SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme 2026: Who Qualifies & How Much

The short version: if you lost your job involuntarily in Singapore, the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme can pay you up to $6,000 over 6 months — but it's conditional: you earn the payout each month by hitting activity-point targets through real job-search and career activities. There's an income ceiling ($5,000 avg), a property test (AV ≤ $31,000), and a work-history requirement. Here's exactly who qualifies and how the payout works.

Quick answer

The Jobseeker Support Scheme (WSG, from April 2025) gives involuntarily unemployed Singaporeans up to $6,000 over 6 months, tapering from $1,500 → $750/month, if you meet monthly activity-point targets. Key gates: SC aged 21+ (PRs from Q1 2026), avg gross income ≤ $5,000, employed ≥6 of past 12 months, home AV ≤ $31,000, and no payout in the past 3 years.

Are you eligible?

You must meet all of these as at your application date:

• Citizenship: Singapore Citizen aged 21+ (Permanent Residents eligible from Q1 2026).
• Income ceiling: average gross monthly income of $5,000 or less over the past 12 months (excluding employer CPF; averaged over months you were earning).
• Work history: employed in Singapore for at least 6 of the past 12 months.
• Involuntary job loss: retrenchment, business closure, dismissal, or termination due to illness/injury/accident.
• Property test: you live in a property with Annual Value ≤ $31,000.
• No recent payout: you haven't received this scheme's payout in the past 3 years.
• Unemployment gap: unemployed for at least one month from your last employment date before payouts begin.

If you resigned voluntarily, you generally won't qualify — this scheme is specifically for involuntary unemployment.

How much you get

Payouts taper over six months and are released only when you hit each month's activity-point target:

Capped to your past income: if your past average gross monthly income was lower than a month's listed amount, you receive your past average income for that month instead. Payouts arrive about 3–4 weeks after you hit each target, via PayNow-NRIC (or GIRO/GovCash).

The conditions (it's not free money)

The payout is deliberately tied to active job-seeking. You earn activity points from supported activities such as:

• Attending a career coaching session (WSG Careers Connect / e2i)
• Using CareersFinder to map your next move
• Submitting job applications via MyCareersFuture
• Attending interviews, career fairs, employer events
• Completing career-prep content

You need 10 points/month in months 1–3 and 5 points/month in months 4–6. WSG caps how many points any single activity type can earn, to push variety. Miss a month's target and you simply don't get that month's payout (you can still continue).

How to apply

1. Apply at jobseekersupport.mycareersfuture.gov.sg.
2. Prepare your termination/retrenchment/dismissal letter, CPF Transaction History (past 15 months, employment contributions), and a medical letter if relevant.
3. WSG may verify with your former employer; processing takes up to ~10 days.

How it fits with your other entitlements

The Jobseeker Support Scheme is income support during your search — separate from any retrenchment benefit your employer owes. If you were retrenched, check what package you're entitled to first (notice pay, retrenchment benefit, leave encashment) with our retrenchment guide and the Retrenchment Package Calculator. You can also use your SkillsFuture Credit to reskill while on the scheme.

The bottom line

If your job loss was involuntary and you're within the income and property limits, the Jobseeker Support Scheme is real, meaningful help — up to $6,000 over six months — provided you stay actively engaged in your search. Apply early (there's a one-month unemployment wait before payouts), keep hitting your activity points, and stack it with retrenchment benefits and SkillsFuture to bridge the gap.

General information, current as of 2026. Eligibility and amounts are set by Workforce Singapore — verify at wsg.gov.sg / jobseekersupport.mycareersfuture.gov.sg.