Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (LBEA), licensed by MOM under Licence 19C9790, has worked through this process first-hand. This guide covers everything a founder or HR director needs to know before applying for an EA licence in 2026, drawn directly from MOM’s eligibility and requirements framework.

Do You Actually Need an Employment Agency Licence?

The threshold question is whether your activity constitutes “EA work” under the Employment Agencies Act. Per MOM, you need an employment agency licence if you place job seekers with employers — regardless of whether the placement is in Singapore or overseas, and regardless of whether you charge a fee. The licence requirement bites whether you are running a traditional headhunting desk, an FDW placement agency, or an in-house corporate recruiting function that places candidates with related entities.

A Select Licence offers a lighter-touch path: if you only place candidates whose monthly salary exceeds S$4,500, the full CEI certification requirement does not apply. However, Select Licence holders cannot register domestic-worker placements (SSIC Code 78103) as a business activity. Most full-service staffing firms will need a Comprehensive Licence. The three Comprehensive variants are: Comprehensive (All) — which covers foreign workers including migrant domestic workers; Comprehensive (non-MDW) — which covers all foreign workers except domestic workers; and Comprehensive (Local) — which covers only local workers.

If you are unsure, MOM’s EA Self-Assessment Tool walks you through the decision tree in a few minutes.

Step 1 — Incorporate Your Company with ACRA

Before applying for the EA licence, the business entity must exist. Register your company with ACRA and ensure that SSIC Code 78104 (Employment Placement and Vacancy Referral Agencies) is included in your business activities. If you also intend to place domestic workers, also register Code 78103. The ACRA step typically takes one to three working days. Raffles Corporate Services can handle the incorporation and corporate-secretarial setup if you need a turnkey solution.

Directors, owners, and key appointment holders must meet MOM’s fit-and-proper criteria: no criminal record involving dishonesty, fraud, or violence; no history of licence revocation; and no prior disqualification from acting as an EA operator. These checks are run automatically when you submit the GoBusiness application.

Step 2 — Complete CEI Certification (Comprehensive Licences Only)

The Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI) is the professional qualification that every key appointment holder (KAH) and every EA personnel doing EA work must hold before registration — or within one month of registration for non-KAH staff. Per MOM’s CEI guidance, two certification tiers exist:

CEI (KAH) — For Directors and Key Appointment Holders

The CEI (KAH) course covers the Employment Agencies Regulatory Framework, the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), the Employment Act, the Immigration Act, and a suite of ancillary legislation including the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act and PDPA. Duration is 40 hours for the full Comprehensive (All) variant, with shorter versions for non-MDW and local-only licences. The test, administered by NTUC Learning Hub at a fee of S$174.40 (inclusive of GST), consists of 80 multiple-choice questions covering three sections. Pass mark is not published by MOM but is understood to be 65%.

CEI (Basic) — For EA Personnel

Recruitment consultants, sourcing executives, and any staff performing EA work must hold CEI (Basic). The course is 36 hours (Comprehensive All) and covers broadly similar legislation, minus the Business Organisations and Competition Act modules reserved for KAHs. The same S$174.40 test fee applies.

Three MOM-approved training providers deliver both courses: Absolute Kinetics Consultancy Pte Ltd, Grace Management & Consultancy Services Pte Ltd, and Wong Fong Academy Pte Ltd. Course fees range from approximately S$251 to S$654 depending on provider and course variant. Allow two to four weeks from registration to certificate, particularly if your preferred dates are heavily subscribed. You must obtain the CEI before your application is processed; MOM will not approve a KAH who has not yet passed.

Step 3 — Arrange the Security Bond

New Comprehensive Licence applicants must provide a security bond of S$60,000. Established companies (more than one year old) may qualify for a reduced bond of S$20,000 to S$60,000 depending on track record. Per MOM’s security bond requirements, the bond must be furnished as a banker’s guarantee from an approved financial institution — it is not a cash deposit. Insurers typically charge an annual premium of roughly 1–2% of the bond face value, meaning a first-year Comprehensive applicant will pay approximately S$600–S$1,200 per year for the bond, rather than locking up S$60,000 in cash. You have four weeks from receiving your In-Principle Approval to submit the bond; failure to do so invalidates the application.

Step 4 — Apply via GoBusiness

The employment agency licence application is submitted through the GoBusiness Licensing Portal. Fees are S$400 on application submission and a further S$100 on licence issuance — S$500 total. The licence is valid for three years and must be renewed before expiry. Key documents to prepare include: ACRA business profile, director NRIC or passport copies, CEI certificates for all KAHs and EA personnel, the security bond arrangement, and a completed declaration of fit-and-proper status. MOM typically takes two to four weeks to process a new application once all documents are received.

Step 5 — Register Every EA Personnel Individually

Obtaining the licence is not the end of the compliance journey. Every individual who performs EA work — even if CEI-certified — must be individually registered with MOM as an EA Personnel. Registration is done through the EA Online portal. MOM will reject registration for personnel who have not yet cleared the CEI (for Comprehensive Licences) or who have a disqualifying background. Failure to register personnel before they begin EA work is a distinct licence condition breach and can attract enforcement action even if the company’s licence itself is current.

For HR teams managing Singapore MOM compliance deadlines, it is worth flagging personnel registration as a recurring action item whenever you hire a new recruiter.

Ongoing Compliance Obligations

A Singapore employment agency licence comes with continuing obligations that go well beyond the initial application:

Salary Norms and Fee Caps

EAs placing migrant workers must comply with MOM’s salary norm requirements. For domestic workers, placement fees charged to the employer are capped (MDW-specific rules apply). Overcharging — or charging fees to the job seekers themselves in prohibited circumstances — is one of the most common enforcement triggers.

Record-Keeping

EAs must maintain records of every placement transaction, including job seeker consent, terms of engagement, and placement confirmation. Records must be retained for at least two years and produced on MOM request within five business days.

Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices

All EAs operating in Singapore must adhere to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the Fair Consideration Framework. Job advertisements must not specify nationality, age, or other protected characteristics as requirements, and selection criteria must be based on merit. This obligation sits alongside the Employment Pass COMPASS framework that employers must satisfy when hiring foreign professionals through your agency.

Licence Renewal

Renew the EA licence before its three-year expiry. MOM will not grant a grace period if you operate with a lapsed licence. Renewal involves re-assessment of the company’s compliance record, including any enforcement actions or complaints received during the licence period.

Common Reasons Applications Are Rejected

MOM rejects EA licence applications for several recurring reasons. The most common are: a KAH who has not yet completed the CEI (KAH) before applying; a director with an undisclosed criminal record; an ACRA entity whose registered activities do not include SSIC Code 78104; and a security bond that has not been arranged in time after IPA issuance. Address each of these before submission to avoid having to re-apply and re-pay the S$400 application fee.

Conclusion: LBEA Is Here to Help

Running a licensed employment agency in Singapore is achievable, but the compliance framework is more layered than many founders anticipate. ACRA incorporation, CEI certification, security bond, GoBusiness application, and ongoing EA personnel registration all need to happen in the right sequence — and then stay current for the life of the licence.

If your company needs employment agency services to place foreign professionals — whether for Employment Pass applications, S Pass placements, or recruitment support — Singapore Employment Agency (the consumer brand of LBEA, MOM Licence 19C9790) can handle the placement on your behalf without requiring you to obtain your own licence. For the full spectrum of business setup, from ACRA incorporation to corporate-secretarial services, speak to our sister firm Raffles Corporate Services.

For a detailed look at how work pass compliance integrates with payroll and HR operations once your agency is up and running, see our guide on work pass cancellation and repatriation obligations.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

The post How to Start a Recruitment Agency in Singapore: EA Licence, CEI, and MOM Compliance appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

Do You Actually Need an EA Licence?

Per MOM, a licence is required if your company or any individual within it places job seekers with employers — whether those placements are for roles in Singapore or abroad. This covers:

• Recruiting and shortlisting candidates on behalf of client companies
• Placing foreign domestic workers (FDWs) with households
• Running an in-house corporate talent-acquisition desk that sources across companies within a group structure (unless all placements are intra-group)
• Operating a job portal that actively matches candidates to employers for a fee

An EA licence is not required if you only provide payroll services, HR consulting, or training — provided you do not introduce or match candidates to vacancies. If your service involves any matching function, even informally, take legal advice before operating without a licence.

