Good news for Employers with employees holding work permit under 3 sectors - Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process sectors. MOM has introduced the following changes to these sectors :
1) Renewal criterion is enhanced! Work permits of employees which are expiring this year will be able to renew their permits for up to two years even if they do not meet renewal criteria. The criterion are : a. work permit holders reaching the maximum period of employment (different maximum period for respective sectors) b. work permit holders who are reaching the maximum employment age (different from locals employees' retirement age) c. Employers need not maintain minimum 10% of their work permit holders as higher skilled workers (R1) 2) In-principle approval (IPA) validity extended
Due to travel restrictions an borders' control, the in-principle approval (IPA) for work permit holders who have not been allowed to enter/return to Singapore has been granted 6 months' validity (previously 1 to 3 months) automatically since Jul 2021. This applies to S pass holders too. When necessary, the IPA can be extended once, with up to 1 year's validity. 3) Introduction of retention scheme
In partnership with the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL), the Government introduces a six-month retention scheme (Sep 2021 to Feb 2022) for experienced construction work permit holders whose previous employment has been terminated, or whose work permits have been cancelled or have expired and wanting to work here. Under the retention scheme, migrant workers who wish to continue working in Singapore will be provided with job matching service and granted a 30-day stay during which SCAL will provide housing, food and other necessities while they search for employment. 4) No minimum years of work experience
From Oct 2021 to Mar 2022,, employers under construction and
process sectors can employ or continue to employ migrant
workers from Non traditional source (NTS) or China, with no
minimum years of work experience. The original requirement was
minimum 3 years' experience.
MOM has advised that these are measures to meet address manpower shortages for now. Companies and employers definitely have to explore other avenues! Work Permit requirements Construction sector
Marine Shipyard sector https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/sector-specific-rules/marine-sector-requirements
Process sector https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-worker/sector-specific-rules/process-sector-requirements
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