预算辩论 · 2025-03-06 · 第 14 届国会
劳动力市场复苏与保障措施
Committee of Supply – Head S (Ministry of Manpower)
议员质询疫情后就业恢复、通胀压力及弱势群体保障。人力部部长回应新加坡失业率降至2.8%，通过技能培训、渐进式工资模式及退休保障等多项措施支持不同年龄和弱势群体就业，强调收入增长超过通胀，整体劳动力市场稳健。核心争议聚焦于如何持续提升低收入者福利及应对全球经济不确定性。
关键要点
- • 疫情后就业恢复
- • 低收入者工资提升
- • 弱势群体保障加强
推动技能培训与收入保障
强化就业支持与退休保障
"We helped workers and businesses to emerge stronger."
参与人员（5）
- Mariam Jaafar
- Melvin Yong Yik Chye
- Minister for Manpower
- Xie Yao Quan
- Yeo Wan Ling
完整译文（中文）
Hansard 英文原文译文 · 翻译日期：2026-05-02
[(程序文本) 辩论继续。(程序文本)]
下午6时36分
人力部长（陈时亮博士）：主席先生，我感谢政府议会委员会（GPC）议员和发言的议员们，他们为我们的工人和雇主发声。自新冠疫情以来已经五年了。幸运的是，我们恢复得相当快。
疫情期间，本地居民失业率峰值达到4.8%。人力部当时的首要任务是保护生计。通过“新加坡团结就业与技能计划”，我们协助了超过20万名求职者。现在，本地居民失业率为2.8%，在经济合作与发展组织（OECD）国家中属于最低水平之一。
在战争和供应链中断的背景下，包括新加坡在内的大多数国家近年来都在应对全球通胀。对许多新加坡人来说，生活成本上升的压力是真实存在的。我们通过针对家庭的定向支持和收入增长来缓解这一压力，收入增长不仅跟上了通胀，甚至超过了通胀。
过去五年，本地居民的中位数实际月收入增长了3.6%。对低薪工人来说，这一增长更高，达到5.9%。这意味着尽管物价上涨，我们的工资涨幅更大。我们表现优于其他发达经济体，如英国、美国和日本，那些国家的实际工资停滞或下降。
除了恢复之外，我们还帮助工人和企业变得更强大。
首先，我们支持不同职业阶段的新加坡人。
对于20至40岁的专业人士，我们帮助他们提升职业发展。过去五年，我们的职业转换计划帮助了3.7万名工人重新技能培训，进入增长岗位。对于50岁及以上的成熟工人，我们帮助他们保持有意义的就业。兼职再就业补助帮助了6500多家雇主为5万名成熟工人提供工作机会。
第二，我们加强了对弱势群体的保护，帮助新加坡人储蓄退休金。
对于非自愿失业者，我们推出了“技能未来求职者支持计划”，在他们寻找工作期间提供临时经济支持。
对于低薪工人，我们提升了他们的工资。我们扩大了渐进式工资模型（PWM），提高了本地合格薪金（LQS），增强了工作补贴（Workfare Income Supplement），以提升他们的收入和公积金储蓄。现在，约九成全职低薪工人覆盖了PWM、LQS和渐进式工资标志（PW Mark）。
对于平台工人，我们加强了他们的住房和退休保障、工伤赔偿和代表权。对于残疾人士，过去五年他们的就业率从28%提升至34%。
我们加强了所有新加坡人的退休保障。2024年推出了90亿新元的“前进计划”，今年预计将在增强版银发支持计划上花费超过8亿新元，惠及29万名长者。约74万新加坡人将有资格参加增强版配对退休储蓄计划（MRSS）。我们想向所有新加坡人保证，只要他们持续工作并缴纳公积金，就能满足基本退休需求。我们也将提升那些无法工作或缺乏时间储蓄的人士的保障。
第三，疫情是企业推动生产力和增强韧性的警钟。因此，我们更新了工作准证框架以支持这一点。我们推出了面向全球人才的海外网络与专才准证（ONE Pass）和针对就业准证（EP）持有者的COMPASS计划。我们在依赖工作准证持有者推动行业转型方面保持纪律性。
我们支持企业转型。沙拉尔·塔哈先生问这项工作有多成功。
自2019年以来，我们推出了17个就业转型地图。约1万家公司通过职业转换计划（CCPs）等方案获得支持，培训和雇佣工人，重新设计岗位。2023年，我们还推出了人力资源行业转型计划，推动劳动力转型。
最后，我们建设了更公平、更包容、更安全的工作场所。我们发布了三方灵活工作安排请求指南，提升雇主能力，更好地吸引和留住人才。这项举措有望释放约24万名女性和13万名适龄长者这两大群体的潜力，他们目前尚未进入劳动力市场。
我们通过《工作场所公平法案》打击职场歧视。我们改善了外籍劳工的福祉和安全。推出了初级医疗计划，提高了宿舍运营标准，改善了康乐中心的服务，2023年工作场所死亡率创历史新低，为每10万名工人中0.99人。
这些成就离不开我们三方伙伴——全国职工总会（NTUC）和新加坡全国雇主联合会（SNEF）的强力支持。
但工作仍在继续。面对重大地缘政治和经济不确定性，我们预计2025年GDP增长将更为谨慎，约为1%至3%。长期来看，有两大因素将使增长更难维持。
第一是人口结构挑战。由于生育率低，本地劳动力预计将在下一个十年停止增长。人口也在老龄化。预计到2030年，每四名新加坡人中就有一名年龄在65岁及以上。
第二是全球竞争加剧。东南亚将受益于人口红利，我们需要跟上东南亚其他地区的增长步伐。纽约、伦敦和迪拜等城市正在吸引生物技术和人工智能等领域的顶尖公司和人才。
在这些挑战中，我们如何持续扩大经济蛋糕？如何继续为新加坡人创造有意义的机会？
首先，我们必须继续保持对世界的开放，以保持竞争力并支持社会需求。2014年，每位65岁及以上的长者由6名适龄居民支持。2024年，这一比例降至3.5。外籍劳工缓解了这一下降。包括他们在内，2024年的老年支持比从3.5上升至5.2。
但通过增加人数增长是有限的。唯一可持续的方式是通过生产力驱动的增长。
我们在生产力提升方面取得了良好进展。在产业转型地图（ITMs）的支持下，过去十年劳动生产率年均增长约2%。然而，即便如此，新加坡的生产力仍仅为前沿经济体的40%至70%。
一个令人振奋的机会是，我们可以将经济重塑为以生产力和创新驱动的经济。全球秩序在数周内发生了巨大变化。新加坡可以作为稳定和开放的灯塔，吸引全球人才和企业。
正如副总理颜金勇今天在贸易与工业部部长工作总结演讲中所述，我们将加强与世界的连通性；帮助本地企业打造新品牌和新业务；营造有利于先进制造、深科技和绿色经济等领域增长的亲企业环境。
下午6时45分
人才——他们的热情、创造力和技能——是这段旅程的核心。人力部将打造一支适应性强、创新且多元化的劳动力，帮助新加坡在动荡的世界中繁荣。
今年我们有三大优先事项：（一）支持企业转型；（二）赋能工人构建职业健康；（三）促进包容和安全的工作场所。
首先，我们将支持企业转型。企业理解这一需求，但面临高成本环境。部分人力成本上升是为了提升低薪工人，这是我国社会契约的优先事项。我们将缓解企业的短期压力，同时推动和持续推动长期转型。
第二，我们将赋能工人，在经济转型过程中帮助他们在不同人生阶段构建职业健康。
第三，我们将促进公平、包容和安全的工作场所。
让我先谈谈如何支持企业转型。为了保持竞争力，公司需要与业务改进同步转型劳动力。我们将拨出超过4亿新元，推出新的企业劳动力转型套餐。该套餐将回应叶汉荣先生、沙拉尔·塔哈先生、谢伟民先生和施珍女士提出的对企业劳动力转型更全面和整合支持的呼声，主要有三大特点。
第一，我们将推出新的技能未来劳动力发展补助。该补助将整合由职工发展局（WSG）和技能未来新加坡（SSG）管理的计划，简化申请流程。公司可通过一个申请渠道获得涵盖岗位重设计、能力建设和培训等活动的全面劳动力发展支持。WSG将与主要项目合作伙伴协作，为公司提供合适且可持续的解决方案建议。
第二，我们将加强岗位重设计支持。目前，WSG为公司聘请预先批准的顾问进行岗位重设计提供最高50%、上限3万新元的资金支持。在劳动力发展补助下，这一比例将提高至70%。我们还将审查并提高3万新元的上限。
一些大型公司已开始识别可能受人工智能影响的员工，并主动为他们提供新岗位的再培训。但其他公司，尤其是中小企业，可能需要更多岗位重设计支持，以应对人工智能等带来的冲击。我们将扩大岗位重设计费用的覆盖范围，不仅限于咨询服务，还包括为直线经理和人力资源人员提供岗位重设计和变革管理技能培训，帮助他们识别劳动力解决方案和人工智能工具。详情将稍后公布。
第三，技能未来企业信用将在2026年重新设计，以更好支持劳动力转型。我们收到反馈，报销模式可更好解决企业现金流问题，并明确信用可用于哪些计划。重新设计后，符合条件的企业将获得新的1万新元信用额度。类似电子钱包，企业可用信用抵扣相关劳动力转型项目的自付费用。
全国职工总会的公司培训委员会（CTC）补助在2024年得到加强，支持与业务转型相关的培训。接受度令人鼓舞。截至2024年12月，CTC补助支持了400多个转型项目，惠及7000多名工人。
以BDO税务咨询的税务顾问李瑞秋女士为例。她过去花费大量时间处理数据收集和文件准备等手工任务。利用CTC补助，BDO税务咨询引入了集中数据平台，配备更智能、更快捷的工作流程，实现自动数据收集和验证。因此，李女士能专注于为客户提供个性化支持，提升业务成果。
正如总理在预算演讲中宣布的，我们将拨出约2亿新元扩大该补助，并延长至2028年。
教育机构和雇主如何合作培养未来人才？他们今天可以共同开发定制化的劳动力培训项目，满足企业需求。我们还将扩大CTC补助，资助雇主主导的培训，提供正式认证。CTC补助将通过课程费补贴和缺勤工资提供增强支持。
感谢郑国福先生、叶汉荣先生和谢伟民先生提出改进人力资源实践和标准的建议。人力资源在劳动力转型中扮演重要角色，不仅是遵守就业法规，更是提升组织人力资本。我们将成立三方人力资本能力发展工作组，提高人力资源标准和专业人员能力，使其能战略性地促进业务和劳动力成果。
现在谈谈我们的外籍劳动力。企业持续将人力资源限制视为主要挑战。
同时，林占梅副教授提到对外籍人才需求存在根本怀疑。这种怀疑是自然的。当我们看到外国人时，会想“他们抢了本地人的工作”。但更难看到的是，没有外国人，公司及其岗位可能根本不会在新加坡存在。
事实是，新加坡市场小且无自然资源。正如资政李光耀先生曾说：“如果我们不吸引、不欢迎、不让人才在新加坡感到舒适，我们就不会成为全球城市，也不会有多大影响力。”
因此，很容易用简单论调暗示这是零和游戏，移除一名外国人就多一个本地工作岗位。梁文福先生表示支持开放经济和社会，并要求提供事实以平息反移民情绪。让我分享事实。
我注意到他受过计量经济学训练，是统计学家。但请不要低估政府经济学家、学者和统计人员团队的力量，他们多年来、数十年监测并理解趋势，可能比你我更深入了解。
过去十年，EP和S准证持有者增加了3.8万。同期，本地专业、管理、执行和技术人员（PMET）增加了38.2万，是前者的十倍。新增本地PMET中有三分之一来自非PMET升级，30至50岁的居民占多数。议员们，我们的技能提升计划和对本地非PMET升级为PMET的投资已见成效。