Step 1: Register Your Company with ACRA First

MOM will only issue an EA licence to a Singapore-registered business entity. You cannot hold a licence as a sole proprietor or foreign company branch; you need a Singapore Pte Ltd or LLP. When registering with ACRA, use SSIC Code 78104 (Employment Placement and Executive Search Services) as your primary business activity. A typical Pte Ltd incorporation via ACRA’s BizFile+ takes one to three business days, provided a local director is in place and your company name is approved. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see this incorporation guide on Raffles Corporate Services.

Step 2: Identify Your Key Appointment Holder (KAH)

Every licensed EA must have at least one designated Key Appointment Holder (KAH) — the individual who takes responsibility for the EA’s operations and compliance with MOM. The KAH must meet MOM’s fit-and-proper criteria:

• No convictions for dishonesty, human trafficking, or specified serious offences under the Penal Code
• Not a former director or manager of an EA whose licence was previously revoked
• Holds the CEI (KAH) qualification — the higher-level Certificate of Employment Intermediaries examination

If the KAH leaves the business, a replacement must be appointed and registered with MOM within 14 days. Operating without a MOM-registered KAH is a licence condition breach that can trigger immediate suspension.

Step 3: Complete the Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI)

The Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI) is MOM’s mandatory qualification for EA personnel doing placement work. There are two levels:

CEI (Basic)

Required for all EA personnel (recruiters, consultants, business development staff) who perform EA work under a Comprehensive Licence. Covers employment law fundamentals, fair hiring practices, and MOM regulatory obligations. The exam is administered by NTUC LearningHub; approved training providers include Absolute Kinetics Consultancy, Grace Management & Consultancy Services (GMCS), and Singapore Polytechnic. Pass mark is 70%. Allow two to four weeks from registration to result.

CEI (KAH)

Required for the Key Appointment Holder under any Comprehensive Licence. This is a more rigorous examination covering the Employment Agencies Act in depth, licence conditions, the demerit points system, FDW placement rules, and KAH-specific obligations. Candidates should hold the CEI (Basic) first, though MOM does not mandate this sequence. The KAH must obtain this certificate before MOM will process the licence application.

Select Licence holders (placing workers earning above S$4,500/month only) are not required to have CEI certification for EA personnel — though their KAH must still meet the fit-and-proper criteria. This is the key operational advantage of the Select Licence for executive search firms.

Step 4: Choose the Right Licence Type

Per MOM’s licence type guidance, there are four EA licence variants, each valid for three years:

For corporate recruitment firms placing managers, professionals, and executives — where candidates typically earn above S$4,500 — the Select Licence is usually the right choice. It carries a lower security bond and no mandatory CEI for recruiters, reducing both cost and administrative burden. If you intend to place any workers below this salary threshold, or any FDWs, you need the appropriate Comprehensive Licence.

Step 5: Arrange the Security Bond

MOM requires every EA to maintain a security bond in favour of the Government of Singapore. For a new EA, the bond amounts are:

• New Comprehensive Licence: S$60,000
• New Select Licence: S$20,000

The bond is not a cash deposit paid to MOM. Instead, you obtain a Banker’s Guarantee or insurance bond from a MOM-approved bank or insurer. The annual premium typically runs 1–2% of the bond value. MOM may discharge the bond only six months after your licence ends, so factor this ongoing cost into your operating budget. If your EA accumulates demerit points, the bond requirement increases — up to S$60,000 for Comprehensive Licences and up to S$60,000 for Select Licences with significant demerit history. See the MOM security bond calculator for current rates by demerit band.

Step 6: Submit the Application via GoBusiness

Once your company is incorporated, your KAH holds the CEI (KAH), all EA personnel have their CEI (Basic) where required, and your security bond is arranged, you apply for the EA licence through the GoBusiness Licensing Portal at GoBusiness. The application fee is S$400, with an issuance fee of S$100 on approval. MOM’s processing time for a clean, complete application is typically four to eight weeks. Budget the full eight to twelve weeks end-to-end, from starting CEI preparation to receiving the licence.

MOM will assess the application against the fit-and-proper criteria for the KAH and company directors, verify the security bond, and confirm that all required EA personnel are registered. Common reasons for rejection or delay include: an incomplete security bond, a KAH who has not yet received their CEI certificate, or a company director with undisclosed prior EA involvement.

Ongoing Compliance After Licensing

An EA licence is not a set-and-forget document. Key ongoing obligations include:

EA Personnel Registration

Every individual doing EA work — whether employed, freelance, or on contract — must be separately registered with MOM as an EA Personnel before they begin placement activities. Registration lapses if the person leaves your firm; you must de-register them within 14 days. This applies even for experienced recruiters who already hold a CEI from a previous employer.

Quarterly Referral Reporting

Comprehensive Licence holders must submit quarterly referral information to MOM, reporting on the nationalities and types of workers placed. Failure to submit is a licence condition breach.

Demerit Points System

MOM operates a demerit points system. Infringements — including failure to conduct proper job matching, overcharging of service fees, or non-disclosure of job terms — attract demerit points. Accumulating 12 or more demerit points in a 12-month rolling period can result in licence suspension. Accumulating 20 or more points triggers revocation.

Licence Renewal

All EA licences are valid for three years. Renewal applications must be submitted before expiry; late renewals are treated as new applications, resetting the security bond requirement to the higher new-EA rate.

FDW-Specific Obligations (Comprehensive All Licence Only)

Agencies placing foreign domestic workers face additional obligations: mandatory orientation for FDWs, limits on service fees charged to FDWs, specific refund obligations, and enhanced record-keeping. These rules are set out in the Employment Agency Licence Conditions published by MOM.

What an EA Licence Does Not Cover: Placing Foreign Workers via EP and S Pass

An EA licence authorises your firm to recruit and introduce candidates to employers. It does not authorise you to apply for work passes on behalf of employers — that is a separate regulated activity requiring direct employer sponsorship. When your clients wish to hire foreign professionals, the employer must themselves apply to MOM for an Employment Pass or S Pass. Your role as the licensed EA is to identify the candidate and support the hiring process — not to hold the pass sponsorship. Understanding this distinction matters for how you structure your service offering and client engagement letters.

It is equally important to understand the July 2026 salary floor changes if your clients are placing S Pass holders — per our S Pass salary increase guide, the qualifying floor rose to S$3,600 for most sectors from 1 July 2026, with further increases planned for January 2027. Advisors who place mid-skilled foreign talent must stay current with these thresholds or risk submitting non-qualifying applications for their clients.

Timeline Summary: From Idea to Licence

How LBEA Can Help

Little Big Employment Agency (LBEA) is itself a MOM-licensed employment agency (Licence No. 19C9790) with direct experience navigating the EA licensing process. If you are looking to set up a compliant recruitment operation in Singapore — or to engage a licensed EA to support your own hiring needs — our team at Singapore Employment Agency can advise on both the licensing pathway and the work pass strategy for your foreign hires. For the corporate entity setup required before licensing, our group company Raffles Corporate Services handles ACRA incorporation and company secretarial compliance, so that both workstreams can proceed on a single timeline.

For a broader understanding of how Singapore’s MOM compliance calendar affects all employers — licensed EAs included — see our Singapore HR MOM Compliance Calendar.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

The post How to Start a Recruitment Agency in Singapore: EA Licence, CEI, and MOM Compliance appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

LBEA — the licensed agency behind this site — holds MOM licence 19C9790. The information below reflects the current regulatory framework and the practical experience of an agency that has been through the process firsthand.

Who Needs an Employment Agency Licence in Singapore?

Per the Ministry of Manpower, you need an EA licence if your business places job seekers with employers — whether in Singapore or overseas. The requirement applies regardless of whether you charge a fee. Common scenarios requiring a licence include placing local professionals into permanent or contract roles, placing foreign professionals on Employment Pass or S Pass, placing foreign domestic workers with Singapore households, and running an executive search desk on a retained or contingency basis.

There are limited exemptions — most notably for companies recruiting exclusively for their own internal use. If in doubt, use MOM’s EA Self-Assessment Tool before assuming an exemption applies.

Before applying for an EA licence, you must first register your business with ACRA as a private limited company, sole proprietorship, LLP, or LP. The relevant SSIC code for employment placement agencies is 78104. For corporate incorporation and secretarial support, Raffles Corporate Services provides ACRA registration and nominee director services for new Singapore entities.

The Two Types of Employment Agency Licence

Per MOM, there are two main EA licence types, and choosing the right one before you apply matters — switching later requires a fresh application and a new security bond.

