Progress in Implementing FWAs for Employees with Caregiving Responsibilities and Establishing System to Recognise Primary Caregivers

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what progress has been made in encouraging private companies to implement flexible work arrangements for employees with caregiving responsibilities; (b) how many companies currently provide dedicated caregiving leave; and (c) whether the Ministry will establish a system to recognise primary caregivers, enabling them to seek caregiving-related leave or flexible arrangements from employers.

Dr Tan See Leng: Based on a 2024 survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower, 72.5% of private companies 1 offered at least one type of scheduled flexible work arrangement 2 (FWA) for their employees. This is an increase from 68.0% in 2023. To support caregivers in accessing FWAs, the Government and tripartite partners launched the Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests in 2024, which set out the process for employees to formally request for FWAs and employers to consider them.

To support employees in their caregiving needs, employers are required by law to provide paid maternity, paternity, childcare leave and unpaid infant care leave. Some employers also voluntarily offer additional leave to employees with caregiving needs. In 2024, 6,100 (36.1%) private companies voluntarily provided additional paid family care leave 3 , while 5,800 (34.0%) provided additional paid child sick leave 4 .

We recognise the importance of enabling caregivers to access caregiving-related leave and FWAs. We encourage employers and employees to discuss and mutually agree on suitable arrangements, rather than rely on a system to verify the caregiver status of employees. We will continue to review the support available for caregivers in the workplace.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 52:

1 Data pertains to private companies each with at least 25 employees, and to permanent employees and employees on term contract of at least one year.

2 Scheduled FWAs refer to FWAs that are pre-arranged and consist of part-time work, flexi-hours, staggered hours, teleworking for an extended period of time, homeworking, job sharing and compressed work week.

3 Paid Family Care Leave refers to leave granted to employees for taking care of their family members, for example, parents, step-parents, parents-in-law, children, spouse, or to accompany them for medical appointments when they are sick or when the main caregiver is not available.

4 Medical Certificate (MC) required.