The Ministry of Manpower has announced a new point-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) to assess foreign candidates’ eligibility for the Singapore Employment Pass (EP).
The framework will enable employers to select high-quality foreign professionals to work in Singapore and improve the workforce diversity, while building a strong Singaporean core.
From 1 September 2023, new EP applications will be assessed under the new framework. Renewal applications will also be assessed under the same framework from 1 September 2024.
Criteria
Under the framework, the EP application will be assessed on four foundational criteria, namely Salary, Qualifications, Diversity and Support for Local Employment. Further to the four foundational criteria, there are two bonus criteria that recognise applications bringing in skills that are not readily available in Singapore and support strategic economic priorities, which create jobs for Singaporeans.
Under the foundational criteria, points will be awarded if the application meets or exceeds expectations.
| Points for each foundational criterion | Assessment |
| 20 | Exceeds expectations |
| 10 | Meets expectations |
| 0 | Does not meet expectations |
To qualify for EP, the candidate must score 40 points from the four foundational criteria, or by scoring points under the bonus criteria.
| Individual attributes | Firm-related attributes | |||
| Foundational criteria | C1. Salary Fixed monthly salary compared to local PMET salaries in sector by age |
Points | C3. Diversity Share of candidate's nationality among firm’s PMETs.* |
Points |
| ≥ 90th percentile | 20 | < 5% | 20 | |
| 65th to 90th percentile | 10 | 5 to 25% | 10 | |
| < 65th percentile | 0 | ≥ 25% | 0 | |
| C2. Qualifications 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 | |
| Bonus criteria | C5. Skills Bonus | C6. Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus | ||
| Job on the Shortage Occupation List | 20 | Firm meets specific assessment criteria on innovation or internationalisation activities | 10 |
