Jobseekers in S’pore to receive up to S$6,000 payout over 6 months, but here’s the catch

In Parliament today (March 7), Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon provided an update on the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support (JS) scheme, which was first announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally last year.

Retrenched workers seeking financial support under this scheme must participate in job search activities in order to receive payouts up to S$6,000 over six months.

The scheme targets lower- and middle-income workers, with the government setting aside more than S$200 million for the scheme.

How the scheme works

According to Dr Koh, the JS scheme provides a “simple and easy” framework to guide jobseekers on concrete steps to take towards employment.

Jobseekers can qualify to receive their first payout by updating their resumes online, attending a career fair, using CareersFinder on the MyCareersFuture portal and going for career coaching.

For the second month, they can qualify by reading two employment-related online articles, attending an employment-related workshop, submitting four job applications and attending a training course.

From the fourth to the sixth month, jobseekers can continue to receive payouts by submitting five job applications each month.

Involuntarily unemployed individuals can also visit WSG and NTUC-e2i’s centres island-wide for support in their job search.

“The key is providing jobseekers with financial assistance, complemented by a robust ecosystem of training and employment facilitation support,” said Dr Koh.

“This way, we can strengthen our workers’ career health and their longer-term prospects, and help them to rebuild their confidence to pursue better jobs and make bolder career moves,” he added.

Who can apply?

According to Workforce Singapore (WSG), individuals have to meet these criteria to be eligible for the JS scheme:

• Singapore Citizens aged 21 and above (applications open starting April 2025)
• Permanent Residents aged 21 and above (applications open starting the first quarter of 2026).
• Earned an average monthly income of S$5,000 or less in the last 12 months, excluding employer CPF contributions
• Was previously employed in Singapore for at least six months in the past 12 months
• Became unemployed due to involuntary reasons such as retrenchment, cessation of business, dismissals or termination due to illness, injury or accident
• Reside in properties in Singapore with an annual value of S$31,000 or less.
• Has not received a payout from this scheme in the past three years

Over 60,000 people are expected to be eligible for the scheme per year, accounting for more than 60% of those involuntarily unemployed.

More information on the application process will be released in mid-April 2025 when the scheme is launched by Workforce Singapore (WSG).

Similar support schemes

Dr Koh emphasised that the JS scheme should not be viewed in isolation, as there are various other schemes in place to provide financial support for undergoing “substantial reskilling or experiencing financial hardships”.

For example, an individual can receive up to S$21,000, which includes S$15,000 in training allowances and S$6,000 in JS scheme payouts over six months, if they apply for both the JS scheme and the SkillsFuture Level-up Programme while undergoing long-term training and job searching.

Those facing financial difficulties may also receive additional social assistance from ComCare.

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Feature Image Credit: August Phunitiphat/ Shutterstock