“The rocky road to raising low-end pay scales
The roll-out of the Progressive Wage Model spells great promise, but also challenges” (ST, Feb 1)
“One of the glaring anomalies in Singapore’s social compact is how poorly paid blue-collar workers are compared with their counterparts in other advanced economies, even those with per capita incomes lower than Singapore.
For example, plumbers in Australia are paid around 40 per cent more and nurses up to 75 per cent more, even though Australia’s per capita income is about 20 per cent less than Singapore’s.
In general, most of Singapore’s blue-collar workers are paid well below the median wage, which is not the case in most other advanced economies.
But the good news is that this is changing. After a slow start eight years ago, Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which is the centrepiece of its strategy to raise the pay scales of its low-wage workers who are Singaporeans or permanent residents, is gaining traction.”
Gross median income of full-time employed resident Craftsmen & related trades workers
Decreased from $2,819 to $2,662 from Jun 2021 to Jun 2022
This works out to a decrease of 5.6% in the year
Since inflation was 6.7% in the same period – in real terms, their income decreased by 12.3%% (5.6 + 6.7%), in the one year
Their income increased from $1,885 in 2001 to $2,662 in 2022
This works out to an increase of 41.2%, in the last 21 years
Since inflation was 44.6% (75.19 CPI Jun 2001, 108.7 CPI Jun 2022) in the same period – in real terms, their income decreased by about 0.1% p.a., in the last 21 years
Female Plant & machine operators & assemblers
Decreased from $2,112 to $2,000 from Jun 2021 to Jun 2022
A real decrease of 12.0% 5.3 + 6.7%)
Female non-PMETs Gross median income of full-time employed residentsStagnated at $2,535 from Jun 2021 to Jun 2022
In real terms, their income decreased by 6.7%, in the one year, and increased by only about 0.5% p.a., in the last 21 years, from $1,570 in Jun 2001 to $2,535 in Jun 2022?https://www.singstat.gov.sg/……/news/cpijun2022.ashx
