FAMILY CARE LEAVE

FAMILY CARE LEAVE: **

(Promotion): **

21.

Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta asked the Minister for Manpower (a) if he will provide an update on the percentage of firms or organisations that provide paid family-care leave as part of their family-friendly and Work-Life Harmony best practices; and (b) whether the Ministry has any plans for actively promoting paid family-care leave in view of Singapore's ageing population.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: More employers have adopted more family-friendly policies in order to attract and retain valued workers. A 2006 survey by MOM revealed that 12% of private sector establishments provided paid family-care leave. This is a five percentage point increase from 2004. This translates to 23 percent of all private sector employees whose employers provide paid family-care leave, as compared to 15 percent in 2004. However, the most common form of paid family leave has been for employees' children, rather than parents. Specifically, the percentage of establishments with paid sick parents leave remains low, at 1.7%. As Singapore's population ages, more employers are likely to respond to the needs of their employees by considering how they can help them to look after their parents.

In order to promote the adoption of good workplace practices, the Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy revamped the Work-Life Excellence Award in 2006. One of the factors taken into consideration in assessing candidates for the award is their policy on paid family leave. Amongst the 70 award recipients in 2006, 55 of them have already implemented paid family leave. MOM will continue to promote the adoption of comprehensive and sustainable work-life policies through the Work-Life Excellence Award and other efforts.

Column: 1453