Employment Pass Jobs in Singapore

What an Employment Pass job is, and what it is not

An Employment Pass (EP) is a Ministry of Manpower work pass for foreign professionals, managers, and executives who have a job offer in Singapore and who meet MOM’s eligibility framework. It is not a job title, not a visa you apply for in isolation from an employer, and not a promise that any professional role will be sponsored. The employer (or an authorised employment agent) submits the application. The candidate must meet the qualifying salary for their age and sector. Unless exempt, the application must also score at least 40 points under COMPASS, MOM’s Complementarity Assessment Framework.

This article is the detailed EP guide on JobVacancySG. It quotes current qualifying-salary floors as MOM policy, sets out the official age-based ranges, explains COMPASS in plain language without inventing sector-by-sector dollar benchmarks for the C1 criterion, covers the $22,500 COMPASS exemption, the Fair Consideration Framework 14-day advertising rule, and the changes that apply to new applications from 1 January 2027. Rules change. Re-check MOM before you make a life decision on a number you read here.

If you are comparing pass types, read the companion S Pass jobs in Singapore article. If you are an employer designing a hire, use how employers can hire the right talent in Singapore. Jobseekers can browse live vacancies on the jobs board, jobs in Singapore, and full-time roles while they learn the pass rules.

Check the official source. Every salary floor, COMPASS threshold, and advertising rule in this article is MOM policy as summarised for readers on 23 August 2026. Confirm the live figures on the Employment Pass eligibility page before you accept an offer or file an application.

The two-stage test: qualifying salary, then COMPASS

MOM describes EP eligibility as a two-stage framework.

Stage 1. The candidate must earn at least the EP qualifying salary. That salary is benchmarked to the top one-third of local PMET salaries by age. If Stage 1 is not met, the candidate is not eligible for an EP, no matter how many COMPASS points the rest of the profile might have scored.

Stage 2. Unless the application is exempt from COMPASS, it must earn 40 points on COMPASS.

Employers must also meet the Fair Consideration Framework job-advertising requirement before submitting a new EP application, unless an exemption applies. Advertising is not a substitute for Stage 1 or Stage 2. It is a separate duty to consider the workforce in Singapore fairly.

Citizens and permanent residents do not need an EP. Permanent residence is a separate ICA process. If you are exploring longer-term status, start from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and do not treat an EP approval as an automatic path to PR.

Current qualifying salaries: official age-based ranges

MOM publishes qualifying salaries that rise with age from 23 to 45. Financial services uses a higher schedule than other sectors. The figures below are the official current schedule for new applications before 1 January 2027 and for renewals of passes expiring before 1 January 2028. They are policy floors, not recommended market offers, and not JobVacancySG estimates.

All sectors except financial services (current)

The range runs from $5,600 at age 23 or below to $10,700 at age 45 and above. Year by year, MOM’s published current qualifying salaries are:

• Age 23 or below: $5,600
• Age 24: $5,832
• Age 25: $6,064
• Age 26: $6,295
• Age 27: $6,527
• Age 28: $6,759
• Age 29: $6,991
• Age 30: $7,223
• Age 31: $7,455
• Age 32: $7,686
• Age 33: $7,918
• Age 34: $8,150
• Age 35: $8,382
• Age 36: $8,614
• Age 37: $8,845
• Age 38: $9,077
• Age 39: $9,309
• Age 40: $9,541
• Age 41: $9,773
• Age 42: $10,005
• Age 43: $10,236
• Age 44: $10,468
• Age 45 or above: $10,700

Financial services (current)

Financial services starts higher: $6,200 at age 23 or below, up to $11,800 at age 45 and above. MOM’s published current figures are:

• Age 23 or below: $6,200
• Age 24: $6,455
• Age 25: $6,709
• Age 26: $6,964
• Age 27: $7,218
• Age 28: $7,473
• Age 29: $7,727
• Age 30: $7,982
• Age 31: $8,236
• Age 32: $8,491
• Age 33: $8,745
• Age 34: $9,000
• Age 35: $9,255
• Age 36: $9,509
• Age 37: $9,764
• Age 38: $10,018
• Age 39: $10,273
• Age 40: $10,527
• Age 41: $10,782
• Age 42: $11,036
• Age 43: $11,291
• Age 44: $11,545
• Age 45 or above: $11,800

If you work in a bank, insurer, or another employer MOM classifies as financial services, do not use the general-sector column. A 30-year-old candidate in financial services faces a current floor of $7,982, not $7,223. Employers should confirm sector classification in MOM’s tools rather than guessing from the marketing name of the company.

