More than 1,500 ex-offenders hired in Singapore between Apr-Dec 2023, benefitting from Uplifting Employment Credit

With the UEC now extended to 2028, more details on what this means can be expected at the MOM Committee of Supply 2025.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has shared that more than 1,500 ex-offenders hired between April and December 2023 have benefitted from the Uplifting Employment Credit (UEC) scheme since its implementation.

In response to a Parliamentary query on whether the UEC is on track to meet its projection of benefitting 3,000 ex-offenders annually and whether MOM plans to continue the UEC beyond December 2025, the Ministry clarified that the take-up figures for 2024 are not yet available.

It added that the figure of 3,000 cited by Member of Parliament Patrick Tay, who had raised the query, was a projection based on the data available when the scheme was first introduced, rather than a target, as the actual number of ex-offender beneficiaries depends on factors such as the number of inmates released each year.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong announced at Budget 2025 that the UEC will be extended to 2028, in a bid to encourage more employers to hire ex-offenders.

More details on the extension can be expected at the MOM Committee of Supply 2025.

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