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Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public 1 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health in view of the Nipah virus (NiV) high case fatality rate (CFR), whether the Ministry will (i) require health declarations and conduct screening of passengers arriving from or who have recently been in high-risk areas at our ports of entry and (ii) provide healthcare advisories and information to doctors and the public.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Mr Speaker, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) issued a press release on our responses to the Nipah virus infections in West Bengal, India, on 28 January 2026.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Since then, we have further issued clinical guidance to all medical practitioners, conducted an educational webinar for primary care doctors, adjusted the electronic Health Declaration Card for all incoming travellers and activated temperature screening for travellers arriving on ships from affected areas. The Ministry of Manpower has also disseminated CDA’s announcements on precautionary health measures to migrant workers and migrant domestic workers as well as to employers, dormitory operators and employment agencies.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public CDA is monitoring the situation in India and globally closely, and will adjust our measures as needed based on the evolving risks that are developing.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Ms Pereira.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Thank you, Speaker, and the Senior Minister of State. I seek two clarifications from the Senior Minister of State on border health measures that have been stepped up in view of the disease outbreaks overseas.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public First, will these include updating the SG Arrival Card declarations required of arriving passengers in terms of prior travel destinations? I ask this because I checked the SG Arrival Card, and only Africa and Latin America are listed.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public My second clarification is whether this information will be shared with the health authorities for further monitoring.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Sir, I thank the Member for raising these questions, which many people are naturally concerned about. Indeed, the answer to her question is yes, we have enhanced the electronic health declaration card, which is part of the SG Arrival Card. In this format, if the arriving individual, clicks yes on the SG Arrival Card to any of the symptoms, then there will be a prompt to enter the previous travel destination, and that would include the West Bengal region as well. But if the person clicks no to any of the symptoms, then he would not be prompted for any travel destinations that we are monitoring. So, it is to make sure that there are no excessive compliance needs on the individual submitting the information card to make it seamless. At the same time, we do not want to end up having over-declaration for those with no symptoms. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Health", Official Report, 12 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 17, Correction By Written Statement section.]
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public What is the second question?
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Whether information will be shared with the health authorities.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Yes, for sure. Any of the information collected by the SG Arrival declaration card will indeed be piped into CDA so that we can perform any contact tracing if necessary.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public Mr Giam.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public I have filed similar questions and I will repeat them here. What is the progress of local research into Nipah virus diagnostic kits and vaccines and does Singapore currently possess or have any plans to develop bio-safety 4 laboratory capacity for vaccine testing. And what grants or subsidies are there for local firms to ensure that such research remains viable even though there is no commercial market.
Health Screenings for Those from Countries with High-risk of Nipah Virus, and Healthcare Advisories to Doctors and Public My Giam, I think Senior Minister of State Dr Koh was only answering Question No 1. Yours is Question No 2. So, anyway, we will move to Question No 2.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines 2 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what is the progress of local research into Nipah virus diagnostic kits and vaccines; (b) whether Singapore currently possesses or has plans to develop Biosafety Level 4 laboratory capacity for such vaccine testing; and (c) what grants or subsidies support local firms to ensure such research remains viable without a commercial market.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Sir, the main local research programme on Nipah virus and other pathogens with pandemic potential is the Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response (PREPARE). PREPARE is funded under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) programme, which can involve collaborations between public sector institutions and private sector firms.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines To date, under PREPARE, Duke-NUS, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) are conducting six research projects on Nipah virus covering diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. All of these are in progress and do not involve the use of live Nipah virus, which requires a biosafety level (BSL) 4 laboratory.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Singapore currently does not have a BSL 4 laboratory for the purposes of research. The Ministry of Defence is upgrading the capabilities of DSO National Laboratories to BSL 4.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Mr Giam.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Can the Senior Minister of State provide a timeline, if any, for a locally developed and validated Nipah diagnostic kit, and when will that be ready for deployment across our public hospital network?
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Secondly, the concerns about the Nipah virus are real but the Oxford NipahB vaccine has recently entered Phase 2 trials in Bangladesh and received prime designation from the European Medicines Agency to expedite review. Given these developments, will the Health Sciences Authority consider an interim authorisation for this vaccine through the Pandemic Special Access Route to ensure rapid deployment in the case of a local outbreak?
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Thirdly, how is Singapore coordinating with regional neighbours in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share genomic sequencing data or research findings to ensure a collective response to any potential regional Nipah outbreak?
