Applicants were not involuntarily unemployed, earned above the threshold or had not worked at least six months in the past year – these were the top reasons for rejection
[SINGAPORE] More than 7,200 applications have been received for the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support (JS) Scheme, of which just over 4,300 or 60 per cent were rejected, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng on Tuesday (Sep 23).
This figure refers to applications received by Workforce Singapore (WSG) from the scheme’s launch in April until Aug 31.
The top reasons that applicants were rejected were that they were not assessed to be involuntarily unemployed; their past average monthly income exceeded the threshold of S$5,000; or they had not worked for at least six months in the past 12 months.
“We have held the line in these cases, as the JS scheme is meant to support those made unemployed involuntarily… rather than those who have chosen to leave,” said Dr Tan in a written reply to parliamentary questions.
“Where there is ambiguity in the reason for a worker becoming unemployed, WSG actively reaches out to employers to conduct verification checks.”
Involuntary unemployment includes reasons such as retrenchment, cessation of business, dismissal, or termination due to illness, injury or accident.
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The income threshold exists to focus support on lower- to middle-income jobseekers, who are more likely to face financial pressure, said Dr Tan.
As for the work duration requirement, it targets workers facing recent unemployment shocks, “as opposed to those who have already been outside the workforce for some time”.
The majority of both successful and unsuccessful applicants fell within the age range of 26 to 40 years old, he noted.
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Dr Tan was replying to parliamentary questions on the scheme, which provides temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 over six months to support job-search efforts of involuntarily unemployed individuals.
At its launch, the scheme was projected to benefit about 60,000 Singapore residents every year.
Extending to contract workers
Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Edward Chia also asked if the scheme will be extended to workers engaged in contracts for service, whose contracts were not renewed.
Dr Tan said it would not. This is because self-employed workers or freelancers can decide whether to accept a contract for service, “and there is no guarantee of renewals”.
“Therefore, we do not cover them under the JS scheme, which is meant for involuntarily unemployed jobseekers.”
Separately, Dr Tan said the government will keep working with tripartite partners to raise awareness of the scheme, and encourage employers conducting retrenchments to assist affected employees in applying for it.
The government is “closely monitoring the situation” and will review the scheme parameters regularly to ensure it provides the necessary support, he added.
