The job market is extremely tight. It is very difficult for foreigners to get a job. There are so many foreigners wanting to work in Singapore. Yet there are limited job positions for foreigners. One of the main reasons for this is because for companies in Singapore to hire a semi-skilled to skilled foreigner, there needs to be a certain number of Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents in a company before the company can hire a foreigner. This is called a foreign quota. You will hear companies saying “we don’t have quota to hire foreigners”. This is what it means.
On the average, there should be a few hundred foreigners vying for the same semi-skilled or skilled job. Positions in the accounting and food and beverage line are very limited. For positions in the construction line or for jobs like drivers, the number of foreigners competing for the same job can be even higher. There are no exact statistics but as an employment agency, we receive hundreds, if not thousands of calls, messages, emails and resumes from foreigners looking for jobs in Singapore. In fact, all employment agencies are flooded with queries from people looking for jobs in Singapore.
Therefore, you will need very good recommendation from someone you already know who is working in Singapore for a job.
There is another type of foreigner who can get a valid work pass. The foreigner who is willing to set up a company in Singapore. A foreigner can set up a company in Singapore to do business. He can then apply for a valid work pass, the Employment Pass (EP), to live and work in Singapore to run that business.
For example,
Foreigner A is a very experienced accountant. He would like to start a Singapore registered company that will provide accounting services.
He incorporates the Singapore registered company and then uses the Singapore registered company to apply for an EP.
He provides the relevant documents to show that he is of a certain educational level or that he has the relevant expertise in his particular field. In this case, that field is accountancy.
He received his EP after a month. He can then bring his wife and children into Singapore on Dependant Passes (DP)
Next example,
Foreigner B is very experienced in the construction industry. He would like to start a Singapore registered company that will provide renovation services in Singapore.
He incorporates the Singapore registered company and then uses the Singapore registered company to apply for an EP.
He provides the relevant documents to show that he is an expert in that particular field.
He receives his EP after a month. He can then bring his wife and children into Singapore on Dependant Passes (DP)
In the course of living and working in Singapore, he finds a company that is bigger than him to be a project manager. That company can apply for a valid work pass for him to work in that company as a project manager. Once he gets that new work pass, he can then resign as the director of the Singapore registered company. His EP under that company will be cancelled. He will be issued a new work pass under the new company.
In summary, there are two ways of getting a valid work pass to live and work in Singapore.
- to find a job in Singapore and then get the valid work pass to live and work in Singapore
- to start a company in Singapore and then get a valid work pass to live and work in Singapore
In our experience, method 2 has a higher chance of success. The process for method 2 is about 2 to 3 months.
If you would like to incorporate a Singapore registered company, here is an article that spells out the procedure and cost: https://www.singaporesecretaryservices.com/how-to-set-up-a-singapore-company-a-guide-for-foreigners/
For more information about registering a Singapore company, you can contact +65 85017133 or email [email protected].
Once your Singapore registered company is registered, you can apply for an EP through an employment agency like ours.
Yours sincerely,
The editorial team at Little Big Employment Agency