Analysing Retrenchment and Re-employment Data, and Enhancing Employment Support In Light Of Latest Labour Market Report

Ms Yeo Wan Ling asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether an update can be provided on the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment's (TAMEM's) effectiveness in getting employers to pay retrenchment benefits; and (b) of employers who have submitted the Mandatory Retrenchment Notification and did not pay retrenchment benefits in 2025, whether data is available on the proportion who were unwilling to pay as opposed to unable to pay.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) what were the profiles of retrenched workers who were least likely to receive retrenchment benefits or other retrenchment-related financial support from their employers in 2025; (b) what were the main reasons why they did not receive such support; and (c) whether the Ministry is considering additional measures to support these workers.

Mr David Hoe asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) for workers affected by retrenchment, what psychosocial or counselling support is available at the point of job loss; (b) how many retrenched workers have used such support over the past three years; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider strengthening referral mechanisms to such support at the point when workers are notified of retrenchment.

Ms Valerie Lee asked the Acting Minister for Manpower given that mature employees who are retrenched may take longer to secure new employment (a) how does the Ministry assess whether Career Conversion Programmes lead to sustained employment for mature workers following programme completion; and (b) what further measures are being considered to support their long-term employment and reduce the risk of repeated displacement.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Acting Minister for Manpower which sectors have consistently recorded the lowest six-month re-entry rates for retrenched resident Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians (PMETs) in the last 14 quarters, up to and including the first and second quarters of 2026.

Dr Wan Rizal asked the Acting Minister for Manpower given the weaker re-employment outcomes among retrenched workers, (a) how employment facilitation and job-matching support are differentiated according to the needs of various worker profiles; and (b) how the Ministry assesses the effectiveness of such interventions in improving their re-entry into employment.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry identifies disguised retrenchments proactively; (b) if so, how; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider publishing clearer guidance to prevent the mislabelling and potential under-reporting of retrenchments by employers.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Acting Minister for Manpower in view of the Ministry's latest quarterly Labour Market Report which indicated that most of the job losses are from outward-oriented sectors, whether the Ministry and its related job agencies have targeted measures to assist workers in these affected sectors to find employment and to shorten the time to find work.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Acting Minister for Manpower given that the Ministry has recently highlighted that unemployment indicators among older resident workers aged 50 and above warranted closer monitoring (a) whether it will track earnings and employment stability for this group of workers over the next two years; and (b) what targeted measures will support these workers' employment.

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked the Acting Minister for Manpower in view of Singapore's retrenchment rate hitting its highest level since 2020 (a) how do re-employment rates and time taken to secure work differ for retrenched persons with disabilities, and those with secondary education and below; and (b) whether these workers will receive dedicated placement support and additional financial assistance if still unemployed after six months.

The Acting Minister for Manpower (Ms Jasmin Lau): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question Nos 1 to 10 in today's Order Paper?

Mr Speaker: Yes, you may. Proceed.

Ms Jasmin Lau: My response will also address questions for written answer from Ms Jessica Tan, Mr Patrick Tay, Ms He Ting Ru, Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Alex Yeo in today's Order Paper; and questions from Mr Shawn Loh and Mr Patrick Tay for the Sitting tomorrow. Where Members consider that their questions have been covered in this combined response, they may wish to withdraw them accordingly.

Mr Speaker, the recent increase in retrenchments has understandably caused anxiety. Each retrenchment causes significant disruption to the lives of a worker and his or her family.

I will first outline the overall labour market situation before addressing how we are supporting retrenched workers during this period.

We are monitoring the labour market situation closely. Overall, the labour market continued to expand in the second quarter of 2026, and the number of job vacancies remains greater than the number of unemployed persons. At the same time, we are seeing signs of softening in sectors such as Information and Communications, and Financial Services, where job vacancies have declined and retrenchment numbers have risen.

The primary driver of retrenchments continues to be business restructuring. Of the 4,620 workers retrenched in the second quarter of 2026, over three in four were retrenched due to business re-organisation or restructuring. [Please refer to "Clarification by Acting Minister for Manpower", Official Report, 6 October 2026, Vol 96, Issue 38, Correction By Written Statement section.]

The proportion of retrenchments due to a cyclical downturn remained low at 4.9%.