Comprehensive Licence

The Comprehensive Licence allows you to place any category of job seeker — including locals, Employment Pass and S Pass holders, Work Permit holders, and foreign domestic workers. There are three sub-variants: Comprehensive Licence (All) covering all categories including MDW placement; Comprehensive Licence (non-MDW) covering all categories except FDW placement; and Comprehensive Licence (Local) covering Singapore citizens and PRs only.

All key appointment holders and EA personnel at a Comprehensive-Licensed agency must hold the CEI. The security bond starts at SGD 60,000 in the first year. Most new EAs building a broad practice should apply for a Comprehensive Licence from the outset.

Select Licence

The Select Licence is available if you will exclusively place candidates earning above SGD 4,500 per month. At this candidate tier, regulatory requirements are lighter: CEI is not required, and the initial security bond is only SGD 20,000. However, a Select Licence restricts your addressable market to professional-grade placements only.

The Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI): What It Is and Who Must Have It

The CEI is a mandatory qualification for all key appointment holders (KAHs) and EA personnel at Comprehensive-Licensed agencies. Per MOM’s CEI page, it covers the Employment Agencies Regulatory Framework, EFMA, Employment Act, Contract Law, CPF Act, Fair Consideration Framework, PDPA, and the Immigration Act.

There are two tiers. CEI (KAH) is for directors, managing directors, owners, and partners — anyone who appears on ACRA as a key appointment holder, regardless of whether they personally do placement work. The CEI (KAH) course runs 40 hours for a CL (All) agency and costs approximately SGD 534–654 depending on the training provider, plus a SGD 174.40 test fee with NTUC LearningHub (the only authorised test administrator). CEI (Basic) is for other EA personnel who perform placement work. The course runs 36 hours and costs approximately SGD 441–589, plus the same SGD 174.40 test fee.

The three authorised training providers are Absolute Kinetics Consultancy, Grace Management and Consultancy Services, and Wong Fong Academy. Budget two to four weeks for the course and testing cycle. CEI is not required for Select Licence agencies.

Singapore Employment Agency Licence: Security Bond Requirements

Every EA must provide a security bond in the form of an electronic banker’s guarantee, submitted through your chosen financial institution via eGuarantee@Gov. Per MOM, all new CL agencies must furnish a SGD 60,000 security bond in their first year. For Select Licence agencies, the minimum starting bond is SGD 20,000. After 12 months of clean operations, a CL agency can apply to MOM to have the bond amount reviewed downward depending on placement volumes and demerit-point history.

Allow three weeks for your financial institution to process the eGuarantee application — the IPA (in-principle approval) issued after your application is only valid for four weeks, so begin the bank process immediately upon receiving it. Missing the IPA deadline means a fresh application and a forfeited SGD 400 fee.

The Step-by-Step Application Process

The EA licence application is handled through GoBusiness Singapore. The process proceeds in five stages.

Stage 1: Pre-Application Checks

Register your company with ACRA. All directors must be fit-and-proper persons — no relevant criminal convictions, no prior involvement in an EA whose licence was revoked. Use MOM’s EA Self-Assessment Tool to confirm eligibility. All KAHs complete the CEI (KAH) course and test for CL applications.

Stage 2: Submit Application via GoBusiness

Log in to GoBusiness Singapore and submit the EA licence application. Pay the non-refundable SGD 400 application fee. Upload required documents: ACRA Business Profile, identification for all registered directors, and any URA or HDB approval if operating from residential premises.

Stage 3: In-Principle Approval

MOM typically issues the IPA within seven working days for clean applications. The IPA is valid for four weeks. Begin the eGuarantee process with your bank immediately upon receipt.

Stage 4: Electronic Banker’s Guarantee

Engage your preferred financial institution through eGuarantee@Gov to obtain the electronic banker’s guarantee. The bank submits the eGuarantee directly to MOM; you receive an email confirmation from MOM. This step typically takes up to three weeks.

Stage 5: Undertaking and Licence Issuance

Once MOM confirms receipt of the eGuarantee, log in to GoBusiness to read and accept the EA Licence Conditions. Pay the SGD 100 issuance fee. Your digital licence is issued within one working day. You may now operate your employment agency.

Total timeline from CEI completion to licence issuance: approximately six to eight weeks for a clean, well-prepared application. The bottleneck is almost always the eGuarantee bank processing time and CEI scheduling, not MOM’s own seven-day processing window.

Registering EA Personnel: An Often-Missed Step

Holding the EA licence does not automatically authorise your staff to place candidates. Before any recruiter or account manager can legally perform placement work, they must be individually registered with MOM as EA personnel, passing a fit-and-proper check. Non-CEI-holding personnel at a CL agency must obtain their CEI (Basic) within one month of registration, or their registration is automatically revoked. This registration requirement is frequently overlooked by new agencies and delays the start of operations.

Understanding your MOM compliance obligations from day one is the foundation of a clean operating history. The work pass cancellation and repatriation framework is equally important for agencies placing foreign workers.

Ongoing Compliance Obligations for Licensed Agencies

Receiving the licence is the beginning, not the end, of the regulatory relationship. Key ongoing obligations include quarterly referral reporting to MOM, adherence to MOM-prescribed maximum service fee schedules and refund policies (which must be disclosed to candidates in writing before placement), compliance with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in job advertisements, and licence renewal before the three-year expiry date.

MOM can impose demerit points for breaches. Accumulating eight or more points in 12 months raises the security bond to SGD 60,000 and can trigger suspension or revocation. A clean demerit-point record is also the threshold for bond reduction after Year 1. Separately, any breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act — for instance, placing an EP holder with an employer not on their pass — can result in criminal prosecution under the EFMA, not merely demerit points.

Common Reasons for Rejection and How to Avoid Them

MOM rejects EA licence applications for a limited number of preventable reasons. A director’s undisclosed prior conviction or past involvement in a revoked EA is the most common cause of outright rejection — run background checks on all directors before applying. For CL applications, submitting before the KAH has passed the CEI results in rejection and forfeiture of the SGD 400 application fee. Incomplete ACRA registration, missing URA or HDB approval for residential-address offices, and allowing the IPA to lapse while waiting for the eGuarantee are the other common failure points.

How LBEA Can Help

Navigating the EA licensing process is straightforward when you know the steps — but the sequencing matters enormously, and the preparation required before you even file the application is often underestimated. Singapore Employment Agency — the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790) — can advise on licence-type selection, compliance obligations, and the practical mechanics of setting up a new agency in Singapore. For the ACRA incorporation and secretarial structure that precedes the EA licence application, Raffles Corporate Services provides fast, reliable company registration and nominee director services. For further reading, see our guides on the Singapore Employment Pass and the true cost of hiring foreign professionals — both directly relevant to agencies building a professional placement practice.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

The post How to Start a Recruitment Agency in Singapore: EA Licence, CEI, and MOM Compliance Guide appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) set out the standards Singapore employers are expected to follow when recruiting and managing staff. In practice, employers should base employment decisions on merit, advertise jobs without discriminatory criteria, and treat employees fairly, with the guidelines now reinforced by the Workplace Fairness Act 2025.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

What the guidelines cover

The TGFEP, issued by the tripartite partners, ask employers to recruit and select on merit, provide fair opportunity for training and development, and reward based on ability, performance and contribution. They discourage discriminatory job advertisements and selection. See our related guide, Multi-jurisdiction family office structures — Timeline and processing benchmarks, for more detail.

While historically advisory, the guidelines are backed by administrative levers such as work pass privileges, and they now sit alongside statutory protection under the Workplace Fairness Act.

Who should follow them

All employers in Singapore are expected to observe the guidelines, regardless of size or sector. Employers that hire foreign talent are particularly scrutinised, since fair consideration of local candidates is a stated expectation. See our related guide, Singapore bank account opening — DBS, OCBC, UOB, Wise, Aspire — Timeline and processing benchmarks, for more detail.

HR teams, hiring managers and recruitment agencies all share responsibility for aligning practices with the guidelines.

Requirements and expectations

Employers should ensure job advertisements state no discriminatory preferences, keep selection criteria job-related, and give fair consideration to candidates. The Fair Consideration Framework requires many roles to be advertised on the national jobs portal before an Employment Pass is applied for.

Grievance handling should be accessible, and employees should be able to raise concerns without fear of reprisal.

Refer to the official guidance. Refer to the official guidance.

