Home   Knowledge  Singapore  Visas and Immigration  Singapore Employment Pass Subject to Scoring System 

KNOWLEDGE

SHARE

Singapore Employment Pass Subject to Scoring System

【Font:L M S

Singapore Employment Pass Subject to Scoring System

In the Budget 2022, Singapore announced that the latest salary thresholds for EPs and SPs will be further increased from September 2022.

At present, the minimum salary for all new EP (Employment Pass) applicants will be increased from S$4,500 to S$5,000, and for those in the financial sector, the salary threshold will be increased from S$5,000 to S$5,500.

A month later, in early March 2022, Singapore's Minister for Human Resources, Mr Tan See Yong, announced that the Singapore Minister for Manpower would also introduce the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) for this arrangement to adequately assess whether the applicant and the company (or organisation) could meet the current labour market needs. The COMPASS will be used as a specific criterion to determine whether an applicant is eligible for the relevant pass. The system will come into effect on 1 September 2023.

COMPASS enables employers to select high-quality foreign professionals, while improving workforce diversity and building a strong Singaporean core. It is a transparent system that gives businesses greater clarity and certainty for manpower planning.

COMPASS will apply to:
  • New applications from 1 September 2023
  • Renewals from 1 September 2024

  1. Elements of the scoring system

    The criteria of the scoring system will be divided into individual and firm-related components, and the scoring system will be divided into two different areas for foundational criteria and bonus criteria so that applicants for jobs on the shortage list and employers who have made a greater contribution to innovative or international activities will be more fully considered.

    Table 1- Key elements of the scoring system

    Individual Attributes

    Firm-Related Attributes

    Foundational Criteria

    C1

    Salary

    C3

    Diversity

    Relative to local PMET salary norms for sector

    Whether candidate improves nationality diversity in firm

    C2

    Qualifications

    C4

    Support for Local Employment

    Based on candidate’s qualifications

    Based on local PMET share relative to industry peers

    Bonus

    Criteria

    C5

    Skills Bonus

    Shortage Occupation List)

    C6

    Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus

    For candidates in job where skills shortages exist

    For partnership with Government on ambitious innovation or internationalisation activities


  2. Criteria of the scoring system

    2.1
    Basic Assessment Criteria

    • Comparing the monthly salary of the applicant and local white-collar employees in the same industry Applicant's monthly salary is at or above 90% level of peers of the same age, 20 points; 65%-90%, 10 points; below 65%, 0 points.

    • Applicant's academic qualifications 20 points if the applicant has graduated from a top school; 10 points if equivalent to a university degree; 0 points if no university degree.

    • Applicant's nationality and proportion of PMETs of other nationalities in the company 20 points if the applicant's nationality represents 5% or less of the company's total workforce; 10 points if 5%-25%; 0 points if over or just under 25%.

    • Comparison of the ratio of local to foreign employees in the company and peers Applicant's company with more than or exactly 50% local employees, 20 points; 20%-50%, 10 points, less than 20%, 0 points.

    Table 2-Basic Assessment Criteria Table

    Scored on Four Foundational Criteria

       20       Exceeds expectations
    10       Meets expectations
                 0        
    Does not meet expectations

    Individual Attributes

    Firm-Related Attributes

    C1. Salary

    Fixed monthly salary compared to local PMET salaries in sector by age 

    C3. Diversity

    Share of candidate's nationality among firm’s PMETs.

    ≥ 90th percentile

    20

    < 5%

    20

    65th to 90th percentile

    10

    5 % to 25%

    10

    < 65th percentile

    0

    ≥ 25%

    0

    C2. Qualification 

    Based on candidate's qualifications 

    C4. Support for Local Employment 

    Firm’s share of local PMETs within its subsector

    Top-tier institution

    20

    ≥ 50th percentile

    20

    Degree-equivalent qualification

    10

    20th to 50th percentile

    10

    No degree-equivalent qualification

    0

    < 20th percentile

    0


    It is clear from the scoring framework that the vetting of Employment Pass applications has become more stringent. When comparing the same age group and the same industry category, Singapore has made it clear that it will prefer to pass on applications with higher monthly salary levels or better academic backgrounds, while also taking into account the diversity of the company's employee structure and the ability to adequately cater and take into account the current local employment needs in Singapore, in recognition of those companies that are striving to create opportunities for the local workforce and building a more diverse of local and foreign professionals.