在金融与保险服务、专业服务和信息通信技术（ICT）行业，EP和S准证持有者增加了1.8万，本地PMET增加了17.2万，同样是十倍增长。截至2024年，这些行业每一名EP或S准证持有者对应3至6名本地PMET。即使只比较新加坡公民或本地出生的新加坡公民与EP和S准证持有者，情况也是如此。
居民数据大致反映公民数据，因为新加坡公民一直占居民劳动力约84%。
人力部定期发布新加坡公民就业结果统计和分析。过去十年，新加坡公民的劳动力参与率上升，居全球前列，领先日本、芬兰和德国等城市。失业率保持稳定且低位，国际上新加坡失业率属最低之一。
我们绝不应形成“只限新加坡人”的心态，因为这会剥夺我们吸引全球企业所需的人才。外资企业占新加坡公司不到四分之一，但雇佣约三分之一居民工人，约60%高薪岗位由居民担任。我们的本地企业也因服务跨国公司而受益，获得全球曝光。全球企业和外国人缴纳的税款支持政府在教育、医疗和住房上的开支。
我们的人才准证框架经过精心管理，确保引进支持生产性行业并为本地人创造优质岗位的高素质外国人。Rachel Ong女士和Mohd Fahmi先生询问了相关更新。
ONE Pass持续吸引创造机会的全球人才，2024年发放约3000张。
除了经济贡献，ONE Pass持有者还积极参与本地社区，指导本地领导和初创企业，志愿服务社会组织，并与高等院校合作。
以迪士尼东南亚区首席财务官Savita Iyer女士为例。她曾在全球多地工作，是新加坡领导者网络奖学金计划的导师，该计划培养新加坡人担任区域和全球领导角色。她的学员之一是EQT集团亚太区私人财富客户关系负责人Yeo Sueann女士。Yeo女士感到有女性导师的支持，能将导师经验应用于自己的领导之路。
在就业准证层面，我们调整了框架，确保EP持有者补充本地劳动力。EP合格薪金以本地PMET工资的上三分之一为基准，确保EP持有者素质高。
2025年1月1日起，最低合格薪金从5000新元提高至5600新元，今年不会再调整。林占梅副教授建议通过公积金托管平衡本地与外籍工人工资。我认为这无必要，因为设定合格薪金时已将公积金缴纳计入本地工资基准。工资层面实际上相当公平。虽然EP持有者因不缴公积金而实际拿到的工资可能更高，但这不意味着本地人收入较低，因为他们的公积金缴纳用于住房和退休需求。
议员Patrick Tay先生询问了我们的就业准证（EP）框架如何激励企业发展强大的本地核心。我们大约在一年半前实施了COMPASS。目前约有30%的EP持有人通过了COMPASS，初步结果显示我们正朝着正确的方向前进。依赖单一国籍外国人或总体依赖外国人的企业必须多元化其劳动力，或者必须雇佣更多本地人以通过COMPASS。
自COMPASS实施以来，依赖单一国籍外国人较高的企业比例下降了7%，而总体依赖外国人较高的企业比例下降了15%。这些企业还为本地专业、管理、执行及技术人员（PMET）创造了4000个更多的就业岗位。
晚上7点
在S准证层面，我们将继续提升劳动力质量，保障本地助理专业人员及技术人员（APT）的就业机会。我们已将S准证持有者的最低聘用成本基准定为本地APT工资的上三分之一。为缓解过渡，我们分三步逐步提高S准证的最低合格薪金。该措施于2022年宣布，并分三步实施，分别在2022年、2023年和2025年。
鉴于企业面临的成本压力，我们已适度调整了涨幅。S准证最低合格薪金将从3150新元提高至3300新元。金融服务业的标准将从3650新元提高至3800新元。合格薪金将随年龄增长而增加。这些调整将适用于2025年9月1日起的新S准证申请，以及2026年9月1日起到期的续签申请。S准证征费也将从2025年9月1日起统一为650新元。我们将根据经济状况持续审视S准证的合格薪金标准。
在工作准证层面，持证人数创历史新高，比疫情前水平高出17%。依赖工作准证持有者较多的行业，如建筑、餐饮服务和住宿业，过去十年生产力增长缓慢甚至负增长。您可能已读到，2024年关闭了3000多家餐饮店，但新开业的店铺超过4000家，工作准证持有者数量增长了4%。
正如Fahmi先生所强调，企业需要通过提升生产力和重新设计岗位来减少对工作准证持有者的依赖，优先雇佣本地人。鉴于此，商业竞争力行动联盟（AfA）提出了有益建议，帮助企业雇佣更高技能的员工，注重质量而非数量。
Mark Lee先生询问了允许跨行业调配外国工人的建议。这是一个复杂的问题——我们需要权衡潜在效率与规避工作准证管控风险之间的平衡。话虽如此，我们正在与行业伙伴共同研究此事，准备好后会公布最新进展。
对于其他建议，我们将采纳以完善工作准证框架。
首先，我们将取消工作准证持有者的最长雇佣期限限制。此前，雇佣期限被限制在14至26年，导致企业不得不放弃仍处于黄金工作年龄的经验丰富员工。我们还将把工作准证持有者的最高雇佣年龄提高至与本地退休年龄（目前为63岁）一致。通过这些调整，雇主可以留住仍能贡献的经验丰富员工。
Jayakumar先生在KTC土木工程与建筑公司工作了25年，最初担任助理工头，后晋升为工头。凭借丰富经验，Jayakumar先生指导和培训新员工，帮助建立强烈的安全文化，推广最佳实践。
KTC欢迎取消最长雇佣期限限制，这使得像Jayakumar先生这样的经验丰富员工能够继续为公司的生产力和项目交付做出贡献。
其次，我们将根据行业需求，将非传统来源国名单扩大至老挝、柬埔寨和不丹。这将帮助企业构建更具技能和韧性的劳动力队伍。
第三，我们将扩大非传统来源职业名单（NTS-OL），使服务业和制造业企业能够在更多非PMET职业中雇佣来自非传统来源国的技术工人，相关调整将与行业伙伴和工会协商。除此之外，我们已纳入行动联盟推荐的几乎所有制造业操作工岗位，还将包括重型车辆司机和厨师。由于NTS-OL工人的最低工资为2000新元，这不会削弱提升本地员工的努力。
最后，我们认识到企业在转型过程中需要人力支持。战略经济优先领域人力配额计划（M-SEP）为贡献新加坡经济重点领域的企业提供过渡性工作准证和S准证配额。我们将扩大合资格项目范围，并为派遣本地员工参加海外历练或领导力项目的企业新增通道，同时将支持期限从两年延长至三年。
这些调整将助力我们迈向更高质量的工作准证劳动力。同时，我们也认识到某些关键岗位难以实现自动化或招募本地员工。我们一直提供有针对性的灵活措施，例如保洁服务。
内政部第二部长Josephine Teo分享了内政部如何在保持强大本地核心的同时，谨慎增加紧急医疗服务和辅助警察的外国招聘。
Hazel Poa女士建议将更多外国劳动力配额分配给实行包容性就业的企业。Mark Lee先生和Zhulkarnian Abdul Rahim先生此前也在议会提出类似建议。我们将认真研究该提议，考虑其与外劳政策促进企业转型和鼓励本地雇佣的核心目标之间可能存在的权衡。
我们正积极审视工作准证框架以推动转型，同时根据劳动力变化灵活调整以支持不同需求。相关更新将适时公布。
接下来谈谈赋能我们的工人。新加坡人拥有世界一流的教育和职业道德。随着经济转型，我们有良好条件抓住新机遇。然而，仅靠正规教育是不够的。经济合作与发展组织（OECD）成人技能调查发现，新加坡人的识字能力在30多岁时就开始下降。我们必须加大力度推动终身学习。
在“前进新加坡”对话中，新加坡人表示期待新机会，但不确定如何实现。职业健康新加坡（Career Health SG）是我们赋能新加坡人在经济变革中发展有意义且有韧性职业的承诺。
例如，正如我在贸易与工业部部长职务演讲中提到的，随着向绿色经济转型，我们通过“可持续发展专业人士能力提升计划”（CCP for Sustainability Professionals）和“未来能源与化工行业能力提升计划”（CCP for Future Energy and Chemical sector）积极为工人提供再培训，帮助他们胜任新兴或重新设计的绿色岗位。
雇主在支持员工方面也发挥重要作用。新加坡工商联合会（SBF）调查显示，60%的大型企业和不到一半的中小企业为员工提供培训。我们理解这一点。我曾经经营过企业，生意好时没时间培训，生意差时没钱培训。
雇主可能也不确定如何引导员工的职业发展。因此，我们投资了一整套综合举措，支持新加坡人的职业健康。人力部高级国务部长Koh Poh Koon将详细介绍人力部如何赋能新加坡人构建职业健康，并加强对雇主的支持。
Patrick Tay先生和Leong Mun Wai先生询问了新加坡的就业不足问题。Leong先生多次强调，就业不足是一个严重问题，新加坡人越来越难找到符合其技能和志向的工作。
我想与大家分享——我理解新加坡人今天在快速变化的世界中感受到的焦虑和担忧。正如Patrick Tay先生所说，经济转型加速，可能导致雇主需求与员工志向之间出现错配。
Leong先生所说的就业不足主要指技能相关的就业不足，即个人认为其工作未充分发挥其技能。然而，目前尚无国际公认的测量方法。我之前提到，我们正与国际劳工组织（ILO）合作开发相关测量标准，但这一国际合作过程需要时间。我们目前能够客观测量的是时间相关的就业不足，即他提到的小时数指标。这是定义明确且国际认可的指标，指的是兼职且愿意且能够从事额外工作的人员。
与大家分享，也供Leong先生参考，新加坡居民的时间相关就业不足率较低且稳定，过去十年平均为3.1%，2024年更降至2.3%的低点。
这一比例低于许多其他发达经济体，如英国和芬兰。
部分工人因个人原因选择从事与其资质不符的工作，如出于兴趣、生活方式目标或照顾家庭的需要。我们尊重这些选择，希望自愿就业不足者能有多样化的工作选择，满足其需求和志向。
最常见的例子，也是Leong先生用以证明就业不足的例子，是前PMET人员——他举例一位银行高级副总裁现为私人租车司机。但我们应谨慎对待个别案例并避免过度推断。新加坡仅有1.1%的居民劳动力（约28000人）主要从事私人租车司机工作。人力部调查显示，63%的司机是“基于偏好”从事该工作，他们表示喜欢该工作的灵活性和自由，而非因找不到固定工作。
类似地，Grab的调查显示，超过70%的司机选择该工作是因为“时间灵活”。
那么自雇人士（SEP）呢？人力部最新调查显示，94.1%的自雇人士以自营工作为主要生计，例如财务顾问、保险代理、房地产经纪、出租车司机、私人租车司机等，他们偏好这种工作安排。其中包括愿意从事通常不要求学位工作的学位持有者，因为他们觉得当前工作有意义、符合需求，或提供所需的灵活性。
关于Leong先生提及的其他指标，情况也不像他描述的那样严峻。与其他发达经济体相比，我们居民的中位收入和劳动参与率均居高不下，失业率则较低。
过去十年，居民各收入百分位的收入均有所增长。居民收入位居世界前列，不同于许多发达国家工资停滞或下降的情况。我们的毕业生起薪中位数高于英国和澳大利亚等国，即使调整购买力平价后亦是如此。