Cost and timeline benchmarks

Adhering to the guidelines is largely a matter of process discipline rather than direct cost. The Fair Consideration Framework does, however, impose minimum advertising periods that affect hiring timelines.

Tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices — costs, timelines and thresholds

• Core principle: merit-based recruitment and reward
• Fair Consideration Framework advertising: minimum 14 days on the national jobs portal for many roles
• Applies to: all employers
• Reinforced by: Workplace Fairness Act 2025
• Enforcement lever: work pass privileges

Step-by-step compliance approach

Review advertisement templates, apply merit-based selection, advertise eligible roles on the national jobs portal for the required period, document decisions, and provide a fair grievance channel. Train managers on the guidelines and the interaction with work pass rules.

Aligning recruitment processes with both the guidelines and the Workplace Fairness Act future-proofs the organisation against complaints.

Common mistakes and gotchas

Common failures include discriminatory advertisement wording, skipping the required job advertising period before an Employment Pass application, and inconsistent selection records. Assuming the guidelines carry no consequences understates the administrative penalties available. See our related guide, Tripartite Guidelines on Restraint of Trade in Singapore Employment Contracts: What Employers Must Do Before H2 2026, for more detail.

Employers recruiting from overseas often review the guidelines together with their Employment Pass strategy to avoid delays.

Relevant legislation

The Employment Act 1968 provides the statutory baseline of employment terms that operate alongside the Tripartite Guidelines.

The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 gives statutory force to key fair employment protections that the Tripartite Guidelines encourage.

FAQs

Are the Tripartite Guidelines legally binding?
They are backed by administrative measures such as work pass privileges, and key protections are now reinforced by the Workplace Fairness Act 2025.

What is the Fair Consideration Framework?
It requires many roles to be advertised on the national jobs portal for a minimum period before an Employment Pass application, ensuring fair consideration of local candidates.

Who must comply?
All employers in Singapore are expected to observe the guidelines, with particular scrutiny where foreign talent is hired.

How do the guidelines relate to the Workplace Fairness Act?
The Act gives statutory force to core protections while the guidelines continue to set broader good-practice standards.

Related guides

• Multi-jurisdiction family office structures — Timeline and processing benchmarks
• Singapore bank account opening — DBS, OCBC, UOB, Wise, Aspire — Timeline and processing benchmarks
• Tripartite Guidelines on Restraint of Trade in Singapore Employment Contracts: What Employers Must Do Before H2 2026

Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email hello@singaporeemploymentagency.com. Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

The post Tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices — Costs and fees breakdown appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 introduces statutory protection against workplace discrimination in Singapore, placing clear obligations on employers. In practice, employers must not make employment decisions based on protected characteristics such as age, nationality, sex, race, religion, disability or family status, and must handle grievances fairly.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

What the Workplace Fairness Act does

The Act moves Singapore from a guidelines-based approach to a statutory framework, prohibiting discrimination in hiring, appraisal, promotion and dismissal on the basis of specified protected characteristics. It complements, rather than replaces, the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. See our related guide, Multi-jurisdiction family office structures — Timeline and processing benchmarks, for more detail.

It sets expectations for grievance handling and protects employees who report discrimination from retaliation, while preserving room for genuine occupational requirements.

Who it applies to

The framework applies broadly to employers across sectors, with proportionate treatment for smaller businesses during the transition. Employers of all sizes should review their recruitment, appraisal and dismissal practices against the protected characteristics. See our related guide, Singapore bank account opening — DBS, OCBC, UOB, Wise, Aspire — Timeline and processing benchmarks, for more detail.

Foreign talent hiring is affected: nationality is a protected characteristic, and job advertisements and selection must be demonstrably fair.

Employer obligations and requirements

Employers should ensure job advertisements are non-discriminatory, that selection criteria are merit-based, and that grievance processes are documented and accessible. Records supporting employment decisions become important evidence of fair practice.

Managers and HR should be trained on the protected characteristics and on handling complaints without retaliation. Policies should be updated to reflect the statutory obligations.

Refer to the official guidance. Refer to the official guidance.

Cost and timeline benchmarks

Compliance cost is mainly in policy review and training rather than fees. The larger exposure is reputational and financial if a discrimination claim is upheld, so early preparation is prudent.

Workplace fairness act 2025 — costs, timelines and thresholds

• Protected characteristics covered: age, nationality, sex, marital and family status, race, religion, disability and more
• Employer records to keep: selection and appraisal evidence
• Policy review lead time: 4 to 8 weeks recommended
• Training: all hiring managers and HR
• Approach: align with existing Tripartite Guidelines

Step-by-step compliance approach

Audit current recruitment and HR practices, update policies to align with the protected characteristics, train hiring managers, implement a documented grievance procedure, and keep records of employment decisions. Review templates for advertisements and appraisals.

Phasing the changes before the obligations take full effect gives the organisation time to embed fair practices rather than react to complaints.

Common mistakes and gotchas

Frequent gaps include discriminatory job advertisement wording, informal selection criteria that cannot be evidenced, and grievance processes that expose complainants to retaliation. Treating the Act as identical to the old guidelines understates the statutory teeth. See our related guide, Workplace Fairness Act Singapore: A Complete Employer Playbook for 2026–2027, for more detail.

Employers hiring foreign talent often review their work pass strategy alongside fair employment compliance.

Relevant legislation

The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 establishes statutory protection against workplace discrimination on specified protected characteristics.

The Employment Act 1968 sets the baseline statutory terms of employment that operate alongside the fair employment framework.

FAQs

What does the Workplace Fairness Act prohibit?
It prohibits discrimination in employment decisions based on protected characteristics such as age, nationality, sex, race, religion, disability and family status.

Does it replace the Tripartite Guidelines?
No. It complements the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices by giving statutory force to key protections.

Are small employers covered?
The framework applies broadly, with proportionate treatment for smaller businesses during the transition.

What should employers do first?
Audit recruitment and HR practices, update policies, train managers and put a documented grievance process in place.

Related guides

• Multi-jurisdiction family office structures — Timeline and processing benchmarks
• Singapore bank account opening — DBS, OCBC, UOB, Wise, Aspire — Timeline and processing benchmarks
• Workplace Fairness Act Singapore: A Complete Employer Playbook for 2026–2027

Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email hello@singaporeemploymentagency.com. Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

The post Workplace Fairness Act 2025 — employer obligations — Costs and fees breakdown appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

This article summarises the key findings of the MOM Q1 2026 Labour Market Report and draws out their practical implications for companies hiring foreign professionals in Singapore.

Headline Figures: Singapore Labour Market Q1 2026

The overall Singapore labour market remained tight in Q1 2026, with unemployment continuing at levels broadly consistent with full employment. Key headline figures from the MOM report include:

• Overall unemployment rate: 1.9% (seasonally adjusted), holding steady from Q4 2025. This continues Singapore’s near-full employment conditions that have persisted through 2024–2025.
• Resident unemployment rate: 2.9%, similarly stable. The resident rate captures Singapore citizens and PRs specifically — the metric most relevant to COMPASS’s local workforce ratio assessment.
• Citizen unemployment rate: 3.1%, which MOM notes remains within a low range consistent with frictional unemployment.
• Employment growth: approximately 27,400 net jobs added in Q1 2026 across all sectors, with professional services, information and communications, and financial services contributing the largest gains.
• Long-term unemployment (unemployed for 25 weeks or more) remained at approximately 0.7% of the labour force — well within historically low bounds.

These figures reinforce the operating environment for employers: Singapore’s domestic labour pool is effectively fully employed, which both justifies demand for foreign talent and supports MOM’s expectation that employers actively attempt local hiring before turning to work pass applications.

Sectoral Employment Trends

Q1 2026 employment growth was uneven across sectors, with some industries adding headcount significantly and others contracting or remaining flat.

Professional Services and Technology

Professional, scientific, and technical services continued to be the strongest sector for net employment growth, adding an estimated 8,200 jobs in Q1 2026. Information and communications (ICT) added approximately 4,600 jobs, continuing a multi-year trend driven by digital transformation demand across financial services and government. These sectors also represent the highest concentration of Employment Pass holders, given the premium on specialised technical skills not readily available in the local market.

Financial Services

Financial services added approximately 3,500 jobs in Q1 2026, with growth concentrated in risk management, compliance, and asset management roles. MOM’s report notes that financial services has maintained consistently low vacancy-to-employment ratios for professional-level roles, indicating that most open positions in this sector are being filled — whether by local or foreign hires — without extended vacancies.

