A SHRINKING CLEANING WORKFORCE
Despite the increased demand for cleaning services, the issues of low pay and a shrinking cleaning workforce persist.
Cleaners play a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of Singapore, but their remuneration does not always reflect the value of their work.
General and indoor cleaners such as those in an office or hawker centre are currently paid a basic monthly salary of S$1,312 (US$982) under the progressive wage model (PWM).
Come July, this will rise to S$1,570 for general cleaners in offices and commercial sites as well as those in F&B establishments, while those involved in conservancy cleaning will get S$1,795. By 2028, the basic entry-level wage in the cleaning business will reach at least S$2,420.
As the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers noted in a report in 2021, Singapore should be a place where workers are able to progress with a sense of dignity regardless of where they start, and all Singaporeans can earn a decent living.
Are the wages of our cleaners enough for them to have a decent living? Would a higher salary attract more people to the industry, helping Singapore keep up its cleanliness goals?
PWM requirements started in the cleaning sector in 2014, with security and landscaping added in 2016, lift and escalator maintenance in 2019, retail in 2022. Food services PWM and occupational progressive wages for administrators and drivers were rolled out from March 2023, while waste management PWM will be implemented from July 2023.
In explaining PWM in 2014, former deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said cleaners in the resident workforce then earned about S$850 per month.
“Not only is that low pay, but most cleaners have also not enjoyed the real wage growth seen among workers nationally,” said Mr Tharman. He also said a defining feature of the PWM could be a “wage-skill ladder” that could see cleaners trained to use motorised ride-on equipment like sweepers or steam cleaners, enabling higher productivity.