WP and PSP Welcome New Initiatives for Workers and Parents, Urge Further Reforms

SINGAPORE — The Workers’ Party (WP) and Progress Singapore Party (PSP) expressed support for the government’s recent initiatives aimed at providing monetary assistance to retrenched workers and enhancing parental leave. However, both opposition parties emphasized the need for more comprehensive reforms, particularly in the realm of public housing.

During his inaugural National Day Rally speech on August 18, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong introduced the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, offering unemployed individuals temporary financial aid of up to S$6,000 over a six-month period, contingent upon training and job coaching.

The WP welcomed this initiative, aligning it with their previous calls for a redundancy insurance scheme that would provide retrenched workers with up to S$1,200 monthly for six months. They noted that their proposed scheme was designed to be funded primarily through premiums paid by workers, rather than taxpayer money.

In his speech, PM Wong expressed caution regarding unemployment insurance, citing mixed experiences in other countries where generous benefits may discourage job-seeking.

Both parties also welcomed the announcement of an additional 10 weeks of shared parental leave, on top of existing entitlements. This initiative is set to roll out in two phases: six weeks for babies born from April 1, 2025, and 10 weeks for those born from April 1, 2026.

MPs from both parties have advocated for extended parental leave over the years. The WP reiterated its call for enhanced leave in its 2020 manifesto, while PAP MP Louis Ng emphasized the importance of equalizing paternity and maternity leave to combat gender stereotypes.

On the housing front, the WP highlighted PM Wong’s announcement that singles would receive the same priority access as families when applying for Build-to-Order (BTO) flats starting mid-2025. However, they urged the government to lower the eligibility age for singles to apply for a BTO flat from 35 to 28 years, seeking quicker action on housing access for singles.

In a separate statement, PSP secretary-general Hazel Poa welcomed the new support for the unemployed, noting her advocacy for temporary financial aid during the Budget debate in February 2024, amid rising retrenchments. While she acknowledged the government’s efforts, Poa called for further measures to support lower- and middle-income workers.

Poa also expressed disappointment over the lack of fundamental reforms in public housing policies. She reiterated the PSP’s proposals to price HDB flats without land costs and to establish a national rental flat scheme for young Singaporeans, particularly in prime locations.

PM Wong, in his rally speech, committed to maintaining the affordability of public housing for young Singaporeans, ensuring that there will always be an HDB flat within budget in every region.