Singapore Employment Pass: Renewal Requirements
The Complementarity Assessment Framework COMPASS. for new Singapore Employment Pass application took effect on 1 September 2023. For Employment Passes that are expiring on or after 1 September 2024, the same criteria will be applied for Employment Pass renewal applications. However, employers are not required to post any job advertisement at mycareerfuture site for renewal applications.
Apart from salary requirements, other criteria such as verifiable qualifications, employee profile diversity and support for local employment, occupations in demand with skills shortage are considered when assessing each employment pass renewal application.
The most important change for existing Singapore Employment Pass holders would be education verification which was not required prior to 1 September 2023. Many Employment Pass holders may not be aware of this requirement. Therefore, it is important to start early to prepare for the renewal by getting their education qualification verified as this may take some time. Existing Employment Pass holders have upto 6 months prior to expiry to apply for renewal.
During the latest parliamentary sittings on 4 March 2024, Manpower Minister, Dr Tan See Leng announced further refinements to the salary criteria and new salary requirements for Singapore employment pass which will not only affect new and existing Employment Pass holders due for renewal. The change will take effect from 1 Jan 2025 to provide employers with sufficient notice and timeline to prepare for the change.
The main announcement about the change is an increase in salary requirements of about 10% to 12% from the existing minimum monthly salary requirement from SGD5,000.00 to SGD5,600.00 (12%). For foreigners employed in the financial services sector, the minimum salary threshold is being raised from SGD5,500.00 to SGD6,200.00 (10.9%). For employment pass renewal cases, the change will take effect from 1 January 2026.
It is also important to highlight that these new minimum salary requirements and thresholds are applicable to young graduates in their early to mid-20s. For more experienced and mature applicants in their 30s and 40s, the salary requirements would be higher in the range of SGD10,000.00 to SGD12,000.00. The salary requirements are age appropriate and benchmarked against the current market salaries of local staff with similar skills and age profiles.
Similarly, for applicants without education qualifications, the employment pass renewal salary in Singapore would also be higher.
Employment Pass renewal minimum qualifying salary
The new figures will kick in from Jan 1, 2025, for new applicants and from Jan 1, 2026, for renewals.
| Table with 3 columns and 3 rows. | ||
| Current | New | |
| All sectors except financial services | $5,000 | $5,600 |
| Financial services | $5,500 | $6,200 |
Table: STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS Source: MINISTRY OF MANPOWER
Indeed, the above will not be the last update in the ever-changing Employment Pass framework and as the employment landscape in Singapore evolves and as the country promotes businesses that are involved with Artificial Intelligence, Carbon Trading, Cyber Security, Aerospace, Bio-Medical and other highly specialized skills required to support a maturing and developed economy.
