COVID-19: Understanding the Job Support Scheme in Singapore

Published

Apr 29 2020

Written By

I'm an employment and disputes lawyer heading up both practices at Bird & Bird Singapore. I solve people problems with business impact.

Practices

Employment

Countries

Singapore

The Singapore government has introduced the Job Support Scheme (JSS), which provides all employers with wage subsidies to help cope with salary costs during the pandemic. The JSS generally involves 4 pay-out dates (April 2020, May 2020, July 2020 and October 2020), and the subsidies differ depending on sector (aviation and tourism will receive the highest subsidies).

In summary, due to the staggered nature and structure of the JSS, employers who wish to continue receiving support under JSS should maintain current salaries all the way to July 2020. If salaries are reduced any time after April 2020, the JSS pay-outs for subsequent months will be, accordingly, reduced; it is also possible for employers to find themselves having to "refund" the government for previous JSS pay-outs.

While the JSS goes some way in alleviating employers' burdens, it is not a panacea. Companies will have to carefully evaluate their HR options based on the business outlook for the rest of the year.