Singapore raises wage support for F&B sector to 50%

Following prohibitions on dining-in, the Singapore government has raised its wage support for F&B businesses from 10% to 50%.

Under the Jobs Support Scheme, the government will co-pay wages of local employees up to the first S$4,600 (US$3,442) of gross monthly wages during the period in which dining-in is prohibited. 

Last week, the government announced tighter measures to combat a rising number of community infections of COVID-19 in Singapore. Under the new measures, which will be in place from May 16 to June 13, the size of group gatherings allowed has been cut from five people to two.

Work-from-home (WFH) is to be the default arrangement at the workplace, as Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and co-chair of the nation’s COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, said, “All employees who are able to work from home will have to do so.”

The government has also announced that indoor activities where masks have to be taken off will also have to halt, which includes facials, saunas and strenuous indoor exercises. 

READ: Singapore tightens COVID-19 measures, WFH as default

“We will do a review at the midway point, meaning two weeks after the measures have been implemented, and at that point we will look at the prevailing public health situation and see if there’s a need to adjust the measures further,” Wong added.