New grant to help Singapore businesses adapt to Trump's tariffs to be launched in October
The grant will be capped at S$100,000 (US$78,000) and will have a co-funding element, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng.
Revealing details of the new grant at a SERT press conference, which was held two days after US President Donald Trump started firing off letters on reciprocal tariffs to several countries, Dr Tan said small and medium enterprises will likely be able to receive a higher percentage of co-funding from the government than multinational firms.
Small and medium enterprises employ around two-thirds of Singapore workers, he added.
The grant will cover two categories of businesses and eligible companies will get support for a "time-bound period" of two years.
The first group includes companies export to or operate in overseas markets and are affected by tariffs, and the second group is companies that need support with reconfiguration costs, including logistics and inventory holding costs.
For the first group, the grant will help them conduct free trade agreements, trade compliance advisory, legal and contractual advisory and supply chain optimisation and market diversification advisory.
More details of the grant will be available later.
The Business Adaptation Grant complements other schemes that help businesses enter new markets, transform, innovate and grow, said Dr Tan, who is also Second Minister for Trade and Industry.
Since the task force was formed in April, it has engaged more than 3,000 people, including business leaders, union leaders, workers and new graduates, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.
For businesses, she said some are monitoring the situation, while others have decided to defer or hold back major investment decisions, or are reviewing their plans.
"Companies in the outward oriented sectors, they feel the impact much more imminently, and their plans, therefore will be much more likely to have to be adjusted sooner rather than later," she said.
Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) Council Teo Siong Seng said businesses gave feedback that they need to diversify into different markets and reconfigure their supply chain.
"We have raised this concern to SERT," he said. "SBF is very heartened to see that the government has taken swift and decisive action in response to the needs of the business community."
Mr Teo said the grant will help businesses with their first step in restructuring business operations and this will help them to be more decisive in seizing opportunities in the "new tariff environment".
He added that the public-private sector partnership is crucial in the coming months. SBF will continue to work with the government and businesses to navigate the uncertainty and help companies press ahead with growth and transformation.
AUG 1 TARIFF DEADLINE
SERT's update comes as US president Trump continues to send letters to countries informing them that they would be subject to sharply higher tariffs from Aug 1.
While Singapore has not received a letter, neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia will face tariffs of 25 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.
The letters hinted that there will be opportunities for additional negotiations, but the deadline appears to be fixed.
Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong noted that tariffs for some countries in Asia were reduced from what was initially announced in April, but others will see higher levies.
"This will likely prolong the uncertainty and volatility and challenges for the economies around the world," he said.
"We hope that negotiations and consultations will continue and that the US will be able to reach deals (with these countries)."
Discussions with the US on potential concessions for pharmaceutical tariffs are ongoing, said Mr Gan. He declined to share more details but said Singapore wants to better understand the US's expectations and to explore a practical and implementable approach.
He added that he will be traveling to the US later this month for discussions with the Trump administration as well as business leaders.
For now, businesses have been preparing to adjust to the new realities, said Mr Gan.
Some have taken advantage of the pause in reciprocal tariffs to frontload their exports to the US. "As a result, the economy is likely to hold up relatively well in the first half this year," he said.
"However, given the expectation of higher tariffs going forward, as well as the diminishing frontloading effect, we will likely see slower economic growth over the next six to 12 months."
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