Enhanced childcare leave details to be announced in early 2027: Indranee Rajah

The government is working with employers and tripartite partners on how to implement the expanded childcare leave scheme, including measures to help companies manage staffing gaps.

(File photo: TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor)

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SINGAPORE: The Marriage and Parenthood Reset Work Group will announce details of childcare leave enhancements in early 2027, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah said in parliament on Thursday (Sep 10).

The enhancements will take time to implement as they require legislative amendments, and the government is working out implementation details with tripartite partners, she said.

Employers also need time to manage the operational impact of the changes, added Ms Indranee, who chairs the workgroup.

She was responding to questions by Members of Parliament (MPs) on how the expanded childcare leave policy would affect the wider workforce and workplace operations.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the National Day Rally that parents will get up to 12 days of childcare leave each. Under the new scheme, each parent will get eight days off if they have one child, 10 days if they have two children and 12 days if they have three or more children. This is up from the current six days off a year if the parent has a child aged six and below, or two days a year if the child is between seven and 12 years old. The government will reimburse employers for the full duration of all child-related leave up to a cap. The enhancements are the first set of recommendations from the workgroup, which was formed earlier this year to develop a roadmap for making marriage and parenthood more achievable. SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYERS Employers may use the increased government reimbursement to cover arrangements such as hiring temporary staff or recognising employees who take on extra covering responsibilities, Ms Indranee said. The government is also studying ways to better support companies with backfilling arrangements. “The longer-term solution to this issue is for workplaces to recognise and accept that leave for caregiving needs, such as parental leave, is now part and parcel of normal HR policy, and for them to plan and design their workplace norms and practices around this,” she said. This could include job redesign, flexible work arrangements, short-term covering arrangements, and artificial intelligence and automation where appropriate, she added.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at the National Day Rally that parents will get up to 12 days of childcare leave each. Under the new scheme, each parent will get eight days off if they have one child, 10 days if they have two children and 12 days if they have three or more children.

This is up from the current six days off a year if the parent has a child aged six and below, or two days a year if the child is between seven and 12 years old.

The government will reimburse employers for the full duration of all child-related leave up to a cap.

The enhancements are the first set of recommendations from the workgroup, which was formed earlier this year to develop a roadmap for making marriage and parenthood more achievable.

SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYERS

Employers may use the increased government reimbursement to cover arrangements such as hiring temporary staff or recognising employees who take on extra covering responsibilities, Ms Indranee said.

The government is also studying ways to better support companies with backfilling arrangements.

“The longer-term solution to this issue is for workplaces to recognise and accept that leave for caregiving needs, such as parental leave, is now part and parcel of normal HR policy, and for them to plan and design their workplace norms and practices around this,” she said.

This could include job redesign, flexible work arrangements, short-term covering arrangements, and artificial intelligence and automation where appropriate, she added.

The government is working with its tripartite partners on the implementation details of enhanced childcare leave. Legislative amendments are required and employers need to be given more time to manage the operational impact. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah gave this update in reply to parliamentary questions on Thursday (Sep 10). She pointed out that the government will reimburse employers for the full duration of all child-related leave, up to a cap. It is also studying ways to better support companies with backfilling arrangements, as well as work life-friendly practices, including an accreditation mark. It will identify the barriers and develop practical solutions tailored for different sectors and firms. The full set of recommendations will be shared in early 2027, said Ms Indranee.

All employees, not just parents, stand to benefit from improved workplace culture and norms that help them to balance work and personal responsibilities, including caregiving needs, Ms Indranee said.

The government is working with employers, tripartite partners and other stakeholders to foster work-life-friendly practices, she added. It will also study a suggestion from MP Cassandra Lee’s (PAP-West Coast-Jurong West) to publish criteria that employers must meet to be accredited for the "Made for Families" mark.

On take-up rates for childcare leave, Ms Indranee said the government tracks these based on employer claims, with the data published annually in the Ministry of Social and Family Development's Family Trends Report.

“We will also identify barriers companies face in facilitating leave-taking to develop practical solutions that are tailored to the needs of different sectors and firms to address these,” she said.

Non-Constituency MP Andre Low from the Workers' Party asked how the government would prevent Singapore citizen parents from being disadvantaged in hiring and career progression, and what practical support could be given to smaller companies so operational concerns do not discourage parents from taking leave.

Ms Indranee said "a big part" of changing workplace norms means changing mindsets. "The signal that we're sending to all employers is that the workplace of today has changed. We cannot work on the same paradigm and model as we have for the last 10 and 20 years," she said.

As the population ages, employees will need time off to care for elderly parents, meaning workplaces must become more flexible, she added. The workgroup is looking at how to build capability and upskill companies to bring employers, human resources managers and middle management on board.

On backfilling, she said the government has eased the financial burden by paying for parental-related leave, but a longer-term solution requires working with tripartite partners on sustainable arrangements.

