of jobs, as well as help them through digital transformation. This, I think, remains a key enabler towards sustaining business transformation. I also encourage, especially for digital transformation, the HR community to tap on IMDA's CTO-as-a-Service scheme, the HR Tech Transformation scheme, as well as the Productivity Solutions Grant.

So, there are various Government grants that are available to support our HR community. I hope that they find these useful and work towards career transformation for the businesses.

The Chairman : Mr Yip Hon Weng.

Mr Yip Hon Weng : Thank you, Chairman. Just a short clarification. I wish to ask the Ministry, given the current high inflation environment, whether it is a good time now to increase the CPF contribution rate for senior workers, as this will add to business costs for companies?

Dr Koh Poh Koon : Mr Chairman, we understand the employers may be concerned about the impact of business costs, as the Member has raised. Therefore, the increase in employer's contribution rates is at a gradual pace, not exceeding one percentage point a year. And we are doing this at an early time to give employers ample notice so that they can adjust and manage the impact on business costs.

To mitigate the rise in business costs due to the increase in CPF contribution rates in 2024, we will provide the CPF Transition Offset as we said earlier, so that this will help mitigate some of the cost pressures they face.

We also expect business-cost increase arising from the increase in the CPF contribution rate for senior workers to be modest due to the lower percentage-point increase, compared to the previous increase in 2022 and 2023.

So, the offset will certainly help in this current tranche of increase that we are planning to do.

All these offsets that we give for the increase in CPF contribution rate is on top of all the other schemes that we have been giving to support employment of older workers, like the Senior Employment Credit (SEC) and the Part-time Re-employment Grant (PTRG).

All these will help to ameliorate the cost impact on any older workers that the company employs.

The Chairman : We are approaching guillotine time. So, I will take the last two clarifications. Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Yeo Wan Ling.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Thank you, Chairman. Just a further clarification from my question just now. First of all, the PWM. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. But I think he has not compared like to like.

What the PSP has recommended in terms of the living wage is $1,800 take-home pay, but the figure shown in the material is actually gross salary. So, I just want to clarify that.

I would also want to ask one more clarification question with the Senior Minister of State. If the Government is already contributing more in terms of Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), why do we not just add the WIS into the salary and then make it a clear one-policy living wage? That is one question.

There is one other question I want to clarify with the Minister. Of course, Minister, I have got that answer from you before. But I think we have not exhausted the discussion, so let me carry on with that. In terms of —

The Chairman : I am afraid, Mr Leong, it is not time for discussion. It is time for clarifications.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Yes, correct.

The Chairman : And this is your second bite of the cherry. So, I would ask you to keep it concise and short, please.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Yes, thank you very much, Chairman.

The Chairman : In fairness to the whole House.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Yes, yes, okay.

So, can I ask about the salary component that you have talked about, that you have adjusted the salary for Employment Passes (EPs) so that it is comparable with Singaporeans having to pay CPF contributions, while the EP holders do not have to pay CPF contributions? Do you think that is a strong enough deterrent, really? Or do you think that the recommendation made by us, that of imposing a levy, would be a better solution?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad : I am not sure how much more I have to go through the sheet. But we already have a schedule and every single one of these items here will be past $1,800 for sure. I do not know how you want to define your living wage, but anyone can put a number. Or like what I have said, what is different between our approach and what you said – anyone can put a number. Be it $1,800, $1,600, or $2,500; just name it.

But the difference is that, in our approach, the employers and the Labour Movement have come to a consensus. Basically, it means that when we put a number down here, it is something that employers say they can bear; the market can absorb. And the wage growths here are already as aggressive as I think anyone can do during the COVID-19 pandemic. You have to be very fair to employers in the market. As I had said, look again at the wage growth: 84% for cleaners and 56% for security officers. It is quite aggressive as it is.

I just want to say this again – bear in mind the market conditions in which we operate. At the same time our approach is one that I think is fair and balanced, one that the market is prepared to pay; the employers have all agreed to this. The schedule is transparent. Therefore, to a large extent, I think it is bearable to the market and supported by the Government.

