HOW TO QUALIFY FOR THE SCHEME
Only those aged 21 and above who previously earned up to S$5,000 a month on average will qualify. The scheme will be extended to Permanent Residents aged 21 and above from the first quarter of 2026, said WSG.
Applicants must have become unemployed due to involuntary reasons such as retrenchment, cessation of business, dismissals or termination due to illness, injury or accident.
They must reside in properties with an annual value of S$31,000 or less, and have been employed in Singapore for at least six months in the past 12 months before their application for support, WSG said.
They also must not have received a payout from the same scheme in the past three years, and have been unemployed for at least one month from the last date of employment before receiving the payouts.
To apply for the scheme, individuals need to submit an official letter or notification of termination or dismissal from their former employer, said WSG in the media factsheet, adding that it may take up to 10 days to process applications.
If they were terminated due to medical reasons, jobseekers will need to provide a medical certificate or an official letter from their doctor.
Participants can start earning points from the moment that they apply for the scheme, and their first month – or activity period – begins the day their application is approved.
HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS
To qualify for the payouts each month, individuals will need to complete enough job search-related activities to meet a target number of points.
For example, the maximum payout an individual can receive in the first month is S$1,500 – and they will have to complete activities worth a total of 10 points to qualify.
The support will be doled out across six months. Each individual can receive a maximum of S$1,500, S$1,250 and S$1,000 for the first three months respectively, and then S$750 each for the fourth to sixth months.
If the individual’s past average gross monthly income is lower than the amount listed, they will receive that sum instead. For example, an individual with a past average gross monthly income of S$900 will not receive more than that in the first three months of the scheme.
The participants will need to upload proof of them completing the activities on an online portal tracking their progress, WSG confirmed.
For example, this could include screenshots or basic details about who they met, said Ms Ng, adding that WSG plans to conduct randomised checks.
Of the 13 activities available, some of them have a cap on the number of times individuals can gain points from them each month, including updating their resume online and attending a training course listed on the SkillsFuture portal.