Ms He Ting Ru asked if such retrenchments were driven by AI adoption. This is not clear at present, as it is difficult to isolate the specific impact of AI adoption from broader business transformation and re-organisation. That said, the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) surveys indicate that only a small minority of firms adopting AI have reduced headcount, while more are creating new roles or redesigning jobs. We will continue to refine our surveys and market-sensing mechanisms to better understand the impact of AI on jobs.

Let me now speak on the profile of workers who have been retrenched.

To address Mr Shawn Loh's question, the age and educational profiles of the retrenched cohort have remained broadly stable over the past five years. Those in their 40s and their 50s account for over half of retrenched residents. In terms of educational level, degree holders remained the largest group, with their share increasing from 51% in 2021 to 66.4% in 2025 among retrenched residents. Broadly similar trends were observed among long-term unemployed residents.

To Ms He Ting Ru's question, about one in four retrenched workers were non-residents, comparable with recent quarters. Residents account for most retrenchments as they are disproportionately represented in professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles which are more impacted by restructuring. Among PMETs, the likelihood of retrenchment was similar for residents and non-residents, at 3.2 in every 1,000 employees in each group in the second quarter of 2026.

Retrenchments are part of business restructuring. The key is how soon retrenched workers return to employment. Re-entry outcomes have softened, with the proportion of retrenched residents returning to employment within six months declining from 60.7% in the first quarter, to 54.9% in the second quarter of this year. While seasonal hiring patterns partly explain the decline, the re-entry rate is lower than in previous years and shows a broader downtrend.

The decline in the re-entry rate was most pronounced among clerical, sales and service workers, tertiary-educated residents and those aged below 30. The decline was also broad-based across industries, with larger decreases among those previously employed in Manufacturing, Information and Communications, Financial Services, and Professional Services. This reflects softer hiring demand in these sectors, which could contribute to longer re-entry. Transitioning to other sectors takes more time and effort.

Across sectors, the sector with the lowest six-month re-entry rate for retrenched resident PMETs varied from quarter to quarter. Over the last 14 quarters, Financial Services recorded the lowest rate most often, followed by Wholesale Trade.

To Ms Hazlina Halim's question, the six-month re-entry rate for those with secondary education and below was higher compared to the overall rate and their mean time taken to re-enter employment was correspondingly shorter. We do not collect information on the disability status of retrenched workers. To Ms He Ting Ru's question, we also do not track the re-entry of non-residents, as they may leave Singapore after retrenchment to return home or seek work elsewhere.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked about longer-term re-entry outcomes. About seven in 10 PMET residents re-entered employment within 12 months of retrenchment, and about eight in 10 re-entered employment within 24 months, which is comparable to the re-entry rate in the previous quarter. Some may choose to exit the labour force. Older retrenched PMETs had lower re-entry rates at both the 12-month and 24-month time marks. Among those who re-entered, about six in 10 earned more than before retrenchment both at the 12-month and 24-month mark. Among those earning less, the median wage reduction was around 25% of pre-retrenchment wages.

Mr Speaker, these figures show that there is no single experience of retrenchment. Some workers are able to move into new jobs relatively quickly, while others may face greater difficulties because of their age, skills, occupation or the sector they were previously working in. Some are able to find new jobs with the same or higher wages but others may experience pay reduction.

Our approach therefore has two parts. First, we want to ensure that employers conduct retrenchments responsibly and treat affected workers fairly. Second, we support affected workers to navigate the transition and regain employment.

To guide employers, the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment (TAMEM) sets out tripartite partners' expectations of employers during workforce transitions, to ensure that workers are treated fairly.

To Ms He Ting Ru's question, all firms receiving government grants are expected to abide by the spirit of responsible retrenchment as set out in TAMEM. MOM is working with the relevant agencies to explore ways to strengthen grant recipients' commitments to responsible employment practices and workforce transformation outcomes. Where there are signs of unfair displacement, MOM will investigate and take appropriate action.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling and Mr Melvin Yong asked about the effectiveness of TAMEM in getting employers to provide retrenchment benefits and which workers are least likely to receive retrenchment benefits. Thus far, TAMEM has been effective in encouraging most employers to provide retrenchment benefits. Based on Mandatory Retrenchment Notification (MRN) data for 2025, around 88% of employers paid retrenchment benefits to employees.

