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21 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 1
Labour Force Survey important for accurate stats

We apologise to Ms Emily Lee for her recent experience in responding to our Labour Force Survey (Labour survey leaves retiree perplexed, Nov 16). Due to a lapse in coordination at our end, we failed to send a surveyor to her home on the agreed day and time. We thank Ms Lee for graciously accepting our apology and for providing us the information when our surveyor revisited her on Nov 15. The Labour Force Survey is an important effort to help the Minis......



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19 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Ready-made solution to foreign worker quota cuts

MPs have raised concerns over the cut in the proportion of foreigners on work permits or S Passes that a firm can employ, from 40 per cent to 38 per cent next year, and to 35 per cent in 2021 (Firms in service sector need a complete rethink as foreign worker quotas cut further, say MPs, Feb 26). It was said that the new foreign worker ceiling will likely hit the hospitality, food and beverage (F&B), arts, entertainment and other lifestyle sectors most. However, ......



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18 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 1
Medisave cap, automatic funds transfer designed to boost CPF retirement savings

We thank Mr Chan Swee Wing for his letter (Why make self-employed top up shortfall CPF Board is creating?, Nov 11). The Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) is an estimate of the savings that Singaporeans will need for their basic subsidised healthcare expenses in old age, including large inpatient bills, selected outpatient treatments, long-term care and MediShield Life premiums. The BHS is a cap on the Medisave Account, and not a minimum amount members need to have. ......



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16 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 6
Labour survey leaves retiree perplexed

On Nov 5, I received a "On government service" letter addressed to "the resident". It was for a labour force survey conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to be done online by Nov 10. It also stated that it was compulsory to do the survey, according to the Statistics Act. That clause gave me stress and anxiety as it gave me the impression that if I were to ignore it I might be penalised in some way. So I called the number on the letter and asked if the survey could be deferre......



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16 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Make two days rest per work week official

Recently, Microsoft Japan experimented with a four-day work week and the results were extraordinary, with an increase in productivity of up to 40 per cent. Yet, in Singapore, we are still instituting an official six-day work week in some organisations, with only one official day of rest per week. Granted almost all office workers are now working a five-day work week, but many shift workers and retail frontline staff are still on a six-day work week, with only four d......



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15 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 3
Social media checks for hiring purposes worrying

I was shocked to learn from a job recruiter friend that he uses social media to screen job candidates at the request of clients, the employers. This practice must stop as profiles created on social media like Twitter and Facebook could be for personal use only. These are platforms where people express themselves freely. Many use social networking sites to connect with others and recruiters are using these sites as a source of background information on applicants to ......



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06 Nov 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Work calls after office hours: Compromise needed

Unlike in Western countries, there is a lack of restrictions in Singapore on work-related contact after working hours (Keep work matters to stipulated office hours, Oct 23). Former actress Sharon Au, in her account of her working experience in France, said she was reported to the authorities for contacting her colleagues on work-related matters after office hours. This is unheard of in Singapore, where a WhatsApp message from the boss after work is a scenario not un......



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30 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 5
What happens when condo residents clash with security personnel

An altercation between a condominium resident and security staff went viral on social media. But most of such incidents go unnoticed (Security union, groups back officer abused by condo resident, Oct 28). As a security supervisor, I have encountered such humiliation, had vulgarities hurled at me and even been issued threats to get me out of the workplace. The main problem, from my experience, is the condominium management, which is afraid of the residents. When an i......



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30 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 1
Security guards deserve better support

It is regretful that the incident of abuse against a security guard should take place during Deepavali (Security union, groups back officer abused by condo resident, Oct 28). Regardless of the occasion, we should always respect people and remain civil. From my observations, security guards are often not given much respect from the public, resulting in many such incidents of abuse. Therefore, can the authorities implement stricter laws to better protec......



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28 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 1
Forum: Set proportion of skilled foreigners a company can hire

The employment pass (EP) applies to foreign professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) who have relevant qualifications, bringing with them a wealth of experience and innovative ideas. While this group brings diversity to the workforce, we need to ensure that there are enough citizens working in companies to complement and learn from the foreign colleagues. Currently, there is no ratio for the number of EP holders to citizen employees in a company. This co......