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过去十年，更多本地人获得PMET职位，居民劳动力中PMET职位比例从54%升至64%。这与同期居民劳动力中拥有高等教育学历者比例从51%升至略超60%相符。
如果就业不足普遍存在，PMET比例应远低于高等教育学历者比例。
放弃找工作的“失望劳工”比例也从2023年的0.4%降至2024年的0.3%。其中大多数为老年人，我们正帮助他们提升技能以获得新工作机会。
我理解——我花很多时间讲数据，但数据可能无法安抚那些感到焦虑或经历生活困难、难以找到合适岗位、难以找到生活意义和匹配期望岗位的新加坡人。
让我向每位新加坡同胞保证，处于职业旅程这一阶段的你们并不孤单。让我们帮助你们。我们有丰富的项目帮助你们紧跟就业市场，保持就业，增强信心，抓住良好工作机会。这就是职业健康新加坡的精神。
我们有一整套可用的帮助计划。我列了一个词汇表帮助自己记忆，至少有34项。我乐意在辩论结束时分享，希望所有新加坡同胞充分利用这些项目，拓宽职业视野。
同时，我们致力于确保公平竞争环境。我们将继续推动公平就业实践，并对歧视性招聘采取坚决行动。这也是我们一个半月前通过《职场公平立法法案》的原因。
对于遭遇挫折者，我们支持你们。
自今年4月起，技能未来求职者支持计划为非自愿失业者提供临时经济援助，帮助他们寻找工作。正如我所说，这只是过渡性支持计划，叠加于你们已有的社会援助计划之上。人力部高级国务部长Koh Poh Koon将介绍符合条件者如何获得该计划的补助。
对于有志成为企业领导者的新加坡人，海外历练至关重要。通过“前进新加坡”行动，商业领导力发展行动联盟（AfA-BLD）和商业竞争力行动联盟不断强调新加坡企业领导者需具备全球视野和经验。正如“前进新加坡”报告所述，我们将加大力度帮助新加坡人在各自领域脱颖而出。
Sharael Taha先生和Edward Chia先生会高兴得知，我们将在三方面加倍努力培养下一代新加坡全球领导者。
首先，正如总理在预算演讲中宣布的，我们将扩大新加坡专业人士的职业发展机会。目前，我们支持企业通过海外派遣和领导力里程碑项目培养新加坡人才。这些项目由企业新加坡、金融管理局（MAS）和资讯通信媒体发展局等机构提供，涵盖多个行业，支持早期职业人士和中层领导。
我们将把这些项目的年度总容量从400人增加到700多人。这将使我们能够培养本土领导者，如标准 Chartered银行新加坡、东盟及南亚财富与零售银行业务主管Andrew Chia。在现任职务之前，MAS支持他作为国际派遣计划（iPOST）的一部分，赴雅加达担任标准 Chartered银行印度尼西亚首席执行官。这段宝贵经历为他目前负责新加坡及其他八个区域市场的业务奠定了基础。
其次，我们将加强对新加坡人及其家庭的海外过渡支持。我们知道，海外迁移及回国对家庭尤其在住房和子女教育方面存在困难。我们将帮助缓解过渡期。拥有组屋的业主在最低居住期内因海外派遣可向建屋发展局（HDB）申请灵活安排，如延期最低居住期，前提是有明确合理的回国时间表。
教育部（MOE）有措施支持家庭的教育需求和偏好。通过“保证学校安置计划”，MOE确保回国新加坡儿童在家附近有空缺的中小学获得入学保障。寻求基于成绩和选择的中学入学者也可参加回国新加坡学生的学校安置活动。
新加坡领导者网络（SGLN）是2022年成立的领导力社区，旨在为新加坡人准备区域及全球领导角色，提供从头到尾的支持，连接参与者与当地社区，并通过相关机构提供住房和教育指导。
第三，我们将强化领导力社区生态系统。这对建立专业网络和获取职业资源至关重要。正如副总理Gan Kim Yong所述，我们将加强SGLN的海外过渡支持，扩大网络活动、导师机会及面向中高层新加坡管理者的旗舰SGLN奖学金项目。我们将尽快公布更多细节，强烈鼓励所有有志成为新加坡领导者者加入该网络。
我们还将促进SGLN与行业社区之间的跨部门网络交流，如新加坡金融领导者网络和新加坡数字领导力加速器。
随着我们的人口老龄化，我们需要非常前瞻性地延长老年人的生产力寿命并加强退休保障。因此，我们将帮助我们的老年工人尽可能长时间保持生产力。今年，我们将启动一项由三方领导的努力，与公民和企业共同开发支持成熟工人多阶段职业发展的方案。
正如总理在预算演讲中宣布的那样，我们将延长高级就业补贴，以继续支持雇主雇用老年工人。我们将帮助老年人积累退休储蓄，迈出下一步，于2026年提高老年工人的公积金缴费率。同时，我们也将延长雇主的公积金过渡补贴。
林淑仪女士建议修改公积金制度，包括增加会员在55岁时可提取的金额。我想她知道这将减少会员未来可能最需要时的每月养老金。现行的提款规则在满足会员即时需求和确保终身充足退休收入之间取得了平衡。
房产所有者可以灵活地将其全额退休金储蓄以物业和现金形式分配，以提取超过基本退休金储蓄的退休账户资金。1958年及以后出生的会员，在65岁时也可以提取最多20%的退休账户储蓄。
对于林淑仪女士提出的另一项建议，即要求配偶同意公积金提名，我之前已说明，我们目前的做法与遗嘱处理方式一致。个人资产的分配是个人决定。要求配偶同意意味着会员将不再自由选择其公积金储蓄在去世后由谁继承。我们将继续审视公积金政策以确保其相关性。
过去两年，我们在加强新加坡人退休保障方面取得了良好进展。我们一直在提高公积金月薪上限以跟上薪资增长。我之前提到，这一上限将从2026年1月1日起由7,400美元提高至8,000美元。
我们还推出了“前进计划”，2024年12月有160万新加坡人获得了医疗储蓄奖金，约80万人获得了退休储蓄奖金。从今年起，符合条件的在职老年人将持续获得年度“赚取与储蓄奖金”，只要他们继续工作。
这就是政府如何增强新加坡人的退休保障，同时我们也在研究如刘士豪先生提到的终身退休投资计划等举措。高级国务部长许宝琨将分享更多帮助老年人积累退休储蓄并保持劳动力参与的举措。
营造公平包容的工作场所同样重要，使所有工人都能分享增长成果。我们将继续提升低薪工人的待遇。为帮助他们提升技能以获得更好工作，我们将加强工作奖励技能支持。我们还将加强渐进式工资补贴计划（PWCS），支持雇主提高工资。高级国务部长扎基·穆罕默德将分享更多。
我们希望营造包容性工作场所，使每个人都能贡献力量，即使采用不同的工作安排。我们将加强职业转换培训计划（CCPs），帮助中年新聘员工和弹性工作岗位员工提升技能。
对于残疾人士，我们支持企业提供合理便利，包括雇用残疾人士的雇主支持计划和正在制定的三方咨询。我们还将帮助他们积累足够的退休储蓄。
在预算演讲中，总理宣布扩大匹配退休储蓄计划，纳入符合特定条件的残疾新加坡人，无论年龄大小。我们也将继续支持前罪犯的就业。国务部长颜晓芳将分享更多。
我们已将工作场所安全与健康水平提升至发达国家水平，但必须保持警惕。这是一项持续进行的工作。高级国务部长扎基将分享更多。
随着经济转型加速，我们听到关于工人保护的关切。我们将与三方伙伴共同审查《雇佣法》，确保在保护工人权益与保持企业灵活性之间取得恰当平衡。
感谢郑国辉先生和黄文辉先生对《雇佣法》的建议，我们将在审查中考虑，并预计今年晚些时候分享更多。
施淑仪女士询问公司并购时对员工的支持。这些公司必须根据客观且一致的标准，公平地规划裁员和合同终止，遵循《管理过剩人力和负责任裁员三方咨询》。为指导雇主提升能力，我们通过人力资源专业人员学院和新加坡雇主联合会建立了支持生态系统。
李显龙先生建议加强职业转换培训计划，帮助并购后重新部署的员工。正如我在贸易与工业部部长工作报告中所说，职业转换培训计划已为此类员工，尤其是可能在业务转型如并购中需要更多帮助的成熟工人，提供了实质支持。尽管如此，我们将进一步研究。
感谢施女士关于人工智能公平使用的观点。如今，所有雇主必须遵守《三方公平就业实践指引》，无论是否在雇佣决策中使用人工智能。三方公平与进步就业实践联盟（TAFEP）尚未接获涉及人工智能歧视的投诉。
主席先生，我将用中文说几句话。
（中文）：[请参阅方言发言。] 孔子说：“三十而立，四十不惑，五十知天命。”同样，劳工部将帮助新加坡人在人生各阶段实现职业理想。
对于刚入职场或想转行的人，我们将帮助你们发掘职业潜力。例如，我们已加强职业转换培训计划，帮助更多工人，包括弹性工作岗位员工，提升技能。如果你是希望职业更上一层楼的专业人士，我们将帮助你获得海外工作经验并拓展专业网络。
对于我们的老年工人，请放心：我们将支持你们继续就业，并帮助满足基本退休需求。
为支持雇主雇用老年工人，我们已延长高级就业补贴。明年，我们将迈出下一步，提高老年工人的公积金缴费率，并延长公积金过渡补贴。
我们还通过“前进计划”、“银发支持计划”和匹配退休储蓄计划，帮助新加坡人积累退休储蓄，为他们的黄金岁月提供更大保障。
劳工部也关心低薪工人。我们加强了工作奖励技能支持，帮助你们提升技能。为支持雇主提高你们的工资，我们也加强了渐进式工资补贴计划。我们将建设安全、包容的工作场所，确保本地与外籍工人之间的公平竞争。
对于企业，我们将支持你们的转型和人才发展，助你们持续繁荣。
这是劳工部对新加坡人的承诺。政府将与员工和雇主携手共建更美好的明天。
晚上7点30分
（英文）：总结，主席先生，今天，支撑和平与繁荣的全球秩序在数周内被颠覆。供应链正在转移，技术迅速发展，充满不确定性。
但新加坡人有勇气和动力驾驭这场动荡，寻找新机遇。我们虽小，却灵活。我们从未被局限定义，而是被我们如何应对局限以及持续应对的方式定义。通过新冠疫情，我们见证了企业和工人的适应力和韧性，尽管经历了一次又一次的危机。
在当今世界，单一工作或“饭碗”的概念可能不再适用，因为变化不仅是常态，而且在加速，新的挑战和扰动将不断出现。但我们可以锻造更强的品质，那就是韧性、适应力和迎接未来挑战的勇气。关上一扇门，我们将开辟新路。配方变了，我们能掌握新菜谱。
我们将与每位新加坡人同行，帮助你们度过变革。只要你愿意，我们将助你实现最大潜能。
虽然未来充满不确定，但有一点确定无疑：政府永远不会让你失望。政府、工人和企业携手并进，团结一致——我们将为新加坡和新加坡人创造更光明的未来。[掌声]
主席：我们将在最后进行澄清。下一位议员未到。姚婉玲女士。
加强渐进式工资补贴计划
姚婉玲（巴西立-榜鹅）: 零售和餐饮服务业的渐进式工资模型分别于2022年9月和2023年3月推出，积极影响了7.5万名低薪工人，工资增长介于8.5%至19%，并提供明确的职业路径。两组三方工作组今年将再次召开会议，确定下一阶段的工资阶梯。
雇主支持提升低薪工人的生活水平，但许多企业正面临经营压力。2024年，新加坡有超过3,000家餐饮企业关闭，为2005年以来最高。贸易战阴云、全球经济不确定性、原材料成本上涨、电商竞争以及柔佛-新加坡特别经济区的发展，促使零售和餐饮企业重新思考策略。
鉴于企业提出的关切，劳工部能否进一步加强渐进式工资补贴计划，支持企业在2026年后继续提高工资？劳工部是否考虑对获得渐进式工资标志的企业给予额外工资支持？