Of the remaining 12% of employers who did not pay retrenchment benefits, about one in five indicated that they had financial difficulties. The rest said they did not pay due to other reasons, including the lack of an obligation to do so, or because the employee was given other forms of support, such as keeping them on payroll for an extended period, or employment assistance payments.

As shared previously, MOM and our tripartite partners are considering the issue of retrenchment benefits as part of the ongoing Employment Act review, including whether stronger obligations on employers are warranted.

Regarding the profile of retrenched workers who did not receive retrenchment benefits, close to 80% were from companies with less than 200 employees. To Mr Patrick Tay's question about whether MOM identifies disguised retrenchments, tripartite partners provide advisory services that help employees identify whether a termination might constitute retrenchment. Where there are complaints of disguised retrenchments, MOM will investigate for signs such as a spike in contractual terminations within the company and engage the employer concerned. We agree that clearer guidance would help prevent mislabelling and under-reporting. MOM will work with tripartite partners to provide clearer guidance on what constitutes a retrenchment and the obligations that follow.

To address questions from Mr David Hoe, Mr Alex Yeo and Mr Patrick Tay, as part of the on-going Employment Act review, tripartite partners are exploring measures to strengthen support for retrenched workers, including on the payment of retrenchment benefits and bringing forward the MRN notification period so that employment services can be offered to retrenched workers at the earliest feasible time.

To Mr Patrick Tay's question, we have received Employment and Employability Institute's (e2i's) feedback regarding challenges in reaching retrenched workers directly when the MRN is submitted after they have left the company, as e2i may not have the contact details of affected employees. We are exploring how we can address this while protecting the privacy and personal preferences of retrenched workers.

The Government is also working with tripartite partners to support retrenched workers to re-enter employment. Companies with 10 or more employees are required to submit an MRN to MOM when retrenching any employee.

Upon receiving the MRNs or early retrenchment alert, the Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation, consisting of MOM, the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and e2i, reaches out to all affected employees to offer employment facilitation support. This includes career guidance and coaching, job matching and skills upgrading advice tailored to workers' needs. We agree with Mr David Hoe that timely emotional support is important to help retrenched workers bounce back. This is why career coaches are trained to provide emotional support where needed, to help workers cope with job losses and manage career transitions. To Mr David Hoe's question, SWDA does not separately track the number of retrenched workers who have received psychosocial or counselling support through our career coaches as such support is provided when needed as part of career coaching.

The initial job search can be difficult, especially for lower- to middle-income workers, if they have heavy financial responsibilities. The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme provides temporary financial support to involuntarily unemployed individuals while they actively seek employment and participate in job search and career-related activities.

As businesses restructure and jobs transform, jobseekers may need to consider career switches which require more substantial reskilling. They can participate in Career Conversion Programmes, the Mid-Career Pathways Programme and the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes. To Mr Liang Eng Hwa's question about targeted measures in outward-oriented sectors such as Financial Services, and Information and Communications, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have sectoral jobs and skills initiatives such as the Company-Led Training programme and Technology in Finance Immersion Programme to equip Singaporeans with skills to take on jobs in these sectors.

To Dr Wan Rizal's question on how we ensure effectiveness of our interventions, we track programme take-up and employment outcomes, including how quickly jobseekers on these programmes secure re-employment. About six in 10 jobseekers who received career matching services found employment within six months, and nine in 10 Career Conversion Programme participants remained employed 24 months after embarking on the programme. We will continue to refine our support to improve these outcomes.

We understand that some groups may require more targeted support after job loss, as highlighted by Dr Wan Rizal and Ms Jessica Tan. Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked about support for persons with disabilities. The Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities has recently released its recommendations, which include enhancing employment support and funding to support persons with disabilities in finding and sustaining employment.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Mr Patrick Tay and Ms Valerie Lee asked about support for older workers. We closely monitor their employment outcomes, including employment and unemployment rates, income and job mobility. Older workers have lower re-entry rates following retrenchment and may face greater barriers in returning to employment. This is also why, in response to Mr Shawn Loh's question, we provide enhanced support for Singaporeans aged 40 and above as part of our jobs and skills programmes like the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme and Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs).

