比失业保险更好的方案！在新加坡收入低于5000新币的人群可收益

The Minister for Manpower (Dr Tan See Leng): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address oral Question Nos 9 and 10 for today, 9 September. In addition, I will address three oral questions scheduled for the Sitting tomorrow, 10 September 2024.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Dr Tan See Leng: Members have filed these Parliamentary Questions (PQs) relating to the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. I will respond to these five questions together so that I can give and provide a more holistic reply.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked about the bases and the considerations in the design of the scheme. The Prime Minister and I have shared the Government’s considerations in designing the Jobseeker Support scheme. Let me reiterate the key points.

First, we wanted to create a better alternative to unemployment insurance. We have seen from other countries how unemployment insurance can make it more attractive for individuals to stay unemployed. We have also heard feedback from employers about rising business costs and we do not want employers to offset the costs of an insurance scheme by cutting wages or by stopping the practice of retrenchment benefit.

That is why we searched for a better alternative to minimise the negative outcomes that we have seen elsewhere. Our objective is to support involuntarily unemployed individuals to rebound into jobs that better match and fit their skills and experience, instead of rushing into ill-fitting jobs due to financial pressures.

But at the same time, from the Forward Singapore exercise, we have heard Singaporeans share that personal responsibility should remain a cornerstone in our social compact. Hence, the scheme should minimise the potential moral hazard by supporting jobseekers to regain employment and not continued unemployment. Jobseekers will need to play their part, to take responsibility for their actions and make an effort to bounce back into work. On the Government’s part, we will continue to strongly support jobseekers through employment facilitation and training programmes.

I will next answer questions on who will qualify for the Jobseeker Support scheme. To Ms Hazel Poa’s question, we have targeted the scheme at the lower- to-middle-income worker earning up to $5,000 per month before becoming involuntarily unemployed. This is slightly above the median monthly income of resident workers and it is the group that is more likely to face some financial pressures. With this income criterion, more than six in 10 residents who are involuntarily unemployed can benefit from the scheme.

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked how the condition “residing in a property with an annual value of $25,000” was determined. Annual value is used as a proxy to determine households’ wealth for various Government support schemes that provide higher benefits to individuals or households with lower means. The threshold of $25,000 for the Jobseeker Support scheme is aligned with other schemes, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Voucher scheme. This covers about 75% of residential properties, including all Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.

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