SINGAPORE - A new online service that started on Jan 26 allows workers on lower wages to check if they are being paid correctly.
Workers can use the Progressive Wage Portal (PW Portal) to see if their wages are in line with the relevant Progressive Wage Model (PWM) or Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) requirements. Workers can also see the PWM job levels their employers have assigned them.
The PWM is a wage ladder with pay rises pegged to training and productivity, while the LQS is a wage threshold imposed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on companies that hire foreign workers.
Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad said the portal will apply to workers covered under the PWM and LQS schemes, which include 234,000 full-time employees on lower wages.
Mr Zaqy added that more significant wage increases are expected in the next few years: “For example, the basic wage requirements for general cleaners will increase by 85 per cent over just six years, from $1,312 in 2022, to $2,420 in 2028.”
The Government disbursed about $1 billion of Progressive Wage Credit Scheme funding for wage increases given in 2022, noted the MOM. This amount co-funded pay rises given by around 70,000 employers to 345,000 or so employees.
The median monthly wage increase supported by the scheme was about $300, the ministry stated.
The new portal – go.gov.sg/pw-portal – will also provide the relevant wage requirements, based on a worker’s PWM job role or LQS coverage. Workers can check if their tagged job role matches their actual job responsibilities, and if their employer is paying them correctly.
Workers who find they are not being paid the correct wages or are wrongly tagged to job roles should ask their employers to resolve the inaccuracy. They can contact MOM if they need more help.
Reminders will be sent to workers when the annual PWM wage increases take effect for their sector and occupation. Workers can also check the portal to find out these new wage requirements and whether they are being paid correctly.
Mr Zaqy noted at a fireside chat at the event with NTUC deputy secretary-general Desmond Tan and deputy honorary secretary of the Singapore National Employers Federation Felix Loh: “The income gap between lower-wage workers and the median worker is narrowing, but the reality is that it’s going to get harder to continue narrowing this gap.
“Because the median worker is more skilled, they have more propensity for career growth, so it’s easier to bring up their wages as compared to lower-wage workers... So tripartism needs to continue, and we need to continue working to narrow this gap.”
Mr Tan said: “Beyond tripartism, consumers must also do our part. Nobody disagrees that lower-wage workers should be better supported, but are we prepared to pay a little more for services so that lower-wage workers can receive better remuneration?
“In all facets of the tripartism process, society must chip in to make PWM work.”