To Ms Valerie Lee's question, close to nine in 10 mature CCP participants remained employed 12 months after programme completion. This is encouraging. But reskilling alone cannot insulate older workers from future displacement, particularly in sectors undergoing rapid transformation. We therefore need to look beyond support at the point of retrenchment and at how we can help older workers remain employable throughout their careers.

This is why MOM, NTUC and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) are studying broader measures under the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment to support older workers across their career journey and to enable longer, more sustainable careers.

Mr Speaker, the labour market remains resilient, but there are signs of softening. We are therefore comprehensively reviewing our measures to see how we can strengthen support for workers.

Specifically, tripartite partners are studying measures to ensure workers are treated fairly when retrenchments occur, including on the payment of retrenchment benefits and earlier access to employment facilitation services so that workers are supported at the earliest opportunity. We are also looking at how to support workers who face longer transitions back into employment, including older workers and those in sectors undergoing significant restructuring.

This work is being taken forward through various reviews, including the ongoing Employment Act review and the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment. We will provide an update when these reviews are completed.

Mr Speaker: Ms Yeo Wan Ling.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Punggol): Mr Speaker, the Acting Minister mentioned that only about one in five employers who did not pay retrenchment benefits were unable to do so because of financial difficulties, and that in some other cases, employers felt that they were just not obliged to pay.

Given that MOM had previously found that unionised companies were more likely to pay retrenchment benefits, what kind of safeguards are there for workers in non-unionised companies to ensure that the tripartite advisory is meaningfully adhered to, particularly as we wait for the changes to the Employment Act? And this is specifically for employers who have financial means to pay, but they are not legally obliged to do so.

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for her question. As mentioned, the tripartite partners are studying ways to strengthen support for retrenched workers as part of the review of the Employment Act. This includes studying how to strengthen compliance with TAMEM. One option we are considering is to take administrative action against employers who do not pay retrenchment benefits in egregious cases where an employer has the financial ability to pay, but refuses to, despite repeated engagements and warnings.

The tripartite partners are aware of the need to balance strengthening worker protections with maintaining reasonable business costs. We will need to consider how to strengthen compliance with TAMEM carefully, as some employers conducting retrenchments face genuine financial difficulties and we do not want to inadvertently place more jobs at risk by imposing a rigid obligation on employers, regardless of their situation. We will provide an update on the Employment Act review in due course.

Mr Speaker: Mr Melvin Yong.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Acting Minister for her response. My questions also pertain to retrenchment benefits.

Given that retrenchment benefits are not mandatory, does the Ministry see a case for strengthening the prevailing norm, particularly for workers who are most vulnerable?

Can the Acting Minister also clarify what proportion of retrenched workers who do not receive retrenchment benefits from their employers are also ineligible for the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme and whether MOM is concerned about a potential support gap for this group of retrenched workers?

Can the Acting Minister also share what specific criteria would the Ministry use in deciding whether additional support measures are warranted for this vulnerable group of retrenched workers?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his questions. On the first question, we will update on the Employment Act review in due course. For the second question on combining the data between retrenched workers who do not receive benefits and those who also do not qualify for our schemes, we thank the Member for the question. We will have to get back to him on the data. And on the third question on deciding additional support, we are taking a comprehensive look across all of our schemes to determine which ones need to be strengthened to provide additional support across the labour force.

Mr Speaker: Mr David Hoe.

Mr David Hoe (Jurong East-Bukit Batok): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Acting Minister for her response. I am specifically heartened to know that the career coaches do journey with the retrenched workers to provide emotional support. But specifically for retrenched workers who in their late 40s to 50s, the challenge is not about acquiring new skills, but multiple times, when we meet residents in Meet-the-People Sessions, they face multiple rejections. At the same time, some of them would then transit to a role that might not be a skill that they have acquired. Some even take on a lower salary job. I would like to ask on how the employment support system help our retrenched workers to: number one, build confidence; number two, navigate transition transitions; and more importantly, preserve their dignity in this entire process?

My second question is that I understand that the entry-level PMET vacancy has decreased from 32,800 to 31,700. I would like to ask whether fresh graduates take a longer time in finding full-time employment and is it specific in any particular industry? If so, does the employment support system help them to navigate this journey in trying to find a full-time job, even though it takes a longer time?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for raising these important points. He is right that for many workers beyond acquiring skills, there is a psychological toll of repeated rejection and having to deal with very difficult trade-offs – whether to accept lower pay, a less senior role or a very different kind of work from what they have spend their careers building.

