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$5.4b more for SGUnited Jobs and Skills package: Heng Swee Keat
SINGAPORE — An additional $5.4 billion will be allocated to a second tranche of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills package, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget 2021 statement in Parliament on Tuesday (16 February).
This will be on top of the $3 billion allocated to the package last year, which was first launched in the same year to tackle the anticipated labour market fallout from COVID-19.
Of the additional allocation, $5.2 billion will be allocated to the Jobs Growth Incentive scheme to extend the hiring window by seven months up to end-September, Heng said.
"Looking ahead, as companies and industries transform, and new growth areas emerge, our people will need to have the skills and agility to move. To emerge stronger, our people will need knowledge and skills," he added.
With the extension, companies hiring eligible locals will be given up to 12 months of wage support from the month of the hire. Mature workers, persons with disabilities, and ex-offenders will be given up to 18 months of enhanced wage support.
"For workers who require additional support before landing a job, we will also extend the support for the SGUnited skills, SGUnited traineeships, and the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathway programmes," Heng said.
Through the next phase of the Jobs and Skills package, the government aims to support the hiring of 200,000 locals this year and provide up to 35,000 traineeship and training opportunities to continue to support jobseekers, he added.
Under the package, nearly 76,000 individuals have been placed into jobs, traineeships, attachments, and skills training as of the end of last year.
Under the Jobs Growth Incentive scheme, an estimated 110,000 local jobseekers were collectively hired by 26,000 firms within two months from its implementation. This is double the preliminary estimates of 50,000 who were employed during its inaugural month in September.
About half of them were aged 40 and above.
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