“Companies should not do as they are doing today, where it's like the moment somebody is taken out, you're struggling to fill the gap. Companies should be planning on the assumption that there will, at any given time, be a gap,” she said.

MP Poh Li San (PAP-Sembawang West) raised concerns that the scheme could create an unintended divide between parents and non-parents at the workplace, especially for non-parents with genuine caregiving needs.

Ms Indranee said that while the workgroup focuses on parental caregiving, the government is also looking at caregiving more broadly, including for seniors.

She noted that many employers equate flexible work arrangements with working from home, when the concept is broader and includes flexi-time.

"All this really needs employers to have conversations with their employees because every sector is different. How you might do backfilling or flexible work arrangements in a retail sector or in a hospitality sector is very different from how you would do it for professional services."

She added that the government intends to approach the issue sector by sector, working with trade associations, chambers and tripartite partners.

MIDDLE-INCOME MOTHERS

MP Jessica Tan (PAP-East Coast) asked whether the government would consider a refundable Working Mother’s Child Relief top-up or refundable childcare credit for middle-income working mothers with three or more Singaporean children who have reached the S$80,000 (US$63,200) personal income tax relief cap.

She said some middle-income mothers with more children and senior caregiving duties may hit the cap through other reliefs before reaching the working mother's child relief, describing them as part of the "sandwich class".

Ms Indranee said the current cap does not affect the vast majority of working mothers, including those with more children. Among those currently claiming the relief, about eight in 10 can claim it in full without being affected by the cap; for mothers claiming the relief on two or three children, about seven in 10 are unaffected.

While the government is not "closed to ideas", she pointed to measures announced at the National Day Rally, including the S$10,000 baby gift, S$2,000 in child credits per child per year and a S$10,000 top-up to a child's Post-Secondary Education Account.

“So in effect, what we've done is that although we have put in place the cap, we're actually giving a lot more to all, which will include that group that would be affected by the cap. So that's the intent and the design to make it more broad-based,” she said.

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政府正与雇主和三方合作伙伴共同探讨如何实施扩大后的育儿假计划，包括帮助企业应对人员缺口的措施。

（资料图：TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor）

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新加坡：总理公署部长英兰妮·拉贾周四（9月10日）在国会表示，婚姻与育儿重置工作组将于2027年初公布育儿假增强计划的详情。

她表示，这些改进措施需要时间才能落实，因为它们需要修改立法，政府正在与三方合作伙伴商讨实施细节。

工作组主席英德拉妮女士补充说，雇主也需要时间来应对这些变化对运营的影响。

她当时正在回答国会议员们提出的问题，即扩大育儿假政策将如何影响更广泛的劳动力和工作场所运营。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，强大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 总理黄循财在国庆群众大会上宣布，父母将获得最多12天的育儿假。根据新计划，如果父母有一个孩子，他们将获得8天假期；如果有两个孩子，他们将获得10天假期；如果有三个或更多孩子，他们将获得12天假期。这比目前的情况有所增加：如果父母的孩子在6岁及以下，他们每年只能获得6天假期；如果孩子在7至12岁之间，他们每年只能获得2天假期。政府将全额报销雇主所有育儿假，但设有上限。这些改进措施是今年早些时候成立的工作小组提出的第一批建议，该小组旨在制定路线图，使婚姻和育儿更容易实现。英德拉妮女士表示，政府将提高对雇主的报销额度，用于支付诸如雇用临时工或表彰承担额外替补职责的员工等安排。政府也在研究如何更好地支持企业进行人员替补安排。她指出：“解决这一问题的长远之计在于，企业应认识到并接受育儿假等照护休假如今已成为正常人力资源政策的一部分，并围绕这一点来规划和设计工作场所的规范和实践。”她补充说，这可能包括重新设计工作岗位、灵活的工作安排、短期替补安排，以及在适当情况下运用人工智能和自动化技术。

黄循财总理在国庆群众大会上宣布，父母将获得最多12天的育儿假。根据新计划，育有一子的父母可获得8天假期，育有两子的父母可获得10天假期，育有三子或三子以上的父母可获得12天假期。

如果父母的孩子年龄在六岁及以下，则目前每年可享受六天假期；如果孩子年龄在七岁至十二岁之间，则每年可享受两天假期。

政府将按规定上限报销雇主因子女相关假期而支付的全部费用。

这些改进措施是该工作组提出的第一批建议，该工作组成立于今年早些时候，旨在制定路线图，使婚姻和生育更容易实现。

对雇主的支持

英德拉妮女士表示，雇主可以利用增加的政府报销款项来支付诸如雇用临时员工或表彰承担额外替补责任的员工等安排费用。

政府也在研究如何更好地支持企业进行人员补充安排。

她表示：“解决这个问题的长期方案是，企业应该认识到并接受，照顾需要而请的假，例如育儿假，现在已成为正常人力资源政策的一部分，并围绕这一点来规划和设计他们的工作场所规范和做法。”