Construction and Manufacturing

Construction added approximately 4,100 jobs, primarily through Work Permit category hiring for project-based roles. Manufacturing employment was broadly flat in Q1 2026 (+1,200 net), with semiconductor and precision engineering subsectors gaining while petrochemical refining contracted modestly. These sectors are less relevant to Employment Pass planning but are significant for understanding the overall Work Permit dependency patterns that inform MOM’s aggregate foreign workforce policy.

Retail and Food and Beverage

Retail employment declined by approximately 1,400 jobs in Q1 2026 as automation and online channel shift continued. Food and beverage employment contracted by 900 jobs. Both sectors continue to rely heavily on Work Permit and S Pass holders for operational roles, and the contraction in headcount reflects a combination of digital substitution and normalising post-pandemic levels rather than structural demand collapse.

Job Vacancies and Vacancy-to-Unemployed Ratio

As of the end of Q1 2026, MOM reported approximately 78,800 job vacancies across the Singapore economy — a slight moderation from the 82,000 vacancies recorded at end-Q4 2025, but still historically elevated. The vacancy-to-unemployed ratio stood at approximately 1.73, meaning there were nearly twice as many job openings as there were unemployed residents seeking work.

This ratio is a critical indicator for Employment Pass applications assessed under the COMPASS framework. A high vacancy-to-unemployed ratio across the economy generally supports the case that resident labour cannot fill available positions — which in turn supports the legitimate need to hire foreign professionals. However, COMPASS scoring is sector- and occupation-specific, so employers should not rely on the economy-wide vacancy ratio as a substitute for demonstrating effort to hire locally within their specific industry.

Retrenchments in Q1 2026

MOM reported approximately 3,950 retrenchments in Q1 2026 — a modest increase from 3,120 in Q4 2025, though still well below the elevated retrenchment levels seen in 2020 and early 2023. Retrenchments were concentrated in:

• Wholesale trade (significant given continued restructuring away from traditional distribution models)
• Manufacturing (petrochemical subsector consolidation)
• Administrative and support services (back-office automation)

For employers in sectors with active retrenchments, MOM’s Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) Watch List criteria become particularly relevant. Employers in industries where locals have been retrenched should expect closer scrutiny of EP applications, as MOM’s FCF guidelines require employers to demonstrate that retrenched locals were given opportunity to apply for available positions before foreign hires were brought in.

Our MOM HR Compliance Calendar 2026 sets out key FCF obligations and timelines for Singapore employers.

Wages: Median and Growth

MOM’s Q1 2026 report includes updated nominal wage figures. Median gross monthly wage across all occupations in Singapore (full-time employed residents) rose to approximately SGD 5,280 in Q1 2026, representing year-on-year growth of approximately 4.1% in nominal terms and approximately 1.8% in real (inflation-adjusted) terms.

For Employment Pass applicants, wage benchmarks directly affect COMPASS scoring. The COMPASS system compares an applicant’s fixed monthly salary against the median salary for their specific occupation, as published in MOM’s occupation-level salary benchmarks (updated annually). Employers should note:

• The EP minimum qualifying salary as of 1 January 2026 is SGD 5,600 per month for most sectors (SGD 6,200 for financial services).
• COMPASS salary benchmarking uses the 50th and 90th percentile salaries for specific occupational groups — not the economy-wide median. An EP applicant paid at or above the 90th percentile for their occupation scores the maximum on the salary criterion.
• With nominal median wages rising 4.1% year-on-year, employers who set EP salaries close to the minimum qualifying threshold should review whether the offered salary still meets the minimum and whether it adequately scores on the COMPASS salary criterion given the updated benchmarks.

For a full guide to current EP salary thresholds and COMPASS scoring, see our Singapore Employment Pass Guide 2026.

Foreign Workforce Flows: EP and S Pass in Q1 2026

MOM’s Q1 2026 report provides updated figures on the foreign workforce on employment passes:

• Employment Pass holders: approximately 196,200 as of end-March 2026, up from approximately 192,800 at end-December 2025. The quarterly increase of 3,400 reflects continued demand for mid-to-senior professional talent across technology, finance, and professional services.
• S Pass holders: approximately 176,400 as of end-March 2026, broadly flat from end-2025. The S Pass population’s stability reflects the impact of progressively tightening S Pass quotas, particularly in services sectors where the quota ratio has been reduced over successive budget cycles.
• Work Permit holders: approximately 1,065,000, up modestly due to construction project activity. This segment is less directly relevant to professional hiring decisions but forms the base of Singapore’s total foreign workforce dependency ratio.

The EP population growth of 1.8% in a single quarter suggests that COMPASS approvals have been sufficient to accommodate genuine demand. MOM has not signalled further tightening of EP qualifying criteria in 2026, though COMPASS is due for its first formal review later this year.

What Q1 2026 Data Means for Your Hiring Strategy

For employers making foreign hiring decisions in 2026, the Q1 Labour Market Report points to several practical conclusions:

1. The tight resident labour market supports EP applications — but requires documented local hiring effort. With resident unemployment at 2.9% and nearly 79,000 vacancies, MOM understands that many specialist roles cannot be filled locally. But the FCF’s Jobseekers portal advertising requirements remain mandatory for all EP applications, regardless of market conditions.
2. Salary benchmarks must be reviewed against updated 2026 figures. Q1 2026 median wage growth of 4.1% means that EP salaries set against 2024 benchmarks may now fall into lower COMPASS salary-criterion bands. For roles where COMPASS scoring is marginal, a modest salary uplift can move an application from yellow to green.
3. S Pass planning needs quota headroom assessment. With the S Pass population flat and quotas tightening, employers in manufacturing, retail, and food and beverage need to confirm available S Pass quota before extending offers to S Pass-level candidates. Hiring on the assumption of available quota — then discovering the quota is exhausted — creates significant disruption.
4. Retrenchments in your sector raise FCF scrutiny. If your industry appears in MOM’s retrenchment data for Q1 2026, expect FCF-level scrutiny on EP applications. Maintain hiring records that demonstrate genuine local hiring outreach.

The SWDA — the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency that merged SSG and WSG from 1 July 2026 — now consolidates the training subsidy, reskilling, and career support programmes that previously sat across two agencies. Employers looking to address local skills gaps rather than rely exclusively on EP hiring should engage SWDA for sector-specific upskilling support.

Get Support with EP and S Pass Applications

Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790). We advise employers on Employment Pass and S Pass applications, COMPASS scoring, and FCF compliance. For payroll benchmarking, corporate secretarial, and broader HR policy support, our sister brand Raffles Corporate Services provides integrated employer services.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

The post Singapore Labour Market Q1 2026: Key Takeaways for Foreign Hiring Decisions appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

The earlier you lock these dates into your HR system, the fewer last-minute scheduling conflicts arise — particularly around the May and August long weekends when leave demand peaks.

Singapore Public Holidays 2027: The Full Official List

The following 11 holidays are gazetted under the Employment Act for 2027, as published by MOM on 18 June 2026:

Long weekends in 2027: New Year (Fri 1 Jan), Chinese New Year (Sat 6 Feb to Mon 8 Feb), Good Friday (Fri 26 Mar), Hari Raya Haji (Mon 17 May), and National Day (Mon 9 Aug) each create a long weekend. Employees who stack leave strategically around the February CNY block can secure an extended break spanning five or more days.

When Public Holidays Fall on Weekends: What the Employment Act Requires

Three of 2027’s public holidays fall on a Saturday: Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February), Labour Day (1 May), and Christmas Day (25 December). One falls on a Sunday: Chinese New Year Day 2 (7 February). The Employment Act’s rules for these situations are specific:

Sunday Holidays — Substitute Monday

Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday and the employee is not required to work on Sundays, the following Monday is treated as a public holiday in substitution. This is a statutory requirement, not a matter of employer discretion. For 2027, this applies to Chinese New Year Day 2 (7 February, Sunday), resulting in Monday 8 February being a substitute public holiday. Employers must reflect this substitute day in payroll and leave systems.

Saturday Holidays — Day in Lieu

Where a public holiday falls on a Saturday and Saturday is the employee’s rest day, the employer must grant a day in lieu. Under the Employment Act, this day in lieu is typically the preceding working day (Friday) unless the employer and employee agree otherwise. For 2027:

• Chinese New Year Day 1 (6 February, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 5 February 2027
• Labour Day (1 May, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 30 April 2027
• Christmas Day (25 December, Saturday): in-lieu day typically Friday 24 December 2027

For employees who work on Saturdays as part of their regular schedule, the Saturday public holiday is treated as a normal public holiday — they either take the day off or, if required to work, receive public holiday pay (see below).

