Firms not in eligible categories may appeal for JSS; 6,000 firms have benefited from this route
Singapore
BUSINESSES that do not strictly qualify for the enhanced Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) payouts but are affected by pandemic measures - such as suppliers to food and beverage outlets - may appeal to receive it, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Tuesday.
Close to 6,000 firms have received support via such appeals, he noted. These are companies that do not fall under the relevant Singapore Standard Industrial Classification codes used to determine JSS eligibility.
Similarly, individuals applying for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (Temporary) may appeal if flexibility is needed - for instance, in terms of the income loss criteria - and each appeal will be considered on a case-by-case basis, he added.
Mr Wong was rounding up the debate on the supplementary budget, which reallocates funds for the latest Covid-19 support measures.
Addressing other concerns about Covid-19 support, he said the government is monitoring labour conditions to ensure that those in temporary jobs related to Covid-19 "will be placed into permanent positions".
One route for this is the Jobs Growth Incentive, which supports employers to expand local hiring.
The scheme is due to expire this September, but the government is reviewing its extension, said Mr Wong.
Other matters being studied include: providing more help for those who lose their jobs, with a continued focus on employment facilitation; better supporting caregivers; and improving protections and financial resilience for self employed persons.
In providing the latest tranche of support, in excess of S$2 billion, the government tried to reallocate as much as was possible from the existing budget, said Mr Wong.
Based on the amount available for spending, support measures had to be carefully designed to meet the needs of affected businesses.
"If we have to provide additional support later in this fiscal year, we will likely need to tighten government spending across both operating and development expenditures."
But if the situation does severely worsen, then in such an "emergency condition", the government will not hesitate to seek the President's support to "draw on the full fiscal firepower of the reserves", he added.
