Hiring a foreign employee in Singapore can feel a little confusing at first, especially when you’re trying to figure out which work pass to apply for. Should it be an Employment Pass, S Pass or Work Permit? Each pass is meant for different types of roles, salary levels and employees. Getting this right from the start can save you a lot of time and unnecessary back-and-forth.
The Three Passes at a Glance
- Employment Pass (EP): for managerial, executive, or specialised roles. Minimum qualifying salary is currently $5,600 a month in most sectors, and $6,200 in financial services, rising with the candidate’s age. Every EP application also goes through COMPASS, a points-based assessment that looks beyond salary at qualifications, diversity, and workforce mix.
- S Pass: for mid-skilled roles. Minimum qualifying salary is currently $3,300 a month in most sectors, and $3,800 in financial services, also rising with age. S Pass hiring is capped by a sector quota, so a company can only bring in a limited proportion of S Pass holders relative to its total headcount.
- Work Permit: for semi-skilled roles, mainly in construction, manufacturing, marine, process, and services. There is no minimum salary requirement, but hiring is controlled through a sector-specific quota and a monthly foreign worker levy.
These thresholds are reviewed periodically by the Ministry of Manpower, most recently with increases confirmed for 2027. The figures above reflect current rates as of 2026, and it’s worth checking MOM’s Passes and Permits page directly before submitting an application, since salary criteria change with notice.
How to Decide Which One Applies
The starting point is almost always the salary you’re offering and the nature of the role, not personal preference. A candidate earning below S Pass thresholds but working a semi-skilled role likely falls under Work Permit. A candidate with a strong offer and specialised or leadership responsibilities is more likely EP territory, provided the COMPASS assessment also checks out. Getting this wrong at the application stage, rather than catching it early, is one of the most common causes of delay in bringing on a new foreign hire.
Why This Is Worth Getting Right the First Time
A rejected or misfiled work pass application doesn’t just delay a start date, it can mean re-submitting from scratch, renegotiating an offer, or losing a candidate to another employer while the paperwork gets sorted out. For companies without an in-house team that handles this regularly, getting the pass type and documentation right the first time is usually worth more than the time saved by rushing the application.
This step often runs alongside other onboarding checks, such as reference checks and getting a new hire set up on payroll, so it’s worth handling both as one connected process rather than separately.
To find out how Celecti supports employment pass applications alongside recruitment, get in touch with our team.