Employers managing shift workers and hourly-rated employees should note that the Employment Act’s public holiday provisions apply differently to these groups. Review the MOM guidance on public holiday entitlement and pay for the specific rules applicable to your workforce composition.

Public Holiday Pay: The Employer’s Obligations

Under the Employment Act, all employees covered by the Act are entitled to 11 paid public holidays per year. The pay rules for 2027 are unchanged from prior years:

If the Employee Does Not Work on the Public Holiday

The employee receives their normal day’s pay. No additional payment is required. For a salaried employee, the holiday is simply a paid day off — no deduction is made from the monthly salary, and no additional payment is required.

If the Employee Works on the Public Holiday

The employer must pay the employee an additional day’s salary at the basic rate of pay, on top of the gross pay the employee is already entitled to for that day. In practice, this means the employee receives approximately double their normal daily pay for working on a public holiday. Alternatively — and this option is available only for certain categories of employees including managers, executives, and non-workmen earning more than SGD 2,600 per month — the employer may grant time off in lieu for the hours worked on the public holiday, with the specific number of hours to be agreed between the parties.

Part-Time Employees

Part-time employees are entitled to public holiday pay on a pro-rated basis. The pro-ration is calculated based on the employee’s agreed working hours as a proportion of a full-time employee’s hours. For example, an employee working three days per week is entitled to three-fifths of the full public holiday entitlement. If a public holiday falls on a day they are not normally scheduled to work, they receive a pro-rated payment instead of a day off.

Hari Raya Puasa Date: A Planning Note

The date of Hari Raya Puasa (10 March 2027 as published by MOM) is based on the Islamic lunar calendar and is subject to confirmation through the moon sighting on the 29th day of Ramadan. The published date may shift by one day if the moon is sighted a day earlier or later than expected. MOM confirms the official date through a gazette notification once the sighting is confirmed, typically one to two days before the holiday. HR systems and roster schedules should be built with this one-day uncertainty in mind.

Similarly, Hari Raya Haji (17 May 2027) is subject to the same moon-sighting confirmation process. MOM’s published dates are the best available planning reference, but the formal gazette confirmation is the authoritative date for payroll and leave-management purposes.

HR System and Payroll Updates: What to Do Before August 2026

Updating your payroll and HR systems with the 2027 public holiday schedule sooner rather than later avoids errors in leave accrual calculations, overtime processing, and public holiday pay runs. Specifically:

1. Load the full 11-holiday schedule into your HRIS. Include the substitute Monday (8 February) and the Saturday in-lieu days (5 February, 30 April, 24 December) as non-working days, reflecting your company’s in-lieu policy.
2. Update shift and roster templates. Operations teams planning Q1 and Q2 2027 rosters should account for the dense holiday cluster in February–May 2027 (five public holidays in approximately 16 weeks).
3. Review payroll processing rules for Saturday holidays. If your payroll software does not automatically generate in-lieu days for Saturday public holidays, manual configuration may be required.
4. Communicate the schedule to employees early. Proactive communication — ideally before the end of Q3 2026 — reduces ad hoc leave requests around the long weekends and supports more orderly workforce planning.

For the broader MOM compliance calendar for 2026 and forward planning into 2027, our MOM HR Compliance Calendar 2026 provides a month-by-month framework for Singapore employers.

Foreign Employees: Public Holiday Entitlement

Employment Pass, S Pass, and Work Permit holders employed in Singapore are covered by the Employment Act to the same extent as Singapore citizens and PRs. Their public holiday entitlement is identical — 11 paid public holidays per year, with the same pay rules applying if they work on a holiday. There is no differential treatment based on nationality or pass type. For foreign employees on variable or project-based contracts, employers should confirm that the contract terms explicitly address public holiday pay to avoid disputes.

For guidance on managing Employment Pass holders’ overall compliance obligations, our Singapore Employment Pass Guide 2026 covers the key rules. For S Pass holders specifically, the Singapore S Pass Guide 2026 addresses the Employment Act obligations relevant to that pass category.

Get Support with MOM Compliance

Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790). We assist employers with work pass applications, Employment Act compliance, and HR policy reviews. For corporate secretarial, payroll processing, and broader employment law support, our sister brand Raffles Corporate Services provides integrated employer services.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

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This guide sets out what SWDA is, what it oversees, what changes for employers, and what — for now — stays the same.

What Is the SWDA Singapore?

The Skills and Workforce Development Agency is a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), jointly overseen with the Ministry of Education (MOE). Its mandate is to strengthen skills development, support career transitions, and connect Singaporeans with good jobs. SWDA formally came into existence on 1 July 2026 through the passage of the SWDA Bill in Parliament in May 2026.

MOM appointed the inaugural SWDA Board on 24 June 2026. The board is chaired by Mr Lim Sim Seng, Deputy Chairman of SIA Engineering and former DBS Singapore Country Head, and comprises 11 members drawn from government, industry, and the labour movement, including representatives from the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Temasek International, Deloitte Singapore, and Keppel. Dilys Boey was named incoming CEO of SWDA. The board’s first term runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028.

The new agency’s website is at swda.gov.sg. During the transition period, SkillsFuture and WSG programme portals remain accessible through their existing URLs while the consolidation is completed.

What SWDA Employers Need to Know: Programmes and Grants Now Under One Roof

SWDA consolidates the key employer-facing programmes that were previously split between SSG and WSG. As at 10 July 2026, the programmes and schemes now under SWDA’s remit include:

• Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs): Structured reskilling programmes that fund salary support and training costs when employers place candidates into new roles. CCPs cover more than 100 job roles across sectors including financial services, logistics, retail, and information and communications technology.
• SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC): A one-time credit of up to SGD 10,000 per enterprise (available to eligible employers who have not previously claimed it) for workforce upskilling and business transformation initiatives.
• SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant — Job Redesign+ (WDG): Introduced in 2025 and administered by SWDA, this grant provides funding support of up to 70% of qualifying costs — capped at SGD 150,000 per enterprise, with higher support for SMEs — for workforce transformation and job redesign projects.
• Workfare Skills Support (WSS): Subsidises training for lower-wage workers, with higher co-funding rates for Singaporean employees earning below the prevailing wage threshold.
• SkillsFuture Credits: Individual credits for Singaporean workers to offset training fees at approved providers; administered by SWDA on behalf of individual workers but relevant to employers whose training programmes are on the approved list.
• GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT): Provides fresh graduates with structured industry traineeships as an alternative entry point into the workforce; applications open for the 2026 graduating cohort through MyCareersFuture and Careers@Gov.

The Singapore Government’s Q1 2026 Labour Market Report noted that SWDA’s predecessor agencies were already providing employer support through Career Conversion Programmes and the Workforce Development Grant. Those programmes continue uninterrupted under the new banner. For the implications of Q1 2026 employment trends on your hiring strategy, see our EP directorship rules guide and our MOM compliance resources.

What Changes for Employers

In practical terms, the immediate changes for employers are administrative rather than substantive. The structural consolidation means:

Single Point of Contact

Employers who previously dealt with both SSG (for training grants) and WSG (for job placement and Career Conversion Programmes) now have a single agency. In time, this should translate to a unified employer portal, a consolidated grant assessment process, and clearer lines of accountability when programme queries arise. MOM has indicated that the full portal integration will roll out progressively — employers should expect interim periods where they are directed to the legacy SSG or WSG portals for specific grant claims.

No Disruption to Existing Grant Commitments

Employers with active SSG or WSG grant approvals — whether a running CCP cohort, an approved SFEC drawdown, or an ongoing WDG project — do not need to take any action. All existing commitments carry over to SWDA on the same terms. Grant disbursements, programme timelines, and eligible training providers remain unchanged.

Updated Agency Contacts

HR and L&D teams that have named SSG or WSG relationship managers in their internal grant-tracking systems should update those records to reference SWDA. Email domains and hotline numbers will transition progressively; SWDA is expected to publish a full migration schedule on swda.gov.sg.

