SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme

The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme provides temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 over six months to eligible people who have become involuntarily unemployed and are actively seeking work. Participants earn points through supported job-search activities and redeem the corresponding monthly payout after meeting each month's target; the scheme is support during job search, not a permanent unemployment benefit (official Jobseeker Support portal, accessed 2 September 2026).

Eligibility boundary

At application, the person must be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident aged at least 21, have earned average gross monthly income of no more than S$5,000 in the past 12 months excluding employer CPF contributions, and live in a Singapore property with Annual Value of no more than S$31,000. The person must also have worked in Singapore for at least six months of the preceding 12 months, lost the job for an involuntary reason such as retrenchment, cessation of business, dismissal or qualifying illness/injury/accident, and not have received a payout from the scheme in the preceding three years (AskGov, Jobseeker Support eligibility, accessed 2 September 2026).

Payout schedule and activity targets

The official portal lists monthly targets of 10 points in each of months 1, 2 and 3, followed by 5 points in each of months 4, 5 and 6. The maximum monthly payouts are S$1,500, S$1,250, S$1,000, and S$750 in each of months 4–6, respectively, totalling up to S$6,000. If the participant's past average gross monthly income is lower than a listed monthly amount, the payout is capped at that past average income (official Jobseeker Support portal, accessed 2 September 2026).

The points schedule and income cap mean that “up to S$6,000” is a maximum under the scheme's stated conditions, not a guaranteed total for every approved participant. Each month's activity target is assessed separately, and the amount actually payable can be lower when the participant's past average gross monthly income is below the listed maximum (official Jobseeker Support portal, accessed 12 September 2026).

Applying and maintaining support

Applicants must provide an official termination or dismissal letter or notification and CPF Transaction History for the preceding 15 months filtered to employment contributions. Approved participants must report supported activities, such as career coaching, job applications or career-related events, to earn points. The scheme therefore combines an eligibility test at application with continuing activity requirements; meeting the income and residence thresholds alone does not guarantee all six payouts (official Jobseeker Support portal, accessed 2 September 2026; AskGov, Jobseeker Support).

The requested documents serve different purposes: termination evidence supports the involuntary-unemployment condition, while CPF history supports the work and income checks. The application gate and the later activity-reporting gate should therefore be answered separately; approval of an application does not remove the obligation to document supported activities during the six-month period (official Jobseeker Support portal, accessed 12 September 2026; AskGov, eligibility, updated 7 months before 12 September 2026).

Conditional support and job-search participation

The scheme has two separate gates: an applicant must first be approved against the eligibility criteria, then must complete supported job-search activities and report participation to the administering system during the six-month support period. AskGov gives career coaching and job applications as examples and states that the corresponding payout follows only after the participant meets the minimum points for that month (AskGov, payout process, updated 2 months before 12 September 2026). The scheme should therefore not be described as automatic compensation for job loss, a universal unemployment insurance payment, or a payout that continues regardless of whether monthly activity targets are met.