Recommended pay for jobs in social service sector higher by 8% on average

Guidelines updated every April to factor in average wage growth in overall job market

- Theresa Tan

The recommended salaries under guidelines for jobs in the social service sector are higher by about 8 per cent on average in the latest pay benchmarks released by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) on April 1.

For example, the starting pay of a social worker is $3,820 in the 2024 financial year (FY) guidelines, a 0.8 per cent increase from $3,790 in the FY2023 guidelines. FY2024 starts from April 2024 and ends in March 2025.

The starting pay for a staff nurse is $3,030 in the latest guidelines - a 10 per cent increase from $2,750 in the FY2023 guidelines. The information is gleaned from the FY2023 and FY2024 Social Service Sector Skills and Salary Guidelines posted on the NCSS website.

The FY2024 guidelines for the head of a social service agency (SSA) managing an operational budget of less than or equal to $3 million a year is $12,290 at the reference point a 15 per cent jump from $10,690 in FY2023.

The reference point refers to salaries for staff who are competent at their jobs, but their wages are not at the maximum point yet.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) told The Straits Times that the average increase of about 8 per cent in the FY2024 guidelines across job grades depends on the extent of the gap between the role's current salary and the revised market benchmarks.

Hence, job roles that are already at or over market benchmarks saw smaller increases, while those with a larger gap to the market benchmarks saw a larger increase.

The issue of salaries in the social service sector arose during the debate on the MSF's budget on March 6 when Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli said the sector requires an additional 2,000 professionals over the next five years to meet the growing needs of Singapore society.

There are over 20,000 employees in the sector now.