Prime minister says government's job is to ensure 'growth translates into better lives for all Singaporeans'
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has acknowledged the challenges of lower-wage and mid-career workers in Singapore as he offered assurance that the country's gains would benefit everyone.
Wong made the remarks in a speech to 3,000 party activists at the People's Action Party Awards and Conference 2026 at the Singapore Expo.
During his speech, the prime minister said countries across the world "see value in working closely with Singapore," allowing the country to attract high-quality investments that support growth, create jobs, and enable incomes to grow.
"But I know the headline numbers do not tell the whole story. Some sectors are doing well. But others are facing pressures. Some workers are benefitting from new opportunities. But others are struggling to keep up," Wong said.
"In particular, lower-wage workers worry about keeping pace with rising costs. Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s who lose their jobs worry about whether they can find work again."
"We understand these concerns. And we will respond to them."
The prime minister added that the government's job is not just to keep the economy growing.
"It is to make sure that growth translates into better lives for all Singaporeans," he said.
Uplifting workers in Singapore
The Singapore government has been raising the wages of lower-wage workers, most recently by accepting wage recommendations covering 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2027.
Under the recommendations, employers that have not done well and are unprofitable should still give their lower-wage workers a built-in wage increase of at least $120.
Employers that have not done well but remain profitable should provide a built-in wage increase at the lower end of six to eight per cent of gross monthly wage, or at least $120, whichever is higher.
For mid-career workers, Singapore's newly established Skills and Workforce Development Agency offers tools, services and programmes for mid-career employees.
One of them is the Mid-Career Pathways Programme, which is a full-time attachment programme for mature mid-career individuals to help them widen their professional networks and gain industry-relevant skills and experience.
