To employ migrant workers for the manufacturing sector, you will have to meet specific requirements for business activity, worker's source country or region, quota and levy.
These requirements are additional and specific to the manufacturing sector. You should also refer to the general Work Permit conditions and requirements.
Requirements to be classified as manufacturing sector
Your company can be considered to be under the manufacturing sector if it meets all of these requirements:
- Has a valid factory notification or registration.
- Use machinery to manufacture or produce items from raw materials.
- Operates in a designated industrial setting area.
- For food processing companies: Has a valid Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licence to operate a food processing establishment or slaughter-house.
Make sure that your company continues to meet the requirements, or it may get reclassified into a different sector.
- Manufacturing of electronics components
- Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and biological products
- Manufacturing of basic industrial acids and alkalis
- Manufacturing of oil or gas field machinery
- Manufacturing of waxes, polishes and deodorants
- Electroplating, hot-tip galvanising, die-casting and heat treatment
- Semiconductor wafer fabrication plants
- Manufacturing or processing of food or drinks
- Assembly of ready-made parts
- Bulk-breaking (e.g. cutting from big to small customised sizes)
- Change of product colour
- Basic modification (e.g. cutting or trimming of parts)
- Sole printing (e.g. printing of posters, T-shirts, name cards)
- Repair and maintenance
- Testing or quality control
- Packing or repacking
Your Work Permit and S Pass holders should only work at the workplace address in an industrial area. Do not deploy them to work in a retail or food and beverage setting or outlet. If you wish to do so, you will need to get a separate services account by adding a business activity.
Change business process or relocate
If you plan to change your business processes or relocate, you need to give us the details to assess your business classification.
You can make the request using our online feedback form.
Migrant worker eligibility
You can only hire migrant workers who satisfy the conditions for source countries, age when applying and maximum period of employment.
Source countries or regions
You can employ migrant workers from these countries or regions:
- Malaysia
- People’s Republic of China (PRC)
- North Asian sources (NAS):
- Hong Kong (HKSAR passport)
- Macau
- South Korea
- Taiwan
You can employ migrant workers from Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) for a restricted set of occupations in the
NTS Occupation List.
Age when applying
The minimum age for all non-domestic migrant workers is 18 years old.
When applying for a Work Permit:
- Malaysian workers must be below 58 years old.
- Non-Malaysian workers must be below 50 years old.
Maximum period of employment
For the manufacturing sector, the maximum number of years a worker can work in Singapore on a Work Permit is as follows:
| Source country/region |
Types of workers |
Maximum period of employment |
| PRC and NTS |
Basic-skilled (R2) |
14 years |
| PRC and NTS |
Higher-skilled (R1) |
22 years |
| NAS, Malaysia |
All |
No maximum period of employment. |
- All workers can only work up to 60 years of age.
- NTS workers can be hired under the NTS Occupation List.
Quota and levy
The number of Work Permit holders that you can hire is limited by quota (or dependency ratio ceiling) and subject to a levy. The levy rates are tiered so that those who hire close to the maximum quota will pay a higher levy.
The quota and levy rate for the manufacturing sector are as follows:
| Quota |
Basic-skilled – monthly |
Basic-skilled – daily |
Higher-skilled – monthly |
Higher-skilled – daily |
Basic Tier / Tier 1:
Up to 25% of the total workforce
|
$370 |
$12.17 |
$250 |
$8.22 |
Tier 2:
Above 25% to 50% of the total workforce
|
$470 |
$15.46 |
$350 |
$11.51 |
Tier 3:
Above 50% to 60% of the total workforce
|
$650 |
$21.37 |
$550 |
$18.09 |
Calculate your quota
The daily levy rate only applies to Work Permit holders who did not work for a full calendar month. The daily levy rate is calculated as follows: (Monthly levy rate X 12) / 365 = rounding up to the nearest cent.
You can:
Qualifying for higher-skilled worker levy
You pay less levy for higher-skilled migrant workers. You can apply for the higher-skilled worker levy rate for workers with the following certificates:
| Type of qualification |
Certificates needed |
| Academic qualifications |
Malaysia – Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). If you wish to use a diploma or higher qualification, you need to produce a copy of the transcript or a letter from the institution stating the course duration.
North Asian sources (NAS) – High school certificates
People’s Republic of China (PRC) – Diploma
|
| Skills Evaluation Test (SET) conducted by ITE |
SET Level 1 or National ITE Certificate (Nitec) |
| Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) |
Composite Assessment for Generic Manufacturing (CGM) |
Market-Based Skills Recognition Framework (MBF)
|
- Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least $1,600. You can update your worker’s salary using WP Online.
- Worked at least 4 years in Singapore as a Work Permit holder.
|
Settling-in Programme
Before their Work Permits can be issued, first-time non-Malaysian Work Permit holders in the manufacturing sector must attend the Settling-in Programme (SIP).
Required safety courses
Migrant workers who handle metals and machinery in metalworking industry must complete one of these safety courses before you can get their Work Permits issued:
- Metalworking Safety Orientation Course (MSOC)
- Apply Workplace Safety and Health in Metal Work
Once your workers have obtained an in-principle approval letter, register them for the course. They must:
- Complete the course within 2 weeks from arrival in Singapore.
- Pass the course within 3 months of arrival, or their Work Permits may be revoked.
Course requirements during employment
Migrant workers in the metalworking industry need to retake and pass the safety course based on these timelines:
| If they have worked in the metalworking industry for |
They must pass the safety course |
| 6 years or less |
Once every 2 years |
| More than 6 years |
Once every 4 years |
When renewing a Work Permit, the worker’s safety course certificate must be valid for more than 1 month on the day of renewal. Otherwise the Work Permit will not be renewed.