企业主也反映需要进一步简化向劳工部和公积金局的工资模型报告流程。一家公司报告政府合规成本增加了30%，另一家公司则表示实施工资模型后人力资源人员数量增加了四倍。
鉴于工资模型自2012年实施，劳工部如何优化报告流程，减轻企业行政负担，同时保持问责？
工作奖励技能支持扩展
玛丽亚姆·贾法尔（森巴旺）: 主席先生，2025年预算增强了工作奖励技能支持计划，为低薪工人提供更多实质性的再培训和技能提升机会，并引入培训津贴，类似于40岁以上的升级计划，现扩展至30岁以上。
这是重要举措——认识到30岁以上的工人也处于职业关键阶段，常常需要平衡工作、家庭和个人理想。许多低收入工人较早育有子女。这将助力那些渴望掌控职业生涯的人，降低他们面临的经济障碍。
职业成长和技能发展不应受年龄限制。我们希望所有新加坡人，无论职业阶段如何，都能具备成功所需的能力。越早加入这趟列车越好。事实上，一些30岁以下的低薪工人已离校并进入职场一段时间，也将受益于更多培训机会。
政府将如何教育和鼓励30岁以上的低薪工人参加更长课程，以实现更深层次的技能提升和更好就业？政府是否考虑进一步扩大工作奖励技能支持的覆盖范围，比如扩展至25岁以上？
主席：杨美林先生，请合并两项发言。
渐进式工资模型
杨益才（拉丁马士）: 主席先生，距三方低薪工人工作组建议实施已近两年。这些努力取得了哪些进展？劳工部用什么基准衡量成功？
令人欣慰的是，政府已率先将渐进式工资标志作为政府招标的合同义务。除受强制许可和外劳要求约束的公司外，有多少低薪工人因渐进式工资标志而受益？我们还能做些什么鼓励更多公司采用渐进式工资标志？
渐进式工资模型提升了工资，更重要的是推动了相关行业的长期转变。我敦促劳工部将渐进式工资模型扩展至害虫管理行业，该行业为必需服务，许多基层工人工资低于本地工人第20百分位。实施渐进式工资模型将有助于减少人员流失，并希望将该行业转变为新加坡人可持续发展的职业。
工作场所安全与健康
主席先生，2023年及2024年上半年，我们的年化致命伤害率稳定在每10万名工人1.0。我当时警告必须继续努力，尽可能降低工作场所事故。
遗憾的是，建筑行业似乎出现了自满情绪。去年12月，劳工部注意到2024年下半年建筑工地死亡人数激增。令人担忧的是，许多事故因缺乏基本安全措施或未遵守既定安全规定而发生。
工作场所致命事故激增令人深感忧虑，因为每失去一条生命都是过多。
劳工部能否更新迄今实施的安全责任、重点和赋权（SAFE）措施？这些措施如何提升了工作场所安全与健康的责任感？预计这些SAFE措施将如何改善建筑行业的安全？
劳工部有何计划持续推动三方在全面工作场所安全与健康（WSH）上的集体努力，包括职业病预防？确保工作场所安全与健康是一项永无止境的任务。劳工部如何计划在每家公司培育更强的安全文化，而不仅仅依赖执法？
创意自由职业者的工作安全
施金丽女士：自由职业者是创造和交付成品价值链的一部分。自由职业者与服务买方之间的议价能力不平衡，导致自由职业者在定价时受市场现实制约，往往根据市场愿意支付的价格定价，而未考虑保障其工作健康与安全的成本。
在创意行业中，服务买方如创意制作公司是供应商和承包商，受限于委托公司和政府机构施加的紧迫时间表和预算限制。由于预算有限，创意制作公司可能对采取保障自由职业者健康与安全的措施缺乏积极性，包括对拍摄现场总工时的限制以及对高风险活动如专业吊装、烟雾效果、特技和武器使用的风险缓解。
部长能否分享《媒体自由职业者服务采购三方标准》是否促进了创意行业工作场所安全的共同责任文化？劳工部有何计划确保创意行业的自由职业者和服务买方熟悉与其工作相关的健康与安全要求？劳工部是否考虑制定创意和媒体行业的合理工作时间等安全保障措施？
中小企业心理健康资源
翁瑞秋女士：主席，倦怠在新加坡日益严重，近期研究显示61%的工人经历过倦怠，73%每周感到压力。
中小企业面临更大挑战，往往缺乏支持员工心理健康的资源。大型企业能提供心理健康支持和举措，而中小企业缺乏专门基础设施，令工人非常脆弱。
我感谢政府推出了如全面工作场所安全与健康计划，提供免费咨询，以及卫生促进局的综合工作场所心理健康解决方案，为工作场所配备健康工具。
然而，倦怠普遍存在，尤其在中小企业中，需要更有针对性的支持。政府将如何加强对缺乏能力有效管理这些挑战的中小企业的心理健康资源？
集体工作场所安全/健康表现
姚婉玲女士：联合国定义新加坡将在2026年成为超级老龄化社会。作为老龄社会，工作场所必须更加包容和适应更年长员工的身体需求，从提供更多符合人体工学的支持到更关注长期职业病。
此外，应更多关注和讨论生命周期变化，如杜克-国大医学院所称的超级老龄化新加坡即将到来的“更年期浪潮”。一些进步企业已制定更年期政策，涵盖围绝经期和更年期员工的身心健康，但这些努力仍不均衡。
心理健康也是一个日益重要的职场安全与健康绩效指标，新加坡约有七分之一的人一生中经历过心理障碍。研究还表明，工作压力是导致心理健康不佳的相关因素之一。一些工作场所设有心理健康推广员，但在提升这些推广员的培训和专业能力方面仍有更多工作可做。
鉴于职场的安全、健康和福祉绩效需不断发展以支持劳动力的变化，劳工部将如何继续支持雇主，尤其是资源较少的中小企业，共同努力在新加坡企业界建立强大的安全与福祉文化？
支持成熟求职者
谢耀权议员（裕廊）：主席，根据我们的三方裁员指引，当雇主终止雇佣合同时且“短期内无计划填补该职位”，则推定雇主已裁员。
然而，实际上可能存在雇主以规避裁员监管的方式终止员工的情况。员工可能被迫辞职，或以表现不佳为由被解雇，即使雇主实际上计划裁撤该职位且短期内无意填补空缺。
因此，受影响的员工实际上感到自己被裁员。如果他们向劳资调解局提起申诉，可能会获得有利判决，但由于各种原因，受影响员工可能未选择这样做，实际上放弃了他们应得的裁员福利。我称之为“隐形裁员”。
我们知道，四五十岁的成熟员工通常更容易受到裁员影响。我猜测他们也更容易受到我刚才描述的隐形裁员的影响。
裁员对成熟员工的影响深远，不仅情感上受到打击，经济上也尤为严重，尤其是当他们肩负着抚养子女和赡养老人的双重责任时。隐形裁员更是雪上加霜，使员工感到不公、背叛，并默默承受痛苦。
晚上7点45分
劳工部有何计划加强对成熟员工的就业匹配支持，帮助他们从挫折中恢复？特别是对于那些被告知“自愿辞职”，但实际上是被裁员而非自愿失业的员工，他们是否仍能获得求职者支持计划及最高6个月、最高6,000新元的临时经济援助，而该计划要求求职者必须是非自愿失业？
延长资深员工的生产力寿命
叶汉荣议员：主席，我一直倡导延长资深员工的生产力寿命——不仅是应对人口结构变化，更因为他们的经验、韧性和技能极具价值。
然而，在我们老龄化社会中，我们是否真正利用了这份潜力？2022年，65岁及以上居民的就业率为31%，但近69%月收入低于2,500新元。老年抚养比从2014年的6降至2024年的3.5。我们是否未充分利用这支仍有贡献能力的劳动力？
如果我们换个角度看呢？2022年，65至69岁老年人的就业率达到47.5%。更多老年人希望工作，但我们是否为他们提供了合适的机会？
对资深员工来说：终身学习不仅是流行词，而是职业转型的关键。我们如何更好地将技能匹配到新岗位，包括零工经济中的岗位？我推动了符合老年人兴趣和经验的定制课程。我们是否做得足够，确保公平工资反映他们的生产力？
对雇主来说：适龄友好型工作场所不仅是锦上添花，而是必需。超过5,000家公司承诺提高退休和再就业年龄。但他们是否在重新设计岗位，使工作更灵活？岗位共享和混合工作安排是常态还是例外？
对政府和三方伙伴来说：2023年，资深就业津贴惠及40万资深员工和9万雇主。但为何止步于此？我们能否主动与企业合作，创造更多机会？是时候重新思考劳动力老龄化问题了。我们能否建设一个无论年龄大小，每个人都能有意义贡献的社会？
延长资深员工的就业能力
沙拉尔·塔哈议员：主席，随着预期寿命延长和新加坡人健康状况改善，退休规划和退休保障变得更加重要。资深员工可能希望继续工作，但工作时间更短、工作量更轻或安排更灵活。然而，资深员工的就业需要所有利益相关者的观念转变。
我们的资深就业政策，如资深就业津贴、岗位重新设计和灵活工作安排，是否对资深员工就业产生了影响？我们是否开始看到资深员工获得更好、利用其优势和经验的重新设计岗位？岗位重新设计是否为资深员工提供了更多且足够的机会？
在确保劳动力为更长的退休保障做好准备的同时，员工也必须为延长的职业寿命做规划，承担起职业和技能提升的责任，尤其是在职业健康检查和退休规划中。我们如何帮助员工规划技能提升，以增强就业能力并延长职业寿命？
分时就业
李显龙议员：主席，劳动力转型为企业解决人力挑战并利用多元化技能劳动力提供了宝贵机会。延长资深就业津贴和支持就业津贴是受欢迎的举措，使企业能够利用如资深员工和残疾人士等未充分利用的劳动力。
为延续这一势头，劳工部是否考虑支持岗位分时化，让资深员工和残疾人士通过符合其需求的灵活工作安排有意义地贡献？此外，劳工部能否探索三方标准以规范分时就业，为接受培训的兼职员工提供资金支持，并与行业协会和商会合作创建官方平台，促进和管理分时劳动力？这些措施不仅能扩大新加坡劳动力容量，还能为企业提供更灵活和可持续的人力解决方案。
促进包容性增长
沙拉尔·塔哈议员：主席，尽管新加坡保持低失业率并提供许多职业机会，但资深人士、残障人士和有照顾责任者仍面临获得有意义就业的重大挑战。我们在扩大这些群体的就业机会方面取得进展了吗？这是否足够？
以SG Enables为例，尽管其连接残障人士与就业的努力值得称赞，但该群体的就业率仍然相对较低。同样，资深就业津贴激励企业雇佣年长员工，但如果你问任何正在找工作的资深人士，他们仍会说招聘中存在年龄偏见。灵活工作安排，无论是弹性工作量、弹性工作时间还是弹性工作地点，虽被推广，但采用情况仍不一致。
我们如何超越计划和激励，真正转变职场文化，推动包容性招聘实践？我们是否应考虑更强有力的监管措施？还能做些什么，确保就业包容性不仅是政策目标，而是所有新加坡人的现实？
英文原文
SPRS Hansard 原始记录 · 抓取日期：2026-05-02
[(proc text) Debate resumed. (proc text)]
6.36 pm
The Minister for Manpower (Dr Tan See Leng) : Mr Chairman, I thank the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Members of Parliament and Members who have spoken for our workers as well as our employers. It has been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, we managed to recover fairly quickly.
