88% of employers paid retrenchment benefits in 2025; tripartite partners review rules

MOM said work injury compensation insurance premiums are not priced by employees’ age and it has seen no evidence they affect the hiring of senior workers, but some employers have raised concerns about the cost and limited coverage of non-mandatory group medical insurance for older staff. The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is studying the issue and will share its recommendations later in 2026.

MOM said seven employers and an administrative assistant were charged on 8 October 2026 under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for allegedly declaring CPF contributions for local staff who did not actually work for their companies, in order to obtain work passes. In a separate case, two people who ran an Ayurvedic centre were found guilty of paying two Employment Pass holders far less than the salaries declared in their applications.

In a written parliamentary reply, MOM said TAFEP received 59 workplace harassment complaints in 2025, and that fewer than 5% of employers asked to carry out an independent investigation did not do so; those employers were issued advisories. Under the Workplace Fairness Act, due to take effect by end-2027, employers will have to set up grievance-handling processes and investigate harassment and discrimination grievances.

Singapore’s major workplace injury rate fell to an all-time low of 14.6 per 100,000 workers in the first half of 2026, down from 15.8 a year earlier, according to MOM’s 1H2026 Workplace Safety and Health report. Fatal injuries moved the other way. The fatal injury rate rose to 1.1 per 100,000 workers (21 deaths), up…