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Sir, on the Member's first question on timeline for the outcomes of research, I do not have definitive timelines. And I think the Member would understand that for research activities, even the researchers themselves probably would not know when they would hit jackpot.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines I think we will continue to fund and support them in any way we can and hope that their research will bear fruits in the time horizon that they are hoping to achieve. So, that is something where I am afraid we would just have to let time take its course and for the research activities to be concluded.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines For the vaccine targets that may well be on trial elsewhere, we will keep a close eye on some of the developments and see if these are useful products that we can have access to as well.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines But I must also caution on the Member's suggestion. The Nipah virus outbreak at this moment is localised. It is not something that is widespread. The Nipah virus in the South Asia continent has been something that occurs there from time to time. So, this is not the first time it is happening. But generally, it is a zoonotic infection that has very rare, or does not often have, human-to-human transmission.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines The current transmission is localised to certain localities, it is not widespread. But we are raising our caution to watch this carefully. It is not the same posture that we adopt as for COVID, which had become a generalised pandemic in that episode we had been through. So, there is probably no urgency at all for now, for us to look at procuring vaccine targets ahead of time in anticipation of a widespread global pandemic.
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Nonetheless, we have stepped up our national posture and issued out alerts to healthcare practitioners, institutions, as well as tighten some of the monitoring at our migrant worker onboarding centre to make sure that we keep our borders under some observation. For any incoming individuals who may have symptoms, to take proactive actions to contain, to isolate and also to to give them supportive care if necessary; and at the same time, also to help them to monitor their symptoms within the first 14 days of arrival in Singapore, for example. So, we are adopting a cautious posture, but looking for vaccine target at this moment is premature. [Please refer to "Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Health", Official Report, 12 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 17, Correction By Written Statement section.]
Local Research into Nipah Virus Diagnostic Kits and Vaccines Thirdly, on his question on coordinating with other regional and global partners, that is an ongoing stream of work that CDA has always undertaken. That was the reason why we have raised our alerts – because we have information from our partners in the World Health Organization, in other jurisdictions, such as West Bengal. We will continue to maintain those links, share information as needed and to continue to adjust our posture.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme 3 Mr David Hoe asked the Minister for Education (a) in each of the last five years, what proportion of students who participated in the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT) programme are placed in posting groups 3, 2, and 1 or equivalent academic streams after their PSLE; and (b) whether the Ministry has observed improvements in these posting or other educational outcomes for UPLIFT participants over time.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme Mr Speaker, the work of the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce (UPLIFT) has been scaled up through integration with ComLink+, which is a whole-of-society effort led by the Government to provide comprehensive, convenient and coordinated support for lower-income families with children.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme According to the latest available data, in 2023 and 2024, about 70% of ComLink+ families with school-going children had all children attending school regularly and progressing to post-secondary education institutions. More detailed data is publicly available in the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF's) “Supporting Lower-Income Households Trends Report”.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme As ComLink+ was launched recently in 2023, we will need more time to observe trends arising from efforts under ComLink+.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme Mr Hoe.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme I thank the Minister for his response and I understand that more time is required to study the trends. I have three supplementary questions. First, based on the latest data provided, what is the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) view on that 70% of school-going children attending school and also being able to progress to secondary school? I ask for MOE's view: is this a positive outcome? If this is a positive outcome, what interventions actually contributed to this outcome? Knowing this would help us to better channel our resources.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme The second question I have is on the role of community. I do know of many ground-ups and also social service agencies (SSAs) that provide academic support for students from disadvantaged families, specifically homework club and mentoring club. Aside from having access to the syllabus online, are there any other resources that MOE can consider supporting such SSAs, such as pedagogical training? Just because one can do Maths does not necessarily mean that he or she is able to teach Maths well.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme My third question is, beyond academic support, how does UPLIFT enable students from a disadvantaged background to be able to discover their strengths in non-academic pathways, be it in sports arts, or the digital space?
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme I thank the Member for his questions. The first question he asked is what to make of the data that MSF had put out, which incorporates the enrolment, attendance and the progression outcomes for children from ComLink families who are in school. I would say that it is a result of the efforts to provide holistic wrap-around through integration of support from various agencies and SSAs, as well as community groups and corporates. It is more data driven, there is a family coach, there are colleagues in the schools brought in, such as special education needs officers, student welfare officers and so on, better to support the children, but also link up with the agencies and SSAs supporting the family. Because often the challenges that the student faces is not necessarily just limited in school, but also relate to challenges they face at home and in the community.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme We, of course, want to keep assessing the impact of our school-based programmes. Each partner in the ComLink Alliance Working Group will need to continuously assess the efficacy of the programmes that they bring to bear into the overall ComLink efforts. For our schools, we look at the impact of the extra resourcing we provide, the support in schools through, say, after-school support, and of course the partners that we bring into the schools through the Opportunity Fund and other programmes in order for them to support our children in school.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme The second question, if I recall the Member is asking is, that there are community groups that do homework club support and mentoring support, and what more can MOE do to coordinate? Am I right? I would encourage the Member or all Members who know of these groups to link them up with the ComLink Alliance Working Group in every town where there are rental flats or where there are families supported under ComLink+, there will be an Alliance Working Group. Please link them up so that the alliance of SSAs and Government agencies, including our schools who are represented, can better coordinate these efforts so that nobody works in a silo.
