Resources:
Payment System & Facilities: A robust IT system was developed to accurately determine the WIS amount for each Singaporean. Data which were received from the different government agencies were received by a single agency, tested and checked to ensure the integrity of the data and accuracy of the allotment. Thus far S$2.1 billion has been accurately disbursed to citizens. In all, a core and lean team of 47 officers see to the disbursement of more than $450 million in WIS to around 440,000 LWWs each year.
Excellent and Accessible Service: CPF Board provided service to the public through its 5 Service Centres and single, dedicated hotline. The team of 20 Customers Service Executives successfully handled an average of 19,000 walk-in customers and 53,000 calls a year. WIS advisory services are provided at 62 SingPost branch offices located nationwide, serving a total of 20,000 LWWs annually.
Handling of enquiries and appeals within service standards: On average, 1,800 e-mails and written enquiries were each replied to within published service standards of 2 working days, while 3,200 appeals were each handled within 10 working days each year.
All in all, the administration of the WIS scheme is highly efficient and sustainable. The administrative cost per WIS recipient is S$22.50 – merely 2% of the total WIS amount disbursed.
Key benefits:
Targeted Benefits. WIS was well targeted, supplementing 10% of the incomes of around 440,000 Singaporeans every year. About $450m of WIS is disbursed each year which works out to be an average of $1,090 per worker. 80% of recipients are aged 45 and above with a mean monthly income is $1,059. About three-quarters of recipients are cleaners, labourers, service/sales workers or plant/machine operators. Two-thirds have primary education or less. Government transfers also had a redistributive effect on household income. WIS had also contributed to a reduction in income equality, as evident in the reduction in Singapore’s Gini coefficient which decreased from 0.469 in 2007 to 0.452 in 2011.
Encouraging Work. A study was conducted in 2009 showed that there was a positive impact on employment levels. The changes raised employment levels on average by about 15,000 among workers aged 35-65, which was approximately 1.2% of the workforce aged 35-65 in 2007. The positive employment effect was larger for older workers. The study also showed that the changes encouraged workers to work more. The period worked increased on average by about 1 man-day per worker, corresponding to about 700,000 additional man-days or a 0.2% increase per year in the working population that are aged 35-65.
Promoting Equity and Social Inclusion. The collaborative outreach efforts resulted in 76,000 informal workers coming into the CPF net, of which 14,000 qualified for WIS. CPF Board's collaboration with partners in the social sector paid off – with about 5,000 prisoners and workers with disabilities qualifying for WIS yearly. For SEPs, the number receiving WIS increased sharply from 74,000 when the scheme was introduced in 2007 to the current figure of 88,000.
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