SG Announces New Changes For Work Permit Holders
Singapore is in the process of overhauling their work permit framework in an effort to offer employers more flexibility while hiring and retaining talent.
Beginning 1 July 2025, work permit holders will no longer be subject to a maximum employment period. The employment period currently ranges from 14 to 26 years based on skill level, sector, and country of origin.
These new policies align closely with other Asian sources such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau,South Korea, and Taiwan, who already have no restrictions on their period of employment.
The planned changes include raising the maximum employment age from 60 to 63, which aligns with the local retirement age. The age limit for new work permit applicants will also be raised to 61, up from the current 50 for non-Malaysians and 58 for Malaysians.
New changes taking effect in June and July 2025
- no maximum employment period
- Maximum age of work permit raised to 63
- Age limit for new applications raised to 61
- Expanded source countries will include Bhutan, Cambodia and Laos (who are eligible for jobs as cooks, heavy vehicle drivers and manufacturing operators)
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower said that raising the maximum employment age would give employers and firms additional flexibility to help them retain more skilled and experienced workers.
843,400 work permit holders in Singapore
As of June 2024, Singapore had about 843,400 work permit holders, excluding domestic workers. This figure represents an all-time high, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 17 per cent, according to Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.
Dr Tan also addressed concerns brought up during parliament regarding the potential for foreign workers to take jobs from local workers. He mentions that it is possible that without the access to foreigners, the company and its jobs may not even be in Singapore to begin with; encouraging the people to not develop a ‘Singaporean only’ mentality as it deprives the nation of the talent that makes Singapore so enticing for global business.