Data for Posting Results of PSLE Students in UPLIFT Programme The Member's third question is whether the support through UPLIFT in our schools that contribute to for the overall ComLink+ efforts nation-wide, whether they support only academics. I would say they provide support for the holistic development and enrichment of our children in our schools. Some of our after-school support does not just cover academic or homework support. They also provide mentoring, they provide learning journeys, interest-based activities like photography, sports, arts and so on. In that regard, in school as well as outside school, our community partners also provide not just academic support but holistic development.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification 4 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) what alternative Singpass identity verification options are available for users with medical conditions that prevent facial verification, and who wish to set up digital tokens with banks; and (b) whether the Ministry will review current requirements to ensure that such users are not excluded from essential services while upholding security standards.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification We are grateful to the Member, Ms Denise Phua, for caring for users with medical conditions.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification The Member may refer to The Straits Times Forum letter reply issued jointly by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 4 February 2026, regarding alternative biometric or non-facial verification options for Singpass. As explained in the reply, there are alternative verification methods for users who are unable to use the facial recognition technology for reasons such as medical conditions or disabilities. Examples include one-time passwords or hardware tokens. Singpass users who require assistance may contact the Singpass team via email or call the Singpass helpdesk.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification Organisations who have onboarded Singpass as a means for authentication are expected to have at least one non-Singpass alternative method for users.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification The Government will continue to work with relevant stakeholders on alternative methods to facial recognition technology for all users to maintain accessibility to digital services.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification Ms Phua.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification I thank the Minister of State for her assurance, assuring the House that there are indeed alternative identification methods available for those who are unable to use facial recognition. Just a couple of supplementary questions. Number one, are these measures systemic and applicable for all fully digital or not fully digital banks? Number two, are these available alternatives communicated? So that all the affected parties will know and they will not have to resort to raising the question in Forum letters, or even in this House.
Alternative Singpass Identity Options Apart from Facial Verification MAS does require the banks to have alternative methods for verification. And for digital services that are offered by Government, we do make sure that we engage citizens across all ranges of abilities to test out our services, to ensure accessibility for all. On the point about public education, we can definitely do much better in communicating and explaining these different methods of access to our citizens.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out 5 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower pertaining to the voluntary Safety Time-out focused on vehicular safety from 13 to 27 January 2026, what specific enforcement or inspection actions, if any, has the Ministry taken to ensure that companies not only pause operations but also implement concrete improvements to vehicular safety practices.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had called for a voluntary Safety Time-out from 13 to 27 January 2026, focusing on vehicular safety because of four vehicle-related workplace fatalities in December. The objective of the Safety Time-out was to remind companies to take time off from their regular work routine to review and ensure that appropriate safety measures and procedures were in place, and for workers to refresh their knowledge of these procedures and to stay vigilant.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out In line with the voluntary nature of the Safety Time-out, there were no inspections nor enforcement actions. MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council, through its existing channels, have encouraged companies to participate in the Safety Time-out. They have also issued WSH advisories to guide companies on the key learning points from the recent incidents and the relevant safety practices to be reinforced with their workers.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out In addition to initiating the recent Safety Time-out, MOM conducts regular inspections in the high-risk sectors where vehicular hazards are present. This ensures that companies comply with measures, such as having proper traffic management at the workplace and ensuring the drivers or operators have the requisite competencies. Around 500 inspections have been conducted in January. Three stop-work orders and five fines were issued to companies and individuals for vehicle-related breaches.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out Mr Yong.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The reality on the ground is that tight scheduling and shift work patterns continue to entrench workers' fatigue. And we all know driving heavy vehicles is a very challenging task because of the vehicles' large size and unladen weight. Fatigue therefore compounds this difficulty and increases safety risks. Can the Minister of State share whether there are further plans to manage drivers' fatigue?