The number that matters is the fixed monthly salary used in the application. A discretionary bonus is not a substitute for a qualifying fixed salary. This site does not invent bonus multiples and present them as official.

Check the official source. If your age or the employer’s sector is even slightly unclear, use MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool and the live table on the eligibility page. Do not interpolate a figure that is not on MOM’s list.

From 1 January 2027: new-application floors rise again

MOM has already published the next step-up. It applies to new applications from 1 January 2027 and to renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028.

All sectors except financial services (from 1 January 2027, new applications)

• Age 23 or below: $6,000
• Age 24: $6,250
• Age 25: $6,500
• Age 26: $6,750
• Age 27: $7,000
• Age 28: $7,250
• Age 29: $7,500
• Age 30: $7,750
• Age 31: $8,000
• Age 32: $8,250
• Age 33: $8,500
• Age 34: $8,750
• Age 35: $9,000
• Age 36: $9,250
• Age 37: $9,500
• Age 38: $9,750
• Age 39: $10,000
• Age 40: $10,250
• Age 41: $10,500
• Age 42: $10,750
• Age 43: $11,000
• Age 44: $11,250
• Age 45 or above: $11,500

Financial services (from 1 January 2027, new applications)

• Age 23 or below: $6,600
• Age 24: $6,877
• Age 25: $7,155
• Age 26: $7,432
• Age 27: $7,709
• Age 28: $7,986
• Age 29: $8,264
• Age 30: $8,541
• Age 31: $8,818
• Age 32: $9,095
• Age 33: $9,373
• Age 34: $9,650
• Age 35: $9,927
• Age 36: $10,205
• Age 37: $10,482
• Age 38: $10,759
• Age 39: $11,036
• Age 40: $11,314
• Age 41: $11,591
• Age 42: $11,868
• Age 43: $12,145
• Age 44: $12,423
• Age 45 or above: $12,700

If you are planning a 2027 start date, budget against the 2027 column now. An offer that only just clears the current floor may fail Stage 1 after the change. Renewals have their own transition dates; read MOM’s wording for the expiry date that applies to the pass you hold.

COMPASS: 40 points to pass, unless you are exempt

COMPASS is a points framework with four foundational criteria and two bonus criteria. An application needs 40 points to pass. MOM’s own case studies show that many applications pass with 10 points on each foundational criterion. You can also pass with a weaker score on one criterion if another criterion or a bonus makes up the gap. You cannot skip Stage 1 by scoring well on COMPASS.

Employers and employment agents should run MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before they promise a candidate that an EP “should be fine”. Candidates can ask whether that tool has been used. Neither JobVacancySG nor a recruiter’s confidence is a substitute for SAT.

C1 — Salary (compared with local PMETs in the sector, by age)

C1 is not the same as the EP qualifying salary. The qualifying salary is the minimum bar for Stage 1. C1 then compares the candidate’s fixed monthly salary with salary benchmarks for local PMETs in the employer’s sector and the candidate’s age group, and awards points by percentile band:

• 90th percentile and above: 20 points
• 65th percentile to less than 90th: 10 points
• Below the 65th percentile: 0 points

This article will not invent C1 dollar benchmarks by sector. Those benchmarks are MOM’s, they are updated, and they differ by sector and age. Look them up on MOM’s COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks page and in the Self-Assessment Tool. A salary that clears Stage 1 can still score 0 on C1 if it sits below the 65th percentile benchmark for that sector and age.

C2 — Qualifications

C2 awards points for qualifications. You do not have to submit qualifications if the application does not need C2 points.

• 20 points: degree-equivalent qualifications from institutions MOM treats as top-tier for this criterion, including top 100 universities on the QS World University Rankings and other highly reputed universities in Asia, Singapore’s Autonomous Universities, and institutions highly recognised in a field and endorsed by a relevant agency.
• 10 points: other degree-equivalent qualifications, including foreign qualifications assessed as comparable to a UK bachelor’s degree (MOM refers to international recognition bodies such as UK ENIC), professional qualifications that are well recognised by the industry and endorsed by a relevant sector agency, and certain qualifications awarded by local private education institutions that meet MOM’s rules.
• 0 points: no degree-equivalent qualification. MOM says not to submit those qualifications for points. Candidates can still pass COMPASS by scoring 40 points from other criteria.

