Mdm Speaker,
I am encouraged that the Budget is designed to build a Singapore that provides better opportunities and a better future for all Singaporeans.
I would like to propose two recommendations for the Finance Ministry’s consideration:
Respect every job and value every contribution
Help more Singaporeans get a job
Respect every job and value every contribution
In the past, freelancers or the self-employed have indicated they needed more support.
They do not receive CPF contributions by employers, nor do they enjoy medical or leave benefits. Some have to deal with clients who do not pay up, or take a long time to pay for the services rendered. I have spoken with many of them recently and they have reiterated these concerns.
This year’s Budget has brought much cheer to them. Many will enjoy income tax rebate, GST rebate, enhanced Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and Medisave top ups. These measures will help them manage some of their cost pressures.
With the evolving economy, we are seeing swift changes to job options. More Singaporeans are becoming self-employed as taxi drivers, adult educators and tour guides for example.
Many hope that society will respect their career choice and not perceive their job as a fall-back option. What they do every day contribute significantly to our economy.
Our economic transformation should include the self-employed. We can do more to make their jobs more respectable and this career option a better one. Let me cite two examples.
Taxi Drivers
Take taxis for example. I hope taxi drivers and operators will be able to strike a good partnership. Drivers should be valued as a co-owner, instead of the current taxi operator – hirer relationship status.
The Government has just announced a one-year 30% road tax rebate for commercial vehicles. The immediate response by some taxi operators to the call by the National Taxi Association (NTA) to give back the savings to drivers is a good start. We hope all taxi operators will soon follow suit.
Older taxi drivers I spoke with are also pleased with existing programs such as the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) by the Ministry of Health to help them manage healthcare costs. The NTA, together with dental and healthcare groups have also rolled out discounted schemes to enable taxi drivers to enjoy affordable medical care. The Health Promotion Board has also provided some level of support.
The stakeholders have taken proactive steps. However, with rising medical costs and needs, affordability is a major concern to taxi drivers. All welcome the one-off Medisave account top-up of $200. In addition, they have two requests to make this Budget more inclusive.
Firstly, this Budget enhanced the WIS and created the Wage Credits Scheme (WCS). These were good news to many. As self-employed, they hope to receive the same amount in WIS as employees. Currently, they also receive a smaller amount in cash.
Madam Speaker, many are also pleased with the generosity of the WCS. But as self-employed, they do not benefit from this. While there is no direct scheme to help the self-employed in this Budget, perhaps further refinements can be made.
Secondly, taxi drivers work hard everyday. What they hope to see is that the Government and operator offer greater support to help them build up their CPF savings. They grapple with rising business operating costs such as higher taxi rental, ERP charges, diesel tax levy, petrol costs and insurance premiums.
Drivers have suggested reviewing an old scheme and re-calibrating it to meet today’s reality; i.e. the diesel tax levy. With cleaner diesel technologies and more Euro IV cars on the roads, perhaps the Government can review the annual diesel tax levy.
One way is to explore taking part of the levy collected from drivers and transferring into their CPF account. This way, resources can be directed towards giving them greater security for their healthcare, housing and retirement needs.
Adult Educators
Another growing pool of self-employed is the adult educators. Efforts by the Government over the last few years in Continuing Education and Training have expanded the market for more local trainers. The Singapore Workforce Development Agency estimates that there are probably over 15,000 training practitioners.
Many welcome the Finance Minister’s announcement that training for Singaporean workers will be boosted. The Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund will be receiving a top up too. Our brand as an adult training hub has also gone up among our regional neighbours.
Recently, I met with many of them and through the Education Services Union, we also conducted a survey among adult educators. Their main concern is about income security.
In this Budget, many workers can look forward to benefiting from the enhanced Workfare and WCS etc. More significantly, many will see their wages and skills rise through the progressive wage model illustrated by Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang.
Adult educators have not been left out in this effort. Together with the Institute of Adult Learning, industry practitioners and unions, we have been working on the progression pathways for adult educators.
Today, they can progress from being a trainer certified under the Workplace Trainer Programme to attaining an advanced certificate, a diploma and even Masters in Training & Development or in Lifelong Learning. These courses are also co-funded by the government.
Such a pathway enables adult educators to deliver better services, and handle more complex needs such as assessing training outcomes and designing curriculum. Moving forward, they are able to earn better income and access new markets, both locally and regionally.
Indeed, we can seek the Finance Minister’s consideration to give more to adult educators. But as one of them remarked to me, the best help is to expand his market reach and up his professionalism.
Hence, I call upon the Government and employers to speed up the recognition of training certifications, whether it is WSQ or other vocational skills. Such skills recognition is key to our efforts to embark on quality growth.
We should also engage the services of training practitioners with the right qualifications. This is especially important since they have a significant role to play in bringing about positive impact to our workers.
Adult educators gain expertise in their fields and have valuable skills that allow them to perform well in their job. Their work should be highly valued and their career choice respected. I hope that buyer of their services will want to be co-partners with them, respect their work and of course, pay them in a timely manner.
Help more Singaporeans get a job
Finally, I support with Ms Mary Liew and Mr Heng Chee How’s call to help more segments of Singaporeans to find good jobs quickly.
SEC for back-to-work women and ex-offenders
Last year, the Finance Minister announced new enhancements to the Special Employment Credits (SEC) scheme. Acting Minister for Manpower, in a recent PQ reply, shared that he is open to extending SEC or some variant form to ex-offenders who are under the Yellow Ribbon project.
Previously, I have called for the SEC to be extended to other vulnerable worker segments. I have also visited the Prison to find out more from inmates about their employment concerns. In my constituency, I continue to meet with many ex-offenders and back-to-work women who face challenges to return to the workforce.
Some have shared that employers tell them the cost of having to make adjustments to hire them is not viable. For example, the company may need to create a flexible work schedule, buddy or mentoring system. These groups of job seekers also find it challenging to attend training, citing costs and other obstacles.
Perhaps the Minister can consider bundling support services to help train them before they are sent to employers; whilst employers are also trained to prepare them to receive these groups of workers.
I hope that the Minister can also review the plans to use the SEC scheme to enable more women to return to the workforce and ex-offenders to re-integrate back into society quickly.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker,
It is important that we do more for the self-employed. It is not always through giving out more grants, though it will be welcomed.
For some, this career route is not their first choice. They may have lost their jobs, and have to look for an alternative one. It is unfair to leave them alone, assuming they can look after themselves. With greater help and support, we can deepen their skills and enable more people to appreciate the self-employed and the work they do.
It is equally important that we adopt the right mindset towards such career options and create the right work environment for them to thrive. Their jobs, whether as a taxi driver or adult educators or other forms of freelance work, must be considered as a viable long-term career.
Every contributor to our economy, be it employees or self-employed, is critical and their inputs, valuable.
Mdm Speaker, with that, I support the Budget.