她补充说，这可能包括工作重新设计、灵活的工作安排、短期替补安排，以及在适当情况下采用人工智能和自动化技术。

政府正与三方合作伙伴共同商讨延长育儿假的具体实施细节。这需要进行立法修订，并给予雇主更多时间来应对运营方面的影响。首相署部长兼财政部第二部长英兰妮·拉贾于周四（9月10日）在答复议会质询时提供了这一最新进展。她指出，政府将全额报销雇主所有与育儿相关的假期费用，但设有上限。政府还在研究如何更好地支持企业进行人员替补安排，以及推行有利于工作与生活平衡的措施，包括设立认证标志。政府将找出障碍，并针对不同行业和企业制定切实可行的解决方案。英兰妮女士表示，所有建议将于2027年初公布。

英德拉妮女士表示，所有员工，而不仅仅是父母，都将从改善的工作场所文化和规范中受益，这有助于他们平衡工作和个人责任，包括照顾家人的需求。

她补充说，政府正与雇主、三方合作伙伴和其他利益相关者合作，以促进工作与生活平衡的实践。政府还将研究国会议员李嘉欣（人民行动党西海岸-裕廊西选区）提出的建议，即公布雇主获得“家庭友好型”认证标志必须满足的标准。

关于育儿假使用率，英德拉妮女士表示，政府会根据雇主的申报情况跟踪这些数据，相关数据每年都会在社会及家庭发展部的《家庭趋势报告》中公布。

她表示：“我们还将找出企业在促进员工休假方面面临的障碍，并制定针对不同行业和公司需求的切实可行的解决方案来解决这些问题。”

工人党的非选区议员刘安德询问政府将如何防止新加坡公民父母在招聘和职业发展方面处于不利地位，以及可以向小公司提供哪些实际支持，以避免运营方面的担忧阻碍父母休假。

英德拉妮女士表示，改变职场规范“很大程度上”意味着改变思维方式。“我们向所有雇主发出的信号是，如今的职场已经发生了变化。我们不能再沿用过去10年或20年的工作模式了。”她说道。

她补充说，随着人口老龄化，员工需要请假照顾年迈的父母，这意味着工作场所必须变得更加灵活。该工作组正在研究如何提升企业能力和技能，以吸引雇主、人力资源经理和中层管理人员参与其中。

关于人员补充问题，她表示政府已通过支付育儿假工资减轻了财政负担，但长期解决方案需要与三方合作伙伴共同制定可持续的安排。

她表示：“企业不应该像现在这样，一旦有人离职，就得费尽心思填补空缺。企业应该做好规划，假设任何时候都会出现人员空缺。”

国会议员 Poh Li San（人民行动党-三巴旺西）提出担忧，认为该计划可能会在职场中造成父母和非父母之间的无意隔阂，特别是对于那些真正需要照顾他人的非父母而言。

英德拉妮女士表示，虽然工作组的重点是父母照护，但政府也在更广泛地关注照护问题，包括老年人照护。

她指出，许多雇主将灵活的工作安排等同于在家工作，但实际上灵活工作安排的概念更广泛，还包括弹性工作时间。

“所有这一切都需要雇主与员工进行沟通，因为每个行业的情况都不同。零售业或酒店业的人员替补或灵活工作安排方式与专业服务业的做法截然不同。”

她补充说，政府打算分行业逐一解决这些问题，与行业协会、商会和三方合作伙伴共同努力。

中等收入母亲

国会议员陈慧珊（人民行动党东海岸选区）询问政府是否会考虑为拥有三个或三个以上新加坡子女且个人所得税减免额度达到 80,000 新元（63,200 美元）上限的中等收入职业母亲提供可退还的“工作母亲子女救济金”或可退还的“托儿补贴”。

她表示，一些中等收入的母亲，由于子女较多且需承担照顾老人的责任，可能在获得职业母亲子女救济金之前，就已经通过其他救济措施达到了上限，她将她们描述为“夹心阶层”。

英德拉妮女士表示，目前的上限政策不会影响绝大多数职业母亲，包括那些子女较多的母亲。在目前申领该项补助的人群中，约有十分之八的人可以全额申领而不受上限政策的影响；对于为两到三个子女申领补助的母亲来说，约有十分之七的人不受影响。

她指出，虽然政府并非“对想法持封闭态度”，但在国庆群众大会上宣布的措施中，包括10000新元的婴儿礼金、每个孩子每年2000新元的儿童津贴以及向孩子的专上教育账户充值10000新元。

“所以实际上，我们所做的，虽然我们设定了上限，但我们实际上给予所有人更多，这其中也包括那些会受到上限影响的群体。这就是我们的意图和设计，为了让这项政策惠及更广泛的人群，”她说道。

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