Guide to understanding part-time employment
Part-time employment has become an important part of the modern workforce in Singapore. They offer opportunities for many individuals looking for a better work-life balance. In recent years, the 9-to-5 traditional work structure has experienced significant changes. Part-time employment has become popular across a range of industries.
In this article, you'll learn about part-time work, its benefits, and its nuances. Here's what the article will cover:
- What is part-time employment?
- Benefits of part-time employment
- Employment regulations and protections
- Types of part-time jobs
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What is part-time employment?
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOP) outlines the guidelines for part-time employment under its Employment Act. As a part-time employee, you're required to work for a maximum of 35 hours per week. The contract of service with your employer would detail the following:
- your hourly basic rate of pay
- your hourly gross rate of pay, which includes the hourly basic rate plus the allowances
- the number of working hours per day or per week
- the number of working days per week or per month
The Employment Act covers all types of employment. This is irrespective of whether the employee works as a temporary, contract, daily-rated, or tenured employee.
Benefits of part-time employment
If you're wondering if part-time employment will work for you, here's a list of benefits to help you decide:
- Better work-life balance: You often have more time for other activities, such as spending time with family and friends or pursuing hobbies.
- Flexible work hours: A part-time job allows you to better manage your time for daily chores or caring for your family.
- Stepping stone to full-time employment, experience, and skill development: Working part-time gives you flexibility to pursue further studies or learn new skills for career growth.
- Higher earning potential: You can have more than one part-time job and improve your financial stability.
You're entitled to overtime pay, rest days, public holidays, and prorated leaves proportionate to your work hours. Singapore also provides part-time employees with a Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme. This gives you additional financial support by supplementing your income and contributions.
Employment regulations and protections
As a part-time employee, you need to know your part-time employment rightsemployee rights. This includes overtime pay, days of rest, holidays, leave entitlements, and employee contributions. Here's a list that you can refer to:
Salary or payment
If you're working on a monthly basis, you can easily find out your hourly and daily basic rate of pay. Use the following formulas:
Hourly basic rate of pay = (12 x Monthly basic rate of pay) / (52 x No. of hours worked in a week)
Daily basic rate of pay = (12 x Monthly basic rate of pay) / (52 x Number of days you work in a week)
Overtime pay
As a part-time employee, you're entitled to overtime pay. If you exceed your regular working hours but this is less than that of a full-time employee, the employer calculates your overtime pay based on your hourly rate. If your working hours exceed full-time employees, your overtime pay for the additional hours will be 1.5 times your basic hourly pay.
Let's consider an example where you work 5 hours a day, while a full-time employee's standard workday is 9 hours. If your basic hourly rate of pay is S$7, and you work 10 hours in a day, your overtime pay would be:
- For the first 5 hours, you'd get 5 x S$7 = S$35
- For the next 4 hours, you'd get: 4 x S$7 = S$28
- For the last hour you'd get: 1 x S$7 x 1.5 = S$10.50
So your total pay would be S$73.5.
Rest days
You're entitled to one rest day per week, given you work five days a week. Whether you get paid for working on the rest day depends on whether you worked at your will or the employer's request. The Employment Act outlines the pay structure for the same. The rest day can be a Sunday or any other day based on your employer's requirements and schedule.
Public holidays
You're entitled to paid public holidays proposed by the Ministry of Manpower. You may also encash your holidays by adding this to your gross hourly pay. The Employment Act outlines the following pay structure if you decide to work on a holiday:
- your basic pay for one day of work
- the additional amount fixed for a public holiday
- a day of travel allowance if included in your contract
Leave entitlement
As a part-time employee, you're eligible for annual, sick, hospitalisation, maternity, and childcare leave. This is in proportion to your work hours. Here are the leaves you're entitled to:
- Annual leave: After working for three months, you're eligible for annual leave in proportion to a full-timer's yearly entitlement based on your work hours. You can encash these leaves.
- Sick leave: After three months of employment, you're entitled to sick and hospitalisation leaves but cannot encash them. You may also be eligible for medical reimbursement after attestation by a valid practitioner.
- Maternity and paternity leave: Part-time employees are eligible for paid maternity or paternity leaves according to the contracted work days at the gross rate of pay.
- Childcare leave: You're entitled to government-paid childcare leave in proportion to your working hours, equivalent to that of a full-time employee. The minimum is two days.
- Adoption leave: You can apply for eight weeks of adoption leave if you meet the eligibility criteria.