During COVID-19, resident unemployment peaked at 4.8%. MOM's priority then was to protect livelihoods. Through the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, we assisted more than 200,000 jobseekers. Now, resident unemployment is at 2.8%, amongst the lowest compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Against the backdrop of wars and supply chain disruptions, most countries, including Singapore, battled global inflation in recent years. For many Singaporeans, the pressures of rising cost of living were a real concern. We managed to cushion this through targeted support for households and income growth that kept pace with, and even exceeded inflation.
Over the last five years, the median real monthly income of residents grew by 3.6%. For lower-wage workers, this was even higher at 5.9%. This means while prices have risen, our wages have increased more. We have done better than other advanced economies, such as the United Kingdom (UK), US and Japan, where real wages have stagnated or declined.
Beyond recovering, we helped workers and businesses to emerge stronger.
First, we supported Singaporeans across career stages.
For working professionals in their 20s to 40s, we helped advance their careers. Our Career Conversion Programmes helped 37,000 workers reskill into growth jobs over the last five years. For mature workers in their 50s onwards, we helped them stay meaningfully employed. The Part-Time Re-employment Grant helped more than 6,500 employers offer work opportunities to 50,000 mature workers.
Second, we strengthened protection for vulnerable groups and helped Singaporeans save up for retirement.
For those who lost their jobs involuntarily, we introduced the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme to provide temporary financial support while they look for a job.
For lower-wage workers, we uplifted their wages. We expanded the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), we raised the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS), we enhanced the Workfare Income Supplement to boost their incomes and CPF savings. Up to nine in 10 full-time, lower-wage workers are now covered by PWM, LQS and the Progressive Wage (PW) Mark.
For platform workers, we strengthened their housing and retirement adequacy, their work injury compensation and representation. For persons with disabilities, we boosted their employment from 28% to 34% over the past five years.
We strengthened the retirement adequacy of all Singaporeans. We introduced the $9 billion Majulah Package in 2024 and we expect to spend over $800 million on the enhanced Silver Support Scheme this year for 290,000 seniors. About 740,000 Singaporeans will be eligible for the enhanced Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS). We want to assure all Singaporeans that they can meet their basic retirement needs so long as they work and contribute consistently to CPF. We will also uplift those who are unable to, or lack the runway to work and save through CPF.
Third, COVID-19 was a wake-up call for businesses to drive productivity and strengthen resilience. We refreshed, therefore, our work pass framework to enable this. We launched the Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass (ONE Pass) for global talent; and the COMPASS for Employment Pass (EP) holders. We remained disciplined in our reliance on Work Permit holders to spur industry transformation.
We supported businesses' transformation. Mr Sharael Taha asked how successful this has been.
Since 2019, we have launched 17 Jobs Transformation Maps. Around 10,000 companies received support to train and to hire workers, and to redesign jobs through schemes, like the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs). We also launched the HR Industry Transformation Plan in 2023 to drive our workforce transformation.
Finally, we built fairer, more inclusive and safer workplaces. We launched the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests and we built employer capabilities to better attract and retain talent in the workforce. This initiative could potentially unlock access to a sizeable group, with about 240,000 women and 130,000 seniors of working age, which is outside the labour force today.
We passed the Workplace Fairness Bill to combat workplace discrimination. We improved the well-being and safety of migrant workers. We introduced primary care plans, we raised operating standards in dormitories, we improved service offerings at Recreation Centres and we attained a record low workplace fatality rate of 0.99 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2023.
These achievements were only possible with the strong support of our tripartite partners, the NTUC and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).
But the work goes on. With significant geopolitical and economic uncertainties ahead, we have projected a more cautious pace of GDP growth in 2025, at about 1% to 3%. In the longer term, two forces will make growth even harder to sustain.
First, our demographic challenge. With our low fertility, our resident workforce is expected to stop growing by the next decade. Our population is also ageing. One in four Singaporeans are projected to be aged 65 and above by 2030.
Second, intensifying global competition. Southeast Asia will benefit from a demographic dividend and we need to keep up as the rest of Southeast Asia grows. Cities, like New York, London and Dubai, they are attracting top companies and talent in fields like biotechnology and AI.
Amidst these challenges, how can we continually grow the economic pie? How do we continue to create meaningful opportunities for Singaporeans?
First, we have to continue to remain open to the world to stay competitive and to support our society's needs. In 2014, there were six working-age residents supporting each elderly resident aged 65 and above. In 2024, last year, this fell to 3.5. Foreign workers blunt this decline. Including them, the old age support ratio in 2024 rises from 3.5 to 5.2.
But there are limits to growing through numbers. The only sustainable way forward is through productivity-driven growth.
We have made good progress on our productivity journey. Supported by the Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), labour productivity grew by around 2% per annum over the last decade. However, even so, Singapore's productivity remains at 40% to 70% of frontier economies.
There is an exciting opportunity, and that is for us to reshape our economy into one that is driven by productivity and innovation. The global order has also changed dramatically in a matter of weeks. Singapore can stand out as a beacon of stability and as a beacon of openness, drawing in global talent, drawing in global companies.
As Deputy Prime Minister Gan shared earlier on today in his Ministry of Trade and Industry COS speech, we will strengthen our connectivity to the world; we will help our local companies build new brands and new businesses; we will foster a pro-enterprise environment for growth in areas like advanced manufacturing, deep tech and the green economy.
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People – their passion, ingenuity, skills – these are at the heart of this journey. MOM will build a workforce that is adaptable, innovative and diverse, helping Singapore thrive in a turbulent world.
We have three priorities this year: (a) enabling businesses to transform; (b) empowering workers to build career health; and (c) fostering inclusive and safe workplaces.
First, we will enable businesses to transform. Businesses understand this need, but they face a high-cost environment. Part of the increase in manpower cost has been necessary to uplift our lower-wage workers, and this is a priority in our country's social compact. We will alleviate businesses' short-term pressures while we drive and continue to drive long-term transformation.
Second, we will empower workers to build their career health through different life stages even as our economy transforms.
And third, we will foster fair, inclusive and safe workplaces.
Let me start with how we are enabling businesses to transform. To stay competitive, companies need to transform their workforce in tandem with business improvements. We will set aside over $400 million for a new Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package. It will address the calls from Mr Yip Hon Weng, Mr Sharael Taha, Mr Edward Chia and Ms Jean See for more holistic and integrated support for enterprise workforce transformation, with three main features.
First, we will introduce a new SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant. This will bring together schemes administered by WSG and SSG, and simplify the application process. Companies can access a holistic suite of workforce development support via one application channel, for activities like job redesign, capability building and training. WSG will work with anchor programme partners to advise companies on suitable and sustainable solutions.
Second, we will enhance support for job redesign. Currently, WSG provides funding support of up to 50%, capped at $30,000, for companies to engage pre-approved consultants on job redesign. Under the Workforce Development Grant, we will increase this to 70%. We will also review and raise the cap of $30,000.
Some larger companies have begun identifying workers who may be impacted by AI and proactively reskilling them for new jobs. But other companies, especially SMEs, may need more support for job redesign to address disruptions like the impact of AI. We will expand the scope of coverage for job redesign expenses beyond consultancy services to include equipping line managers and HR with job redesign and change management skills in identifying workforce solutions and AI tools. We will share more details in due course.
Third, the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit will be redesigned in 2026 to better support workforce transformation. We received feedback that the reimbursement model could better address companies' cash flow issues and be clearer as to which schemes the credits could be used for. With the redesigned scheme, eligible companies will get a fresh $10,000 of credits. Like an online wallet, companies can use the credits to offset out-of-pocket expenses on relevant workforce transformation programmes.
The NTUC's Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant was enhanced in 2024 to support training tied to business transformation. The take-up has been encouraging. As of December 2024, the CTC Grant has supported more than 400 transformation projects, benefiting over 7,000 workers.
Take Ms Rachel Lee, a tax advisor at BDO Tax Advisory. Rachel used to spend many hours on manual tasks, like data collection and document preparation. Using the CTC Grant, BDO Tax Advisory introduced a centralised data platform with a smarter and faster workflow, automated data collection and validation. And this, therefore, allowed Rachel to focus on providing clients personalised support, improving business outcomes.
As announced by the Prime Minister in his Budget speech, we will set aside around $200 million to scale up the grant and to extend it to 2028.
How can educational institutions and employers collaborate to develop future-ready employees? Today, they can co-develop workforce training programmes customised to business needs. We will also expand the CTC Grant to fund employer-led training that provides workers formal certifications. The CTC Grant will provide enhanced support via course fee subsidies and absentee payroll.
We thank Mr Patrick Tay, Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Edward Chia for their suggestions to improve HR practices and standards. HR plays an important role in workforce transformation, not just to comply with employment legislation but also to uplift organisations' human capital. We will launch a Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development to raise HR standards and HR professionals' capabilities to contribute strategically to business and workforce outcomes.
Let me now turn to our foreign workforce. Businesses have cited, continually so, manpower constraints as a key challenge.
At the same time, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim shared that there is ground scepticism over the need for foreign talent. That scepticism is natural. When we see a foreigner, we think, "They are taking a job a Iocal could have had". But what is harder to see is that, without the access to foreigners, the company and its jobs may not even be in Singapore to begin with.
The hard truth is that Singapore has a small domestic market and we have no natural resources. As Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew once said, "If we do not attract, we do not welcome and we do not make talent feel comfortable in Singapore, we will not be a global city, and we will not count for much."
So, it is very easy to use simplistic arguments to insinuate that it is a zero-sum game, that if you remove one foreigner, you get one more job for a local. Mr Leong shared that he is for an open economy and open society, and asked for facts to support this, to quell anti-immigration sentiments. Let me share the facts.
I take note that he is trained in econometrics, he is a statistician. But please do not underestimate the power of the entire team of Government economists, scholars, Government statisticians who are monitoring this for many, many years and many, many decades, and have also understood the trends. They probably have a deeper depth of knowledge and understanding of the trends than probably you and I do.
So, over the last decade, the number of EP and S Pass holders grew by 38,000. The last 10 years. Resident PMETs grew by 382,000, 10 times more. One in three of the increase in resident PMETs came from non-PMETs upgrading to higher-skilled PMET roles, with residents in their 30s to 50s forming the majority. Members of the House, our upskilling programmes, our investments in our local non-PMETs to upgrade to PMETs have borne fruit.
In the Financial and Insurance Services, Professional Services and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sectors, EP and S Pass holders increased by 18,000. Resident PMETs increased by 172,000, again a 10-fold increase. As of 2024, there were three to six resident PMETs for every one EP or S Pass holder in these sectors. The same story holds, even if one compares only Singapore Citizens, or even local-born Singapore Citizens, to EP and S Pass holders.
Resident data largely mirrors citizen data, because Singapore Citizens have consistently made up about 84% of the resident workforce.
MOM has periodically released statistics and analyses on the employment outcomes of Singapore Citizens. Employment outcomes for Singapore Citizens have been favourable over the last decade. The labour force participation rate of Singapore Citizens has risen, making it one of the highest globally. This is ahead of cities in Japan, Finland and Germany. The unemployment rate of Singapore Citizens has remained stable and low over the decade and, internationally, Singapore has one of the lowest unemployment rates.
