Singapore work · Working in Singapore
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Working in Singapore
Working in Singapore
Casual work is nearly impossible to come by, as you must have a work permit (WP) or employment pass (EP) to work in Singapore. In practice, receiving either requires that you have a firm job offer and the sponsoring company applies on your behalf; however, highly skilled people can apply for an Employment Pass Eligibility Certificate (EPEC), which allows you to stay in Singapore for a maximum of one year while you look for a job. There is also a Working Holiday Programme for recent university grads who want to live in Singapore for up to 6 months.
Work permits are mostly intended for menial, low-skilled laborers. To be eligible for an employment pass, you would generally need to have a minimum salary of more than $2,500 per month and hold at least a bachelor degree from a reasonably reputable university. There is also an intermediate known as the S pass, which is usually granted to mid-skilled workers who have been promoted to positions of junior leadership such as worksite supervisor, and would require you to have a minimum salary of more than $1,800 per month as well as your employer's recommendation. Employment pass holders as well as S pass holders with a monthly salary of more than $2,500 are allowed to bring in their family members on a dependent pass.
If your employment is terminated, you will get a social visit pass (a visitors visa with no employment rights) which allows you to stay for no longer than 14 days. You can look for another job during this time, but don't overstay your visa, and do not think about working without the right papers, this will result in a short stay in the local prison, with added fines, possibly caning and certain deportation. For more information, contact the Ministry of Manpower .
Once you have been working in Singapore for a year or so with an employment pass or S pass, applying for permanent residence (PR) is fairly straightforward. If granted ? and the rule of thumb is, the higher your salary, the more likely you are to get it ? you can stay in Singapore indefinitely (as long as you can show some income every 5 years) and can change jobs freely.
As one of the most vibrant economies in South-east Asia, and supported by a highly-educated population of locals and foreign talents, Singapore is a natural choice for multi-nationals who wish to have a presence in the region. The government is also highly supportive of entrepreneurship in the country, offering a full 3-year tax exemption on profit for new companies (for the first S$100,000) and having one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world at 17% a year. Even the company incorporation process is done entirely online these days and can be completed as quickly as within a day.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Singapore
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Singapore - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Singapore hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Singapore Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.