Food services workers set for higher wages and skills boost under Progressive Wage Model review

Higher wages and enhanced skills are on the table for around 53,000 workers in the food services sector as part of the latest review of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM).

The Tripartite Cluster for Food Services (TCF) released on 16 March 2026 its latest recommendations, following a visit to the Swensen’s Changi Airport Terminal 2 outlet to showcase the restaurant chain’s productivity and job redesign efforts amid evolving sector trends.

Minister of State (MOS) for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash attended the event, along with TCF and Swensen’s representatives and other food services industry stakeholders.

The recommendations to uplift food services workers follow an intensive review and robust negotiations between industry stakeholders, NTUC-affiliated unions, and Government agencies to balance business sustainability with worker welfare.

The new food services PWM recommendations, the first since the model was launched in the sector in 2023, were accepted by the Government on the same day.

The move to improve worker welfare in the food and beverage sector comes at a critical juncture for the industry, which has been hit by several high-profile business closures and disruptions.

Key PWM recommendations to improve food services workers’ livelihoods

In making these recommendations, the TCF considered several vital industry challenges, including escalating operating costs, a manpower crunch, and labour-intensive operations.

The proposals are set to benefit Singaporean and PR employees from quick-service establishments, such as coffeeshops, food court stalls, snack counters, and supermarkets (Category A), as well as full-service establishments like restaurants, caterers, and central kitchens (Category B).

Boosting wages and overtime pay to support workers

Increased wages over the next three years

The TCF recommended a three-year schedule of wage increases for the PWM Baseline Gross Wages (excluding overtime) from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029.

All PWM job roles, including stall and kitchen assistants, waiters, and cooks, will see a yearly increment of at least $140. Higher-ranked waiter supervisors will receive a slightly higher $145 increase to reflect their increased job responsibilities.

Asmidah Surni (pictured above), a senior supervisor at Swensen’s who has seen her salary grow over the years with PWM, is looking forward to more increases with the new recommendations. The 31-year-old said the steadily increasing salary will help support her family of three, including her child.

“I’ve been working here for seven years, so having more pay is better. And every year, they increase the salary,” she said.

The tripartite committee also urged better-performing employers to consider higher salary increments for food services workers.

Revised implementation timeline to support business operations

The TCF proposed that the new wage schedule begin on 1 July each year, starting in 2026. This new timeline replaces the previous implementation date of 1 March annually.

The recommended schedule gives employers enough time to adjust their wage plans and align with employees in other PWM sectors.

Enhanced overtime pay requirements for fairer compensation

Full-time food services workers covered under Part IV of the Employment Act (EA)—manual workers earning less than $4,500 and PMEs making below $2,600—are entitled to overtime payments when their working hours exceed 44 hours a week. The overtime pay rate must be at least 1.5 times their basic pay, as per the Employment Act.

To protect workers’ interests, the TCF established guidelines for calculating overtime pay. The Gross Wage Requirements show how much workers should earn for each extra hour worked, with different pay rates based on the total overtime hours in a month.

For example, if an employee works 2.8 overtime hours, the employer must pay the PWM Gross Wage Requirement for two overtime hours that month.

Under the Employment Act, food services workers are limited to 72 overtime hours per month.

Meanwhile, part-time employees will be paid pro-rated PWM gross wages.

Refining job roles for better alignment with PWM requirements

The TCF has refined job descriptions for various PWM food services roles, drawing on the Food Services Jobs Transformation Map’s (JTM) insights to build a future-ready workforce.

The TCF reminded employers to accurately declare their workers’ job roles in the Occupational Employment Dataset (OED) based on the updated job descriptions.

Employers should ensure that, regardless of the job title used internally, job roles are matched against the job descriptions to determine the appropriate PWM job classification.

Workers can refer to the www.go.gov.sg/pw-portal to check that their employer has accurately declared their PWM job role and paid them correctly.

Enhanced training requirements to prepare workers for diverse roles

Expanded WSQ courses to equip workers for future roles

Under the current PWM, all food services PWM workers, except the senior cook and manager, must complete two approved Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) modules from the relevant list for their job role. This includes the mandatory Food Safety and Hygiene course.

To better cater to diverse operational needs, the TCF proposed adding 53 more WSQ courses to the list, giving workers more choices for learning skills suited to their roles.

Recognition of academic qualifications for minimum training requirements

For the first time, the TCF has proposed that qualifications from institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and private education institutions (PEIs) registered with SkillsFuture Singapore or the Ministry of Education (MOE) be recognised.

Graduates from these programmes are deemed to have met the minimum requirement of two WSQ modules, including the required Food Safety and Hygiene module.

Food services workers urged to adopt a lifelong learning mindset

Food services employees are encouraged to embrace lifelong learning and upskilling to stay relevant in a changing industry. Available resources for employers include the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant, SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant, and Workfare Skills Support.

Tripartite effort to support food services workers

Since 2014, the PWM has been a successful Singapore tripartite effort to better the lives of around 150,000 lower-wage workers.

In the food services sector, the TCF continues the PWM’s work by striving to balance worker welfare with business needs amid a challenging operating environment.

This sentiment was echoed by Singapore National Employers Federation Council Member and TCF Co-Chair Benjamin Boh. Emphasising that the food and beverage industry’s success depends on its people, he acknowledged the need to balance better employee compensation with business sustainability.

On the worker front, TCF Chair and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Wan Ling highlighted the significance of the new recommendations to workers, given the current challenging times.

“I’m very happy that the employers leaned into helping our workers, especially during this rather challenging time. With this, we do believe that our workers will be able to access better career pathways and more wage ladders. We believe that this would be a win-win outcome,” she said.

On the Government’s end, Mr Dinesh said that businesses will also need to be supported through the PWM changes. He cited the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme, which will be increased to 30 per cent and extended to 2028 to cover the wage increases.

Swensen’s delivers career growth through job redesign and technology adoption

With the new food services PWM recommendations, employees at the popular Singapore casual eatery Swensen’s are set to see significant career improvements.

As the food services industry moves toward technology-enabled solutions, Swensen’s is leading the way by redesigning jobs and adopting technology to build a future-ready workforce. Swensen’s is a unionised company under the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union.

Multi-skilling staff to grow their careers

The company provides increased job scopes and multi-skilling initiatives to help workers progress. By broadening staff exposure to a range of tasks through on-the-job training—from taking orders and hosting to preparing desserts—they can advance into supervisory or specialised positions.

Swensen’s senior supervisor, Asmidah (pictured above), has received pay increments thanks to improved skills from the company’s internal training programmes. So far, she has learned cashiering using specialised equipment like Point of Sale (POS) systems, as well as preparing beverages and desserts. With aspirations to become a deputy manager, she will soon focus on improving her customer service skills.

Technology adoption to enhance kitchen operations

The kitchen staff at Swensen’s Changi Airport Terminal 2 outlet, a buffet-concept eatery, are equipped with specialised industrial tools to boost productivity, such as advanced combi ovens for precision cooking.

Robotic technology is also harnessed to improve kitchen operations, including robots that transport dirty and clean plates to their respective stations.

New systems to bolster frontline customer service

Swensen’s Changi Airport branch has also rolled out new reservations and queue management systems to allow staff to better plan seating arrangements and manage guest flow during busy periods.

In all, these technologies allow staff to reduce their manual workload and focus on delivering higher-value tasks, such as guest engagement and service quality, especially during peak hours.

For more information, read here for the full list of PWM recommendations for food services workers.