Rights of Freelance Workers in Singapore

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current estimated number of freelance workers in Singapore; (b) whether there is an increasing trend of such workers here; and (c) if the Ministry will consider including freelance workers in the Employment Act or other relevant Acts for greater clarity of the recourse available to them should they be denied payment by hirers for services rendered.

Mr Lim Swee Say: As of June 2014, there were 183,900 freelance workers, forming 8.7% of employed residents compared to 9.4% 10 years ago in 2004.

Freelance workers are persons who operate their own business or trade. This means that they are their own employers. They decide which service contracts to enter into. There is no employer-employee relationship between them and their clients. For this reason, they are not covered by the Employment Act (EA).

Freelance workers who are not paid by their clients can seek legal redress by commencing proceedings against their clients at the State Courts, which includes the Small Claims Tribunal, depending on the nature of the claim or disputed amount.