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Written Answer by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower & Senior Minister of State, National Development, to Parliamentary Question on Resident Workers Drawing a Basic Monthly Salary of $1,000 or Less in 2011 and 2012

Mr Png Eng Huat: To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how many resident workers drew a basic monthly salary of $1,000 or less in 2011 and 2012; (b) what were the average and median basic monthly salaries of these workers in 2011 and 2012; (c) what percentage of these workers received the full pay raise of $50 that was recommended by the NWC in 2012; (d) what percentage of these workers received part of the recommended pay raise in 2012; and (e) what is the breakdown by percentage and occupational categories of workers who received the full or part of the recommended pay raise.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin:

  1. In June 2011, around 160,000 full-time resident employees in Singapore, or 11% of full-time resident employees, earned $1,000 and below in basic monthly income from work. In June 2012, the corresponding number was about 151,000, or 10% of full-time resident employees. The average basic monthly salaries of these workers were around $7701.
  2. In mid 2012, the NWC recommended a $50 built-in wage increase for low-wage workers earning a basic monthly salary of up to $1,000. As of December 2012, almost six in ten private establishments2 had given or decided to give wage increases to their employees earning a monthly basic salary of up to $1,000. This includes 40% of private establishments that had given built-in wage increases, 8% who had decided to give a built-in wage increase but had not done so at the time of the survey, and 11% who had provided other forms of wage increases3. Three in ten private establishments had given a built-in wage increase of at least $50 in 2012.
  3. The Ministry does not have an exact breakdown by occupation of workers who received the recommended pay raise, in full or in part. However, based on responses to the Ministry’s Survey on Annual Wage Changes, 20124, establishments in real estate services (70%), professional services (70%) and manufacturing (60%) were the most likely to indicate that they had given or had decided to give a built-in wage increase to their employees earning a basic monthly salary of $1,000 and below. Fewer construction (40%), and transportation and storage establishments (39%) indicated that they had given or decided to give a built in wage increase.

1 Estimated from MOM’s Labour Force Survey.
2 Refers to establishments with employees earning a basic monthly salary of up to $1,000.
3 Other forms of wage increases comprised one-off special payments, additional bonus and/or additional allowance.
4 MOM’s Report on Wage Practices 2012.