Government Accepts Recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers to Strengthen Protections for Platform Workers

1. The Government accepts all 12 recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers (refer to Annex A). More information on the recommendations can be
found in the Advisory Committee’s report at https://www.mom.gov.sg/pwac-report.

2. The Advisory Committee on Platform Workers was convened in September 2021 to look into strengthening protections for Platform Workers in three areas of concern (refer to Annex B for composition of Committee):

     a. Ensuring adequate financial protection in case of work injury
     b. Improving housing and retirement adequacy
     c. Enhancing representation

3. The Committee consulted extensively during its course of work (refer to Annex C). Next, the Government will continue to work with Platform Workers and Platform Companies to implement the recommendations in a progressive manner from the later part of 2024 at the earliest. Changes to legislation will need to be made. The Government will also exercise flexibility and adjust the implementation timeline if needed, depending on the economic situation.

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ANNEX A

Summary of Recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers

Coverage of Recommendations

1. Platform Workers should not be classified as employees.
2. Require Platform Companies that exert a significant level of management control over Platform Workers to provide them with certain basic protections.

Ensuring Adequate Financial Protection for Platform Workers in case of Work Injury

3. Require Platform Companies to provide the same scope and level of work injury compensation as employees’ entitlement under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA).
4. Require Platform Company that the Platform Worker was working for at the point of injury to be responsible for compensation, based on the Platform Worker’s total earnings from the platform sector in which the injury was sustained.
5. Determine sector-specific definitions of when a Platform Worker is considered “at work”.
6. Retain the strengths of the current WICA regime, including the provision of work injury compensation insurance through the existing open and competitive insurance market.

Improving Housing and Retirement Adequacy of Platform Workers

7. Align CPF contribution rates of Platform Companies and Platform Workers with that of employers and employees respectively; required for Platform Workers who are aged below 30 in the first year of implementation.
8. Allow older cohorts of Platform Workers who are aged 30 and above in the first year of implementation to opt in to the full CPF contribution regime.
9. Require Platform Companies to collect Platform Workers’ CPF contributions to help workers make timely contributions.
10. Phase in the increased CPF contributions over five years, unless major economic disruption warrants a longer timeline. To ease the impact, the Government may wish to consider providing support for Platform Workers and the form this should take.

Enhancing Representation for Platform Workers

11. Give Platform Workers the right to seek formal representation through a new representation framework designed for Platform Workers.
12. Set up a Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for Platform Workers (TWG) to co-create the new representation framework.

ANNEX B

Composition of Advisory Committee on Platform Workers

Advisor
Dr Koh Poh Koon
Senior Minister of State for Manpower, and Sustainability and the Environment

Chairperson
Ms Goh Swee Chen
Chairperson, Institute for Human Resource Professionals

Vice-Chairperson
Professor Danny Quah
Dean and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Members
Industry
• Mr Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director, Singapore National Employers Federation
• Mr Lam Yi Young, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Business Federation
• Mr Shaikh Ismail, MOHH Entities Technology Services, Integrated Health Information Systems
• Dr Leslie Teo, Senior Director, Open AI Products, AI Singapore

Labour Movement
• Mr Ang Hin Kee, Advisor to National Taxi Association (NTA) & National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), NTUC Assistant Director-General and Director,
Governance, Risk & Compliance Division
• Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Advisor to NTA, NPHVA and National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), and Director, NTUC U SME and U Women and Family
• Ms Jean See Jinli, Executive Secretary to NDCA and NTA, and Director, NTUC Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit (U FSE)

Academia
• Professor Hoon Hian Teck, Dean, Singapore Management University School of Economics
• Associate Professor Jessica Pan, Associate Professor of Economics, NationalUniversity of Singapore

Government
• Mr Poon Hong Yuen, Deputy Secretary (Workforce), Ministry of Manpower
• Mr Adrian Chua, Deputy Secretary (Industry), Ministry of Trade and Industry
• Mr Jeremy Yap, Deputy Chief Executive (Public Transport, Policy and Planning), Land Transport Authority

ANNEX C

List of Companies, Trade Associations and Chambers Engaged by the Advisory Committee