This study finds that among the low-wage workers (LWWs), those with lower education levels and those in less-skilled occupations, specifically cleaners, labourers & related workers, are less likely to participate in training. This suggests that access to training opportunities may vary for LWWs. Furthermore, LWWs with union memberships are more likely to attend training than their counterparts without memberships.

In addition, the study finds that LWWs who participated in some form of structured training benefitted directly through an increase in wages. Specifically, workers who attended training enjoyed an average wage increase of 3.1 per cent in the year in which the training took place. This finding further confirms the importance of skills upgrading for LWWs.

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ministry of Trade and Industry or the Government of Singapore.

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