Foreign professionals will face more stringent criteria to qualify for an employment pass to work in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said.
The message was announced during his National Day rally speech, and this is a move intended to assuage the fears of middle class Singaporeans who are concerned about their employment prospects in the uncertain economic climate.
PM Lee said that the salary thresholds for foreign professionals to obtain Employment Passes (EP) will be raised.
In addition, they must also show better educational qualifications to qualify. Details about the new changes will be provided by the Ministry of Manpower in the near future.
This announcement comes about a month after the qualifying salary levels of EPs for foreign white-collar workers were raised.
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The three types of EP which are Q1, P2 and P1 have increased from $2500 to $2800, $3500 to $4000 and from $7000 to $8000 respectively, making it more challenging for employers to hire foreign professionals.
