600 Letter of Consent holders in Singapore meet the current salary criteria for Employment Pass

The prevailing EP and S Pass minimum qualifying salaries are at least S$5,000 and S$3,000 respectively.

Singapore's Minister for Manpower Dr. Tan See Leng has recently addressed a Parliamentary query on the number of workers with a Letter of Consent employed in jobs with a job scope or salary equivalent to Employment Pass (EP) holders, S Pass holders, and Work Permit holders.

For better understanding, since 1 May 2021, Dependant's Pass holders in Singapore have had to obtain a relevant work pass instead of a Letter of Consent (LOC) to work in Singapore. As such, the majority of the LOC holders at present are dependants of Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents who are holding a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) or LTVP-Plus, and working on either an LOC or pre-approved LOC (PLOC).

As at June 2022, the number of LOC holders whose salaries meet the prevailing EP salary criteria was recorded at 600. Meanwhile, there were 2,900 LOC holders whose salaries meet the prevailing S Pass salary criteria (but do not meet the prevailing EP salary criteria). 

Lastly, there were a total of 19,400 LOC holders whose salaries meet neither the prevailing EP nor the S Pass salary criteria.

For clarification, the prevailing EP and S Pass minimum qualifying salaries are at least S$5,000 and S$3,000 respectively, and these increase with age. Meanwhile, there are no salary requirements for Work Permit holders, thus, LOC holders with salaries below prevailing EP and S Pass criteria may include those who are taking up part-time employment. 

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