Written Answer to PQ on Wage Targets and Compliance with NWC Guidelines for LWWs

NOTICE PAPER NO. 124 OF 2025 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 15 OCTOBER 2025
QUESTION NO. 372 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan

To ask the Minister for Manpower regarding policies to uplift lower-wage workers and narrow wage gaps between low wage and median income workers, whether the Ministry will consider publishing (a) wage targets for full-time resident workers at the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th percentile, relative to the median wage; and (b) the rate of compliance with the National Wages Council’s lower-wage recommendations, by sector and profitability.

Answer:

1. The Ministry of Manpower, together with tripartite partners, remains committed to support the narrowing of the wage gap between lower-wage workers and the median worker as recommended by the 2021 Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers.

2. From 2021 to 2024, real gross monthly income of full-time employed residents at the 20th percentile rose cumulatively by 6.3%, higher than the median worker at 3.2%, in line with the commitment set out by the tripartite partners in 2021. The tripartite partners had not set out wage targets for workers at specific percentiles.

3. The rates of compliance with the National Wages Council’s lower-wage recommendations by sector and business prospects are published as part of the Ministry’s annual report on “Wage Practices for Lower-Wage Employees and Forward Expectations of Establishments”.