At a Glance
- The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has released the new salary benchmarking table for the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), the points-based evaluation system applicable for all Employment Pass (EP) applications.
- The recently-released salary benchmarking table will apply to initial EP applications from January 1, 2025, and EP renewal applications of passes expiring from July 1, 2025.
- The current salary benchmarks table (which was released in May 2023) applies to initial EP applications filed until December 31, 2024, and EP renewal applications of passes expiring from September 1, 2024 until June 30, 2025.
- To earn points under the COMPASS salary criterion (category 'C1'), employers must ensure that their foreign employees meet the minimum salary requirements specified in the COMPASS benchmarking table. If the applicant's salary does not meet the requirements of the COMPASS benchmarking table, no points are awarded under COMPASS category C1 and the applicant would have to earn points under other COMPASS criteria to qualify for an EP or EP renewal.
The situation
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has released the upcoming salary benchmarking table for the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), which will apply to initial EP applications from January 1, 2025, and EP renewal applications of passes expiring from July 2025.
A closer look
- Points under the salary criterion. The number of points awarded under COMPASS is based on the salary benchmarking tables, which are divided into different industry sectors. EP applicants can earn 10 points, or the maximum number of points (20), depending on their salary. If the salary does not meet the requirements of the COMPASS benchmarking table, no points will be awarded under COMPASS category C1 and the applicant would have to earn points under other COMPASS criteria to qualify for an EP or EP renewal.
- Current and upcoming salary benchmarks. In May 2023, the MOM released the current salary benchmarking table, which applies to initial EP applications until December 31, 2024 and EP renewal applications of passes expiring from September 1, 2024 until June 30, 2025.
Impact
To earn points under the C1 salary criterion, employers must ensure that their foreign employees meet the minimum salary requirements specified in the COMPASS benchmarking table. Failure to meet these salary thresholds will result in the foreign national's inability to qualify for points under category C1, which is necessary to contribute to the minimum 40 points required to obtain or renew an EP.
Background
COMPASS is the points-based evaluation system introduced by MOM for initial Employment Pass (EP) applications filed from September 2023, and EP renewal applications of passes expiring from September 2024. To qualify for points in the C1 salary criterion under COMPASS, a foreign national's fixed monthly salary must meet or exceed the 65th percentile of local salaries within their specific sector.
Looking ahead
The MOM releases a new salary benchmarking table annually. We will release alerts as the table is updated.
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