Protection against unfair dismissal
If you believe your workplace dismissal was unlawful, you can file a complaint with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). Make sure to do this within one month of your last employment date. The following conditions make the dismissal unlawful:
- If your employer dismissed you based on discriminatory grounds such as age, sex, religion, marital status, or gender.
- If the employer dismissed you because you had submitted a mediation request to TADM for salary-related discrepancies.
- If the employer dismissed you by denying you benefits or entitlements covered under the Employment Act.
Employee contributions
If you're a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident and earn more than S$50 a month from your part-time job, then a part of this pay will go towards the Central Provident Fund (CPF). This provides a cushion for retirement, medical, and housing needs. The contribution limit depends on your age and monthly wage.
Types of part-time jobs
Part-time workers include students, retirees, and other individuals who can't commit to a full-time position. Some people may juggle two or more part-time jobs rather than having a full-time job at one company.
Part-time employment may lead to full-time work depending on the company's structure. If you're looking for a way to get into the company you prefer, a part-time position is a good entryway. Working part-time is also a way to gain the experience you need to apply for full-time employment.
Part-time employment is available across different roles. Finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and tech sectors are popular for providing part-time opportunities.
Some job positions ideal for part-time employment include:
Web designer
As a web designer, you'd work with the client to provide creative inputs on the look and feel of the website. You'd also define design guidelines and best practices to follow in alignment with the brand tone and style.
Personal fitness trainer
As a personal fitness trainer, your primary responsibility would be to guide clients in performing exercises and following fitness routines. You'd also monitor their progress over a period of time and make necessary changes to their schedule if required.
Social media manager
The role of a social media manager involves creating campaigns to increase engagement across different social media platforms and channels. As part of this role, you'd work with the content and design team to create compelling posts and content for the audience.
Emcee
As an emcee, you'd host events. As part of this role, you'd start by announcing guests or speakers, introducing the sponsors, and following the event schedule to coordinate different activities or performances. A core skill for this job is to keep the guests excited and entertained throughout the programme.
Tutor
As a part-time tutor, your primary responsibility would be to educate students per their curriculum. You'd also prepare lesson plans, conduct quizzes, and provide feedback to help students improve their performance. You'd also need to work with students to understand and address their concerns.
Financial advisor
As a financial advisor, you'd help clients make sound financial decisions. This will require understanding their financial goals, risk appetite, and obligations to create investment strategies. You'll also monitor these closely to make changes, if any, and update the client on the same.
Conclusion
A part-time employee works for no more than 35 hours per week. Part-time employment offers more flexibility, as it allows you to pursue other jobs for additional income, spend more time with your family, or pursue other activities.
If you're joining the workforce for the first time, it's best to weigh your options. When considering your employment type, work out your career goals to help you choose which path to take.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions related to part-time employment:
- Is part-time work suitable for my career goals?
Possibly. If you want more flexibility to pursue other commitments, part-time employment could be an excellent way to meet your career goals. Part-time employment allows you to expand and develop your network, build skills, and gain experience while enjoying a good work-life balance. - Can part-time work lead to full-time opportunities within the same company?
Yes, part-time employment can lead to full-time employment within the same company. Many employers opt to fill vacancies internally instead of hiring new people. - What are some strategies for finding part-time job opportunities?
One of the most important strategies is to find your niche and explore sectors that may offer part-time employment opportunities. These sectors include finance, technology, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and education. Have an online portfolio that showcases your skills, experience, and accomplishments. You may also include client testimonials to this. This improves your credibility and attests to the quality of your work.
Add your resume so potential employers can easily view your skills and reach out. Expand your network, whether online or offline. - What are the challenges or potential downsides of part-time employment?
Some potential disadvantages of part-time employment include potentially lower earnings compared to full-time jobs, irregular or changing schedules, and fluctuating workloads. Part-time employees may also have limited access to employee benefits such as healthcare and fewer opportunities for immediate career growth. There can be situations where you may find it difficult to find work-life balance, especially if you're working multiple part-time jobs.
However, you also have provisions for rest days, public holidays, overtime pay, and various types of leave, similar to full-time employees. - As an international student in Singapore, can I take up part-time jobs?
Yes, you can apply for part-time jobs, given you have a valid Student Pass and meet the following criteria:
You must be part of a full-time programme at a recognised institute.
You have a valid Student Pass authenticated by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
You can only work for 16 hours a week, and it should contribute towards the fulfilment of your graduation requirements. - What happens if there's a work-related dispute?
Under the Employment Act, you have access to all the facilities a full-time employee has related to workplace dispute resolution. You can contact Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) for any salary-related claims. For workplace discrimination and unfair dismissal issues, you should write to TADM within one month of your last employment date.
