Support grant extended to jobless Singaporeans

Those who lost at least 30% of their salary can receive up to $500 per month.

Singaporean citizens (SC) and permanent resident (PR) employees who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and struggle to secure employment can receive financial support from the government, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) announced.

The COVID-19 Support Grant will be expanded to cover employees placed on involuntary no-pay leave (NPL) or had sustained salary reduction of at least 30% for three consecutive months after 23 January.

For those who have lost their jobs or are placed on involuntary NPL, the grant will provide cash support based on their last-drawn monthly salary, capped at $800 per month for three months.

For employees who have lost at least 30% of their salaries, they can receive cash based on the amount of basic monthly salary they lost, capped at $500 per month for three months.

Recipients who have lost their jobs can also receive employment and training support from Workforce Singapore (WSG) or the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), whilst those on involuntary NPL can access relevant courses subsidised by SkillsFuture Singapore.

Current beneficiaries of ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance or Long-Term Assistance cannot apply for the grant, but existing beneficiaries whose assistance is ending by July will have their assistance extended for a further six months without review.

The support grant will be open for applications from 4 May for those who lost their jobs or were placed on involuntary NPL, and from 11 May for those who had their monthly salaries reduced by at least 30%. Applications will close on 30 September.

Applications are advised to be made online. Applicants are required to upload their supporting documents showing their employment situation and their previous and current salary levels.