01 Mar 2023
Factsheet on Enhancements to Workfare Skills Support (WSS) Scheme

  1. From 1 July 2023, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme will be enhanced to:

    • Allow more lower-wage workers to benefit from WSS and upskill earlier in their careers – approximately 70,000 more lower-wage workers will benefit;
    • Encourage lower-wage workers to undertake deeper and more sustained training.
  2. The upcoming enhancements are as follows:

    • Lowering of eligibility age threshold from 35 years old to 30 years old. This will extend WSS training support to younger lower-wage workers aged 30 to 34 years old, such that they can undertake training to improve their longer-term employability and earnings. This enhancement is also aligned with the revised Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) age eligibility from 1 Jan 2023.
    • Increase of qualifying income cap from $2,300/month to $2,500/month. This will allow the WSS income cap to keep pace with lower-wage worker wage increases, and is also aligned with the revised WIS income cap from 1 Jan 2023.
    • Increase of Training Commitment Award (TCA) Full Qualifications1 (FQ) from $500 to $800. This will encourage trainees to persist in their training and complete Full Qualifications, which has been correlated with higher wage earnings.
    • Introduction of hourly Absentee Payroll (AP) cap of $13. This ensures that training support is disbursed fairly to all employers.

Eligibility Criteria from 1 July 2023

  1. To qualify for the scheme, individuals must fulfil the following criteria:

    • Singapore Citizen
    • Aged 30 years old or above on 31 December of the Work Year
      • For Persons with Disabilities, the age criterion is 13 years old and above.
    • Employed and earning a gross monthly income2 of not more than $2,500 for the month worked3; and
    • Fulfils the WIS eligibility criteria of housing annual value (AV), property ownership, and spousal income, as follows:
      • Lives in a property with an annual value of $13,0004 or less assessed as at 31 December of the preceding year
      • Owns less than two properties
      • If the individual is married:
        • The individual and his/her spouse own less than two properties together; or
        • The assessable income of the individual’s spouse for the preceding Year of Assessment is $70,000 or less.
    • If the individual is a Self-Employed Person (SEP), s/he must also have declared his/her net trade income for work done in the Work Year and made Medisave contributions.

WSS Scheme Components

  1. From Jul 2023, the WSS comprises the following:

    • Absentee Payroll (AP) for employer-sponsored trainees: 95% of hourly basic salary, capped at $13 per hour.
    • Training Allowance (TA)5 for self-sponsored trainees: $6 per training hour, capped at 180 training hours per WSS eligibility period.
    •  Training Commitment Award (TCA) for all qualifying trainees:
      • $100 per two achievements of any of the following, capped at $200 during the WSS eligibility period:
        • WSQ Statement of Attainment
        • Academic CET Modular Certificate or Post-Diploma Certificate
        • Certifiable courses supported by SSG
      • $800 for achieving one WSQ Full Qualification or Academic CET Qualification.
      • There is an overall TCA cap of $1,000 per WSS eligibility year.
  • Workforce Singapore (WSG) will continue to administer WSS. More information on supportable courses for each WSS component, as well as the application process, can be found on WSG’ website.
  • Employers and workers keen on applying for training support under WSS can call WSG at 1800 536 8333.

1 A Full Qualification (FQ) refers to WSQ FQ or Academic CET Qualification. WSQ FQ consists of several core units and electives known as Statement of Attainment (SOA).
2 Gross monthly income includes basic salary and additional wages such as overtime pay and bonuses.
3 In addition, you must earn an average gross monthly income of not more than $2,500 in the past 12 months.
4 Annual value is the estimated gross annual rent of the property if it were to be rented out, excluding furniture, furnishings and maintenance fees. It is determined based on estimated market rentals of similar or comparable properties.
5 Trainees can only claim Training Allowance for eligible courses, i.e., outcome-based courses offered by SSG-appointed CET centres, selected courses in sectors that adopted the Progressive Wage Model (PWM).