What Stays the Same

The consolidation is a structural reorganisation, not a policy reset. The following remain unchanged as at the date of publication:

• Approved training providers and their accreditations under SSG do not change.
• Sector-specific SkillsFuture frameworks (financial services, logistics, precision engineering, etc.) remain in force.
• CPD requirements for regulated roles (e.g. MAS-licensed representatives under the Financial Advisers Act) are administered by the relevant sector regulators, not by SWDA.
• The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices — relevant to employers’ local-versus-foreign hiring obligations under COMPASS — are enforced by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), which is separate from SWDA.

For employers navigating the broader MOM compliance landscape — pass quotas, levy obligations, IR21 tax clearance, and renewal deadlines — our MOM Compliance Calendar 2026 provides a month-by-month HR planning framework.

Why This Matters for Foreign Hiring Decisions

The SWDA merger is directly relevant to employers who hire foreign professionals under the Employment Pass or S Pass, because SWDA now controls the CCP funding that can offset the cost of onboarding local replacements or co-hiring local staff alongside foreign hires. Under the COMPASS framework — MOM’s points-based assessment system for EP applications — employers earn points for their ratio of local to foreign PMET staff. A CCP-funded hire of a Singapore resident in a PMET role directly improves an employer’s COMPASS score at the next EP renewal cycle.

Employers who have not yet explored CCP eligibility for their sector should note that SWDA has expanded coverage in 2026 to include roles in sustainability, advanced manufacturing, and digital operations — areas where EP applications are increasingly common. Our guide on the COMPASS Framework for EP applications explains how local hiring ratios affect your pass approval rates.

For employers sponsoring Employment Pass holders who also hold positions on related company boards, the interaction between pass compliance and corporate governance requirements is covered in our guide on EP holder secondary directorship rules.

Action Items for Employers in July 2026

There is no immediate regulatory action required in response to the SWDA launch. However, the following steps are sensible for HR and finance teams:

1. Update internal grant-tracking records. Replace SSG and WSG references with SWDA. Monitor swda.gov.sg for the unified contact directory once published.
2. Check whether your business is eligible for the SFEC. Employers who have not yet claimed the one-time SGD 10,000 SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit should verify eligibility and submit before any credit expiry deadline that SWDA announces.
3. Explore the Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+). If your business is undergoing workflow redesign, automation, or cross-training in preparation for headcount changes, the WDG’s 70% co-funding (capped at SGD 150,000) is worth assessing before the 2026 application round closes.
4. Review CCP eligibility for roles where you plan to hire or retrain. SWDA has retained all existing CCP pathways and may announce new sector tracks in H2 2026.

Get Support with Work Pass and Workforce Compliance

Singapore Employment Agency is the consumer brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790). We assist employers with Employment Pass and S Pass applications, COMPASS strategy, and MOM compliance planning. For broader corporate support including incorporation, company secretarial services, and grant access through Enterprise Singapore, our sister brand Raffles Corporate Services provides end-to-end business advisory services.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

The post SWDA Singapore: What Employers Need to Know (2026) appeared first on Singapore Employment Agency.

This article sets out the full 2027 Singapore public holiday list, explains the Employment Act rules on entitlement, pay, and substitution days, and flags the planning pitfalls most likely to catch employers off guard.

Singapore Public Holidays 2027: The Official List

Per the Ministry of Manpower’s press release of 18 June 2026, the 11 gazetted public holidays for 2027 are as follows:

Important note on Hari Raya dates: The dates of Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji are based on the Islamic lunar calendar and are subject to confirmation by moon sighting closer to the relevant month. The dates above reflect current projections and may shift by one day. Employers should confirm these dates via the MOM public holidays page as each date approaches.

The Substitution Day Rule: Chinese New Year 2027

In 2027, Chinese New Year falls on Saturday 6 February (Day 1) and Sunday 7 February (Day 2). Because both days fall on the weekend — and MOM has confirmed that Monday 8 February 2027 will be a public holiday — employers need to handle this carefully.

Under the Employment Act, when a gazetted public holiday falls on a rest day (typically Sunday for five-day-week employees), the next working day becomes a public holiday in substitution. MOM’s press release confirms that Monday 8 February 2027 is gazetted as a public holiday for this reason. This means employees who would normally work on Monday 8 February are entitled to a paid day off, and those required to work on that day are entitled to public holiday premium pay.

Employers running Monday-to-Friday operations should programme this into their leave and payroll systems well before the date. The practical effect is that Chinese New Year in 2027 creates a 4-day weekend for most office workers (Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 February, with many employers granting leave on the Tuesday as well).

Labour Day (1 May 2027, Saturday) and Christmas Day (25 December 2027, Saturday) also fall on weekends. MOM will confirm substitution arrangements for these holidays in due course; employers should monitor the MOM public holidays page for formal gazette notifications. Historically, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday (which is a rest day for five-day-week employees), a substitution day is granted on the following Monday.

Employer Obligations Under the Employment Act

The Employment Act (Cap. 91A) entitles all employees covered by the Act to eleven paid public holidays per year. As at 9 July 2026, the key obligations employers must meet are:

Paid Day Off

Employees are entitled to a paid day off on each public holiday. The employer cannot require an employee to work on a public holiday without compensating them appropriately — simply giving time-off-in-lieu at a later date without additional pay is not compliant.

Public Holiday Pay for Employees Required to Work

Employees who are required to work on a public holiday are entitled to:

• Their gross rate of pay for the day (i.e., the normal day’s pay), plus
• An extra day’s salary at their basic rate of pay.

This effectively means the employee receives approximately two days’ pay for working one day during a public holiday. This is a mandatory statutory entitlement — it cannot be contracted out of, waived, or replaced by a blanket “you agreed to work public holidays” clause in an employment contract.

Time-Off-In-Lieu Option (Specific Groups Only)

For three specific groups, employers have the option (with mutual agreement) to grant time-off-in-lieu instead of the extra day’s pay:

• Workmen earning more than S$4,500 per month
• Non-workmen earning more than S$2,600 per month
• All Managers and Executives

Outside these groups, time-off-in-lieu is not a permissible substitute for the statutory additional pay. Employers who apply time-off-in-lieu to employees below these thresholds — particularly lower-wage workers — may be in breach of the Employment Act.

Substitution by Mutual Agreement

Employers and employees may mutually agree to substitute a gazetted public holiday for another working day. This must be genuinely mutual — an employer cannot unilaterally designate a different day as the substitute. The agreement should be documented in writing, ideally in the employment contract or a separate letter of agreement, to avoid disputes.

Part-Time and Shift Workers: Pro-Rated Entitlements

Part-time employees are entitled to public holidays on a pro-rated basis, calculated according to the hours they work relative to a full-time employee. If a public holiday falls on a day when the part-time employee would not normally work, they are entitled to a pro-rated day’s pay in lieu. Shift workers whose schedules span multiple days may work on a public holiday without it being their “public holiday” in the traditional sense — employers should check individual rosters against the Employment Act’s definitions of rest days and public holidays to ensure correct treatment.

For the treatment of foreign employees on Employment Passes and S Passes, the public holiday entitlements under the Employment Act apply in the same way as for local employees — there is no distinction based on nationality or pass type. For HR teams managing compliance across both local and foreign headcount, the Singapore HR MOM compliance calendar provides a useful overview of the full regulatory year. Similarly, employers should be aware of the retirement age changes effective July 2026 when planning headcount and contracts for 2027.

Long Weekends in 2027: What HR Planners Need to Know

Beyond the substitution-day question, 2027 offers several natural long weekends that HR teams can anticipate when managing leave balances and operational cover:

HR departments in client-facing businesses should plan operational staffing well in advance of the three mid-week public holidays (Hari Raya Puasa, Vesak Day, Deepavali) and the two extended long-weekend clusters (Chinese New Year and Good Friday). Rostering software and payroll systems should be updated to reflect the substitution days as soon as MOM formally gazetted them.

Practical Steps for Employers Before Year-End 2026

To avoid compliance issues and operational disruption in 2027, HR teams should complete the following before 31 December 2026:

• Update payroll systems: Ensure that Monday 8 February 2027 is flagged as a gazetted public holiday, and that Labour Day (1 May) and Christmas Day (25 December) carry placeholder flags pending MOM’s gazette notification for substitution days.
• Review leave management software: Calendar integrations in HRMS platforms often auto-populate based on fixed-date rules. Confirm that the platform has been updated to reflect MOM’s confirmed 2027 calendar, not a generic or extrapolated list.
• Update employment contracts: If your contracts reference specific public holiday dates or lists, ensure they do not inadvertently conflict with the 2027 gazette. Contracts that reference “public holidays as gazetted by MOM from time to time” do not require amendment.
• Brief line managers: Ensure that managers approving leave requests in Q1 2027 (particularly around the Chinese New Year cluster) are aware of the Monday 8 February substitution day and the correct payroll treatment for employees who work on that date.
• Confirm Hari Raya dates: Once the Islamic calendar dates are confirmed closer to March 2027, update your systems and communicate to staff as early as possible — particularly in businesses with significant Muslim employee populations where operational planning around these dates is culturally important.

