Government Support for Unemployed People in Singapore: Eligibility, How to Claim, Amount. The government of Singapore has introduced a payment for unemployed people with no income looking for a job. The government has launched a new scheme named SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support to financially support people who are facing a challenging time due to unemployment. To learn about SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support in detail, read the article given below.
Government Support for Unemployed People in Singapore
The prime minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, accepted this payment to provide monetary aid to unemployed people who meet the eligibility criteria set by the government. Mr. Wong announced this support during the National Day Rally on 18 August 2024 and will launch it in April 2025.
The main aim of this payment is to provide temporary financial support to unemployed people so they can get motivated and find a job. This scheme provides monetary aid of up to SGD 6,000 over a sex-month period. In the first month, there is an initial payout of SGD 1,500, which starts decreasing gradually during the next few months so that the individuals do not depend on it and find their own source of income.
Eligibility Criteria
This scheme is only launched to support low-income, unemployed citizens. To ensure that no other people who do not need this support can take advantage of this payment, the government has set an eligibility criteria. This payment will be available for those only who will meet the eligibility criteria for this payment.
- Unemployed: Lost their job for involuntary reasons, such as being laid off, having their business shut down, or being fired because of an illness, accident, or injury.
- Income Thresholds: To be eligible, an individual must have earned an average of $5,000 or less monthly in the last 12 months. This does not include the CPF contributions. This only covers the time period or periods during which the person is employed and making money.
- Citizenship and Residency: The individual must be a citizen or permanent resident of Singapore.
- Age requirements: The age of the applicant must be 21 or above in order to apply for this payment.
- Employer History: The individual must be employed for at least six months within the 12 months before applying for this benefit.
- Participation Requirements: The participants must look for work, go to career counselling sessions, or sign up for qualified training courses.
This scheme is well set up and is applicable for those only who actually need this support, providing them instant monetary assistance and motivation for active job-seeking and skill development.
Payment Structures and Conditions
The payments are provided to the unemployed individuals only on a monthly basis. As soon as the individuals find a job, their monthly financial assistance will be stopped. The monthly payouts are a maximum of $6,000 over six months and gradually decrease in the following months. The monthly payouts are structured this way:
| Month | Monthly Payout (SGD) | Cumulative Total Amount (SGD) |
| 1st Month | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 2nd Month | 1,200 | 2,700 |
| 3rd Month | 1,000 | 3,700 |
| 4th Month | 800 | 4,500 |
| 5th Month | 750 | 5,250 |
| 6th Month | 750 | 6,000 |
Benefits of SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme
- Financial Relief During Unemployment: This scheme provides temporary relief to all the individuals who don’t have a source of income due to unemployment. This payment allows the job seekers to get a short-term financial benefit by which they can find a job without too much burden on them. This creates long-term stability for their future.
- Motivation for Lifelong Earning: The scheme aligns with Singapore’s SkillFuture movement. It motivates individuals to get lifelong earnings and skill development. By this, the individuals are motivated to participate in training programs.
- Prevention of Long-term Unemployment: The payouts gradually decrease to motivate jobseekers to search for employment actively. If the individuals get too much monetary aid, it may cause long-term unemployment. To reduce this risk, the system has been built that way only.
- Boosting the Labour Market: The reduction in the risk of long-term unemployment is essential to close the skill gaps in the workforce, resulting in a boost in the market labour.
- Impact on Globalisation: By emphasising upskilling, the scheme fosters a culture of lifelong learning among workers, encouraging them to adopt new technologies and trends. Moreover, it provided a smoother transition for employees, which impacts economic changes like automation and globalisation.
