Labour chief Ng Chee Meng calls to raise income threshold for Jobseeker Support Scheme

Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Jalan Kayu MP Ng Chee Meng kicked off the second day of the Budget debates in Parliament on Feb. 25.

Noting that we are living in a "disrupted age marked by greater geopolitical and economic fragmentation and uncertainty, technological disruption and a rapidly aging population", Ng said these challenges are now daily lived experiences for many workers and their families.

Citing NTUC’s 2025 survey on economic sentiments, he said the cost of living remains a key concern for many workers.

"This budget is therefore critical to lay a strong foundation for this disrupted age," Ng said, adding that the choices we make today will shape the cost of our future and the lives of our workers and families.

Ng also called for more support for jobseekers, including raising the qualifying threshold for involuntarily-unemployed workers to obtain support.

Empower every worker to be AI-ready

Ng said the labour movement supports this year’s Budget to help secure the future of workers and their families in a changing world.

He noted that many workers feel uncertain about how to prepare for AI-driven disruption.

While Singapore has a comprehensive skills and training ecosystem offering a range of AI courses, it is not always clear which course or pathway will genuinely help workers become AI-ready.

At the same time, many businesses recognise the value of AI but struggle to translate that recognition into clear, actionable strategies that deliver real productivity gains and a competitive edge, he added.

Ng said he therefore supports the establishment of the National AI Council announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during the Budget.

He also called on the government and employers to work with the labour movement through AI-Ready SG — an initiative driven by the NTUC Job Security Council — to help workers thrive in an AI-enabled future.

Strengthen support for vulnerable workers

Ng noted that even as efforts are made to prepare every worker for AI, some will still face disruption.

While acknowledging that Singapore remains in a relatively strong employment position, he said emerging headwinds and signs of strain require attention.

For instance, a survey by the Singapore National Employers Federation found that nearly three in five employers plan to freeze headcount this year.

"We must therefore strengthen support for our workers so that they can navigate transitions confidently and, where needed, bounce back stronger," Ng said.

He suggested doing more to support professionals, managers, and engineers (PMEs) facing retrenchment.

Currently, only workers earning S$5,000 or less per month are eligible for the SkillsFuture Job Seeker Support Scheme.

The scheme, launched last year, provides temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 over six months to those who are involuntarily unemployed.

Ng noted that as of September 2025, exceeding the income cap was one reason 60 per cent of applications were rejected.

He proposed reviewing the income threshold so the scheme can provide baseline assurance to middle-income PMEs.

Specifically, he suggested pegging the maximum last-drawn income for eligibility to the median income for PMEs, which was around S$7,600 in 2025.

Ng also addressed several high-profile retrenchments that made headlines last year, saying these incidents could have been avoided if companies had worked with the relevant unions and informed NTUC earlier.

“Advanced retrenchment notifications support our ability to work together with companies to provide timely and tangible support of our affected workers before retrenchment, not after retrenchment, five days post, when many of the workers may have left the company already and are no longer contactable.”

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Top photos from Canva and MDDI/YouTube