We should never develop a "Singaporean only" mentality, because this would deprive us of talent needed to anchor global businesses that benefit Singaporeans. Foreign-owned firms comprise less than one-quarter of companies in Singapore, but they employ about one-third of resident workers, and about 60% of residents in high-paying jobs. Our own local enterprises have benefited from servicing multinational corporations (MNCs) and gaining global exposure. Global companies and foreigners also pay taxes that help fund Government spending on education, healthcare and housing.
Our work pass framework is carefully managed to provide access to high-quality foreigners who support productive sectors and create good jobs for locals. Miss Rachel Ong and Mr Mohd Fahmi have asked for updates on this.
The ONE Pass has continued to attract global talent who create opportunities in Singapore, and about 3,000 ONE Passes were issued in 2024.
Beyond economic contributions, ONE Pass holders have contributed to the local community, mentoring local leaders and startups, volunteering with social organisations and collaborating with our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs).
Take Ms Savita Iyer, the chief financial officer for The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia. She has worked across the globe and volunteers as a mentor with the Singapore Leaders Network Fellowship Programme, which prepares Singaporeans for regional and global leadership roles. One of her mentees is Ms Sueann Yeo, Head of APAC Private Wealth Client Relation, EQT Group. Ms Yeo feels empowered to have a female mentor who is a leader in her field and to apply her mentor's experience to her own leadership journey.
At the EP level, we have finetuned our framework to ensure that EP holders complement our local workforce. The EP qualifying salary is benchmarked to the top one-third of the local PMET wages to ensure that EP holders are of high calibre.
The minimum qualifying salary was increased from $5,000 to $5,600 on 1 January 2025 and there will be no further changes this year. Assoc Prof Jamus Lim suggested levelling the salaries for local and foreign workers through a CPF escrow. I believe this is unnecessary, because when setting the qualifying salary, we already include CPF contributions in the local wage benchmarks. In salary terms, the playing field is actually quite fair. While the take-home pay of an EP holder may be higher because they do not contribute to CPF, this does not mean locals are paid less, because their CPF contributions go towards housing and retirement needs.
Mr Patrick Tay asked for an update on how our EP framework incentivises businesses to develop a strong local core. We implemented COMPASS about a year and a half ago. About 30% of the current EP stock has passed through COMPASS and early results suggest that we are moving in the right direction. Firms more dependent on foreigners of a single nationality or foreigners in general will have to diversify their workforce or they have to hire more locals to pass COMPASS.
Since COMPASS was introduced, the share of firms with higher dependence on foreigners of a single nationality has decreased by 7%, while the share of firms with higher dependence on foreigners generally has decreased by 15%. These firms also created 4,000 more PMET jobs for locals.
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At the S Pass level, we will continue to raise the quality of our workforce and safeguard employment opportunities for local associate professionals and technicians (APTs). We have benchmarked the minimum cost of hiring for S Pass holders to the top one-third of local APT wages. To ease the transition, we phased out the increase in the S Pass qualifying salary over three steps. We announced it in 2022, and phased it out over three steps, in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
In light of businesses' cost challenges, we have moderated the increase. The S Pass minimum qualifying salary will be raised from $3,150 to $3,300. For the Financial Services sector, it will be raised from $3,650 to $3,800. Per usual, the qualifying salaries will increase with age. These changes will apply to new S Pass applications from 1 September 2025, and renewal applications expiring from 1 September 2026. The S Pass levy rate will also be standardised at $650 for all S Pass holders from 1 September 2025. We will continue to review the S Pass qualifying salary against the benchmark, given prevailing economic conditions.
At the Work Permit level, numbers are at an all-time high, 17% above pre-COVID-19 levels. Sectors more reliant on Work Permit holders, such as Construction, Food Services and Accommodation, have experienced low or negative productivity growth over the last decade. You might have read – over 3,000 F&B outlets closed in 2024. But these closures were outpaced by almost 4,000 new openings, with a 4% increase in Work Permit holders.
As Mr Fahmi urged, businesses need to reduce reliance on Work Permit holders by raising productivity and redesigning jobs for locals. Recognising this, the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Business Competitiveness made helpful recommendations to enable businesses to hire higher-skilled workers – and go for quality over quantity.
Mr Mark Lee asked about the recommendation to allow cross-deployment of foreign workers across sectors. It is a complex issue – we need to balance the potential efficiencies against the risk of circumvention of our work pass controls. Having said that, we are studying this in consultation with industry partners and will update when ready.
On the other recommendations, we will adopt them to enhance our Work Permit framework.
First, we will remove the maximum period of employment restrictions for Work Permit holders. Previously, period of employment was capped at 14 to 26 years – causing firms to let go of experienced workers who could be at prime working age. We will also raise the maximum employment age of Work Permit Holders to align with the local retirement age, currently 63. With these changes, employers can retain experienced workers who are still able to contribute.
Mr Jayakumar has worked at KTC Civil Engineering and Construction for 25 years, joining as an Assistant Foreman before rising the ranks to Foreman. With his wealth of experience, Mr Jayakumar mentors and trains newer workers, helps instill a strong culture of safety, and promotes best practices.
KTC welcomes the removal of the maximum period of employment restrictions, which allows experienced workers like Mr Jayakumar to continue contributing to the company's productivity and delivery of projects.
Second, we will expand the list of Non-Traditional Sources to include Laos, Cambodia and Bhutan, considering industry demand. This will allow firms to build a more skilled and resilient workforce.
Third, we will expand the Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List (NTS-OL), to enable businesses in Services and Manufacturing to hire skilled workers from Non-Traditional Sources in more non-PMET occupations, in consultation with industry partners and unions. On top of that, we have included nearly all the manufacturing operator roles recommended by the AfA. We will also include heavy vehicle drivers and cooks. As NTS-OL workers must be paid at least $2,000, this will not undermine efforts to uplift locals in these occupations.
Finally, we recognise companies need manpower support for transformation. The Manpower for Strategic Economic Priorities (M-SEP) scheme provides transitionary Work Permit and S Pass quota to firms contributing to Singapore's economic priorities. We will expand the eligible programmes and add a new pathway for firms that send locals on overseas exposure or leadership programmes. We will also extend the support period from two to three years.
These changes will help us move towards a higher-quality Work Permit workforce. At the same time, we recognise there are essential roles that are difficult to automate and recruit locals for. We have been providing targeted flexibilities, such as for conservancy cleaning.
Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo shared how the Ministry of Home Affairs is carefully augmenting the recruitment pool with foreigners for emergency medical services and auxiliary police officers, even as they maintain a strong local core.
Ms Hazel Poa also suggested allocating more foreign workforce quota to firms with inclusive employment practices. Mr Mark Lee and Mr Zhulkarnian Abdul Rahim had made similar suggestions in Parliament previously. We will study this proposal carefully, given possible trade-offs with the key objectives of our foreign workforce levers to spur business transformation and encourage firms to hire locals.
We are actively reviewing our Work Permit framework to drive transformation, while nuancing it to support different needs as our workforce changes. Updates will be shared in due course.
Moving on to empowering our workers. Singaporeans have a world-class education and work ethic. As our economy transforms, we are well-poised to take advantage of new opportunities. However, formal education alone is not sufficient. The OECD's Survey of Adult Skills found that Singaporeans' literacy skills declined as early as in their mid-30s. We must do more to pursue lifelong learning.
In our Forward Singapore engagements, Singaporeans shared that they looked forward to new opportunities but were uncertain how to get there. Career Health SG is our commitment to empower Singaporeans to develop meaningful and resilient careers amidst economic changes.
For instance, as mentioned in my Ministry of Trade and Industry COS speech, as we transition to a green economy, we are actively reskilling workers to take on new or redesigned green jobs through programmes like the CCP for Sustainability Professionals and the CCP for Future Energy and Chemical sector.
Employers also have a big part to play in supporting their employees. An SBF survey showed 60% of large companies and less than half of SMEs provide their employees with training. We understand. I used to run a business before. When business is good, there is no time to train. When business is bad, there is no money to train.
Employers may also be unsure how to guide employees in their career journey. That is why we have invested in a holistic set of initiatives to support Singaporeans' career health. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will elaborate on MOM's efforts to empower Singaporeans to build career health and strengthen support for employers.
Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Leong Mun Wai asked about underemployment in Singapore. Mr Leong has asserted, not for the first time, that underemployment is a severe problem – that it is increasingly difficult for Singaporeans to find jobs matching their skills and aspirations.
I want to share with everyone – I understand the anxieties and I empathise with the apprehensions that Singaporeans today have, that they feel in a rapidly changing world. As Mr Patrick Tay mentioned, the faster pace of economic transformation, all of this accelerated change may lead to mismatches between employers' needs and workers' aspirations.
The underemployment that Mr Leong described earlier is referred to as skills-related underemployment, where individuals believe that their job does not fully utilise their skills. However, today, there is no internationally accepted way to measure this. I shared before – we are working with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop such measurements. But this international collaborative process will take time. What we have and what we can measure objectively is time-related underemployment, which he talked about – the one-hour time rate. This is well-defined and an internationally accepted measure. This means, persons working part-time but willing and able to engage in additional work.
Just to share with everyone, and for Mr Leong's consumption as well, Singapore's resident time-related underemployment rate is low and stable, averaging 3.1% over the past decade and it was at a low of 2.3% last year, in 2024.
This is lower than many other developed economies like the United Kingdom (UK) and Finland.
Some workers have personal reasons for taking on jobs that may not match their qualifications – reasons like passion, lifestyle goals or caregiving needs. We respect these choices and we want those who are underemployed voluntarily to have a range of jobs to choose from to suit their needs and their aspirations.
The most common example, which Mr Leong also cited as proof of underemployment, are former PMETs – his example of a senior vice president of a bank who is now a private hire driver. However, we should be very careful about using anecdotal examples and extrapolating this. Only 1.1% of our resident workforce, or about 28,000 residents, are working primarily as private-hire car drivers. We did a survey, an MOM survey, and it shows 63% do so on a "preferred basis" and they shared that they enjoyed the flexibility and freedom the job provides, not because they cannot find permanent work.
Similarly, a survey by Grab shows that more than 70% of their drivers have chosen to take up this work because of "flexibility of time".
What about self-employed persons (SEPs)? MOM's latest survey shows that 94.1% of SEPs who did own account work as a primary form of their livelihood, for example, financial advisors, insurance agents, real estate agents, taxi drivers, private-hire car drivers, preferred such work arrangements. Among them are degree holders who willingly take on jobs that typically do not require a degree because either they found the current work meaningful, because it suits their needs, or maybe it gives them the flexibility that they want.
On the other metrics that Mr Leong alluded to, the picture is also not the dire one that he has painted. Compared to other developed economies, our residents have one of the highest median incomes and labour force participation rates, and lowest unemployment rates.
Incomes of residents have risen across all percentiles in the last decade. Residents earn one of the highest wages in the world, unlike in many other developed countries where wages have either stagnated or declined. The median starting salaries of our graduates are higher than other countries like the UK and Australia, even after adjusting for purchasing power parity.
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More locals have secured PMET jobs in the last decade, with the proportion of our resident workforce in PMET jobs increasing from 54% to 64%. This corresponds to the share of tertiary-educated workers in the resident workforce, which increased from 51% to slightly over 60%, over the same period that we are comparing.
If underemployment was widespread, the PMET share would be much lower than the share of tertiary-educated workers.
The incidence of discouraged workers; that means workers who have given up searching for work, also declined from 0.4% in 2023 to 0.3% in 2024. Majority of these were seniors, whom we are now helping to upskill them for new job opportunities.
I understand – I spend a lot of time talking about the data, but the data may not reassure those who are feeling anxious or who may have lived experiences, difficulties going through their livelihood, struggling to find roles, struggling to find purpose and meaning in life, or to find roles that match their expectations.