Whether you put Workfare into this or not, honestly, what really matters to the workers is what they get in their pockets every month. That is where we have to put it in place various measures. This is not the only measure because the Government also provides other schemes, including ComCare, Silver Support and the whole slew of Government grants that go into our workforce to support our lower-wage workers, including healthcare subsidies, housing subsidies and education subsidies.

So, the Government puts a lot of commitment and that is where, I think, we show how we care overall, not just in terms of living wage, but every other support and subsidy you can think of, the Government can provide.

Sir, I just want to say that anyone can put a number. But I think what is key is whether you can deliver and you can execute. That is where our focus will be in the next coming years.

The Chairman : Minister Tan See Leng.

Dr Tan See Leng : Mr Leong, I think in the interest of time, I will try and keep it short. But, actually, all I can do is just refer you back to the Hansard reports for you to read the thing. The position has not changed.

I think it is late. You have asked quite a number of questions. I just want to address some of it.

Your approach that you talked about, in terms of imposing hard caps on the number of foreigners from each nationality that the firm can hire, I think the approach is very, very rigid, and it is overly so.

I have been in the private sector all my life and I have also set up businesses in many countries. I think if you do that, many of my old networks will probably give this place a miss.

The reality is that if you structure an industry, if you want to grow the industry, it is a combination of making sure that we invest in our people and, at the same time, we are also able to imbibe – the word is "imbibe", not "open the doors and let them in freely". To imbibe enough talent so that they can actually complement our local talent and we all then prosper together. I think that is a more nuanced approach.

We have introduced COMPASS which takes a very nuanced position by incentivising firms to strengthen their local core and their workforce diversity. We also still ensure that these companies can get the additional talent they need – which you see is the common and recurring theme around our debates for the last many days. There are many, many Members on both sides of the House who keep telling us and lamenting how tight the talent and the manpower situation is in this country.

So, we want to ensure that these companies still have access to high-quality complementary candidates so that when there are certain niche skills and skills that continue to evolve, we can bring them in and also train our local talent as well to create more good job opportunities for our locals.

You keep harping on this thing about imposing a levy. It is easy enough for the Government to do so because it generates revenue. But at the EP level, Mr Leong, our focus is on making sure that we can differentiate, that we can get the best, the highest quality, the highest qualified talent anywhere in the world, to come here.

If you look at it, employers do not have infinite budgets for manpower. We should think about a win-win partnership where we benefit, we let the employer win, so that Singaporean employees will also have that win. And that has been our intention. That is why in all of our policies, we focus on making sure that our economy is vibrant so that there are enough resources for us to continue to invest back in our people to continue to develop Singapore, progress Singapore to a place that is brimming with opportunities, hope, and always, with optimism.

I hope that you can put that aside and focus on bringing all of us together and building that Singapore for our future. Because I think that is the core of what we do. [ Applause. ]

The Chairman : I am afraid, Ms Yeo, we have hit our 6.15 pm guillotine time, so you cannot ask your second clarification.

Mr Leong Mun Wai : Chairman, I want to make one point.

The Chairman : I am afraid, Mr Leong, we have reached the guillotine time. Thank you. Mr Desmond Choo, would you like to take leave to withdraw your amendment?

6.15 pm

Mr Desmond Choo : Mr Chairman I would like to thank Minister Tan See Leng, Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, Dr Koh Poh Koon and Minister of State Gan Siow Huang for their indulgence in answering all our cuts to the best of their abilities and time. We know that it is difficult to keep the workforce competitive in the midst of difficult structural problems, like ageing population and geopolitical tensions.

I hope that I have appropriate lyrics to a Chinese song to the thank him, but I do not. I can only offer him our appreciation that it is very reassuring that MOM and himself, will accompany the Singapore population through when they first get the first job to when they retire. With this, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $3,759,250,200 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $106,763,800 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]

Hansard 原始记录