A constant source of income provides a sense of security and helps an individual meet their basic needs. Yet for many Lower-Income Families, the struggle for consistent employment means security and stability can be elusive, leaving little room to plan for the future.[1]
Corporates can help rewrite this all-too-familiar story. They can redesign job roles to satisfy Lower-Income Families’ basic livelihood needs and empower them to build on their strengths to succeed at work. Leaders may worry about accomplishing this without threatening their bottom line – but as our article will show, it’s less daunting than they might expect.
The impact of the current work model on Lower-Income Families
For the purposes of this article, we define Lower-Income Families as those who may not qualify for financial support, but are susceptible to shocks due to lack of financial resources and support networks. Lower-Income Families’ breadwinners often face tight schedules, limited resources, and challenges related to educational qualifications. These constraints make it tough to secure stable, higher-paying jobs that improve their family’s quality of life.[2]
According to the Ministry of Manpower, the median gross monthly income for part-time or temporary workers was only $1,000 excluding employer CPF in 2021.[3] Wages for lower-income earners remain stagnant or increase minimally despite rising household expenses amid inflation.[4]
To compensate, many parents and breadwinners take on two or more low-paying jobs[5] – taking any hours they can get to work, often on late nights and weekends that leave them exhausted. Limited qualifications further obstruct career progression; upskilling demands extra costs and income losses that workers cannot afford to pay. Plus, not all employers see the need to reward extra effort with career growth.
Corporate employers can help infuse meaning and stability into lower-income employees’ work by offering more flexible job roles and providing access to upskilling programmes. Social enterprise Skillseed and Agape Connecting People (Agape) share how this can be done.
How corporates can reimagine employment to be more flexible and stable
Through the Lower-Income Families Colabs series run by NVPC, one of the key insights found was that Lower-Income Families want flexibility, security, and stability in their employment.[6] So how can corporates offer dignified, sustainable employment opportunities for their workers?
Social enterprises like Skillseed are showing corporates a potential path forward: in their case, by engaging individuals from under-resourced communities as Community Guides through “Resilience Trails.”
Skillseed specifically considers Lower-Income Families’ challenges when creating job opportunities. “We are not doing charity—we offer dignified employment,” Huijia Phua, Founder and Managing Director of Skillseed explains. “We want our guides to feel that they are contributing. We are helping and uplifting each other.”
Agape also uniquely reimagines employment by offering contact centre work to incarcerated inmates, persons with disabilities, ex-offenders, single mothers, and other individuals. “We help these individuals return to the workforce. We prioritise long-term job security, fostering stability and confidence to minimise layoffs has been a key priority for us. We are proud to share that we have successfully onboarded over 100 inclusive employers across various industries, who are now partnering with us to provide employment opportunities. We believe that, through dignified work, they can regain respect as they rebuild their lives and families,” says Anil David, Founder of Agape.
1. Redesign job roles to accommodate Lower-Income Families’ circumstances
Corporates can adjust work hours and offer alternative work arrangements that meet lower-income workers’ needs. Skillseed does this by letting guides select their schedule. “We give our guides autonomy to choose which slots work for them. It’s not like a typical job that assigns fixed slots, and the guide has to struggle between family and obligations. For us, we leave it to our guides to make that choice,” says Huijia.
Corporates have wide latitude to adjust their policies to fit almost any circumstance. Agape, for instance, has over 250 seats across multiple work locations, extending even to home-based work. The latter “are especially significant for the visually challenged and single mothers unable to travel to our locations,” Anil explains.
“We give our guides autonomy to choose which slots work for them. It’s not like a typical job that assigns fixed slots, and the guide has to struggle between family and obligations. For us, we leave it to our guides to make that choice.” –
Huijia Phua, Founder and Managing Director, Skillseed
2. Offer flexible payment periods to alleviate financial pressures
Skillseed goes above and beyond by paying their guides six to seven times the hourly rate of a typical F&B service crew member. They also pay within seven working days.
“For our guides, getting paid [promptly] mattered significantly. Waiting until the next month does not work for them,” Huijia explains. “So, to a certain extent, I say yes to them getting the money in their hands as soon as possible.”
Additionally, a clause in Skillseed’s signed agreement states that guides will receive a portion of their pay when a client confirms but then later cancels. “We wanted to extend that kind of protection to them – I think that’s just decency and part of dignity,” says Huijia.
What are the results for Skillseed? 80% of their community guides say that earning remuneration with Skillseed was easier than in any other form of employment they’ve experienced, and 40% said their income per month increased by 30%.
3. Identify and leverage lower-income workers’ unique assets
Skillseed recognises its employees’ unique backgrounds and narratives. “Our guides are all active volunteers and contributors to their community. They know their neighbourhood very well and have powerful stories to share,” says Huijia.
In creating trails that align with their guides’ expertise, Skillseed empowers Lower-Income Families, amplifying the voices and perspectives of their communities. These trails cater to students, government officials, and corporate teams, turning Lower-Income Families’ unique insights into business assets and learning tools for different sectors.
Corporates must also create a culture that highlights these strengths. For instance, Agape’s dedicated onboarding officers and managers foster a strong sense of belonging among employees. “By providing this level of support, we create an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute to the organisation’s success,” shares Anil.
“By providing this level of support, we create an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute to the organisation’s success.”
