Widespread economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has unfolded in the past few months.
To tide lower-income Singaporeans over this difficult time, there will be two upcoming rounds of payout.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on July 24, 400,000 Singaporeans will be receiving a total sum of S$3,000 each in the coming months as part of the Workfare Special Payment.
The Workfare Special Payment is part of the Resilience Budget announced in March.
In total, the Workfare Special Payment amounts to S$1.2 billion of the budget.
S$3,000 to be given to lower-income Singaporeans
The S$3,000 payout will be given in two rounds to those in the bottom 20 per cent of the workforce.
The first half will be credited directly on July 28 to eligible recipients who have their bank accounts registered with the government.
The second half will be credited to them on Oct. 28.
For those who do not have their bank accounts registered, a cheque will be mailed to them by Aug. 15 and Nov. 15.
Besides distributing payouts, DPM Heng also highlighted the progressive wage model and training via SkillsFuture as important aspects of Workfare that help uplift lower-income workers in Singapore.
Workfare was introduced in 2007 to help workers from the bottom 20 per cent of the workforce by topping up their salaries and Central Provident Fund (CPF) via Workfare Income Supplement.
In Work Year 2020, WIS has been extended to those who earn S$2,300 monthly.
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Top photo courtesy of Jon Siegel