Budget debate: Labour MPs suggest national internship standard, jobseeker support for higher earners too
Other ideas included higher Workfare payouts for older workers, stronger legal protection of freelancers and agency workers
A NATIONAL internship standard and expanding the Jobseeker Support Scheme to higher-earning workers were among suggestions by eight Members of Parliament from the labour movement on Thursday (Feb 27), the second day of the Budget debate.
Training was a major focus, with National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) deputy secretary-general Desmond Tan urging more employers to tap the Company Training Committees (CTCs) scheme.
CTCs co-fund up to 70 per cent of qualifying costs for companies’ efforts to enhance productivity, redesign jobs or improve employees’ career prospects.
Since 2022, NTUC has formed over 3,000 CTCs and approved more than 480 transformation projects, said Tan, who is also senior minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Through these, over 7,000 workers either received an average wage increment of 5 per cent above their annual raise, or benefited from career development plans and skills allowances. In Budget 2025, an additional S$200 million was allocated to the NTUC CTC Grant to fund these.
Several labour MPs wanted training support for specific groups, such as young graduates and workers making mid-career changes.
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NTUC assistant secretary-general Desmond Choo flagged declining employment rates among university and polytechnic graduates in recent surveys.
To address this, he proposed higher funding for “quality internships” and a national internship standard that sets out internship scopes, learning outcomes and mentorship structures.
“We need not just more internships, but also better ones,” said Choo, an MP for Tampines GRC.
For mid-career professionals, NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay suggested expanding Career Conversion Programmes that are tailored for experienced professionals entering new industries.
Tay, who represents Pioneer SMC, also wanted the Jobseeker Support Scheme to cover mid-career and senior workers “in the broad middle”, not just lower-wage earners. The scheme provides financial support to involuntarily unemployed individuals who earned an average monthly salary of S$5,000 or less within the last 12 months.
Support for older workers
Older workers also need targeted support, said NTUC deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How, who is also senior minister of state for defence.
He noted that many mid-career professionals, managers and executives struggle to re-enter the workforce after job loss and often experience “substantial downward adjustments” in pay and job nature. This shows a need for more concerted efforts to help them adjust and transit, he said.
To help lower-income older workers cope with cost-of-living pressures, NTUC director Fahmi Aliman proposed that the payout quantum under the Workfare Income Supplement scheme should continue rising beyond age 60, where the maximum is now reached.
Fahmi, an MP for Marine Parade GRC, also called for stronger protections for outsourced workers: mandated rest areas and safeguards against “leave resetting”, where workers lose accrued benefits each time a service contract is renewed.
Given that flexible work arrangements can be challenging to implement, NTUC assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling suggested additional support for small and medium enterprises that employ a higher proportion of women.
This would complement the government’s push for larger families and higher female workforce participation, said Yeo, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
The SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit could also be expanded to support differently abled employees, who may require training tailored to their needs, she added.
Stronger protections
As industry restructuring continues, Nominated MP Jean See, a director at NTUC, flagged growing anxieties over layoffs, particularly among freelancers and agency workers.
She urged greater flexibility in the income criteria for support schemes, so that workers facing involuntary unemployment or a significant drop in freelance income can qualify.
She also proposed stronger legal protection of freelancers and agency workers, akin to what has been done for platform workers.
Echoing these concerns, Tay called for a firmer stance on ensuring that employers not only notify unions early about retrenchments, but compensate workers fairly and prioritise Singaporeans for job opportunities and career support.
Apart from labour concerns, NTUC assistant secretary-general and Radin Mas MP Melvin Yong advocated for greater consumer protection. Unit pricing should be mandated at major retail stores to combat “shrinkflation”, or the practice of reducing product sizes without lowering prices, he said.
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