Government unveils latest $3.8b support measures

It comprises JSS and FWL extensions for another month.

The government has unveiled another set of support measures worth around $3.8b, following PM Lee Hsien Loong’s announcement to extend the circuit breaker until 1 June, an announcement revealed. 

Along with the announcement, the government is extending the 75% Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) across all sectors for another month. This enhanced payout for May will be disbursed by end of the month for employers on PayNow or having existing GIRO arrangements with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) IRAS. Other employers will start receiving their cheques in early-June.

Similar to the arrangements in April, the 75% subsidy will first be computed and disbursed based on November 2019 wages.

In addition, the beneficiaries of JSS have been expanded to include shareholders and directors of the company, expecting to benefit over 50,000 of them. This support will only apply to companies that were registered on or before 20 April, and will include back-payment for companies with qualifying shareholder-directors whose wages were excluded from the first JSS payout in April.

For foreign workers, the Foreign Worker Levy (FWL) waiver and FWL rebate have also been extended for a month. This assistance will support firms with workers who are unable to work due to the circuit breaker and/or stay home notice (SHN) measures.