If you need support structuring employment contracts, managing payroll compliance across local and foreign staff, or ensuring your HR policies align with Employment Act requirements, Singapore Employment Agency provides licensed employment and HR compliance advisory services. For payroll outsourcing, company secretarial, and workforce compliance support, Raffles Corporate Services works alongside LBEA to deliver integrated employer solutions. For a comprehensive view of all HR compliance milestones across the year, refer to the shared parental leave update for 2026 and the wider MOM compliance calendar.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

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This article explains the SWDA’s remit, what the merger means for employer-facing programmes, and what action (if any) Singapore employers need to take right now.

What Is the SWDA and Why Was It Created?

The Skills and Workforce Development Agency was proposed as part of Singapore’s Budget 2026 as a structural response to the increasing overlap between skills development (previously SSG’s domain) and workforce deployment (previously WSG’s domain). The two functions — training workers with new skills and placing them in roles that need those skills — are closely interdependent, and managing them across two separate agencies created friction in delivery, especially for employers managing Career Conversion Programmes or applying for training grants.

By merging SSG and WSG into a single statutory board, the Singapore government aims to create a more seamless experience for employers and workers: one point of contact, aligned programme design, and better data integration between what workers are trained for and what the labour market actually needs. Per the MOM press release of 24 June 2026, the SWDA’s inaugural board will serve a two-year term from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028.

For broader context on Singapore’s labour market and how tight employment conditions affect hiring decisions, see the 2026 Singapore HR MOM compliance calendar maintained by Singapore Employment Agency.

Leadership: Who Is Running the SWDA?

The SWDA’s inaugural board was announced on 24 June 2026 and comprises 13 members drawn from government, business, the labour movement, and industry.

Chairman: Lim Sim Seng, who previously served as Deputy Chairman of SIA Engineering and as Group Head of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management at DBS Bank. He brings deep experience in both financial services and large-scale human capital management.

Chief Executive: Dilys Boey, incoming Chief Executive of the SWDA, will lead the day-to-day operations of the merged agency.

Board members include senior representatives from the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Manpower, Temasek International, and private sector leaders spanning finance, insurance, and technology. The breadth of the board reflects the SWDA’s mandate: workforce development is not simply a training function, but an economic strategy.

What Programmes Does SWDA Now Oversee?

The SWDA has inherited the full portfolio of both predecessor agencies. As at 1 July 2026, this includes:

From SkillsFuture Singapore

• SkillsFuture Credits — the individual credit accounts that Singapore citizens can use to fund approved courses
• SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC) — the S$10,000 credit for eligible employers to defray costs of business transformation and employee training
• SkillsFuture Series — curated programmes in priority skills areas including digital, green economy, and care sectors
• Approved Training Providers (ATPs) — the registry of accredited providers whose courses qualify for SkillsFuture subsidies
• CET (Continuing Education and Training) subsidies for adult learners

From Workforce Singapore

• Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) — place-and-train and attach-and-train schemes that help mid-career workers transition into new roles, with substantial salary support for employers
• Workfare Skills Support (WSS) — training subsidies for lower-wage workers
• Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign) — funding support for employers restructuring jobs to enhance productivity
• P-Max and other programmes linking PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) with SME employers
• Employment facilitation services — job matching via Workforce Singapore’s career centres and Careers@Gov portal

The Skills Development Levy (SDL) — the mandatory 0.25% levy on all employees’ gross wages that funds SkillsFuture programmes — continues unchanged. Employers should note that SDL collection, reporting, and use of SDL-funded benefits are now administered under the SWDA umbrella. For a full explanation of SDL obligations, see what employers need to know about the Skills Development Levy.

What Changes for Employers on 1 July 2026?

The honest answer for most employers is: very little changes immediately. The SWDA is a structural merger at the agency level, not an overhaul of grant eligibility rules, programme content, or employer obligations. The key immediate changes are:

• Branding: Communications from SSG and WSG will progressively transition to SWDA branding. Grant letters, CCP approval notices, and training provider accreditation documents will be reissued under the SWDA name over the coming months.
• Single point of contact: Over time, employer enquiries previously handled by separate SSG and WSG teams will be consolidated into a unified SWDA interface. The agency’s website is at swda.gov.sg.
• Grant applications: Existing applications in progress with SSG or WSG are being processed without disruption. Employers who have active CCP arrangements or SFEC claims should continue to submit documentation as instructed by their programme manager — the agency transition does not reset timelines or require re-applications.

What does not change: grant eligibility rules, approved training provider lists, employer obligations under the SDL, CCP salary-support ratios, or the SFEC quantum. These are policy settings, not structural ones, and the SWDA has inherited them intact.

What Changes Are Coming (But Not Yet Live)?

Over the SWDA’s first two-year term, employers should expect the following:

• Unified employer portal: A single application interface for grants previously spanning multiple SSG and WSG portals. This is expected to reduce duplication and improve tracking for employers running multiple programmes simultaneously.
• Integrated programme design: CCPs and training subsidies may be co-designed more deliberately around specific sector hiring needs, with the SWDA able to align both the training (SSG legacy) and the placement (WSG legacy) dimensions from a single strategic seat.
• Refined grant eligibility: As the SWDA reviews its inherited programme portfolio, some grants may be consolidated, renamed, or have their eligibility criteria adjusted. Employers should track SWDA communications, particularly in H2 2026 and into 2027.

For employers who rely on CCPs to hire mid-career workers — which provides up to 90% salary support during training for eligible hires — staying alert to any SWDA updates on CCP eligibility sectors and salary-support levels is prudent. The local qualifying salary increase to S$1,800 from 1 July 2026 is one example of how workforce policies evolve in a coordinated way.

SWDA and the Fair Consideration Framework: The Connection

The SWDA’s workforce-placement mandate intersects with the Ministry of Manpower’s Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), which requires employers to consider Singaporeans fairly before hiring foreign professionals on Employment Passes. The FCF’s 14-day job advertisement requirement on MyCareersFuture is designed to surface local candidates before an EP application is lodged. The SWDA’s career facilitation services — which include career coaching, sector-specific matching, and career transition support for locals — will continue to be the mechanism through which Singaporeans access these positions.

For EP-hiring employers, this means the SWDA’s effectiveness at preparing local candidates for roles directly affects the pool of Singaporean applicants you are expected to consider. Employers should be aware that MOM’s scrutiny of COMPASS Fair Consideration scores is unlikely to soften as the SWDA matures. For a detailed explanation of how COMPASS scoring works and how local-hire efforts are evaluated, the COMPASS framework guide remains essential reading.

What HR Teams Should Do Now

Given that the immediate operational change is minimal, the SWDA transition does not require urgent action from most employers. However, a few housekeeping steps are worth taking before the end of Q3 2026:

• Update internal contacts: If your HR or L&D team has named SSG or WSG programme managers as contacts in your grant-tracking systems, note that these will transition to SWDA contacts. Update email distribution lists and point of contact records as new SWDA communications are received.
• Review active grants: Confirm the status of any in-flight SFEC claims, CCP arrangements, or Workforce Development Grant applications. Ensure all supporting documentation has been submitted and timelines are on track — the agency transition is not a reason to delay submissions.
• Monitor SWDA announcements: Subscribe to updates at swda.gov.sg and MOM’s newsroom for any programme changes announced by the new board in its first six months of operation.
• Plan training budgets with SFEC in mind: If your company has not yet applied for the S$10,000 SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit, and you are eligible (most Singapore-registered employers paying SDL are), this is a useful time to identify qualifying training and transformation activities before the credit expires.

For foreign-workforce strategy and how SWDA’s career facilitation services affect your ability to hire Employment Pass holders in an increasingly scrutinised environment, Singapore Employment Agency offers licensed advisory services for both employers and foreign professionals navigating Singapore’s work-pass landscape. For corporate services including company setup, compliance, and payroll outsourcing, Raffles Corporate Services provides integrated support for employers managing both local and foreign headcount.

— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency

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