Singapore's employment act has been revised to apply to a wider range of workers in the country, it has been reported.

The revised act, which comes into force as of January 2009, will encompass around 200,000 more workers and offer easier dispute resolution, salary protection and minimum employment guidelines.

Minister Gan Kim Yong discussed the first revision to the act in 13 years, which now applies to employees with a salary of up to $2,000 and is expected to attract 82,000 new workers to the country, relayed the Straits Times.

Employers can also now be fined for dismissing their staff unfairly, shortening paid sick leave qualification times and shifting criterion for part-time workers.

Human resource employees and secretaries also stand to gain from the changes.

In similar employment legislation news, the UK introduced a higher minimum wage for workers in the country last month, which the government claimed would apply to at least one million people.