Clarification by Senior Minister of State for Manpower
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This clarification concerns a factual correction made by Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon regarding mandatory reporting requirements for companies during retrenchment exercises. Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon clarified that any firm employing 10 or more workers is required to notify the Ministry of Manpower within five working days of any retrenchment. He retracted an earlier statement that suggested notification was only necessary when five or more workers were retrenched, noting that even a single retrenchment triggers the requirement. This correction ensures the parliamentary record accurately reflects that the 10-employee threshold refers to the company's total workforce rather than the number of retrenched individuals. This statement provides finality on the reporting timeline and employer obligations as per the Ministry of Manpower’s guidelines.
Transcript
3.01 pm
The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon): Sir, thank you for your indulgence. Just a quick clarification to the reply given to Mr Pritam Singh earlier.
I mentioned that only five workers or more being retrenched will need to notify, but that is wrong. Actually, it is that companies that have more than 10 workers will be required to notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of any retrenchment within five working days. It is not five workers but within five working days. [Please refer to "Data on Companies with More Than 25 Workers Paying Retrenchment Benefits in Line with Tripartite Guidelines", Official Report, 4 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 16, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
As long as the company has more than 10 workers, even if one worker gets retrenched, it would need to notify MOM. Thank you, Sir.
Mr Speaker: Order. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Order of the Day and Notice of Motion.
The following statement was made by the Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon) during a clarification at the end of Question Time for the Parliament Sitting of 4 February 2026:
The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon): Sir, thank you for your indulgence. Just a quick clarification to the reply given to Mr Pritam Singh earlier. I mentioned that only five workers or more being retrenched will need to notify, but that is wrong. Actually, it is that companies that have more than 10 workers will be required to notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of any retrenchment within five working days. It is not five workers but within five working days.
As long as the company has more than 10 workers, even if one worker gets retrenched, it would need to notify MOM. Thank you, Sir. [Please refer to "Data on Companies with More Than 25 Workers Paying Retrenchment Benefits in Line with Tripartite Guidelines", Official Report, 4 February 2026, Vol 96, Issue 16, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Written statement by Dr Koh Poh Koon circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5):
I wish to make the following factual correction to my clarification at the end of question time for the Parliament Sitting of 4 February 2026. My statement should read as follows:
The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Dr Koh Poh Koon): Sir, thank you for your indulgence. Just a quick clarification to the reply given to Mr Pritam Singh earlier. I mentioned that only five workers or more being retrenched will need to notify, but that is wrong. Actually, it is that companies that have 10 or more workers will be required to notify the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of any retrenchment within five working days. It is not five workers but within five working days.
As long as the company has 10 or more workers, even if one worker gets retrenched, it would need to notify MOM. Thank you, Sir.