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out I would also like to ask how many employers have tapped on the resources and grants available for companies to adopt vehicular safety technologies? If these technologies are proven to improve safety, but take-up rate among these companies are low, then would the Ministry consider mandating the adoption of such technology to improve vehicular safety outcomes? Perhaps we can start off with the higher risk sectors.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out I would like to thank the Member for the question and for the passion that he has for our workers. I would like to assure him that I personally went through every single case, particularly the ones in December. And as tragic as it was, I could not see any common trends or any root causes, per se. These could potentially have happened due to unfortunate lapses of judgement or not adhering to the existing safety protocols.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out But that said, I would urge the Member to await the final investigations, which are currently ongoing, and then we can discuss on subsequent moves that need to be put in place, either be it because of fatigue or otherwise.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out But he has raised important points about fatigue affecting drivers and I wanted to just say that what we have in place are WSH guidelines on fatigue management, where rest breaks are recommended and the need to manage shift work as well, as part of these WSH guidelines.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out And in terms of technologies, we see some useful technologies, such as the driver status monitoring system, which detects driver fatigue.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out On the question that the Member had on grants, I want to just highlight that we have the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) that small and medium enterprises can tap upon, where 50% of funding can be defrayed, for up to a cap of $30,000. And as at July 2025, about 1,000 companies have adopted vehicle safety technologies via the PSG, and a total of about $12.5 million has been dispensed.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out I think we have to continue to push the adoption of technologies, especially the proven ones. As to whether or not for it to be mandated, I think we take a holistic and calibrated approach to all the solutions as well as the situation that we have. I think what we want to try to avoid is having a Maslow's Hammer type of a situation, where every problem is seen to be a nail that requires hammering. Instead, what we need to have is a repertoire of solutions, sometimes a loving nudge, a firm stare or a warning might in fact do the trick.
Ensuring Concrete Improvements to Vehicular Safety Practices following January 2026's Voluntary Safety Time-out Having said that, the ultimate aim is really to have a lasting and sustainable safety culture in Singapore, and I look forward to working with the Member on it.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans 6 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the 10% US tariff imposed on Singapore and the nearly 30% year-on-year decline in exports to the US (a) what criteria does the Ministry use to determine when such tariff impacts translate into price pressures for everyday Singaporeans, especially lower-income households; and (b) how often are these criteria reviewed.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans Mr Speaker, Singapore's exports to the United States (US) are currently subject to a baseline "reciprocal" tariff rate of 10%. The US has also imposed various Section 232 sectoral tariffs that are applicable to Singapore, such as on steel and aluminum. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports to the US fell by 9.2% year-on-year from April to December 2025.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans The tariffs and corresponding decline in exports to the US are not expected to have a direct impact on Singapore's inflation. This is because the tariffs are paid for by the US importers. Nonetheless, there could be an indirect impact if higher prices in the US lead to an increase in the prices of its exports, including to Singapore, in the future.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans Thus far, we have not observed any tariff impact on Singapore's import prices, with our import prices falling in 2025. In turn, the decline in import prices helped to lower Consumer Price Index (CPI)-All Items inflation and Monetary Authority of Singapore's Core Inflation to 0.9% and 0.7% respectively last year.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans We will continue to closely monitor our import prices and inflation rates and the corresponding impact on Singaporeans, especially those from lower-income household groups, and we stand ready to provide further support if needed.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans Mr Yip.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for her reply that there is an indirect impact. The Ministry of Trade and Industry regularly assesses macro price pressures, but does the Ministry use indicators to identify disproportionate effects on lower-income households, such as changes in the cost of basic food, transport and utilities?
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans The answer is yes, we do look at various indices and indicators to understand the impact of inflation on different household income groups. For example, for the lowest 20% income household groups, we know that last year the CPI-All Items inflation for them was 0.6%. And this is different from that for the middle 60% income group of 0.9%.