Anil David, Founder, Agape Connecting People
Prioritising upskilling and job training programmes
Breadwinners of Lower-Income Families, often the sole providers for their households, need relevant upskilling and job-training opportunities to break free from the constraints of lower-income roles.[7]
With access to higher-paying jobs, breadwinners can “meet basic needs, improve their living conditions, and invest in education and healthcare. Their children are more likely to pursue higher education, which can help break the cycle of poverty,” says Agape’s Anil.
However, many lower-income individuals fear that upskilling isn’t worth the time or expense. Corporates can change their minds by actively extending mentorship, coaching and networking opportunities. Challenges like caregiving duties and transportation costs can also derail workers’ participation – and should be a top consideration when rethinking upskilling programmes.
Employers can review upskilling through these three initiatives:
1. Realigning training programmes
Corporates can provide breadwinners of Lower-Income Families with upskilling and job training programmes, as the parties that benefit from their workers’ ongoing skills development.
To start off, “Corporates can conduct needs assessments to identify areas for development,” Agape’s Anil explains. “They can provide skill-building initiatives and incorporate mentorship programmes and accessible communication channels to enhance support and inclusivity.”
Upskilling and training helped Agape deliver on their aim to prepare disadvantaged persons for their return to the workforce. Through the Agape Transformation Programme, the company helps participants develop a growth mindset and boost their confidence. Participants can later connect with employers in hospitality, healthcare, and logistics.
2. Ensuring participation in training programmes
Attendance can be challenging for lower-income workers. “They will have many questions,” Huijia explains. “How many days will it take? How will I put food on the table on those days? What’s going to happen to my kids? For these individuals, the stress is real.”
Skillseed alleviates the participants’ stress levels by paying for their attendance. “This shows we understand them and are committed to making their training work,” says Huijia.
Defining a clear career pathway also helps secure participation. “We provide recognition and create clear pathways for career advancement to motivate employees to participate in such programmes,” shares Anil.
“We provide recognition and create clear pathways for career advancement to motivate employees to participate in such programmes.”
Anil David, Founder, Agape Connecting People
3. Envisioning upskilling as an investment
To sustain these programmes, corporates must view Lower-Income Families as vital contributors to their organisation. “Our staff are our talents. We make the concessions that need to be made to value and keep them. This is no different from how companies make adjustments for crucial team members at different levels. If we want to retain talent, then we consider how we can make that happen,” says Huijia.
Corporates have much to gain from investing in training programmes. Huijia shares that Skillseed’s training regimen has increased their guides’ confidence level, command of the English language, time management, and ability to be sensitive and understanding towards others.
Working together to make a difference
As corporates ramp up their assistance to Lower-Income Families, they’ll find that employees with improved self-confidence add business and societal value in more ways than one. By empowering Lower-Income Families, corporates can bolster their own innovation and reputation while enhancing job satisfaction and contributing to Singapore’s sustainable growth.[8]
NVPC envisions a Singapore where individuals, organisations and leaders come together to give their best for others.[9]
The corporate sector is a crucial part of this vision. They can generate sustainable jobs that recognise their workers’ needs, and reward their unique strengths and potential for contribution. Skillseed and Agape have shown their unique approaches to achieving this.
However, more work needs to be done.
It takes a whole-of-society approach to empower and uplift Lower-Income Families. If you’re keen to explore redesigning your job opportunities for Lower-Income Families, do email [email protected].
This piece is part of a series of three articles that delves into insights gained from the Lower-Income Families Colabs series run by NVPC from 2022 to 2023.
[1] DPM Lawrence Wong, “Speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong at The Forward Singapore Conversation with Social Sector Practitioners on 10 October 2022, at Lifelong Learning Institute Lecture Theatre,” Ministry of Finance Singapore, 10 Oct 2022, https://www.mof.gov.sg/news-publications/speeches/speech-by-deputy-prime-minister-and-minister-for-finance-lawrence-wong-at-the-forward-singapore-conversation-with-social-sector-practitioners-on-10-october-2022-at-lifelong-learning-institute-lecture-theatre
[2] “Who Are Lower-Income Families?”, National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, 2023, https://nvpc.org.sg/colabs-sg/lower-income-families-colabs/who-are-lower-income-families/
[3] Manpower Research and Statistics Department, “Labour Force in Singapore, 2021 Edition,” Ministry of Manpower, 2021, https://stats.mom.gov.sg/iMAS_PdfLibrary/mrsd_2021LabourForce.pdf
[4] Charmaine David, “Singaporeans with low incomes continue to face the lowest wage growth, DBS says”, CNBC, 2 August 2022, https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/03/singaporeans-with-low-incomes-continue-to-face-lowest-wage-growth-dbs.html
[5] “Insights And Opportunities”, National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, 2023, https://nvpc.org.sg/colabs-sg/lower-income-families-colabs/insights-and-opportunities/#Insight-4
[6] “Insights And Opportunities”, National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, 2023, https://nvpc.org.sg/colabs-sg/lower-income-families-colabs/insights-and-opportunities/#Insight-4
[7] “Insights And Opportunities”, National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, 2023, https://nvpc.org.sg/colabs-sg/lower-income-families-colabs/insights-and-opportunities/#Insight-5
[8] Witold Henisz et al., “Five ways that ESG creates value”, McKinsey Quarterly, November 2019, https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/Strategy%20and%20Corporate%20Finance/Our%20Insights/Five%20ways%20that%20ESG%20creates%20value/Five-ways-that-ESG-creates-value.ashx
[9] “A Shared Vision for the Future”, National Volunteer And Philanthropy Centre, 2023, https://nvpc.org.sg/colabs-sg/lower-income-families-colabs/vision-for-the-future/
