Budget 2021: S$5.4b to extend Jobs Growth Incentive, SGUnited measures

THE SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package has received a second S$5.4 billion tranche in Budget 2021, of which S$5.2 billion will go towards extending the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) by seven months.

The aim for this year is to support the hiring of 200,000 locals and provide up to 35,000 traineeship and training opportunities, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech on Tuesday.

The new infusion is on top of the S$3 billion allocated to the Jobs and Skills Package in FY2020, when it was launched. Nearly 76,000 individuals had been placed into jobs, traineeships, attachments, and skills training positions as at the end of 2020.

With the extension, the JGI will support the hiring of locals up till end-September 2021. There will be up to 12 months of wage support from the month of hiring for eligible locals, and up to 18 months for mature workers, persons with disabilities, and ex-offenders.

Also to be extended are the SGUnited Skills, SGUnited Traineeships, and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways programmes. All will be extended for a year, till March 31, 2022.

Separately, the National Research Foundation will support about 500 fellowships in the next five years under a new Innovation and Enterprise Fellowship Programme.

This is to meet talent needs in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and health tech.