Jobs as swabbers paying S$3,800 are only short term: MOH

THE Ministry of Health (MOH) has clarified that the swab operations jobs paying S$3,400 to S$3,800 a month are short-term contract roles with no progression pathway and do not include any additional allowances or bonuses.

This is in contrast to the average gross monthly salary for entry-level registered nurses, which ranges from S$3,300 to S$5,200 depending on their qualifications and after adding in allowances and bonuses.

These nurses are also eligible for annual salary increments as well as training opportunities to upskill themselves and develop a career as a nurse clinician, educator or leader in the healthcare sector, MOH said in response to media queries on Friday.

Earlier this week, netizens on social media had questioned why swabbers and swab assistants could take home higher pay than that of some qualified healthcare professionals, after a job advertisement for the temporary roles gained traction online.

Several online comments also indicated concern that this purported pay disparity might lower the morale of full-time healthcare professionals who receive what the netizens were describing as far lower salaries.

Others suggested that nurses should receive pay raises to justify their high-risk work environment, qualifications and heavy workload, particularly during the pandemic.

The job ad was shared on Facebook by Singapore's Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin as well as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and National Development Sun Xueling, who is also a Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

All successful applicants will start off as swab assistants and be paid S$3,400 a month.

After undergoing on-the-job training and assessment, they can then become swabbers and receive S$3,800 a month.

The jobs will last six months with an option to extend for another three months, according to the online application form.

The swab operations team's responsibilities include swabbing foreign workers in dormitories, MOH noted. Swabbers and swab assistants may be deployed to community recovery facilities, government quarantine facilities and/or nursing homes, the application form stated.

The recruitment exercise is being conducted by the Health Promotion Board, with the assistance of NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute, in a bid to support wider Covid-19 swab testing efforts in Singapore.

DSO National Laboratories is also hiring temporary lab officers which conducts laboratory tests on swab samples for Covid-19. The commitment expected is for a minimum of three months, with a completion bonus if the hired lab officer stays beyond six months.