Review of Local Qualifying Salary Against Resident Worker Wages from 2016 to 2026 and Benchmarks Used

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) for each year from 2016 to 2026, what percentile of the wage distribution of full-time resident employees did the prevailing Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) correspond to; and (b) whether the Ministry has a target or reference percentile of the resident wage distribution that it considers when reviewing the LQS.

Ms Jasmin Lau: From 2016 to 2026, the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) corresponded broadly to the sixth percentile of the wage distribution of full-time resident employees 1 . The Ministry of Manpower regularly reviews the LQS, taking into account multiple factors, including prevailing labour market and economic conditions. On 1 July 2026, we raised the LQS from $1,600 to $1,800.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 95:

1 Percentiles were derived using Comprehensive Labour Force Survey data from 2015 to 2025.