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Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo Minister for Manpower to PQ on breakdown of gig workers by industries and average salaries

Employment practices

NOTICE PAPER NO. 237 FOR THE SITTING ON 2 FEBRUARY 2021
QUESTION NO. 426 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Hazel Poa To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how many gig workers are there currently in the workforce; (b) what industries are these individuals working in; (c) what are the average salaries of these individuals by industry; and (d) how many of these gig workers are classified as self-employed.

Answer:

  1. There is no internationally accepted definition of “gig workers”. In general, the term refers to own account workers or self-employed persons (SEPs) who operate their own business without hiring any employees[1], and who source for a significant part of their work through online matching platforms.
  2. In 2020, 190,900 residents were engaged primarily as SEPs for their livelihood. Over the past decade, such SEPs’ share of the workforce has remained stable at 8% to 10%. Among the 190,900, there were 73,500 who utilised online matching platforms, mostly working in the transportation of goods and passengers. Table 1 shows the breakdown of the top three occupations, namely private-hire car drivers, taxi drivers, and car and light goods vehicle drivers, and Table 2 reflects the corresponding median incomes.
  3. In 2019, the median income for these three occupations was between $1,500 to $2,500. In 2020, SEPs’ income from work[2] was impacted by COVID-19 pandemic to varying degrees. Many were eligible for support of up to $9,000 from the SEP Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), Workfare Special Payments of up to $3,000, as well as regular Workfare payouts amounting up to $2,667 in 2020[3], as well as the Point-To-Point Support Package, which comprises two components for taxi and PHC drivers: (a) Special Relief Fund (SRF), to help full-time drivers defray business cost, and (b) Government and NTUC Driver Care Fund for drivers who may not qualify for the SRF but still require financial assistance.


Table 1: Top occupations of regular primary own account workers who used online matching platforms

  Number Share (%) 
 Total  73,500 100.0 
 Top 3 Occupations  66,200 91.9 
 - Private-hire car drivers  34,400 46.8 
 - Taxi drivers  24,300 33.0 
 - Car & light goods vehicle drivers  8,900 12.1
*Note that an individual may hold two or more jobs in own account work. Residents who did not work in the top 3 occupations were distributed across many other companies.

Table 2: Median gross monthly income from work of full-time resident own account workers

   2019 2020 
Top 3 occupations of those using online matching platforms  $2,000  $1,500
 Private-hire car drivers  $2,500  $1,700
 Taxi drivers  $1,500  $1,000
 Car & light goods vehicle drivers  $2,000  $1,999
Source: Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, MOM

FOOTNOTE

  1. This does not include other self-employed categories such as ‘employers’ and ‘contributing family workers’.
  2. Based on those working on a full-time basis.
  3. Individual would be eligible if he/she also meets the other qualifying criteria, such as the annual value of the property he/she lives in.