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MOM's Gan Siow Huang, Zaqy Mohamad, and Dr. Koh Poh Koon on strengthening workforce inclusivity with new support for persons with disabilities, benefits such as training allowances for lower-wage workers, initiatives to boost career resilience through internal mobility, and more.
- Report by Sarah Gideon and Umairah Nasir.
At the recent Committee of Supply (COS) debates, Singapore's Ministers of State for Manpower (MOM) outlined key initiatives to strengthen the workforce, focusing on inclusive employment, support for lower-wage workers, and career health. Gan Siow Huang highlighted efforts for inclusive workplace, Zaqy Mohamad emphasised on expanding the Progressive Wage Model, and Dr Koh Poh Koon introduced Career Health SG to support workers' career and skill development.
The following highlights capture the key initiatives from each minister’s address:
- Inclusive employment: MOS Gan Siow Huang focuses on how the government is strengthening support for persons with disabilities through initiatives such as the Tripartite Advisory for Reasonable Accommodations and the Enabling Employment Credit. Financial security measures, including the expanded Matched Retirement Savings Scheme, will now benefit persons with disabilities of all ages.
- Support for lower-wage workers: SMS Zaqy Mohamad shares how the Progressive Wage Model continues to drive sustainable wage growth, covering nine in 10 lower-wage workers. New initiatives such as WSS (Level-Up) will provide up to S$18,000 in training allowances annually, helping workers upskill for better employment outcomes.
- Career health and development: SMS Dr. Koh Poh Koon talks about ways in which the government is enhancing career support through Career Conversion Programmes and initiatives such as the Careers & Skills Passport. Efforts also include supporting internal mobility within companies and the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, which offers financial aid to help displaced workers secure stable employment.
In the preamble to her Committee of Supply (COS) 2025 speech in Parliament on 7 March (Friday), Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang outlined key initiatives aimed at enhancing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and fostering a more inclusive workforce.
Inclusive employment for persons with disabilities
MOS Gan began by emphasising the government’s commitment to supporting persons with disabilities in the workforce. A key initiative introduced was the Tripartite Advisory for Reasonable Accommodations, which provides employers with practical guidance on creating more inclusive workplaces. The objective is to raise awareness and shape mindsets around the concept of reasonable accommodations in the workplace.
In addition to that, the government supports the hiring and training of persons with disabilities through SG Enable’s Open Door Programme, which offers grants and employment support. Annually, around 630 individuals are placed in jobs, with over 80% remaining employed for at least six months.
MOS Gan also highlighted the extension of the Enabling Employment Credit until 2028, offering wage offsets to employers who hire persons with disabilities. This extension includes an increase to S$800 per month for the first nine months for individuals who have been unemployed for six months or more, encouraging long-term employment opportunities.
Read the full speech here.
Strengthening financial security
MOS Gan also announced the expansion of the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) from 2026, which will include eligible Singaporeans with disabilities of all ages. This move will allow individuals with disabilities to benefit from longer compounding interest, improving their financial security in retirement.
Supporting women and caregivers
The government is committed to supporting women and caregivers, who often balance work with caregiving responsibilities. Many women take career breaks to care for family members, while others face burnout trying to juggle both. To address this, the government aims to empower women and caregivers, with the employment rate for women aged 25 to 64 rising from 73.3% in 2019 to 78.3% in 2024, reflecting increased opportunities for those wishing to remain or return to work.
To further assist, the government is enhancing the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) from April 2025 to support mid-career individuals in part-time jobs. The expanded CCPs will allow employers to reskill workers in growth sectors, offering salary support of up to 90% during training, capped at $7,500 per month. This initiative helps create more flexible and inclusive employment opportunities for women and caregivers.
Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Zaqy Mohamad, emphasised the importance of uplifting lower-wage workers, stating that "tripartism has been the critical success factor to raising the incomes and skills of our lower-wage workers." He highlighted that this approach helps "narrow the gap with the median, and at the same time, keeps it sustainable for businesses."
The Progressive Wage Model (PWM), as shared by SMS Zaqy, was introduced in 2014 and is central to this success. By focusing on sector-specific wage increases negotiated through tripartite collaboration — among unions, employers, and the Government — the PWM provides sustainable wage growth, skills development, and career progression for workers across different sectors and occupations. The PWM avoids the pitfalls of politically driven minimum wage systems, which can lead to unsustainable outcomes, by allowing businesses to adjust while maintaining a steady wage increase for workers.
“Negotiated PWMs are impactful because we can optimise wage increments in different sectors, taking into consideration workforce productivity, sectoral growth, and business transformation," SMS Zaqy pointed out.
He noted that tripartism acts as Singapore’s “secret sauce” in providing balance, allowing businesses to remain sustainable and continue hiring workers while sustaining wage growth over time.
"PWM works because we do not just rely on a minimum wage line to boost wages but on PWMs that boost wages across different sectors."
Today, up to nine in 10 lower-wage workers benefit from PWM measures, ensuring long-term economic sustainability while improving livelihoods.
Key government initiatives to support lower-wage workers
SMS Zaqy shared several initiatives the Government is working on in collaboration with tripartite partners to assist lower-wage workers in improving their wage and employment outcomes.
One key initiative is the ongoing study to expand the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to the pest management sector, with further details to be provided soon.
Additionally, SMS Zaqy emphasised the importance of productivity for both workers and businesses to ensure sustainable wage growth. He pointed out that businesses must transform lower-wage jobs to create higher value-added roles, while workers need to upskill to seize new opportunities in these transformed positions.
To support upskilling, SMS Zaqy highlighted the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme, which has been helping lower-wage workers since 2010. Currently, WSS covers short courses, providing training allowances to workers aged 30 and above. However, he acknowledged that longer courses with more substantial upskilling and reskilling potential offer greater benefits in terms of wage increases.
In response, the Government is introducing WSS (Level-Up), an enhanced support initiative aimed at helping lower-wage workers pursue long-form training. Starting in early 2026, full-time trainees will receive up to S$18,000 annually in training allowances, and part-time trainees will receive up to S$3,600 per year.
This is a significant increase compared to the current allowances. The WSS (Level-Up) scheme will also support workers in acquiring skills across different stages of their careers, including the possibility of up to 48 months of long-form training — 24 months before age 40 and another 24 months after.
Lastly, while SMS Zaqy acknowledged a suggestion to extend WSS to workers aged 25 and over, he mentioned that other schemes, such as the ITE Progression Award and SkillsFuture Credit, are available to younger workers for upskilling opportunities.
Read the full speech here.
Empowering workers through career health
Separately, Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Dr Koh Poh Koon, spoke about the Government’s ongoing efforts to empower workers to build career health at every stage of their lives. Dr. Koh shared that the Government is committed to supporting workers as they navigate their careers, improve their skills, and stay competitive in a constantly evolving job market.
He underscored that investing in career health is mutually beneficial for both employers and employees. Employers who prioritise career health can attract and retain talent, enhance their competitive edge, and foster business growth.
To help employers invest in career health, the Government continues to strengthen support for workers through initiatives like Workforce Singapore’s (WSG) Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs), which have led to tangible career outcomes. Dr. Koh pointed out that participants in the Place-and-Train CCP, for example, saw an immediate 2% wage increase, with even greater benefits (over 6%) in the following years. They also had better employment retention, demonstrating the long-term advantages of reskilling efforts.
The Government is working closely with employers to co-develop solutions that promote lifelong learning. Through initiatives like the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Widening Access to Talent, the Government collaborates with businesses and industry partners to create practical solutions for skills-based hiring and workforce agility.
One of the AfA’s key recommendations is to help build employers’ capabilities to guide employees in developing their skills and careers. For example, WSG pilot workshops for HR professionals and line managers aim to equip them with the tools to implement more structured career conversations within their organisations.
The AfA also stressed the importance of internal mobility, with companies successfully using internal marketplaces to improve talent retention. By offering personalised career recommendations and resources, these companies empowered employees to navigate their careers within the organisation, improving retention rates despite fierce competition. SMS Koh reiterated that employers must strengthen their HR capabilities to play a strategic role in workforce transformation. This involves identifying emerging skills, creating development plans to fill skill gaps, and using resources like the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) job redesign playbook.
“We will need the strong support of employers to uplift the career health of our workers,”
"We will continue to explore new ways to enable employers to do this while meeting their business needs.” He also shared insights into new initiatives, like the Careers & Skills Passport, which collaborates with partners like JobStreet to use government-verified data to facilitate job applications and hiring.
Finally, SMS Koh acknowledged that while workers are empowered to build their career health and progress along their career paths, life can present unexpected challenges. In a volatile economic environment, many may face career disruptions beyond their control. To support those who lose their jobs involuntarily, the Minister spoke about the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support (JS) scheme, introduced last year.
The JS scheme is not just a safety net but a trampoline, designed to help individuals bounce back stronger by guiding them through their job search and preventing them from rushing into ill-fitting roles due to financial pressures.
Targeting lower-and middle-income workers, the JS scheme provides financial support of up to $6,000 over six months, benefiting about 60,000 individuals annually. With more than S$200mn allocated, the scheme aims to help workers regain employment and build a more resilient career foundation.
Read the full speech here.
READ MORE: MOM Committee of Supply 2025: Minister Tan highlights 3 workforce priorities for the year ahead
Lead image / Screenshot of Parliament Sitting 7 March 2025, broadcasted on MDDI's YouTube
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