Cleaning companies and employers of in-house cleaners must meet the Progressive Wage Model wage and training requirements for cleaners who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents.
What is it
The Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the cleaning sector was developed by the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC). It features:
- Training requirements that tap on the Skills Framework for Environmental Service. This ensures that workers have the skills they need to carry out their jobs.
- Progressive wages set at each level. This ensures that workers are paid wages that correspond to their skills and productivity.
The PWM comes under the Cleaning Business Licence scheme administered by National Environmental Agency (NEA). Cleaning companies must meet the PWM requirements to obtain or renew their licences.
Who it covers
The PWM requirements are mandatory. They cover all Singapore citizens and permanent residents who are employed as cleaners in licensed cleaning businesses or by in-house employers in firms that hire foreign workers.
Employers are encouraged to adopt the PWM's principles for their foreign cleaners by upgrading their skills and implementing productivity-based wage progression pathways.
The PWM for the cleaning sector covers 3 categories of cleaning jobs:
| Group |
Description |
| 1 |
Office and commercial sites – e.g. offices, schools, hospitals, medical clinics, condominiums. |
| 2 |
Food and beverage (F&B) establishments – e.g. hawker centres, food courts, restaurants. |
| 3 |
Conservancy – e.g. town councils, public cleansing. |
These categories cover the most common types of cleaning jobs. They are based on NEA's classification of cleaning sub-sectors under the Enhanced Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme.
Wage requirements
| Job level |
Monthly basic wage requirements for full-time outsourced cleaners (35-44 hours per week)
Group 1: Office and commercial sites
e.g. offices, schools, hospitals, medical clinics, condominiums
|
| 1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2026 |
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2028 |
1 Jul 2028 - 30 Jun 2029 |
|
|
$1,967 |
$2,210 |
$2,455 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
$3,210 |
- Multi-skilled Cleaner / Machine Operator
|
$1,749 |
$2,010 |
$2,270 |
$2,530 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
- Outdoor Cleaner
- Healthcare Cleaner
- Restroom Cleaner
|
$1,530 |
$1,795 |
$2,060 |
$2,325 |
$2,495 |
$2,665 |
$2,835 |
- General Cleaner
- Indoor Cleaner
|
$1,312 |
$1,570 |
$1,740 |
$1,910 |
$2,080 |
$2,250 |
$2,420 |
| Job level |
Monthly basic wage requirements for full-time outsourced cleaners (35-44 hours per week)
Group 2: F&B Establishment
e.g. Hawker Centers, Foodcourts, Restaurants
|
| 1 Jul 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2026 |
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2028 |
1 Jul 2028 - 30 Jun 2029 |
|
|
$1,967 |
$2,210 |
$2,455 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
$3,210 |
- Multi-skilled Cleaner / Machine Operator
|
$1,749 |
$2,010 |
$2,270 |
$2,530 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
- Dishwasher
- Restroom Cleaner
- Refuse Collector
|
$1,530 |
$1,795 |
$2,060 |
$2,325 |
$2,495 |
$2,665 |
$2,835 |
|
|
$1,421 |
$1,670 |
$1,840 |
$2,010 |
$2,180 |
$2,350 |
$2,520 |
|
|
$1,312 |
$1,570 |
$1,740 |
$1,910 |
$2,080 |
$2,250 |
$2,420 |
| Job level |
Monthly basic wage requirements for full-time outsourced cleaners (35-44 hours per week)
Group 3: Conservancy
e.g. Town Councils, Public Cleansing
|
| 1 Jun 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2026 |
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2028 |
1 Jul 2028 - 30 Jun 2029 |
|
|
$2,077 |
$2,410 |
$2,620 |
$2,830 |
$3,040 |
$3,250 |
$3,460 |
- Supervisor
- Mechanical Driver (Class 3)
|
$1,967 |
$2,210 |
$2,455 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
$3,210 |
- Multi-skilled Cleaner / Machine Operator
- Refuse Collector
|
$1,749 |
$2,010 |
$2,270 |
$2,530 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
- General Cleaner
- Restroom Cleaner
|
$1,530 |
$1,795 |
$2,060 |
$2,325 |
$2,495 |
$2,665 |
$2,835 |
| Job level |
Monthly basic wage requirements for full-time in-house cleaners (35-44 hours per week)
|
| 1 Sep 2022 - 30 Jun 2023 |
1 Jul 2023 - 30 Jun 2024 |
1 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025 |
1 Jul 2025 - 30 Jun 2026 |
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 |
1 Jul 2027 - 30 Jun 2028 |
1 Jul 2028 - 30 Jun 2029 |
- Supervisor
- Mechanical Driver
|
$1,967 |
$2,210 |
$2,455 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
$3,210 |
- Multi-skilled Cleaner / Machine Operator
|
$1,749 |
$2,010 |
$2,270 |
$2,530 |
$2,700 |
$2,870 |
$3,040 |
- Outdoor Cleaner
- Healthcare Cleaner
- Restroom Cleaner
- Dishwasher (F&B)
- Refuse Collector (F&B)
|
$1,530 |
$1,795 |
$2,060 |
$2,325 |
$2,495 |
$2,665 |
$2,835 |
|
|
$1,421 |
$1,670 |
$1,840 |
$2,010 |
$2,180 |
$2,350 |
$2,520 |
- General Cleaner
- Indoor Cleaner
|
$1,312 |
$1,570 |
$1,740 |
$1,910 |
$2,080 |
$2,250 |
$2,420 |
Wage requirements for part-time workers will be pro-rated.
Employers must pay a PWM Bonus of at least 2 weeks of basic monthly wages to eligible outsourced and in-house cleaners in a year. The PWM Bonus for part-time workers will be pro-rated.
Training requirements
Employers must ensure their Singapore citizen and permanent resident cleaners meet the following training requirements:
- Outsourced cleaners: 1 Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) module from the list of approved modules and 1 core Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) module from the list of approved modules
- In-house cleaners: Any 1 WSQ course or 1 in-house training programme
The in-house training programme must be guided by training objectives, training modality, key training tasks and training duration to meet the training requirements. When required, employers are expected to show supporting documentation on their in-house training programme and records of workers who attended the trainings.
On-the-job training can be counted towards the in-house training programme if it fulfils these requirements.
As an employer, you will benefit from your workers' increased productivity and ability to provide better quality cleaning services.
For more detail on the training requirements and the list of approved modules, please see Annex A of the Addendum to the TCC Report.
Find out more
For more information: