Singapore's main labour law, the Employment Act, will be updated to give professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) more legal protection, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin announced in Parliament on Thursday.

Currently, PMEs earning up to $4,500 are covered by the Act, and they are only covered in one aspect of salary payments.

This Act will be changed such that this group of PMEs, numbering about 300,000, will be covered by the Act in general, for instance being protected against unfair dismissal and having sick leave benefits. However, they will still not be covered by the section of the Act that deals with issues such as working hours and overtime.

The Employment Act review was announced in April 2012. The Manpower Ministry intends to table the amendment Bill in the second half of 2013, with changes coming into effect in the first half of 2014.