The Ministry of Health (MOH) has released salary guidelines for the community care sector to help it retain talent by offering competitive salaries.
The guidelines for a range of jobs, from nursing to pharmacists and support staff, provide both the recommended starting pay and the salaries that staff in those roles can expect to get at the midpoint of their career.
The base salaries in the guidelines do not include bonuses, allowances and other benefits.
A statement from MOH said: “The guidelines were developed after extensive consultations with the community care sector, and will apply to the entire community care workforce, which includes nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, as well as administrative, ancillary and support care staff.”
The sector, which includes community hospitals, nursing homes and eldercare centres, currently employs more than 18,000 people, up from 16,500 in 2020. As Singapore’s population continues to age, the demand for such care is expected to continue to rise.
Many of the institutions in the sector are run by voluntary welfare organisations, and remuneration paid to staff may vary greatly. There have been complaints in the past that this sector has difficulty recruiting and retaining staff.
MOH said the salary guidelines should aid these organisations in attracting and retaining talent by offering competitive salaries, and enhance fairness in pay structures and salaries.
While there is no compulsion for the sector to comply with the salary guidelines, MOH “strongly encouraged” those paying below the amounts set out in the guidelines to adjust their payments to align with the rest in the sector.
“Organisations with compensation higher than the published salaries are encouraged to maintain their competitive position, and should not be reducing or ‘freezing’ their salary review cycles or annual increments to staff,” it added.
The ministry said that having such guidelines can also help job seekers. Some examples of starting pay listed in the guidelines are $2,730 for a staff nurse, $2,840 for a therapist or social worker, and $3,590 for a pharmacist.
These salaries are roughly comparable to what staff at public hospitals get. For example, the minimum salary in a public hospital is $2,500 for a Staff Nurse 2 and $3,010 for a Staff Nurse 1.
A nurse manager should get a starting salary of $6,460 and earn around $8,610 at the career midpoint.
The statement said that both MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care “support the sector in upskilling the community care workforce through scholarships and training awards”.
MOH added that it will continue to monitor salaries in the sector and will review the guidelines as necessary.
Dr Jamie Mervyn Lim, chief executive officer of Ren Ci Hospital, which provides a range of services in the sector such as a community hospital, nursing home and senior care centres, said: “Ren Ci will benchmark ourselves against the salary guidelines published by the ministry and continue to pay competitively.”
He said the guidelines are “also a recognition of the important work that the staff in community care do, and the career progression that they can aspire towards”.
He added: “There are abundant opportunities in this sector, which the public may not be aware of, and I hope this will make many job seekers give this sector a second look.
“Community care can provide a meaningful and fulfilling career. There are also many opportunities for those who are thinking of mid-career switches.”
