SINGAPORE: There is scope for some flexibility to be granted in order to help companies bring in the foreign talent that they need, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say assured the business community on Friday (Mar 9).
Some leeway may be granted to companies looking to hire foreign workers whose salaries fall below the minimum required for an Employment Pass, he said at a post-Budget dialogue session organised by the Singapore National Employers Federation.
“I want to assure you that notwithstanding all this refinement to our foreign manpower policy, our door remains open to foreign professionals,” said Mr Lim.
This flexibility, however, will apply only to companies that are compliant with the Fair Consideration Framework, he said.
This means that they cannot be on the Fair Consideration Framework’s watch list for unfairly favouring foreigners in their hiring or have violated job advertisement requirements.
Mr Lim also said that the skills possessed by the talent a company plans to hire must be in demand globally, as well as in shortage locally.
AdvertisementAdvertisementFinally, the job in question must contribute to industry transformation and growth - such as in the areas of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data analytics.
This is in line with efforts by the Government to transform the Singapore economy, bearing in mind that these flexible hiring arrangements may be on a short-term basis and will have to increase the overall productivity of the company, said a Ministry of Manpower spokesperson.
The Manpower Ministry suggested that companies consult organisations such as the Economic Development Board or National Research Foundation when seeking flexibility in the hiring of foreign workers.
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