    In addition, as Singapore continues to seize new economic opportunities, more companies will need access to skilled personnel to fill these job vacancies. To compensate for the fact that the basic assessment component does not adequately reflect the needs of the local labour market in Singapore, MOM has also provided further assessment criteria for the award points to enhance the quality of applications.

    2.2 Bonus Criteria for the Scoring System

    • Shortage Occupation List (SOL) Criteria

      The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) recognises EP holders in occupations requiring highly specialised skills that are currently in shortage in the local workforce. As an indication, this could include niche infocomm-related roles supporting Singapore’s digitalisation drive.

      a. Whether the content of the occupation is relevant to Singapore's economic priorities
      b. The extent and nature of the labour shortage in the occupation
      c. The progress of the sector in developing a local pipeline to address these shortages in the medium term

      A third-party assessment panel will be appointed to assess and develop the content of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), which is expected to be completed by March 2023, and subsequently publish the first SOL.

    • Strategic Economic Priorities

      COMPASS recognises companies that are undertaking ambitious innovation, or internationalisation activities in partnership with the Government, in line with our economic priorities. Such companies should also have the scale or potential to provide good jobs for locals.

      Examples of programmes that could be included are:
      a. ESG’s Scale-up SG, which aims to help high-growth local companies scale effectively and become future global champions
      b. EDB’s Research and Innovation Scheme for Companies (RIS(C)), which supports and anchors companies’ technology development and innovation activities in Singapore

    Table 3-Bonus Criteria for the Scoring System

    Scored on Bonus Criteria

    C5. Skills Bonus - Shortage Occupation List (Individual)

    C6. Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus (Firm-related)

    Job on the Shortage Occupation List

    20

    Firm meets specific assessment criteria on innovation or internationalisation activities

    10


    Table 4- Complementary Expertise Assessment Framework (COMPASS) Scoring System Criteria Table

    COMPASS Scoring System

    Individual Attributes

    Firm-Related Attributes

    Foundational Criteria

    C1

    Salary

    C3

    Diversity 

    Fixed monthly salary compared to local PMET salaries in sector by age 

    Share of candidate's nationality among firm’s PMETs.# 

    ≥ 90th percentile

    20

    < 5%

    20

    65th to 90th percentile

    10

    5 % to 25%

    10

    < 65th percentile

    0

    ≥ 25%

    0

    C2

    Qualification

    C4

    Support for Local Employment 

    Based on candidate's qualifications 

    Firm’s share of local PMETs within its subsector# 

    Top-tier institution

    20

    ≥50%

    20

    Degree-equivalent qualification

    10

    20% to50%

    10

    No degree-equivalent qualification

    0

    <20%

    0

    Bonus Criteria

    C5

    Skills Bonus - Shortage Occupation List

    C6

    Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus

    Job on the Shortage Occupation List*

    20

    Firm meets specific assessment criteria on innovation or internationalisation activities

    10

    Remark

    *Skills bonus is reduced to +10 if the share of candidate’s nationality among the firm’s PMETs is one-third or higher.

    # Small firms with fewer than 25 PMET employees score 10 points on C3 and C4 by default. PMETs are proxied by employees earning at least $3,000 per month.


See also:
Procedures and Fees for Application for EP in Singapore
Singapore EntrePass Application Fee

Disclaimer

All information in this article is only for the purpose of information sharing, instead of professional suggestion. Kaizen will not assume any responsibility for loss or damage.

If you wish to obtain more information or assistance, please visit the official website of Kaizen CPA Limited at www.kaizencpa.com or contact us through the following and talk to our professionals:

Email: info@kaizencpa.com
Tel: +852 2341 1444
Mobile : +852 5616 4140, +86 152 1943 4614
WhatsApp/ Line/ WeChat: +852 5616 4140
Skype: kaizencpa

Download: Singapore Employment Pass Subject to Scoring System [PDF]

Language

繁體中文

简体中文

日本語

close