IRAS Give job support to firms that fall through cracks in excluded sectors
The Government has provided numerous rounds of financial assistance through the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was predicted that many workers would have been let go and many small and medium-sized enterprises would have gone under had it not been for the JSS.

The recent announcement on the sectors excluded from JSS listed industries such as biomedical sciences, online retail, supermarkets, media and information and communications technology.

I wonder how the exclusion list was determined.

While some of these sectors have thrived in the pandemic, there may be a substantial number of firms among these industries which fall through the cracks.

For example, the media sector consists of a wide spectrum of industries such as broadcast, film, publishing and print.

And if reports from recent months are anything to go by, small outfits in these sectors may still be reeling from the health-led crisis.

There are likely pockets of firms struggling with the ongoing pandemic and restructuring exercises.

While I can relate to the need to be sustainable in providing financial support, could the Government consider a more granular approach to giving out JSS support measures?

Tan Kar Quan

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-give-job-support-to-firms-that-fall-through-cracks-in-excluded-sectors

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