Written Answer to PQ on Local Qualifying Salary

NOTICE PAPER NO.1245 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON 8 SEPTEMBER 2026
QUESTION NO. 1934 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye

To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) for each year from 2016 to 2026, what percentile of the wage distribution of full-time resident employees did the prevailing Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) correspond to; and (b) whether the Ministry has a target or reference percentile of the resident wage distribution that it considers when reviewing the LQS

Answer:

From 2016 to 2026, the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) corresponded broadly to the 6th percentile of the wage distribution of full-time resident employees1. MOM regularly reviews the LQS, taking into account multiple factors, including prevailing labour market and economic conditions. On 1 July 2026, we raised the LQS from $1,600 to $1,800.

1 Percentiles were derived using Comprehensive Labour Force Survey data from 2015 to 2025