<
Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI)
The Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) Covid19

Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI)

By September 5, 2020 June 16th, 2021 One Comment

The Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) supports employers to accelerate their hiring of local workforce1 over the next six months, from September 2020 to February 2021 (inclusive), so as to create good and long-term jobs for locals.

The JGI will provide one year of salary support for each new local hire by employers that managed to increase their local workforce from September 2020 to February 2021 (inclusive).

1 Local workforce: Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents.

What is the JGI?

Employers that increase their overall local workforce between September 2020 to February 2021 (inclusive) will receive Government support. To be eligible for the JGI, there must be an increase in overall local workforce size AND increase in local workforce size earning ≥$1,400/month, compared to the August 2020 local workforce. The support is 25% (or 50% for mature local hires aged 40 and above) of the first $5,000 of gross monthly wages2 paid to all new local hires. Government support will be for 12 months from the month of hire, if employers continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

To encourage employers to retain their existing local employees as far as possible, the JGI payout will be adjusted downwards if any existing local employees (in the employer’s employ as at August 2020) leave the employer after August 2020. The adjustment factor will be higher if more existing local employees leave the employer.

Eligible employers will automatically receive their JGI payouts, which will be computed on a monthly basis based on the employer’s mandatory CPF contributions. However, some employers may receive review letters from IRAS to further substantiate their eligibility.

Eligible employers will start receiving the first JGI payout from March 2021 onwards.

2 Gross monthly wages include local employee mandatory CPF contributions but exclude employer CPF contributions.

Who is eligible for the JGI?

All employers who have made timely mandatory CPF contributions and achieved the following increases in their local workforce between September 2020 and February 2021 (inclusive), compared to the August 2020 local workforce, i.e. the baseline headcount:

  • Condition 1 – Increase in overall local workforce; AND
  • Condition 2 – Increase in local employees earning gross wages of at least $1,400 per month

To receive the JGI for full 12 months from the month of hire for each new local hire, the employer must have qualified for JGI during the eligibility period, (i.e. September 2020 to February 2021) and continually meet the eligibility criteria for the entire payout period, i.e. September 2020 to January 2022.

The following employers are not eligible for the JGI

a. Employers established on or after 17 August 2020
b. Dormant employers, e.g. No business done, not in operations, various inactive business status, in the midst of Struck off, Struck off, In Liquidation, employers that did not make any mandatory CPF contributions for their local employees in August 2020, etc.
c. Local Government Agencies including Organs of State, Ministries and Departments, Statutory Boards
d. Government and Government-Aided Schools
e. PA Services and Grassroot Units
f. High Commissions, Embassies, Trade Offices, Consulate
g. Unregistered Local/Foreign Entities
h. Foreign Military Units
i. Representative offices of:
I. Foreign companies
II. Foreign Government Agencies
III. Foreign Trade Associations/ Foreign Chambers/ Foreign Non-profit Organisations
IV. Foreign Law Practices
j. Bank Representative Offices/Insurance Representative Officers/Other Financial Representative Offices (registered with MAS)
k. News Bureaus (which are representative offices)
l. International Organisations
m. Entities which pay CPF but are not registered in Singapore

How do I apply for the JGI?

Employers do NOT need to apply for the JGI. IRAS will notify eligible employers by post of the amount of JGI payout payable to them. They can also log in to myTax Portal to view the electronic copy of their letter.

Declining JGI payouts
If you wish to be excluded from all future JGI payouts, please sign up using the Decline JGI form

 

When will I receive my JGI payout?

Eligible employers will receive3 JGI payouts starting from March 2021, covering gross wages of new local hires paid in the months shown in the table below.

Month where CPF contributions for new local hires from September 2020 to February 2021 is made for:  Gross wages for JGI in the month of hire will be derived based on mandatory CPF contributions paid on or before4: Month when JGI payout will be disbursed:
Payout 1
September 2020 14 October 2020 March 2021
October 2020 14 November 2020
November 2020 14 December 2020
Payout 2
December 2020 14 January 2021 June 2021
January 2021 14 February 2021
February 20215 14 March 2021
Payout 3
March 2021 14 April 2021 September 2021
April 2021 14 May 2021
May 2021 14 June 2021
Payout 4
June 2021 14 July 2021 December 2021
July 2021 14 August 2021
August 2021 14 September 2021
Payout 5
September 2021 14 October 2021  March 2022
October 2021 14 November 2021
November 2021 14 December 2021
Payout 6
December 2021  4 January 2022 May 2022
January 2022 14 February 2022

3 Employers selected for review will only receive their payouts after IRAS is satisfied with the outcome of the review.
4 CPF contributions are due at the end of each month and must be paid by the 14th of the following month. If the last day of the grace period falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday, CPF contributions must be paid by the next working day. Late payment interest will be charged by CPF Board.
5 End of eligibility period for new hire. Eligibility period is September 2020 till February 2021.

How is each payout computed?

The JGI payout is computed on a monthly basis based on the eligible employer’s mandatory CPF contributions.

  • For all new mature local hires aged 40 and above, the Government will co-fund up to 50% of the first $5,000 of gross monthly wages;
  • For all other new local hires, the Government will co-fund up to 25% of the first $5,000 of gross monthly wages.

The employer must continually meet the eligibility criteria for the entire 12-month period in order to receive the JGI for the full 12 months for each new local hire employed in the eligible period from September 2020 to February 2021 (inclusive). Otherwise, they would receive the JGI for months where they meet the eligibility criteria. Employers that did not meet the eligibility criteria for the JGI at least once from September 2020 to February 2021 (inclusive) will not receive the JGI even if they meet the employer eligibility criteria from March 2021 onwards.

JGI Adjustment Factor

To encourage employers to retain their existing local employees as far as possible, the JGI payout will be adjusted downwards if any existing local employees (in the employer’s employ as at August 2020) leave the employer after August 2020.

The adjustment factor is calculated based on the ratio of existing local employees who have left the employer to the total number of existing local employees as at August 2020, or 5%, whichever is higher. The adjustment factor is therefore higher if more existing local employees leave the employer. If new local hires (employed from September 2020 onwards) leave the employer, this does not affect the adjustment factor. However, any JGI attached to such local hires will cease.

 

For more information, please refer to https://www.iras.gov.sg/irashome/Schemes/Businesses/Jobs-Growth-Incentive–JGI-/

One Comment