THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: To help uplift Singapore’s lower-wage workers, does the progressive wage model (PWM) need to be supplemented by perhaps a minimum wage?
Yes, I believe it is time for the government to seriously consider minimum wage. Two reasons: Firstly, the PMW is currently limited to the cleaning, security and landscape sectors which account for only about 15 per cent of low-wage workers. What about workers in other low-wage sectors like retail or plant and machinery? Secondly, as much as the PWM is based on upgrading of skills, there’s only so many skills required to keep an area clean or a place safe.
We don’t need to look further than the pandemic to realise the huge role our lower-wage workers play with regard to the collective health and safety of our entire population.
Granted, there are challenges that need to be resolved before this becomes actual policy, but the goal remains that the purpose of a minimum wage is simply to raise the wages of those at the bottom of the income distribution.
Mario Singh
Chief Executive Office
Fullerton Markets
