Singapore Urges Employers To Improve Workers’ Livelihoods

Companies that benefit from Singaporean government funding must make efforts to improve workers’ livelihoods, the country’s minister of trade and industry recently said in a speech about the 2019 budget. The minister also announced the merger of two funds — the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) and the Inclusive Growth Programme — which, he said, demonstrates the government’s commitment to urging companies to “think of how to improve their workers’ skills and career prospects” when they design their transformation plans. 

Companies starting EDG-funded projects on or after 1 Apr 2020 will be required to detail what positive worker outcomes they will achieve — for example, salary increases, job creation, job redesign or increased hiring of older workers.

Related Resources

• Minister’s Speech (Ministry for Trade and Industry, 4 Mar 2019)
• Background Information on EDG (Singapore government)
• Background Information on Inclusive Growth Programme (National Trade Union Congress)