How does the National Wages Council recommend pay rises for lower-wage workers in Singapore?

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1. 1

   Development of Singapore as a Financial Centre

   WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks (Hon)Published Oct 1, 2021Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “Economic growth and to a large measure the consolidation of our economic position must change our policy perspectives. Whatever residual feelings of inequity some of your Members may have about a general application of the National Wages Council guidelines, I am sure that a policy of orderly and progressive wage increases after tripartite consultation and agreement is basically correct. The good employer in a tight labour market will find that it pays sometimes to err on the side of generosity. We should also now be pursuing more qualitative goals and be able to take a regional view. One of our main objectives in this decade will therefore be to evolve a meaningful economic role in the regional context and contribute towards the economic development of the region. Whilst careful and practical planning has within the past decade enabled us to build a more solid manufacturing base beneath the already flourishing commercial superstructure, we are intent within this decade to further develop and extend both base and superstructure to accommodate the great increase in economic activities which are required to service the region…”

2. 2

   RECONSTRUCTING PRODUCTIVITY-BASED WAGE REGULATION IN INDONESIAN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS: LESSONS FROM SINGAPORE'S PROGRESSIVE WAGE MODEL

   Indonesian Private Law Review (Halim et al.)Published Oct 17, 2026Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “This study examines the normative gap in productivity-based wage indicators under Government Regulation No. 49 of 2025 in Indonesia. It compares Indonesia's wage regulation framework with Singapore's Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and proposes a legal reconstruction adapted to Indonesia's context. Using normative legal research, the study employs statutory, conceptual, functional comparative, and case approaches. The findings indicate that Indonesia's abstract regulatory provisions contribute to wage compression and evidentiary difficulties in litigation, whereas Singapore links productivity to sector-specific competency standards and tripartite enforcement mechanisms. Accordingly, this study proposes a three-layer reconstruction model integrating mandatory contractual clauses, sectoral productivity standards, and national competency certification. To address institutional capacity constraints, implementation should proceed in phases, beginning with sectors that have established certification infrastructure.”

3. 3

   Singapore

   IMF Staff Country Reports (Dept)Published Jul 1, 2019Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “The 2019 Article IV Consultation with Singapore analyses that Singapore’s growth is expected to continue to moderate as export momentum slows and growth drivers shift back to domestic demand. Risks to the near-term outlook are tilted to the downside and arise mainly from external sources. Over the medium term, modern services are expected to become increasingly important in driving growth. The report highlights that policies should be geared toward addressing the challenges to growth and inequality posed by shifts in the global economy, aging, and technological change, which could also promote external rebalancing. Policies have been aimed at boosting growth while promoting greater equity. The authorities are implementing measures to turn Singapore into a global innovation hub, redoubling efforts to boost labor productivity through investment in human, physical and organizational capital, and digitalization. Singapore is also emerging as a regional leader in fintech, supported by Monetary Authority of Singapore. Meanwhile, social policies are being updated, with the aim of raising wages and standards of living for lower-skilled Singaporeans.”

4. 4

   Separate Lives, Uncertain Futures: Does Covid-19 Align or Differentiate the Lives of Low- and Higher-Wage Young Workers?

   Applied research in quality of life (Ng et al.)Published Jun 1, 2022Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “With labour markets already polarised in industrialised economies, if Covid-19 worsens this polarity, young people could be more severely affected. This is because their entry into a post-pandemic economy has ramifications for their divergent or convergent career trajectories far into the future. Therefore, on the premise that work life is central to quality of life, this article assesses the effects of low wage and Covid-19 on the psychological outlook of young people in Singapore. We found that Covid-19 did worsen polarisation. On average, higher wage workers telecommuted more and had more work, but low wage young workers bore the brunt of earnings loss and job disruption. Low wage respondents also experienced poorer psychological well-being, even after adverse child experiences, highest educational qualification and occupation type were controlled for. However, higher wage workers might be more psychologically affected by the Covid-19 impacts. This might be because low earning workers are more accustomed to employment instability. These findings suggest the urgency of policy attention to help low wage young workers recover from Covid-19.”

5. 5

   “My young life, finished already?”: a qualitative study of embedded social stressors and their effects on mental health of low-wage male migrant workers in Singapore

   Globalization and Health (Farwin et al.)Published Jul 8, 2023Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “Findings from 21 individual and 2 group interviews revealed that migrant workers were embedded in a cycle of chronic stress driven by structural factors that were mutually reinforced by stressors arising from their social environment. Socio-structural stressors enacted as poor living, working and social conditions resulted in their negative quality-of-life appraisal. Stressors arising from being "foreign" resulted in anticipated stigma, concealment, and healthcare avoidance. These factors synergistically created a persistent mental health burden for migrant workers. Findings highlight the need to address the mental health burden placed on migrant workers and create avenues for migrant workers to seek psychosocial support to manage their stressors.”