If you claim C2 points, MOM requires verification proof with the application. Lists are updated about once a year. Do not assume last year’s institution list is unchanged.

C3 — Diversity

C3 looks at the share of the candidate’s nationality among the organisation’s PMET employees. More points are awarded when that nationality is a smaller share of the firm’s PMET headcount:

• Less than 5%: 20 points
• 5% to less than 25%: 10 points
• 25% or more: 0 points

Nationality, including for permanent residents, is based on the passport nationality in government records. Employers can check the share in the Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal. This criterion is about the employer’s existing mix. It is not an instruction for candidates to put nationality on a public resume, and it is not permission for employers to advertise a preferred race or nationality. Fair hiring still applies. See TAFEP’s Tripartite Guidelines.

MOM’s published examples treat organisations with fewer than 25 PMET employees as scoring a default 10 points on C3. Confirm the current small-firm treatment in SAT rather than assuming a manual workaround.

C4 — Support for local employment

C4 compares the organisation’s local PMET share with other organisations in its sector:

• 50th percentile and above: 20 points
• 20th percentile to less than 50th: 10 points
• Below the 20th percentile: 0 points

MOM also states that if the organisation’s local PMET share is at least 70% (pegged to the 20th percentile of organisations economy-wide), the application scores at least 10 points, even if the firm sits lower inside a sector that already has a high local share. Permanent residents count as part of the local workforce under C4. Small firms with fewer than 25 PMET employees receive a default 10 points on C4 in MOM’s published examples. Again, verify in Workforce Insights and SAT.

C5 — Skills bonus (Shortage Occupation List)

C5 is a bonus for jobs on MOM’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL), with a further distinction based on the candidate’s nationality share among the firm’s PMETs:

• Job on the SOL and the candidate’s nationality is less than one-third of the organisation’s PMETs: 20 points
• Job on the SOL and that nationality share is one-third or more: 10 points

MOM checks job duties, past work, and qualifications or accreditation for the declared occupation. If SOL bonus points were needed to pass COMPASS or to obtain a longer-duration EP, the candidate can only be employed in that shortage occupation, and redeployment needs MOM’s reassessment. If you did not need SOL points to pass, that restriction does not apply in the same way, but you still need to notify MOM of a job change. Read the current SOL employer guide on MOM; this article will not invent a list of shortage job titles.

C6 — Strategic Economic Priorities bonus

C6 awards 10 points when the organisation participates in or meets the criteria for at least one eligible programme that MOM and partner agencies treat as a strategic economic priority. The supporting agency decides. Points can last up to three years or for the duration of participation, whichever is shorter, and renewal depends on continued participation and workforce-profile conditions. Candidates cannot self-award C6. Employers see it in SAT when MOM has recorded it.

Who is exempt from COMPASS

MOM exempts candidates from COMPASS if they meet any of the stated conditions. The conditions you should treat as current policy, and re-confirm on the eligibility page, include:

• A fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500.
• A short-term EP of one month or less.
• Certain intra-corporate transferees, as defined by MOM.

Exemption from COMPASS is not exemption from Stage 1. Unless MOM says otherwise for a specific scheme, the qualifying salary still applies. Exemption is also not a reason to skip fair consideration of candidates already in Singapore.

Check the official source. COMPASS exemptions and programme lists move. Read MOM’s eligibility page and the COMPASS guidebook on the day you file, not the day you first interviewed the candidate.

Fair Consideration Framework: 14 consecutive days on MyCareersFuture

Before a new EP application, employers must advertise the job on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days unless an exemption applies, and they must consider candidates fairly. They should not make a job offer during those 14 days. The point is to give people already in the Singapore workforce time to apply and to be considered on merit.

Exemptions that MOM states for the advertising requirement include, among others, firms with fewer than 10 employees, roles with a fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500, and roles of one month or less. Always read the live Fair Consideration Framework page and the EP-specific consider all candidates fairly page, because exemption wording is official text, not folklore.