Our employment support needs to be guided by two principles to help workers navigate these decisions.

The first is that we respect the individual's situation and the circumstances of every worker. There is no single formula for when to persist, when to pivot or when to consider a very different role. The right answer would depend on the individual's financial situation, the family circumstances, his or her health and their personal aspirations.

Our career coaches at the e2i and SWDA are therefore trained to work with every worker as an individual, providing not just job-matching services and advice on skills upgrading, but emotional support to walk with them, to process the experience of the job loss and to rebuild their confidence. We want to make sure that career decisions are made on their own terms, in a way that preserves their dignity and their confidence.

The second principle is that workers are best served by full and honest information about the job market. This means being detailed and transparent to all workers about which sectors are growing, where hiring demand is strong and also where it has softened, so that workers can make informed decisions rather than searching in the dark by themselves.

Our career coaches help the workers assess realistic demand for their existing skills, identify possibly transferable skills that could open doors in adjacent fields and then, think through the trade-offs honestly, including the possibility of lateral moves that draw on their experience without requiring them to start over completely.

Beyond individual coaching, we are also working with employers to encourage more age-inclusive hiring practices. And the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is studying broader measures to support older workers across their career journey. Ultimately, we want to ensure that the dignity and contributions of these workers are recognised and that our support system reflects that.

On fresh graduates, fresh graduates are taking longer to secure their first full-time job, compared to a few years ago, and this reflects the softer hiring conditions in certain sectors. We are monitoring this closely, especially for the 2026 graduating cohort, and we will know their six-month employment outcomes pretty soon.

For fresh graduates who are struggling to find employment, we do have the GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme, which provides our graduates with the opportunity to gain industry relevant experience and build their professional networks.

SWDA's career services are also available to fresh graduates and we will continue working with the universities and polytechnics to ensure that career support is available to graduates from the point of graduation, and not just during their studies.

Mr Speaker: Ms Valerie Lee.

Ms Valerie Lee (Pasir Ris-Changi): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank the Acting Minister. I am glad to know that nine out of 10 of our mature workers remain employed 12 months after the CCP. I would like to ask how does MOM determine or measure success for these CCPs? For example, does MOM currently consider a worker to have successfully transitioned if they remain employed? Do they look at wage progression, or whether they are subsequently retrenched again?

My second supplementary question would be given that mature retrenched workers may take longer to secure employment, is MOM considering additional support beyond SkillsFuture support during the period between retrenchment and re-employment?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for her questions. In terms of success for CCPs, yes, we do monitor the employment outcomes, but also the wages that the participants in the Programme continue to earn. At the same time, we also design the programmes to fill existing skills gaps in certain industries. So, we must also take a look at whether or not the programmes meet and fill the skills gaps that the employers seek to fill up.

Over time, we will review the effectiveness of the CCPs to relook at not just more sectors where the programmes can be applied to, but also specific occupations and roles in the sectors that they are already currently in and to see whether we can expand the scope of the programmes more.

In terms of additional support, like I mentioned just now, we are in the process of reviewing our job support measures and we will update in due course.

Mr Speaker: Mr Patrick Tay.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): I thank the Acting Minister for the response and answering some of the questions that we have posed. I have three supplementary questions.

Firstly, with our shrinking local workforce, which is imminent, can I suggest for MOM to pay a closer look at and monitor, in particular, under-employment? Not the time-based kind, but the non-time-based kind, and where it is involuntary. Because as we help people re-enter the workforce, and they may already have very good skills and certifications, but are doing a much lesser job, and that might affect their morale and frustrations.

The second one is I am glad to hear from the Acting Minister that we are relooking at and reviewing the CCP. I think we can do more, in terms of broader scope of CCPs available, because different people have different abilities, appetite, skills and preferences. I thought that would be very, very good.

More importantly, the third supplementary question is how can we better support the well-being of all these individuals or workers who enter into employment – through the CCP , through GRIT, through the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme?

