Laws for work injury compensation, CPF contributions, collective representation coming this year
The Singapore government will legislate this year certain basic protections to support gig workers who are in a "precarious situation," according to Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.
Tan announced that protections for gig workers, including work injury compensation, Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, and collective representation, will be legislated and implemented later this year.
"This is a landmark move in employment legislation, and we are one of the first in the world to do so," the minister said in his May Day message.
The legislation of these basic protections comes more than a year after the Singapore government required platform companies to provide certain basic protection to gig workers, such as work injury compensation and pension coverage.
Support for laid-off employees
Tan's May Day message released last Saturday underscored that "no Singaporean will be left behind," where he shone light on the government's efforts to uplift employees. These efforts include the upcoming support scheme for involuntarily unemployed jobseekers, which the government announced early this year.
"The pace of change in the economy is accelerating and we know that more workers will likely be thrown curveballs," Tan said. "We have heard and heeded the call to further support our workers who find themselves displaced through no fault of their own."
The number of retrenched employees in Singapore more than doubled in 2023 mainly due to business reorganisation or restructuring, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower.
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong previously said they are working out the parameters of the support scheme for laid off employees, and details will be out later this year.
