Singapore to provide grants to employers for flexible work formats — Channel NewsAsia
In Singapore, employers will be provided with grants and other incentives to redesign jobs for flexible work formats. Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau announced this on October 14 at the Institute of Policy Studies' Young Singaporeans Conference 2026.
Testing in selected sectors
As Channel NewsAsia reports, the government is still determining the sectors and occupations where the initiative will begin. Lau said the mechanism would not be launched immediately nationwide: it will first be tested with employers in selected sectors.
The initiative involves changing how work is organized: employers will bundle tasks differently so that employees can perform them at different paces. Lau called these flexible jobs; similar formats are also described as part-load work or part-time employment.
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At the same time, employees must be prepared for a different principle of pay. According to Lau, remuneration in such positions may depend on completed tasks, work results and achieved performance indicators.
Flexibility for workers with caregiving responsibilities
According to Lau, the approach will not be limited to family policy or parenthood. It is intended to support everyone who needs a more flexible work arrangement at a certain period of life. Such roles do not necessarily have to be permanent: after caregiving responsibilities for children or relatives end, a person will be able to fully return to the labor market and move to another position.
Lau also commented separately on the right not to respond to work messages outside working hours. She called it a useful practice, but cautioned against overly rigid regulation of working hours, since some employees find it more convenient to return to tasks late in the evening. In her view, the civil service, as a major employer, can set an example, including by not expecting responses from employees on weekends.