Let me assure every fellow Singaporean, for those in this phase of your career journey, you are not alone. Let us help you. We have a wide range of programmes to help you stay up to date in the job market, for you to stay employed, for you to stay confident, for you to seize good job opportunities. That is the spirit behind our Career Health SG.
So, we have a whole list of help schemes that are available. I put up a glossary just to help me, to remind myself as I am going through this speech. There are at least 34 of them. I am happy to share them at the end of this debate and I hope that all of us, all of our fellow Singaporeans, will take full advantage of these programmes to broaden your career horizons.
At the same time, we are committed to ensuring a fair level playing field. We will continue to promote fair employment practices and we will take firm actions against discriminatory hiring. That is how we pass the Workplace Fairness Legislation Bill a month and a half ago.
For those facing setbacks, we have your back.
From April this year, the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme will provide temporary financial support for involuntarily unemployed persons while they look for a job. And like I said, this is just a transitional support scheme. It sits on top of whatever social assistance schemes that you are already on. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will share how eligible individuals can qualify for payouts under the scheme.
For Singaporeans aspiring to become corporate leaders, overseas exposure is crucial. Through the Forward SG exercise, the AfAs on Business Leadership Development (AfA-BLD) and on Business Competitiveness, businesses have highlighted constantly the need for Singaporean corporate leaders with global exposure and perspectives. As stated in the Forward SG report, we will do more to help Singaporeans stand out as leaders in their respective fields.
Mr Sharael Taha and Mr Edward Chia will be glad to learn that we will redouble our efforts to groom the next generation of Singapore Global Leaders on three fronts.
First, as announced by Prime Minister in his Budget speech, we will expand career development opportunities for Singaporean professionals. Today, we support companies to groom Singaporean talents through overseas postings and leadership milestone programmes. These programmes offered by agencies, such as Enterprise Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority, cover a range of sectors and support both early-career professionals and mid-career leaders.
We will double the collective capacity of these programmes from 400 participants a year to over 700. This will enable us to groom homegrown leaders, like Andrew Chia, the Head of Wealth and Retail Banking for Singapore, ASEAN and South Asia at Standard Chartered Bank. Prior to his current role, MAS supported his posting to Jakarta as CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Indonesia, as part of their International Postings Programme (iPOST). The invaluable experience prepared him for the current role overseeing the Singaporean franchise and eight other regional markets.
Second, we will enhance overseas transition support for Singaporeans and their families. We know that moving overseas and back can be difficult for families, especially on housing and children's education. We will help to ease the transition. Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat owners with overseas postings during their minimum occupation period can approach HDB to explore flexibilities, such as deferring the minimum occupation period, if they have a clear and reasonable timeline to return to Singapore.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has measures to support families' education needs and preferences. Through the Assured School Placement scheme, MOE ensures that children of returning Singaporeans are guaranteed a place in a primary or secondary school with vacancies near their home. Those seeking admission to a secondary school based on merit and choice can also take part in the School Placement Exercise for Returning Singaporeans.
The Singapore Leaders Network (SGLN), a leadership community established in 2022 to prepare Singaporeans for regional and global leadership roles, will provide end-to-end support for Singaporeans embarking on overseas stints. It will connect participants with in-market communities and provide guidance on housing and education matters through relevant agencies.
Third, we will strengthen the ecosystem of our leadership communities. These are crucial for building professional networks and accessing career resources. As Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong mentioned, we will enhance SGLN to provide overseas transition support. We will scale-up networking programmes, mentorship opportunities and the flagship SGLN Fellowship programme for middle to senior Singaporean managers. We will share more details soon and I really encourage all aspiring Singaporean leaders to join the network.
We will also foster cross-sector networking between SGLN and sectoral communities, like the Singapore Financial Leaders Network and the SG Digital Leadership Accelerator.
As our population ages, we need to really be very forward-leaning on extending the productive longevity of seniors and strengthening retirement adequacy. So, we will help our senior workers to remain productive for as long as they wish to. We will launch a tripartite-led effort this year to co-develop ideas with citizens and businesses on enabling multi-stage careers for mature workers.
As announced by the Prime Minister in his Budget speech, we will extend the Senior Employment Credit to continue supporting employers in hiring senior workers. We will help our seniors build up their retirement savings by taking the next step to raise senior worker CPF contribution rates in 2026. We will also, at the same time, extend the CPF Transition Offset for employers.
Ms Sylvia Lim suggested changes to the CPF system, including increasing the amount that members can withdraw at age 55. I think she knows that this will reduce members' future monthly payouts when they might need it most. The current withdrawal rules strike a balance between members' immediate needs and ensuring sufficient retirement income for life.
Property owners have the flexibility to set aside their Full Retirement Sum in property and cash to withdraw their retirement account savings above the Basic Retirement Sum. And members born from 1958 can also withdraw up to 20% of their retirement account savings when they turn 65.
To Ms Sylvia Lim's other suggestion to require spousal consent for CPF nominations, our current approach, I have said that before, is aligned with that for wills. The distribution of one's assets is a personal decision. Requiring spousal consent would mean members are no longer free to choose who would receive their CPF savings upon their demise. We will continue reviewing our CPF policies to ensure relevance.
We have made good progress in strengthening the retirement adequacy for Singaporeans through moves in the last two years. We have been raising the CPF monthly salary ceiling to keep pace with salaries. I have said earlier on, it will be raised further from $7,400 to $8,000 from 1 January 2026.
We have also put up the Majulah Package where 1.6 million Singaporeans received the MediSave bonus in December 2024 and about 800,000 also received the Retirement Savings Bonus. From this year, eligible working seniors will receive the annual Earn and Save Bonus for as long as they work.
And this is how the Government has enhanced Singaporeans' retirement adequacy, even as we study moves, such as the Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme, which Mr Louis Chua mentioned. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon will share more on our initiatives to help seniors build their retirement savings and stay engaged in the workforce.
It is also important that we foster fair and inclusive workplaces, so that all workers can share in the fruits of our growth. We will continue to uplift our lower-wage workers. To help them upskill for better jobs, we will enhance Workfare Skill Support. We will also enhance the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS) to support employers in wage increases. Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad will share more.
We want to foster inclusive workplaces where everyone can contribute, even with different work arrangements. We will enhance CCPs for the reskilling of mid-career new hires and employees on flexi-load jobs.
For persons with disabilities, we have supported firms in making reasonable accommodations, including the Employment Support for Employers to hire Persons with Disabilities scheme and ongoing work on a Tripartite Advisory. We will also help them to build an adequate nest egg.
In the Budget speech, the Prime Minister announced the expansion of the Match Retirement Savings Scheme to include Singaporeans with disabilities, regardless of age, so long as they meet certain criteria. And we will also continue to support the employment of ex-offenders. Minister of State Gan Siow Huang will share more.
We have improved our Workplace Safety and Health outcomes to be on par with developed countries, but we have to continue to stay vigilant. It is always a work in progress. Senior Minister of State Zaqy will share more.
As our economic transformation speeds up, we hear concerns on workers' protection. We will embark on a review of the Employment Act with our tripartite partners to ensure that we continue to strike the right balance between protection for workers, but preserving, at the same time, flexibility for businesses.
We thank Mr Patrick Tay, Mr Louis Ng for their suggestions on the Employment Act, which we will consider in our review and I think we will share more later this year.
Ms Jean See asked about support for employees when companies undergo M&As. These companies must plan retrenchments and contract cessations fairly, based on objective and consistent criteria, following the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment. And to guide employers to strengthen their capabilities, we have built up an ecosystem of support through the Institute for Human Resource Professionals and SNEF.
Mr Mark Lee suggested enhancing CCPs for employees redeployed after M&As. As I said in my Ministry of Trade and Industry COS speech, CCPs already offer substantial support for such workers, especially for mature workers, who may need more help during business transitions like mergers. Nonetheless, we will study this.
We also thank Ms See on her points on the fair use of AI. Today, all employers must comply with Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, regardless of whether AI is used in their employment decisions. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) has yet to encounter complaints of discrimination involving AI.
Mr Chairman, I will say a few words in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As Confucius said, "At 30, I stood on my feet. At 40, I was no longer lost. And at 50, I knew what destiny is in store for me." Similarly, MOM will help Singaporeans achieve their career aspirations at every stage of life.
For those new to the workforce or looking to switch careers, we will help unlock your career potential. For example, we have enhanced the CCPs to help more workers, including those in flexi-load jobs, upgrade their skills. If you are a working professional aiming to take your career to new heights, we will help you gain overseas work experience and expand your professional networks.
To our senior workers, please be assured: we will support your continued employment and help meet your basic retirement needs.
To support employers in hiring senior workers, we have extended the Senior Employment Credit. Next year, we will take the next step to raise CPF contribution rates for senior workers and extend the CPF Transition Offset.
We are also helping Singaporeans accumulate retirement savings through the Majulah Package, Silver Support Scheme and Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, for greater assurance in their golden years.
MOM also looks after low-wage workers. We enhanced Workfare Skills Support to support your upskilling. To support employers in raising your wages, we have also enhanced the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme. We will build a safe, inclusive workplaces and ensure fair competition between local and foreign workers.
For businesses, we will support your transformation and talent development efforts to help you continue to thrive.
This is a commitment by MOM to Singaporeans. The Government will work with employees and employers to build a better tomorrow.
7.30 pm
( In English ): In conclusion, Mr Chairman, today, the global order underpinning peace and prosperity has been upended in a matter of weeks. Supply chains are shifting. Technology is advancing rapidly. There is great uncertainty.
But Singaporeans have the mettle and drive to navigate this turbulence and find new opportunities. We may be small, but we are nimble. We have never been defined by our limits, but by how we have responded to them and how we continue to respond to them. Through COVID-19, we have seen the adaptability and resilience of our businesses and workers even as we weathered crisis after crisis.
In today’s world, the idea of a single job or rice bowl may no longer hold true, because change is not just constant, it is accelerating, and new challenges and disruptions will always emerge. But we can forge something stronger, and that is the resilience, adaptability and courage to take on whatever comes next. When one door closes, we will carve out a new path. If the ingredients change, we can master new recipes.
We will walk with every Singaporean to help you journey through that change. We will help you realise your fullest potential, so long as you are willing to do so.
While we may not be certain of what lies ahead of us, one thing is certain. The Government will never let you down. The Government, workers and businesses together, coming in unity, in unison – we will achieve a brighter future for Singapore and for Singaporeans. [ Applause. ]
The Chairman : We will take clarifications at the end. The next Member is not here. Ms Yeo Wan Ling.
Enhance Progressive Wage Credit Scheme
Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol) : The PWMs for retail and food services sectors were introduced in September 2022 and March 2023 respectively and has positively impacted 75,000 lower-wage workers, with wage increases of between 8.5% and 19% and clear career pathways. The two tripartite workgroups will convene again this year to determine wage ladders for the next phase.
Employers support uplifting the livelihoods of our lower-wage workers, but many are grappling with business pressures. In 2024, over 3,000 F&B businesses closed in Singapore, the highest number since 2005. Challenges such as a looming trade war, global economic uncertainty, rising cost of raw materials, e-commerce competition and the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone are making our retail and F&B businesses rethink their strategies.
Given the concerns raised by businesses, what can the Ministry do to further strengthen the PWCS to support firms in raising wages beyond 2026. Could the Ministry look into recognising enterprises who have attained the PW Mark with additional wage support?
Business owners have also shared the need to further streamline the PWM reporting process to the MOM and CPF. One company reported that Government compliance costs have gone up by 30% while another shared that they quadrupled their HR staff strength after PWM implementation.
