Job alert in Singapore! Work visa rules to ease for foreign workers soon, THESE sectors most in demand
2 min read . Updated: 10 Apr 2023, 09:33 PM IST
PremiumThe jobs, which include artificial intelligence engineers, cybersecurity experts, and alternative meat scientists, are expected to be in demand
The Singaporean government has released details regarding its new visa scheme, aimed at attracting foreign professionals to the country. The scheme, which is set to come into effect in September, will introduce point-based assessment criteria called COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) to evaluate candidates for an Employment Pass (EP), a work visa for foreign professional managers, executives, or those in specialized jobs.
All you need to know about the new visa rule:
- To qualify for an EP, new applicants will need to score 40 points across four foundational criteria: salary, qualifications, hiring company's diversity, and local staff ratios.
- The new system also includes bonus points for 27 jobs across six industries: agritech, financial services, green economy, healthcare, infocomm technology, and maritime.
- These jobs, which include artificial intelligence engineers, cybersecurity experts, and alternative meat scientists, are expected to be in demand as the country seeks to grow its economy post-pandemic.
- In addition to the shortage occupation list of 27 jobs, bonus points will be awarded to companies that contribute to the government's strategic economic priorities through investments and innovation, in turn creating more good jobs for locals.
- The government believes that the new scheme has a clear focus on employers' contributions to the local economy, prompting businesses to adjust their hiring strategy to the country's economic priorities.
The new visa scheme will require workplace diversity, with employers needing to ensure that their workplaces have diverse backgrounds and a substantial number of Singaporean workers to score high. The government believes that this new system will ensure a strong core labor market and workforce diversity.
"As Singapore moves to capture new economic opportunities, firms will require access to skilled talent to fill these jobs," the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement, noting that demand for skilled roles needs to be met by foreign workers as the local workforce is limited and global competition for talent is intensifying.
In Singapore, foreign workers account for about a quarter of the total population of 5.64 million. The new visa scheme will apply to Employment Pass (EP), a work visa for foreign professional managers, executives or those in specialized