2020 Budget - Impact on work pass expats (Specially to S pass holders)

Additional information about Work pass holders:

Today (03.03.2020), MoM minister Josephine Teo notified to the Singapore parliament that From May 2021, the salary criteria for foreign professionals to qualify for an Employment Pass (EP) will be raised from $3,600 per month to $3,900, in line with improving wages of fresh graduates from local universities.

The criteria for older and more experienced EP candidates will also be increased. For instance, an EP applicant in his early 40s will need to earn around double the new $3,900 minimum qualifying salary.

This new requirement will take effect from 1 May 2021 to moderate its impact on businesses.

“This is only fair, considering the skillsets he or she is expected to have,” Teo said. "It helps to ensure a level playing field for experienced local mid-career PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians)."

Furthermore in July, the local qualifying salary – the minimum salary a local worker must earn to count towards a firm’s quota for hiring foreigners on work permits and S Passes – will be raised from $1,300 to $1,400.

Hi@surya2k

Do you happen to know how the virus situation will impact the number of work passes for expats? I’m having my EP application on progress, so I’m quite worried.

Thank you

Nothing is announced and nobody knows yet how the Corona crisis will affect foreigners working in Singapore.
But the very bad economic data just released justify your worries: There will be less jobs and, like any reasonable government, Singapore will reserve them largely for the local population.
IF your EP application gets approved, count yourself lucky!

Hi,

When was your pass applied?