Written Answer to PQ on Wrongful Dismisal Claims and Claim Limits

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1240 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON 08 SEPTEMBER 2026
QUESTION NO. 1921 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Dr Wan Rizal

To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) for each year since 2019, how many (i) wrongful-dismissal claims were determined in favour of employees by Employment Claims Tribunals and (ii) awards reached the claim limit of $20,000, $30,000 or the prescribed ceiling of three months’ pay for loss of income; and (b) whether the Ministry will review these limits given wage growth and higher jurisdictional limit for workplace discrimination claims.

Answer:

From 2020 to 2025, the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) awarded compensation in favour of employees to 623 wrongful dismissal claims, representing around 30% of total wrongful dismissal claims filed at ECT. Full year data for 2019 is unavailable, as the ECT only started hearing wrongful dismissal claims from April 2019.

Over the same period, among claims where compensation was awarded, less than 9% reached their respective claim limit of $20,000 or $30,000 for union-assisted claims.

MOM reviews the ECT’s monetary claim limits from time to time as part of our regular policy reviews, in consultation with tripartite partners.