Majority of self-employed parents did not tap childcare leave benefits
Less than a fifth of self-employed parents had submitted claims for government-paid childcare leave between 2019 and 2022.
Out of around 31,100 self-employed parents per year eligible for government-paid childcare leave, 5,400 submitted claims for such leave each year on average.
And just 1,400 out of 25,300 eligible self-employed parents submitted claims for extended child care leave each year.
Government-paid childcare leave provides up to six days of leave for eligible working parents with children below seven years old, while extended child care leave gives two days’ leave for those with children aged seven to 12. Self-employed parents can claim reimbursement of up to $1,500 and $1,000 per year respectively for these benefits.
Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli gave these numbers in a written response to a parliamentary question from Nominated MP Jean See on Nov 13 on the numbers of freelancers and self-employed persons who are eligible for each government-paid leave scheme and the numbers who submitted claims.
Mr Masagos said the estimates given were based on household and labour force survey data.
The self-employed comprises persons aged 15 years and above who are own account workers, employers or contributing family workers.
Mr Masagos said the numbers for self-employed persons include eligible freelancers, as the survey data does not differentiate between the two groups.
Freelancers will similarly need to have been engaged in a particular trade, business, profession or vocation for a continuous period of at least three months, and have lost income from ceasing to be actively engaged during the leave period to be eligible for the Government-paid leave schemes.
Between 2019 and 2022, an average of about 1,000 out of 1,500 eligible self-employed mothers submitted claims for government-paid maternity leave.
In the same period, an average of 1,200 out of 4,100 self-employed fathers who were eligible for government-paid paternity leave submitted claims for it.
Data for 2023 is not yet available, Mr Masagos said.
He said the Government has been working with its tripartite partners - the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation - to raise awareness of the various Government-Paid parental leave schemes to those eligible, including self-employed persons and freelancers.
For those who require more specific advice, Mr Masagos said the Government has partnered with NTUC to conduct webinars and clinics at NTUC’s Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit Centre to guide them through the leave reimbursement process.
“We will continue our efforts to encourage take-up of our parental leave schemes,” he said.
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