Advertising and then ignoring every local applicant is the behaviour MOM has called out. False declarations that all candidates were considered fairly can lead to prosecution under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with MOM stating imprisonment of up to 2 years, or a fine of up to $20,000, or both. Administrative debarment from work-pass privileges can run from 12 months at the minimum MOM has stated for discrimination cases, up to 24 months in more egregious cases, and can cover renewals as well as new applications. Those are MOM’s stated penalties, not this site’s guesses.

FCF does not tell candidates to put nationality, age, race, or a photograph on a resume. TAFEP tells employers not to request those fields on forms. Search and apply on merit through MyCareersFuture, JobVacancySG, and licensed recruiters.

How jobseekers should read an “EP-sponsored” advert

Portals often label roles as “EP welcome” or “will sponsor”. That sentence is a starting claim, not an approval. Work through a short checklist before you resign from a current job or book one-way flights.

1. Is the advertised fixed monthly salary at or above the MOM floor for your age and the employer’s sector? If the advert is silent, ask for the fixed figure in writing.
2. Has the employer allowed for COMPASS, or are they assuming exemption (for example a salary at or above $22,500)?
3. Have they already run or will they run the 14-day MyCareersFuture advertisement if required? You cannot skip that clock by asking them to “just file”.
4. Does the job match a genuine professional scope? COMPASS and MOM reviews look at the role, not only the salary.
5. Are you prepared for processing time, medical or document requests, and the possibility of a rejection even after a verbal offer?

Use a merit-based resume and the advice in how to write a Singapore resume. Prepare interviews with the interview guide. For sector context, see information technology jobs, accounting and finance jobs, and engineering jobs. For pay context that does not invent role tables, use the salary guide.

MOM’s 2025 labour-force findings put median gross monthly income of full-time employed residents at $5,775 and the degree-holder median at $9,038. Those are resident workforce medians, not EP offer bands. An EP qualifying salary can sit above or below a given person’s market offer; it is a pass rule, not a wage atlas. SingStat’s household median income is a household figure and is the wrong tool for an individual EP conversation.

What employers should budget beyond the headline salary

The cost of an EP hire is the salary, the internal time to advertise and consider candidates, agency fees if you use an agent, document verification for C2 if you need those points, and the risk of delay if SAT was skipped. There is no S Pass-style monthly levy on the EP, which is one reason people compare EP and S Pass carelessly. The EP has a higher salary bar and COMPASS. The S Pass has a $650 monthly levy under current rules and a quota. Read both articles before you choose a pass to chase.

Do not design the hire by nationality, age band, or photograph. Design it by the work. Then check whether the person you want can meet Stage 1 and Stage 2. If they cannot, do not ask them to accept a lower fixed salary and “make it up in bonus”. That structure fails the pass and misleads the candidate.

Keep interview notes for at least a year, as TAFEP advises. If MOM later asks how you considered candidates after the MyCareersFuture advert, you will need a file, not a memory.

Related programmes you should not confuse with the standard EP

MOM mentions that fast-growing tech companies newly expanding to Singapore and the region may be eligible for the Tech@SG Programme. That is a specific scheme with its own criteria. Read MOM and the Economic Development Board; do not assume every software role qualifies.

Tech.Pass is an EDB pass, not the standard EP. EDB states a last-drawn salary criterion of $22,500. New and renewal Tech.Pass applications stop from 28 January 2027, and MOM has said it will introduce ONE Pass for AI and tech. Always read the EDB Tech.Pass page rather than treating Tech.Pass as a permanent alternative to EP.

Intra-corporate transferees and short-term assignments have their own MOM definitions. If a global mobility team tells you that COMPASS does not apply, ask them to show the exemption category in SAT.

A practical four-week plan for candidates who need an EP

Week 1. Confirm your age band and whether the target employers are likely to sit in financial services or the general schedule. Read MOM’s live table. Rewrite your resume without photos and without personal fields TAFEP tells employers not to request. Create saved searches on MyCareersFuture and on jobs by industry.

Week 2. Apply only to roles whose advertised fixed pay can meet Stage 1. Ask recruiters to state fixed monthly salary, not “package”. Collect qualification documents and, if you will need C2 points, find out what verification proof MOM currently accepts.

