September 8th, 2013 | Author: Contributions
Leong Sze Hian
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I refer to the article “value every worker to strengthen Singaporean core” (“NTUC This Week, 23 Aug).
18,378 workers had 11% wage increase?
It states that “Since the Labour Movement’s launch of the IGP in August 2010, 18,378 workers in the hospitality and consumer business sectors have benefited from 238 job improvements of an average of 11.06 per cent.
Waiters’ real wage dropped 11.3%?
I believe the most common job in the hospitality sector may be waiters.
According to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) occupational wages benching tool, the median basic and gross wage of Waiters in 2012, was $1,100 and $1,291, respectively.
In June 2011, their wages were $1,173 and $1,300, respectively, according to the now discontinued annual Report on Wages.
Since Inflation from June 2011 to June 2012 was 5.3 per cent, does it mean that their basic and gross wage had negative real median wage growth of about minus 11.3 and 6 per cent, respectively?
Security officers’ wages increase?
In the same issue of NTUC This Week, the article “Securing the rights of our security officers” said that “With the efforts, Mr Zainal highlighted that the gross wages of security officers have been increased from an average of close to $1,300 in 2008 to $1,600 in 2013″.
This works out to an increase of about 23 per cent in five years.
0.4% p.a. increase?
As inflation from 2007 to 2012 was about 21 per cent, does it mean that the real increase in wages was only about two per cent in the five years or so, or about only 0.4 per cent per annum?
Also, did the average work hours of security officers increase during these five years?
Child care & related workers’ real wage dropped 23.3%?
Since a childcare teacher was arrested for allegedly abusing a child in July, I was curious as to whether the real wages of child care & related workers had increased.
In this regard, the median basic and gross wage of child care & related workers in 2012, was $1,153 and $1,200, respectively.
In June 2011, their wages were $1,400 and $1,400, respectively.
Since Inflation was 5.3 per cent, does it mean that their basic and gross wage had negative real median wage growth of about minus 23.3 and 19.3 per cent, respectively?
How many had 3% wage increase?
So, instead of the good news of 18,378 workers getting wage improvements, what percentage of all the workers in these sectors had say a decent real median wage increase of three per cent?
I am using three per cent because it has repeatedly been trumpeted that the target is to raise workers’ real median wages by 30 per cent in the next decade, since about one plus to two years ago.
Leong Sze Hian
Leong Sze Hian is the Past President of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, an alumnus of Harvard University, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow and an author of 4 books. He is frequently quoted in the media. He has also been invited to speak more than 100 times in 25 countries on 5 continents. He has served as Honorary Consul of Jamaica, Chairman of the Institute of Administrative Management, and founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of Brunei and Indonesia. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional qualifications. He blogs at http://www.leongszehian.com.
