Employers Will Receive More Wage Support If They Hire Ex-Offenders

The Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) is a measure to help businesses in Singapore survive through the Covid-19 pandemic.

It sounds chim but basically, the government will co-pay a new local hire’s salary for the first year.

When it was previously announced by DPM Heng Swee Keat, there are two tiers to the level of support given dependent on the age of the hire.

For those below 40 years old, the government will co-pay 25% for the first S$5,000 of the employee’s salary.

For those above, the co-payment will be increased to 50%.

However, on 4 Dec 2020, the JGI has a new development.

Employers Will Receive More Wage Support If They Hire Ex-Offenders

In a Facebook post on 4 Dec 2020, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo announced that employers who hire ex-offenders will automatically be eligible for the 50% support tier of the JGI regardless of age.

The additional support was reportedly first brought up by Mr Murali Pillai, the MP for Bukit Batok, and supported by DPM Heng Swee Keat.

Then, DPM Heng had said that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will work out and announce the details at a later date.

Who Is Eligible?

Similar to every other scheme Singapore has, there’ll be automatic inclusions as well as an avenue for application.

According to Mrs Teo, employers who hired former offenders through the following channels will be automatically included in the list:

• Yellow Ribbon Singapore
• Industrial and Services Co-operative Society
• Halfway houses with the Singapore Prison Service (Captains of Lives) programme

As for other employers, they should apply for the benefit.

Empathise With Ex-Offenders

In her Facebook post, the minister also emphasised the need to empathise with our ex-offenders.

Every year, she pointed out, there are about 10,000 offenders who leave the Singapore prisons to start a new life.

The ex-offenders face many challenges upon their release, one of which is getting back to work.

While it’s hard, they have to overcome that obstacle in order to return as “full members of society again”.

Help them rebuild a new life, she urges employers.

ISCOS, a co-operative that supports re-integrating ex-offenders into society is happy to hear the news and hopes that ex-offenders will get more training as well.

In addition, they also believe that employers, as well as co-workers and supervisors, can benefit from training that helps them better understand ex-offenders and their fears upon being released.

You can visit here for more information about the new JGI.

You can read the minister’s Facebook post in full below:

Featured Image: Image: joyfull / Shutterstock.com