Earlier, the Acting Minister shared they stay on, on average, two years for the CCPs. I suppose that is because there is a bond for two years, so they have no choice and most of them have to stay for two years. But I am thinking more of their well-being, and their coaching and mentoring. I think we can do more in that aspect. Because the human resources (HR), human capital practitioner may be very, very good, the employer may be very, very progressive, but sometimes the line supervisor, co-workers, particularly in our multi-generational workforce, they may be exacting pressures on them because they are going through something very new, sometimes even adjacent sectors, I have handled retrenched workers before when they move to —

Mr Speaker: Mr Tay, you may want to ask your supplementary question directly, please.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: Thank you. So, basically, can we do more to support these workers in employment?

Ms Jasmin Lau: Can I clarify what was the second question? I heard the first and third ones.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: The second question was about expanding CCPs and workers' well-being. The final one was on coaching and mentoring of workers already in the job to help them stay in it.

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his questions. My answer is short. Yes, noted on the suggestions. We will pay close attention to under-employment. We may call it under-employment at this point, but this is really a question about whether workers or graduates who have trained for many years in a certain skills-set or programme, whether they feel that when they come out to work, they are able to apply the skills they have learnt. While today, we call it "under-employment"; tomorrow, there is a different term but we will have to look at the relevance of the skills they have learnt and how these are applied in their future careers.

To the rest of the questions, I think, well noted, we will review CCPs, the scope of these programmes in the sectors they are applied in, and also how to support the workers along the way and to understand what their experience is like moving into a different sector and into a different company, where the profile of their colleagues could be very different.

Mr Speaker: Dr Wan Rizal.

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Acting Minister for sharing the current landscape of unemployment and retrenchment here in Singapore.

Among retrenched workers, the mature PMETs often face longer unemployment and re-entry in that aspect. Does the Ministry track outcomes significantly or separately for this group and what further measures are being considered to support the sustainable employment of these mature PMEs?

In assessing effectiveness, which is a continuation of my Parliamentary Question, does the Ministry look beyond just the job placement rates to indicators such as wage recovery, occupational downgrading and whether the next employment is a fixed term, a contract, a permanent offer, or even self-employment?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his questions. From my Parliamentary Question reply, you would have noticed that we do monitor much of what the Member has suggested – mature PMETs by age categories, their re-entry rates at the six-, 12-, 24-month marks; some of it, I have already mentioned in the reply.

And also, as a response to the earlier supplementary questions, I did say that we are in the process of reviewing our schemes to look at how to better support our workers in the transition of our economy today.

In terms of measuring effectiveness, yes, we measure placement rate, we do look at the wages. In my earlier Parliamentary Question reply, I also gave a sense of the wage differences when they move into different roles. Some do move into roles with higher wages and some are not able to do so.

We will take note of the point around models of employment, which are rapidly changing – whether they are moving from full-time jobs into contract roles or contract for service. That is something quite important because the benefits and support that they may receive through contracts of service may be quite different.

Mr Speaker: Mr Liang Eng Hwa.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang): Sir, in the Ministry's latest quarterly labour market report, it was indicated that most of the job losses are from the outward-oriented sectors. Can I further ask the Acting Minister whether this job losses that were observed, have they affected the Singapore Citizens workforce and the foreign workforce – particularly the Employment Pass (EPs) and Special Pass (S Pass) holders – differently?

My second question is whether MOM envisages the need to review and recalibrate the number of EPs and S Passes given the changes to the economy and the softening of the labour market environment?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his questions. As mentioned in my earlier reply, the likelihood of retrenchment was similar for residents PMETs and non-resident PMETs, at 3.2 in every 1,000 employees in each group in the second quarter of 2026.

Non-resident PMETs typically comprise of EPs and S Pass holders. In addition, the total number of EP and S Pass holders each declined by 900 in the second quarter of 2026. This decline was concentrated in outward-oriented sectors such as Professional Services, Financial Services, and Information and Communications, while residents employment in these sectors actually increased.

We will continue to monitor labour market conditions including employment outcomes for Singaporeans and the foreign workforce. MOM does constantly review our policies to ensure that our foreign workforce complements locals. We constantly review them not just during a period of increased retrenchments and we do this to ensure that Singaporeans will continue to have access to good job opportunities.

Mr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the Acting Minister for answering my Parliamentary Question. I have two supplementary questions, Mr Speaker.

