SINGAPORE — KidZania Singapore is letting go of 103 employees and providing them with severance packages, while paying them their salaries, medical and other benefits up to the last day of service, the company said on Wednesday (June 17).

While it did not reveal any details of the compensation, the indoor theme park for children said in a statement that the package “stands on the higher end of the industry norm”.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, the prevailing norm for retrenchment compensation is between two weeks and one month of salary per year of service. 

KidZania Singapore said it is also conducting workshops and working with several employment bodies to help its workers find new jobs.

The edutainment centre on Sentosa had earlier announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it would be permanently shutting its doors after about four years of operations.

The company, which opened its doors in April 2016, said in its statement on Wednesday that it has been a challenge for the attraction to achieve the returns needed over the years. 

“This has been exacerbated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its consequential economic fallout,” it added.

“Aside from zero ticket revenue due to the temporary closure since early April, revenue has also been impacted as commercial partners have reduced their participation due to financial constraints and cost control efforts.”

The Government announced on Monday that Phase Two of Singapore’s reopening would begin on Friday, with activities including dining in at restaurants, tuition classes and sports activities being allowed to resume.

But indoor and outdoor attractions will still have to remain closed, as large numbers of people are likely to come into close contact in these places, often in enclosed spaces, and for prolonged periods.

All customers with unused tickets and annual passes can write to KidZania Singapore at share [at] kidzania.com.sg (share[at]kidzania[dot]com[dot]sg), the company said.