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21 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Forum: To boost efficiency, be more open to skilled foreign workers

The issue of improving efficiency in Singapore needs adequate solutions (What happened to Singapore's efficiency?, Voices of Youth, June 24), and one answer is to open doors to skilled foreign workers. There is antagonism towards skilled foreign workers in Singapore. To increase productivity, the workforce needs to either achieve higher standards of capabilities or op......



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12 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 4
Sending out wrong signals about parenting

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said in Parliament on Monday that providing childcare leave on a per-child basis may hurt the employability of some parents. First, this inherently acknowledges that discrimination against working parents does happen in the workplace. Second, the Government should legislate against such discrimination instead of essentially supporting it. Third, by putting employers' concerns over that of the employee, the Government is......



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09 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 5
MOM needs to step in and set stricter rules for maid agents

That the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is taking steps to reduce the proportion of employment contracts that are cancelled prematurely is encouraging (MOM to help employers retain maids for full length of contract, Oct 7). Maid agency fees are expensive and yet many agencies do little to verify the credibility of a foreign domestic worker's background, capability and integrity. Since the departure of our wonderful long-term helper of nine years, my family has had the m......



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02 Oct 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 1
Global Retirement Index has serious flaws

We refer to The Straits Times report (S'pore ranked top in retirement finances, Sept 21). The Global Retirement Index (GRI) is a ranking of 44 countries published by a private asset management firm, Natixis Investment Managers, which is neither an academic institution nor an inter-governmental organisation. Many indices provide useful comparisons. Some, however, have serious flaws that make their findings unreliable. Users of the GRI, in particular, s......



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27 Sep 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 2
People with disabilities can help ease labour crunch

The Government is lowering the dependency ratio ceiling - the proportion of foreign workers that firms may hire - from 40 per cent to 38 per cent from Jan 1 next year, and to 35 per cent on Jan 1, 2021. Some organisations are taking steps to comply with the new rules. United Overseas Bank (UOB), for instance, is collaborating with SG Enable, the Autism Resource Centre, the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore and charit......



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17 Sep 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Maids should have KPIs too

Few would disagree with Ms Jaya Anil Kumar, a case manager for the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics, who said that live-in helpers are inherently vulnerable to exploitation and abuse (When family members abuse a maid together, Sept 9). But are employers not vulnerable too (Maid abuse? What about the reverse? Sept 16)? Having, out of necessity, to admit a stranger - not knowing her mental state, and cultural beliefs and practices - into one's home, a......



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17 Sep 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 2
Most employers pay up salary claims in full

Transient Workers Count Too general manager Ethan Guo's letter does not provide a fair picture of what is happening on the ground (Bosses of foreign workers ignore court orders to pay up, Sept 5). Most salary claims by workers are settled by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and in nine out of 10 cases, claimants receive full p......



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06 Sep 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 5
Taking paternity leave a personal choice, not a need

I am amused by the public focus on paternity leave and the perceived reasons given for the low take-up rate by new fathers. Maternity leave is a need, while paternity leave is an aspiration. A new mother needs to take leave to recuperate after childbirth as well as to breastfeed her newborn infant, duties that nature has given her. New fathers, on the other hand, have a choice on whether to take paternity leave. If some fathers feel that taking patern......



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31 Aug 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 9
Why the long wait to implement re-employment changes?

When the re-employment age was raised from 65 to 67 in 2017, it was implemented rather quickly. But the move to raise the re-employment age from 67 to 68 will take effect only three years from now, and there's a 10-year wait for it be raised to 70. Similarly, the increase in retirement age from 62 to 63 will take effect only three years from now. This delay in policy implementation is not inclusive. Older workers of a certain age will not benefit from......



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20 Aug 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 2
Abusive maid employers barred from hiring again

We thank Mr Cheng Choon Fei for his suggestions to help prevent further abuse of foreign domestic workers (Step up efforts to prevent maid abuse, Aug 5). Our laws provide strong and comprehensive protection to foreign domestic workers (FDWs) working in Singapore and are enforced strictly. Penalties ......