One is in relation to the workers aged 50 and above. The background to this is that I met a few residents just recently – one of them 50-plus years old, worked more than 25 years in the Information and Communications industry, just got retrenched, he has children. The first question I have is whether MOM is assessing those aged 50 and above face increased risk of prolonged unemployment, particularly in sectors that are facing global retrenching, and does the Acting Minister see further changes in some of those sectors, such as Information and Communications, and other such sectors, or maybe new sectors? Maybe the Acting Minister can share on that.

The second supplementary question is beyond the measures that some Members have asked about – extending measures for support beyond six months to help them as they search for jobs, as the Acting Minister mentioned, some of them taking maybe up to 12 months and above – whether we can take a more proactive engagement in some sectors that we possibly expect some uncertainty, and whether we can take take proactive engagement in workers of those sectors, before they get retrenched?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his questions. I think the trend that he has observed is similar to what many of us have experienced on the ground where workers aged 50 and above who have worked for many years, do experience difficulties in moving into their next role. Information and Communications is one of the sectors where this often happens. But overall, I think it is too early to tell whether or not the retrenchments will persist and also how long it will persist.

The retrenchment pressures have so far been concentrated in these particular sectors that I mentioned: Manufacturing, Information and Communications, and Financial Services. I think we will monitor for a while more before signalling that these sectors are going to be highly at risk, as this will create even more anxieties for the workers in these sectors.

Beyond support measures when workers are already out of employment, we are engaging workers and employers in these sectors proactively to help them transition their workers into roles and jobs that have more promising growth opportunities. For example, in Information and Communications, we are seeing companies transition their workers from software developers into cybersecurity experts, and there are Government schemes that help companies through that transition so that they can provide training for workers already with them, and then, there, hopefully, is no need for such retrenchments. We will look at whether this can be done for other sectors or for more occupations and roles within each sector.

Mr Speaker: Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim.

Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim (East Coast): Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Acting Minister. I note the Acting Minister's response on the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons With Disabilities which touched on more workplace support for persons with disabilities, particularly, the cliff of 18 years old. And I refer also to the announcement that MOM had made, which is on the Enabling Employment Credit review, which will be seeing an increase.

My question is on two fronts. First, is beyond the hard improvements, how else would MOM consider working with social service agencies to reshape the culture of the workplace beyond support for the intended persons with disabilities or persons from a lower educational background? Second is, will the Ministry consider what we would call an Enabling Workplace Credit, which would also support fellow colleagues in shaping the culture that is more welcoming and more inclusive for differently abled persons?

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for her questions and for also noting that we are enhancing our Enabling Employment Credit.

Funding aside, we will work with the new Employment Support Office that will be set up by SG Enable. It will be able to provide employment services, specifically for persons with disabilities, as well as their caregivers, and that provides us an organisation for MOM to work more closely with, so that persons with disabilities are able to find employment opportunities suitable for them.

Enabling employment support will also be provided to employers through the Enabling Employment Grant by the Ministry of Social and Family Development. This grant will support employers in designing and improving their workplace practices so that colleagues, the physical infrastructure, HR practices and so on, are designed in a way that are more inclusive for all persons, regardless of ability.

Mr Speaker: Last supplementary question. Mr Shawn Loh.

Mr Shawn Loh (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. In a dynamic economy, some retrenchments are unavoidable. But what can be avoided is the negative impact on the confidence and dignity of the workers affected. The best way to do so is to provide the support to those who find themselves in unemployment, to then allow them to find employment faster. So, I was most alarmed by the data that showed that the re-entry rate of many of our workers has gotten poorer, including workers aged 30 and below.

I have one question, which is that, notwithstanding the Acting Minister's reply about the age 40 cut-off to decide how much support to give firms to hire workers, whether we could instead consider giving support to firms to hire workers, based on how long the workers have been unemployed for.

Ms Jasmin Lau: I thank the Member for his question. I think employers need to decide who they hire based on the skills gaps they have in their companies and not based on how long workers have been unemployed for.

For a functioning company – and we want all companies in Singapore to be well positioned for growth and for success – we want to make sure that the labour market measures we have, support them in those efforts. We want to make sure that it is a flexible and mobile market where they are able to select workers best fit for their companies, best able to support growth.

And separately, we will do our best to support workers in acquiring those skills, regardless of how long they have been unemployed for.

I think that is a better way of ensuring that both companies and workers can succeed in this rapidly changing economy.