Extension of Levy Rebates and Waivers for Businesses

The Government will extend the $250 Foreign Worker Levy (FWL) rebate for all Work Permit Holders (WPHs) in the Construction, Marine Shipyard and Process (CMP) sectors. It will also extend the waiver of FWL for all foreign workers, including migrant domestic workers (MDWs), during their entry Stay-Home Notice (SHN) and residential onboarding programme at the Migrant Worker Onboarding Centres (MWOCs).

Extension of $250 FWL rebate for CMP sectors

2 The CMP FWL rebate was introduced in 2020 to help the sectors tide over the challenges caused by COVID-19. It was due to expire in December 2021.

3 As the CMP sectors continue to face significant manpower shortages and increased costs due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the FWL rebate will be extended till March 2022. This will help about 15,000 firms. Employers can consider making use of the FWL rebate to retain existing workers and bring in WPHs from lower-risk countries or regions.

4 The inflow of CMP workers in recent weeks has picked up. The Government will review whether to continue the levy rebate closer to March 2022. We encourage firms to press on with longer-term productivity improvements to become more manpower-lean and resilient against future manpower disruptions. The Government will also continue to work closely with the sectors through the Industry Transformation Maps to transform businesses and reduce their manpower reliance.

Extension of FWL waiver for all migrant workers during period of SHN and residential onboarding programme

5 To help employers manage the costs associated with the border measures and safeguards, the Government waived FWL for all migrant workers (including MDWs) during their entry SHN and residential onboarding programme at the MWOCs. The FWL waiver was due to end in December 2021. This will be extended till December 2022 as safeguards such as SHN and MWOC onboarding remain important to minimise risk of COVID-19 importation.