In the 2024 National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the launch of the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme.
Starting from April 20225, this initiative aims to assist Singaporean citizens and permanent residents by providing temporary financial support of up to $6,000 over six months to those who are involuntarily unemployed, supporting them as they undergo training or search for a job that better aligns with their skills and experiences.
Who Qualifies For The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme?
The scheme is meant for Singapore Citizens aged 21 and above (starting from April 2025) and Permanent Residents (PR) aged 21 and above (starting from Q1 2026).
To qualify, individuals must become unemployed for involuntary reasons such as retrenchment, cessation of business, dismissals or termination due to illness, injury or accident. In other words, you can’t resign because you are dissatisfied with your job and expect to qualify for the payout given by the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme.
Applicants for the Jobseeker Support Scheme must also have been employed for at least six months in the past 12 months before applying for the scheme.
Since the scheme specifically targets lower to middle-income workers. Therefore, to qualify, the applicant’s average monthly income must have been $5,000 or less over the past 12 months (excluding employer CPF contributions). Note that the calculation of average monthly income only considers the period when the individual was employed and earning an income.
Individuals must reside in a property with an Annual Value of $25,000 or less. They also cannot have received a payout from this scheme in the past three years.
Finally, applicants must demonstrate active job-seeking efforts, including submitting job applications, attending career coaching sessions, or participating in eligible training courses.
How Much Would The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme Payout Be?
The $6,000 in payouts will be distributed over six months, with the monthly amount starting at a higher level and gradually decreasing.
| 1st Month | $1,500 |
| 2nd Month | $1,250 |
| 3rd Month | $1,000 |
| 4th Month | $750 |
| 5th Month | $750 |
| 6th Month | $750 |
| Total | $6,000 |
The idea behind this structure is to front-load the payouts, offering greater financial support at the beginning when it’s most needed. As the months progress, the payout decreases to encourage job seekers to secure employment as soon as they find a suitable job. Monthly payouts will cease as soon as the job seeker returns to work.
Holistic Support For Retrenched Workers
The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme provides assistance in addition to other existing schemes. This means that applicants who receive payouts from this scheme are also eligible for additional support from other programs.
For instance, retrenched workers can take advantage of the SkillsFuture Level-up Programme, which includes the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance. This allowance offers 50% of the individual’s average income over the past 12 months, up to a maximum of $3,000 monthly.
For example, if an individual earning $4,000 per month is retrenched, they can enrol in a full-time reskilling course and receive a training allowance of $2,000 per month (50% of $4,000), in addition to the payouts from the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme, which would provide the person with $6,000 over a six-month period.
However, the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme is only available to workers aged 40 and above.
Alternatively, for workers aged 30 to 39, they can leverage on the newly enhanced Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme for a similar training allowance package, worth 50% of their average income over the past 12 months. This programme will be available from early 2026.
In addition, retrenched workers may receive other support, such as retrenchment benefits and social assistance schemes such as ComCare.
Read Also: Complete Guide To The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme
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