In a speech at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Committee of Supply on March 3, 2026, Dr Tan See Leng, Minister of Manpower announced several planned updates to the rules for foreign workers.
In January 2027, MOM will introduce a new Overseas Networks and Expertise (ONE) Pass “AI and Tech track” to replace the Tech.Pass.
Recognizing that top talents in AI and Tech may be compensated through non-cash components such as Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOP) and Employee Share Ownership (ESOW), applicants under the new ONE Pass (AI and Tech) track will be allowed to meet the ONE Pass fixed monthly salary criterion through a combination of cash and non-cash components.
MOM will expand the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL) from September 2026 by adding eight new occupations in the social services, food services and air transportation sectors.
The NTS-OL enables firms in the Services and Manufacturing sectors to hire higher quality non-PMET workers from diverse sources, including those affected by the increase in the S Pass qualifying salary.
Firms who wish to hire NTS WPHs on the NTS-OL will continue to be subjected to the following controls:
- 8% NTS sub-Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) to manage overall NTS Work Permit numbers; and
- Fixed Monthly Salary of at least SGD 2000 for the WPHs employed under the NTS-OL.
From 2028, MOM will streamline the levy framework to make it easier for businesses to understand and plan their workforce strategies for hiring, training and retaining work permit holders (WPHs).
For the Manufacturing and Services sectors, the bottom two levy tiers will be combined into a single tier. The highest levy tier rates will remain unchanged to ensure that firms with greater reliance on WPHs continue to pay appropriate levies.
In the Marine Shipyard and Process sectors, MOM will gradually align levy rates with those in the Construction Sector. The levy rates for basic-skilled (R2) WPHs will be increased by SGD 100 and SGD 150 respectively.
The Employment Pass (EP) minimum qualifying salary will be increased from SGD 5600 to SGD 6000, and the S Pass minimum qualifying salary will be increased from SGD 3300 to SGD 3600 to keep pace with local wage benchmarks. These changes will apply to new applications from January 1, 2027 and renewals from January 1, 2028. In addition, the S Pass minimum qualifying salary is expected to be around SGD 4000 – SGD 4500 by around 2030.
Further details of all these changes can be found here.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.