SINGAPORE : The Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers,
chaired by Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen, has recommended up to
S$1 billion worth of measures to help
low-wage workers over two years.
The emphasis is on the concept of Workfare, where rewards will be
given to those who work.
It is targetted at the lowest 20 percent
of income earners who earn S$1,200 or less monthly.
They will benefit from proposals like the
new Workfare Bonus Scheme and Housing Grants for First Time
Buyers.
Other key proposals include more social support to enable low-wage
workers to look after their children and work at the same time,
through a "WorkSupport" programme.
And with half a million workers with below secondary
qualifications, the committee also called for more skills training
and funding, to improve English and IT literacy at the
workplace.
The aim is to help workers take on better paying and higher
value-added jobs in future.
Another measure is to expand job
opportunities for this group by accelerating the Job Re-Creation
Programme over the next few years and facilitate opportunities for
them to be self-employed.
And to give their children a better future, the committee called
for initiatives to engage and support out-of-school youth, and to
ensure education and childcare remain affordable.
The measures are aimed at encouraging low-wage workers to take up
jobs, upgrade their skills and stay employed.
The report has been submitted to the Government.
In his reply to the committee, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said
it is an important and timely report, and the Government will study
the proposals carefully before responding to them in the Budget
statement due in February.
- CNA
