A Lookback: NTUC’s Calls for Unemployment Support to Help the Involuntarily Unemployed

Introduction

Since 2014, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Patrick Tay has been a leading advocate for unemployment support for workers affected by retrenchments. His calls for unemployment support reflect regular feedback from NTUC’s and unions’ engagements with workers and union leaders, underscoring the importance of having some form of financial assistance for those facing involuntary unemployment. Here’s a look back at the calls made by NTUC.

Advocacy and Development of the Unemployment Support Scheme

In 2014, ASG Patrick Tay first introduced the concept of a temporary financial support scheme for retrenched Professionals, Managers, Executives (PMEs) during the Debate on the President's Address in Parliament in May 2014¹. Throughout the years, ASG Patrick Tay has consistently raised this issue both inside and outside of Parliament, proposing a form of subsidy and payment as a type of unemployment insurance to assist those who have been laid off.

Temporary Financial Support for the Involuntarily Unemployed

Co-chaired by ASG Patrick Tay in 2021, the joint NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce² engaged 10,000 PMEs, union leaders and business leaders to understand the key concerns and needs of PMEs at the workplace. The PME Taskforce heard PMEs’ views and suggestions and proposed nine key recommendations to address their concerns and alleviate the challenges they faced, including lack of job security and need for more support in employment and training opportunities. One of the key recommendations was the introduction of unemployment support and benefits for involuntarily unemployed PMEs. This recommendation aimed to provide supplementary income relief and assistance to those who are involuntarily unemployed, complemented by active Labour Market Policies to support effective reemployment and skills development.

On a larger scale in 2023, NTUC engaged over 40,000 workers from all walks of life through the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations (#EWMC)³ where workers raised several concerns, ranging from daily pressures like cost of living and caregiving challenges to longer-term issues such as income security and retirement adequacy. Amongst the recommendations of #EWMC, one recommendation included the call for some form of unemployment support, where the government could provide short-term financial support to workers who experience involuntary unemployment, conditional on their active engagement in reskilling or job search efforts. By providing short-term financial support, immediate financial pressures would be alleviated, and workers can be empowered to effectively navigate career transition and secure meaningful employment opportunities in a volatile job market.

In recent developments, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the implementation of financial support for workers who lose their jobs as part of the Forward Singapore plan at the 2023 National Day Rally. This scheme is designed as a temporary safety net to help workers meet immediate needs while allowing them to upskill and train for long-term employment opportunities⁴. Following this announcement, ASG Patrick Tay penned an opinion piece⁵, outlining six key points for the scheme: accessibility, affordability, amount, ambit, active job search, and augmentation. This was reiterated through multiple calls including ASG Patrick’s recent Budget 2024 Debate Speech⁶ and acknowledged by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong during his Budget Statement⁷ emphasising support for the involuntarily unemployed, announcing that the parameters of the scheme are being developed, with more details to be provided later this year.

Empowering the Involuntarily Unemployed

NTUC will continue championing the wages, welfare and work prospects to better the lives and livelihoods of all workers.