Minimum Salaries For EP & S Pass Holders Will Be Raised
Due to the slow economy and retrenchments amid Covid-19, some Singaporeans feel that it’s difficult to find jobs.
As a result, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said on Wednesday (26 Aug) that MOM will raise the minimum salaries required to hire people on Employment (EP) and S Passes.
In other words, employers must pay more if they want to hire them.
Employers must pay more to hire foreigners
The current minimum is $3,900 for EPs and $2,400 for S Passes.
Previously, in President Halimah Yacob’s speech on Monday (24 Aug), she noted the worries of Singaporeans over job competition.
This will be addressed, she said, and Mrs Teo said the raised numbers will be part of that.
The limit was $2,300 in 2019 for S Pass holders, while EP holders’ minimum salaries had to be $3,600 in May.
The commitment by MOM is for employers to have a “strong Singaporean core”, according to their addendum to Mdm Halimah’s speech.
She said almost 6 in 10 Singaporeans are in PMET jobs, while for each EP holder, there are almost 7 equivalent local PMETs.
Low-wage workers will be looked at
Mrs Teo also said that MOM will look into raising the wages of lowly-paid workers, and offering more job support for Singaporeans.
They’ll do this through the Progressive Wage Model, which will be added to more sectors.
However, Mrs Teo warned that this may entail paying more for services, to support better jobs and wages for lower-income workers.
Helping Singaporeans as a whole
More importantly, those who’ve fallen on hard time especially due to the pandemic need the most help at the moment.
We also need to ensure that the unemployment rate is low during good times, and that lower-income workers get the support they need.
It’s a lot to juggle, and Singaporeans as a whole may have to pay a little more.
But if we don’t help them through paying more for services, can we really blame the Government for those who’ve fallen through the cracks?
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