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13 Aug 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 99
Online surveys by national Population and Talent Division

The Straits Times reported the following findings from the online surveys: 1. 75% of respondents said that domestic responsibilities should be shared between spouses and that both spouses should have equal responsibility in making key household decisions. 2. 75% agreed that work-life harmony is more important than getting a promotion. 92% choose having supportive bosses and understanding colleagues. 78% choose flexible work arrangements. 3. Only 45% s......



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26 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 7
Income growth has been broad-based for several years

Forum contributor Isaac Neo Yi Chong was mistaken in asserting middle-class incomes had stagnated in Singapore and that the real wages of the lower income had declined (Growing pie does not mean bigger slices for all, June 22). Income growth in Singapore has been broad-based for several years, including the last decade. Real incomes in the bottom 20 per cent of resident employed households grew by 3.1 per cent per annum on average over ......



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26 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Reply View - 1
Measures in place to ensure compliance with foreign worker documents requirement

We agree with Mr George Pasqual that foreign workers should be provided with in-principle approval (IPA) letters by their employers prior to departure for Singapore (Stricter oversight on foreign worker documents needed, June 19). This is why the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has instituted a stern, maximum financial penalty of $10,000 on errant employers who fail to comply with this. Also, they are barred them from employing foreign workers in future.b......



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19 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 10
Stricter oversight on foreign worker documents needed

It was reported that about 15 per cent of non-Malaysian work permit holders in a recent survey said they did not receive their in-principle approval (IPA) letter before taking up employment in Singapore (More foreign workers unsure of pay on arrival, June 10). This situation is untenable. An IPA contains the terms and conditions of a worker's employment, including his basic salary. Under the law, employers are required to mail the IPA t......



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17 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 34
Bring down unreasonable recruitment fees charged to maids

Foreign domestic workers such as "Sharon" (Loan from remittance firm traps maid in web of debt, June 12) do need protection against getting into a position where they are saddled with such high interest that they find it difficult, if not impossible, to repay the loan. Sharon's situation, as described, highlights a basic problem that encourages some domestic workers to seek loans, on whatever terms they can obtain - that is, the recruitment cost that ......



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15 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 3
Help erase discrimination against private uni grads

It is an open secret that graduates from private universities have a lower rate of securing full-time jobs in Singapore and that they draw a lower starting pay compared with graduates from public universities. It doesn't help that in the civil service and statutory boards, priority is given to graduates from the top universities in the world or from local public universities. What is worse is that there is perceived bias even in the emp......



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13 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 172
Unclear situation on CPF contribution

This is a shocking state of affairs. It reflects a low quality of the people in charge, up to the manpower minister. Read the finding of this court of appeal. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/high-court-rejects-cpf-boards-bid-for-417k-in-alleged-arrears-acquits-country......



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05 Jun 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Feedback View - 3
Part-timers' rights protected too

We thank Ms Huan Ai Min for her letter in which she asked for greater protection for part-time workers, especially students who take up part-time jobs during school holidays (Rights of part-time workers, May 24). Statutory benefits like paid annual leave, sick leave and public holidays apply to all employees, regardless of whether the employees are on full-time, part-time or hourly-rated employment. Furthermore, if an employee is requir......



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19 May 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 141
Reduce youth unemployment

The best way to reduce youth unemployment is to create more jobs. More jobs can be created by reducing the working hours. If the working hours is reduced by 10%, there will be a need for 10% more workers.  However, it may be possible that the current deployment is inefficient, so a reduction in working hours will be partially met by removing the slack in the current workforce.  Nevertheless, there should still b......



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18 May 2019
Ministry of Manpower
Suggestion View - 29
Send strong message to errant maid agencies

That employers of foreign domestic workers are often left helpless with little to no recourse is true, and I strongly agree with Mr Lawrence Loh Kiah Muan (Protect interests of maid employers too, May 14). I, too, have gone through many rounds of the hiring process and have experienced maids who lied about their age or did not have the experience that they claimed to have had. When I questioned them about the deception, they said they w......



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