Impact of US Tariff Increases and US Export Declines on Price Pressures for Singaporeans We do look into such details, so that we can provide targeted support to Singaporeans, especially those from the lower-income household groups.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review 7 Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the Ministry's operational definition of a "good job" as used in the Economic Strategy Review; (b) what measurable indicators will the Ministry use to track whether the strategy is creating such jobs; and (c) whether the Ministry will adopt a multi-dimensional job quality framework comparable to that published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Mr Speaker, we use wages as a key operational measure to track if proposed investments create good jobs, since this is the most objective indicator of job quality. This enables comparisons across sectors, firms, occupations and workers.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Having said that, the notion of a "good job" varies across individuals, shaped by their circumstances and aspirations. It often includes factors such as wage growth, opportunities for career development, fair and safe workplaces, personal fulfilment, and what gives someone highest utility, among many others.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review There are multiple dimensions to good jobs, and no single, universally accepted framework for measuring job quality. The perception of what constitutes good jobs also has a time dimension to it and may change with age.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Hence, we chose to measure a range of more objectively measurable labour market indicators and regularly benchmark our labour market performance internationally across key dimensions that cover job creation and job quality, such as: one, labour market participation; two, labour underutilisation; and three, earnings.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review These are broadly aligned with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework and across these domains, Singapore generally ranks favourably relative to OECD economies.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Local workers have experienced sustained and inclusive wage growth. From 2021 to 2025, real gross monthly income at the median grew by 7.4%. At the 20th percentile, income grew even faster, by 10.1% over the same period.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Two-thirds of private sector establishments provided structured training to employees, demonstrating that employers continue to invest in their workers.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Fewer employees experienced discrimination at work, with the proportion decreasing from 8.5% in 2021, to 6% in 2023.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review We have also enacted the Workplace Fairness Act to promote fair employment practices and protect employees from workplace discrimination.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Our Workplace Safety and Health performance also ranked amongst the top performing countries, with a five-year average workplace fatality rate of 1.1 per 100,000 workers in 2024.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review We will continue working to ensure that our economic strategies translate economic growth into good jobs for Singaporeans.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Mr Tiong.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Thank you, Speaker. I have three supplementary questions.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review The Economic Strategy Review (ESR) mid-term update factsheet uses the phrase "good jobs" six times without defining it. My first supplementary question is, what is the issue with creating a job quality framework like the OECD has done?
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Second is, I thank the Senior Minister of State for mentioning the different factors that he tracks. Our wage share of gross domestic product (GDP) remains lower than many OECD countries – I believe it is in the mid-40s, where OECD countries are in the 50s. So, will the Government track this, to define this as part of their definition of a "good job"?
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review My last supplementary question, the ESR also says it will uplift and transform roles like electricians and care workers. But a commitment that cannot be proven true or false, is not really an accountable commitment. So, would the Ministry set clear benchmarks in terms of pay, progression and working conditions, so that Parliament can actually determine if uplift has occurred?
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review Sir, on Member's first supplementary question on job quality, I have already explained in my main reply that we do track multiple parameters and dimensions across our workforce and the labour market. But I guess, fundamentally, the workers are interested in whether their pay goes up. For them, as I have said, a good job need not just be pay, but many other dimensions around it. But fundamentally, workers want to see their wages go up from year to year. And in fact, as they get more seniority, they want to be recognised for their talent as well.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review So, we do take reference from the wage distribution of our workforce. In general, well-paying jobs are those that pay above the median wage of the resident workforce. And by creating more of such jobs and helping more Singaporeans to upskill to take them on, we will grow the median wage of our workforce over time. This is a useful indication of broad-based wage growth that also shows that with the measures that are put in, the median wage of individual workers goes up over time and as a workforce, it also rises.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review The Member's second question of looking at wage share, well, I think there are, like I said, there are multiple dimensions to track and we will continue to measure multiple dimensions of job quality, that could include looking at wage share over time. In doing so, we will consider relevant dimensions that are included in other international frameworks of job quality, including the one that the Member has mentioned – the OECD's job quality framework.
Definition and Measurable Indicators for "Good Jobs" under Economic Strategy Review The Member's third question on what the ESR is doing with regard to trade and skilled roles, this is an area still under deliberation by the ESR, so I would not jump the gun and make any pronouncements here. In time to come, when the ESR releases its final report, there will be a better treatment of the questions that the Member asked regarding trades and skilled roles.
Assessment of Transboundary Haze Episodes, and Review of Bilateral and Regional Haze-mitigation Measures 8 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what is the latest assessment of transboundary haze affecting Singapore; and (b) whether bilateral and regional measures to mitigate haze are being reviewed and strengthened.
Assessment of Transboundary Haze Episodes, and Review of Bilateral and Regional Haze-mitigation Measures Mr Speaker, with your permission, my response to this Parliamentary Question (PQ), will also cover related questions raised by Members Joan Pereira, Fadli Fawzi and Elysa Chen regarding transboundary haze scheduled for Sittings on 24 February and later. The Members may wish to ask supplementary questions later and I will be happy to address them.
Assessment of Transboundary Haze Episodes, and Review of Bilateral and Regional Haze-mitigation Measures Please proceed.