Data on Average Working Hours and Overtime Hours for Full-time Security Officers Working for Private Security Agencies

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in 2020, what percentage of full-time security officers working for private security agencies worked overtime hours; (b) what were the average and median hours worked per officer per month; and (c) what was the highest number of hours worked per officer per month.

Dr Tan See Leng: In 2020, 79.4% of full-time security officers in private security agencies worked more than 44 hours per week, where overtime is payable under the Employment Act for eligible security officers. The mean and median hours worked per week were 56.4 hours (that is, 12.4 overtime hours) and 60.0 hours (that is, 16 overtime hours) respectively 1 .

Previously, before the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) in the security sector, many private security agencies relied on overtime exemptions under the Employment Act, so that their security officers clocked more than 72 hours of overtime per month. In November 2017, the Government accepted recommendations from the Security Tripartite Cluster – comprising representatives from the unions, employers, service buyers and the Government – to remove Overtime Exemption for the security sector from January 2021. This meant that security agencies would only be able to deploy their security officers for a maximum of 72 overtime hours per month (or 16.6 overtime hours on average per week). This reduces excessive overtime hours worked by security officers, improves their well-being and avoids compromising their alertness.

In 2020, through the Security PWM, security officers saw an increase in their base salary by 12%, even though their total working hours are capped. This ensures that most would not be adversely affected due to a reduction in overtime hours. The three-year implementation lead time allowed security agencies, service buyers and security officers sufficient time to adjust.

In 2020, about 30% of security officers still worked more than 72 overtime hours per month 2 . With the implementation of the PWM recommendation to remove overtime exemptions in January 2021, this percentage is expected to decline further.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 43:

1 This refers to the number of hours an employee typically works in a week. For a worker with usual hours worked at the mean and median, his overtime hours are 12.4 and 16 hours respectively, assuming his contractual hours are 44 hours a week.

2 Overtime hours are assumed to be those which exceed 44 hours per week.