Since the PWM has been in place since 2012, how can the Ministry refine reporting processes to reduce administrative burdens on businesses while maintaining accountability?
Workfare Skills Support Expansion
Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang) : Sir, Budget 2025 has made enhancements to the Workfare Skills Support scheme to provide lower-wage workers more access to more substantive reskilling and upskilling and training allowances modelled after the level-up programme for those over 40 to those over 30.
Sir, this is an important move – recognising that those over 30 are also at a critical stage in their careers, often balancing the demands of work, family and personal aspirations. Many lower-income workers also have children relatively earlier in their lives. This will provide a boost to those who are eager to take charge of their careers, lowering the financial hurdles they may face.
Career growth and skills developments should not be bound by age. We want all Singaporeans, no matter where they are in their careers, to be equipped to succeed. The sooner they get on board the train, the better. Indeed, some low-wage workers aged below 30 have also been out of school and in the job market for a while and would benefit from more training opportunities.
How will the Government educate and encourage lower-wage workers over 30 to take up the longer courses that lead to deeper upskilling and better employment? Will the Government consider expanding the Workfare Skills Support enhancements further, say to those over 25?
The Chairman : Mr Melvin Yong. Take your two cuts together.
Progressive Wage Model
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas) : Mr Chairman, it has been almost two years since the implementation of recommendations by the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers. What has been the progress of these efforts and what are the benchmarks that the MOM uses to measure success?
It is heartening that the Government has taken the lead in making the Progressive Wage Mark a contractual obligation for Government tenders. How many lower-wage workers have been uplifted through the PW Mark, beyond the companies that are subject to mandatory licensing and foreign worker requirements? What more can we do to encourage companies to adopt the PW Mark?
The PWM has uplifted wages and more importantly, catalysed longer-term shifts in the PWM sectors. I urge MOM to extend the PWM to the pest management sector, which is an essential service that has many rank and file workers earning wages below the 20th percentile of resident workers. Implementing PWM will help reduce attrition and hopefully, transform the industry into one that can provide a viable career for Singaporeans.
Workplace Safety and Health
Mr Chairman, when our annualised fatal injury rate held steady at 1.0 per 100,000 workers for 2023 and the first half of 2024, I then cautioned that we must continue to work hard to keep our workplace accidents as low as we can.
Unfortunately, complacency seems to have set in for the construction sector. In December last year, MOM noted a spike in construction workplace deaths in the second half of 2024. Worryingly, it was reported that many of these incidents were due to the lack of basic safety measures or non-compliance with established safety measures.
The spike in workplace fatalities is deeply concerning, because every life lost is one too many.
Can MOM provide an update on the Safety Accountability, Focus and Empowerment (SAFE) measures implemented thus far? How have these measures improved workplace safety and health ownership? How are these SAFE measures expected to improve safety in the construction sector?
What is the Ministry's plan to sustain the collective tripartite efforts on total workplace safety and health (WSH), including efforts on occupational disease prevention? Ensuring workplace safety and health is a never-ending endeavour. What is the Ministry's plan to foster a stronger workplace safety culture at every company, beyond just enforcement?
Work Safety for Creative Freelancers
Ms See Jinli Jean : Freelancers are part of the value chain to create and deliver a finished product. Oftentimes, the imbalance of bargaining power between freelancers and service buyers means that freelancers are held in check by market reality when pricing their fees. Thus, freelancers would tend to price their fees based on what the market is prepared to pay, without factoring in the cost of safeguarding their health and safety at work.
In the context of the creative industry, service buyers such as creative production houses are vendors and contractors that are held in check by the market reality of tight timelines and tighter budgets imposed by commissioning firms and Government agencies. Because of budget limitations, creative production houses could be apathetic towards putting in measures that safeguard the health and safety of freelancers, including guidance on a cap on the total hours of work on set and ensuring risk mitigation for higher-risk activities such as specialised rigging, smoke effects, stunts and the use of weapons.
Could the Minister share if the Tripartite Standard on Procurement of Services from Media Freelancers has promoted a culture of shared responsibility for workplace safety in the creative industry? What are the Ministry's plans to ensure that freelancers and service buyers in the creative industry are familiar with the health and safety requirements that are relevant to the work that they do, control, contract or commission? Would the Ministry consider outlining safe work safeguards, such as reasonable hours of work for the creative and media industry?
Mental Health Resources for SMEs
Miss Rachel Ong : Chairman, burnout is a growing concern in Singapore, with 61% of workers experiencing it and 73% feeling stress weekly, according to recent studies.
SMEs face even greater challenges, often lacking the resources to support employees' mental well-being. While larger firms can afford to provide mental health support and initiatives, SMEs struggle without dedicated infrastructure, leaving workers very vulnerable.
I am grateful that the Government has introduced initiatives like the Total Workplace Safety and Health programme, offering free consultations, as well as HPB's integrated workplace mental health solution, which equips workplaces with wellness tools.
Yet with burnout widespread, especially in SMEs, more targeted support is needed. How will the Government enhance mental health resources for SMEs that lack the capacity to manage these challenges effectively?
Collective Workplace Safety/Health Performance
Ms Yeo Wan Ling : Singapore will be super-ageing society as defined by the United Nations (UN) in 2026. As an ageing society, workplaces must be more inclusive and accommodative to the physical needs of a more senior staff base, from providing more ergonomic support to more aware of long-term work-related disorders.
In addition, more attention and conversations can be situated around lifecycle changes such as menopause, which Duke-NUS has dubbed the Menopause Wave to come in a super-ageing Singapore. Some progressive companies have put together menopause policies, which cover the physical and mental well-being of peri-menopause and menopause employees, but efforts are at best spotty.
Mental wellness is also an increasingly important workplace safety and health performance indicator, with around one in seven people in Singapore experiencing a mental disorder in their lifetime. Studies have also suggested that work stressors were among factors associated with poor mental health. Some workplaces have mental wellness champions, but more can be done to enhance the training and expertise of such champions.
Given that it is important that safety, wellness and health performance in our workplaces continue to evolve to support our workforce changes, how will the Ministry continue to support employers, especially the less resourced SMEs, in the collective efforts to build a strong safety and wellness culture in corporate Singapore?
Support for Mature Jobseekers
Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong) : Chairman, according to our tripartite guidelines for retrenchment, an employer is presumed to have retrenched an employee when the employer terminates the employment contract with "no plan to fill the vacancy any time soon".
However, in practice, there could have been instances in which employers terminated employees in ways that were calculated to fly under the radar of retrenchment. Employees might have been made to resign or are let go in the name of poor performance, even if employers were really planning to make their roles redundant and not planning to fill the vacancy any time soon.
So, the affected employees feel like they are in fact being retrenched. If they file a case with the TADM, they can probably get a judgement in their favour, but affected employees might not have chosen to do so for various reasons and effectively they chose to forgo the retrenchment benefits that they ought to have received. I call this stealth retrenchment.
We know mature workers in their forties and fifties are especially affected by retrenchments in general. My guess is that they are also disproportionately affected by stealth retrenchments, as I just described.
Retrenchment affects a mature worker profoundly. Emotionally, for sure, but also financially, especially if the mature worker is sandwiched between children and elderly parents. And retrenchment done in stealth adds salt to the wound and cuts even deeper as the worker feels a sense of injustice, betrayal and suffering in silence.
7.45 pm
What are MOM's plans to enhance job matching support for mature workers and help them bounce back from setbacks? And in particular, for those who were told to "resign", ostensibly on their own accord, but were, in reality, laid off and thus involuntarily unemployed, will they still be able to access the Jobseeker Support Scheme and the temporary financial support of up to $6,000 for six months when the Scheme requires the jobseeker to have been involuntarily unemployed?
Productive Longevity for Senior Workers
Mr Yip Hon Weng : Chairman, I have long championed extending the productive longevity of our senior workers – not just to tackle demographic shifts, but because their experience, resilience and skills are invaluable.
Yet, in our ageing society, are we truly harnessing this potential? In 2022, 31% of residents aged 65 and above were employed, but nearly 69% earned less than $2,500 monthly. The old-age support ratio has plunged from six in 2014 to 3.5 in 2024. Are we underutilising a workforce that still has much to give?
What if we flipped the script? The employment rate for seniors aged 65 to 69 hit 47.5% in 2022. More seniors want to work, but are we offering them the right opportunities?
To our senior workers: lifelong learning is not just a buzzword. It is the key to career reinvention. How can we better match skills to new roles, including those in the gig economy? I have pushed for tailored courses that align with seniors' interests and experience. Are we doing enough to ensure that fair wages reflect their productivity?
To employers: age-friendly workplaces are not just nice to have; they are a necessity. Over 5,000 companies have committed to raising retirement and re-employment ages. But are they redesigning roles to make work more flexible? Are job-sharing and hybrid arrangements becoming the norm, or the exception?
To the Government and tripartite partners: the Senior Employment Credit benefited 400,000 senior workers and 90,000 employers in 2023. But why stop there? Could we proactively partner with businesses to create more opportunities? It is time to rethink ageing in the workforce. Can we build a society where every individual, regardless of age, has a place to contribute meaningfully?
Extending Employability of Senior Workers
Mr Sharael Taha : Mr Chairman, with increased life expectancy and Singaporeans being healthier, it is even more important to plan for retirement and retirement adequacy. Senior workers may also want to continue working with shorter hours, lighter workloads or flexible schedules. However, the employment of seniors will require a shift in mindset from all stakeholders.
Have our policies on senior employment, such as Senior Employment Credit, job redesign and flexible work arrangements made an impact on senior employment? Are we starting to see seniors getting employed in better redesign jobs that leverage on their strength and experience? Has job redesign provided more and enough opportunities for our senior workers?
While ensuring that our workforce is prepared for a longer retirement adequacy, workers must also plan for their extended career longevity by taking responsibility for their career and skills upgrading, especially as part of their career health check and retirement planning. How can we help our workers plan for upskilling to enhance their employability and extend their career longevity?
Fractional Employment
Mr Mark Lee : Chairman, workforce transformation presents a valuable opportunity for businesses to address manpower challenges while tapping into a diverse and skilled labour pool. The extension of the Senior Employment Credit and Enabling Employment Credit is a welcome move, as it enables businesses to tap into underutilised labour pools such as seniors and persons with disabilities.
To build on this momentum, will the Ministry consider supporting job fractionalisation, allowing seniors and persons with disabilities to contribute meaningfully through FWAs tailored to their needs? Additionally, can the Ministry explore tripartite standards for fractional employment, funding support for part-time workers undergoing training, and the creation of official platforms, working alongside trade associations and chambers, to facilitate and manage a fractional workforce? These measures would not only expand Singapore' workforce capacity but also provide businesses with more adaptable and sustainable manpower solutions.
Fostering Inclusive Growth
Mr Sharael Taha : Chairman, while Singapore maintains a low unemployment rate and offers many career opportunities, securing meaningful employment remains a significant challenge for seniors, differently-abled individuals, and those with caregiving responsibilities. Have we moved the needle in expanding job opportunities for these groups of individuals? Is it enough?
Take, for example, SG Enables efforts to connect persons with disabilities to jobs while commendable, the employment rate for this group still remains relatively low. Similarly, the Senior Employment Credit incentivises business to hire older workers, but if you were to ask any seniors looking for jobs, they will still share that age bias persist in hiring practices. FWAs, whether flexi-load, flexi-time or flexi-place have been promoted. However, adoption remains inconsistent.
How do we go beyond schemes and incentives to truly shift workplace culture towards inclusive hiring practices? Should we consider stronger regulatory measures? What more can be done to ensure that employment inclusivity is not just a policy goal, but a reality for all Singaporeans?