Publication of salary guidelines for the community care sector

       The Ministry of Health (MOH) has published salary guidelines for the community care sector, which provide the recommended starting and mid-point monthly base salary, as well as the median annual total compensation for various job roles in the sector. The guidelines aim to maintain the sector’s market competitiveness, and provide greater transparency and clarity to jobseekers and workers about salaries in the sector.

2.     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. This workforce has grown from 16,500 in 2020, to more than 18,000 in 2023. Please refer to the Annex [PDF, 57 KB] for the salary guidelines.

3.     The salary guidelines aim to help Community Care Organisations (CCOs) attract and retain talent by offering competitive salaries and enhance fairness in pay structures and salaries within their respective organisations and sector. Organisations with compensation lower than the published salaries are strongly encouraged to adjust their pay packages to align more closely with the guidelines. On the other hand, 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.

4.     The salary guidelines will also help fresh graduates keen to pursue a career in the community care sector understand the salary ranges for different roles. For example, a full-time Enrolled Nurse can expect to receive a starting monthly base salary of $2,050, which will increase to $3,120 at the mid-point after they have gained more experience. Monthly base salaries exclude bonuses, allowances, and other benefits that may vary from organisation to organisation.

5.     Mid-career entrants and any other job seekers who are interested to join the sector may also refer to these guidelines. For example, a full-time healthcare assistant, nursing aide or therapy aide with relevant experience and skills can expect a monthly base salary of around $2,810 at the mid-point, with annual total compensation package of around $42,140. The actual salaries of individual staff may vary based on their relevant experience and work performance.

6.     Apart from ensuring that salaries remain competitive, MOH has also rolled out various initiatives to attract and retain quality healthcare manpower in the sector. For example, MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) support CCOs by working with recruitment partners such as Workforce Singapore and e2i to raise awareness of job opportunities in the community care sector and facilitate the employment of individuals. MOH and AIC also support the sector in upskilling the community care workforce through scholarships and training awards such as the Community Care Manpower Development Award.

7.     We encourage CCOs to regularly review their salary levels for both local and foreign staff to keep pace with the market, in order to retain and attract staff. MOH will continue to monitor community care staff’s salary competitiveness against the market and review the guidelines as necessary.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH