Singapore’s New COMPASS System for Employment Pass Applicants is designed to enhance the ability of Singaporean businesses.
If your organization currently hires employees under Singapore’s Employment Pass (EP), it is essential to be aware of the new Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) system.
The COMPASS system will be applicable to new EP applicants starting from September 1, 2023, and for renewals from September 1, 2024. This system is specifically designed to enhance the ability of Singaporean businesses to select high-caliber foreign professionals and promote workforce diversity.
As stated by Minister for Manpower Dr. Tan See Leng, COMPASS is “a points-based system that evaluates an EP applicant’s complementarity comprehensively, taking into account both individual and firm-related attributes. It has been designed to be transparent, providing businesses with clarity and predictability for their workforce planning.”
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How COMPASS Operates:
To qualify for an EP, applicants must go through a two-stage eligibility framework.
Firstly, candidates must earn at least the EP qualifying salary, which is set to the top one-third of local PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) salaries based on age. Starting from September 1, 2023, the salary threshold for EP applicants has been increased to S$5,000 (US$3,694) from the current S$4,500 (US$3,332). For the financial sector, the threshold is at least S$5,500.
The second stage introduces the COMPASS system, which is a points-based assessment. Candidates need to score 40 points to pass this stage. The scoring system assigns 0, 10, or 20 points, corresponding to ‘does not meet expectations,’ ‘meets expectations,’ and ‘exceeds expectations,’ respectively.
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Applications earn points based on four fundamental criteria if they meet or exceed expectations. These criteria encompass both individual and firm-related attributes:
- Individual attributes include ‘salary’ and ‘qualifications.’
- Firm-related attributes include ‘diversity’ and ‘support for local employment.’
Additionally, there are two bonus criteria through which applicants can earn points:
- Skills bonus.
- Strategic economic priorities bonus.
For more detailed information about these criteria and to review case studies, please visit the Ministry of Manpower website.