Week 3. In interviews, discuss scope and fixed pay. Ask whether the employer has used SAT and whether FCF advertising is already running or still to start. Do not agree to start dates that ignore the 14-day advertising window.

Week 4. If an offer is serious, get the fixed salary in writing. Ask the employer to complete SAT. Keep applying until the IPA (in-principle approval) exists. Use your dashboard so one slow process does not freeze your search. Skills upgrading via SkillsFuture can support C2-adjacent professional evidence over time; it does not replace Stage 1.

Documents, family, and staying legal after approval

MOM will set out the documents for the application and for issuing the pass. Follow that list. Do not invent a “standard EP document checklist” from social media. After approval, the pass is tied to the employer and the job as MOM approved it. Changing employer or role is a new process. Working for a second employer on the side is not a casual extra; read MOM’s rules for the pass you hold.

Family eligibility, Dependant’s Pass, and Long-Term Visit Pass have their own salary and relationship tests. This article will not invent a dependant threshold for EP holders. Check MOM’s family pages for the pass you hold. ICA handles immigration matters that sit outside the work pass. For S Pass dependants, MOM states a $6,000 fixed monthly salary threshold; that is an S Pass rule, covered in the S Pass article, and you should not assume the same number applies to every EP situation without reading MOM.

Keep your pass valid. Employers should not ask you to start work before the pass allows it. Candidates should not enter on a social visit and begin work. If you are unsure, ask MOM or a licensed adviser, not a group chat.

EP roles have addresses, not only salary floors

Many EP-sponsored professional seats sit in the Downtown Core and around Raffles Place MRT. Tech sponsors often hire in one-north. Shared services and operations can appear in Tampines or near Tampines MRT and Bedok MRT. Search live work on companies, jobs by industry, and jobs by skill, including Python jobs where that is the work.

Keep right-to-work facts off the resume header and on the profile fields that are meant for them. A Career Passport should still lead with merit. Register so you can see which applications went to which firm. Employers who will sponsor should read pricing and post a real specification.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current Employment Pass qualifying salary?

It depends on age and sector. For new applications before 1 January 2027, most sectors start at $5,600 at age 23 or below and rise to $10,700 at age 45 and above. Financial services starts at $6,200 and rises to $11,800. The year-by-year official figures are listed in this article and on MOM’s eligibility page. They are policy floors, not suggested offers. Re-check MOM because the schedule changes, including a further increase for new applications from 1 January 2027.

How many COMPASS points do I need, and can a high salary skip COMPASS?

You need 40 points unless you are exempt. A fixed monthly salary of $22,500 or more is one stated exemption. Clearing the ordinary qualifying salary is not an exemption. C1 points depend on sector percentile benchmarks, which this article does not invent in dollars. Use MOM’s C1 page and SAT.

Does the employer have to advertise on MyCareersFuture before filing my EP?

For new applications, yes, for at least 14 consecutive days, unless an exemption applies. Stated examples of exemptions include firms with fewer than 10 employees, salary of at least $22,500, and roles of one month or less. The employer should not offer you the job during those 14 days. Confirm exemptions on MOM’s FCF pages.

If I score well on COMPASS, can I take a salary below the qualifying floor?

No. MOM states that candidates who do not meet Stage 1 are not eligible, regardless of the COMPASS points they would have scored. Do not accept a structure that pushes the missing amount into an unofficial bonus and call it an EP-ready package.

Should I put my nationality and age on my CV to help the EP application?

No. Fair-hiring guidelines tell employers to select on merit and not to request nationality, age, race, religion, marital status, or photographs on application forms. The employer’s work-pass team will collect the data MOM requires inside the official application, not on a public resume.

Where do I check whether a specific offer will pass?

The employer or agent should use MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool. You should read the live eligibility table for your age and sector, the COMPASS pages, and the FCF advertising rules. JobVacancySG can help you find roles and understand the framework. It cannot approve a pass.

Use official tools, then do the job search like everyone else

The EP framework is public so that employers can plan and candidates can avoid magical thinking. Open MOM’s eligibility page, C1 benchmarks, FCF page, and SAT. Open TAFEP if you are designing interviews. Open MyCareersFuture and JobVacancySG jobs if you are looking for work. The pass is a gate. The job is still awarded on evidence. Prepare that evidence, quote floors as MOM policy, and re-check the official source whenever you are about to sign.