Covid-19 Support Grant extended until December, eligibility for Workfare Special Payment widened

THE government is extending the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) to help Singaporeans who are unemployed or have suffered significant income loss.

The CSG was introduced in May to complement the ComCare Scheme. It will be extended until December 2020.

The extension will be open to both existing CSG recipients and new applicants from Oct 1. To qualify, unemployed applicants must demonstrate job search or training efforts, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday.

More than 60,000 residents have benefited, with more than S$90 million disbursed so far.

"Our labour market is likely to remain weak beyond 2020. We are studying how to continue supporting employees and self-employed persons who are most vulnerable," he said, adding that the Ministry of Social and Family Development will share more details in early September.

Separately, Mr Heng said the eligibility for the S$3,000 Workfare Special Payment (WSP) will be widened.

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This special payment was announced as part of the Care and Support Package announced at Budget 2020. Currently, those on the Workfare Income Supplement scheme for work done in 2019 are eligible. They have received their first payment of S$1,500 in July 2020 and will receive their next and final tranche in October 2020.

Mr Heng said eligibility for this special payment will be widened to include those who were not on workfare last year but have received or will be receiving workfare for work done this year.

Each eligible individual can only qualify for and receive the WSP once.

He added that the government will continue to work closely with its tripartite partners to help displaced workers.

"We are updating the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment, to incorporate the Fair Retrenchment Framework proposed by NTUC," he said.

The NTUC Job Security Council, which was set up earlier this year, has since matched more than 20,000 displaced and at-risk workers to new opportunities.