The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) says that companies in Singapore must ask applicants with a diploma or higher degree to submit their third-party verification proof. Companies that desire to employ candidates on an employment permit (EP) have to ascertain that their educational qualifications are credible or authorized.
The Manpower Minister, Tan See Long recently announces in the parliament that employers ought to be responsible for submitting an authentic qualification report of candidates before hiring them.
During the ministry’s Committee of Supply debate, Tan Lee proposed that the newly introduced policy will enable them to ensure jobs to well-qualified candidates and safeguard against fraudulent ones.
Actions are taken by the Singapore government against false EP
Last October, a man was sentenced to jail for seven weeks for providing a false statement for an employer pass. His EP got approved based on the declaration he made for it in February.
In the year 2021, MOM put on trial 23 foreigners who got their qualifications issued from Manav Bharti University in India. Two people out of all were jailed for submitting duplicate applications for work passes, while 19 were completely restrained from working in Singapore.
Singapore companies stood on their heels after MOM got alerted about the Indian government’s investigation of the universities selling fake degrees.
Singapore issues rules regarding document assessment.
As per last year’s announcement, The Complementary Assessment Framework (COMPASS) will undertake the enforcement of a new policy for the requirements of document verification. Also, the policy will be brought into effect by September for new applications. The necessities for EP renewal applications will be released by September 2024.
As per the guidelines laid out by COMPASS, EP applications will be judged based on 4 criteria, of which two will be regarded as bonus points. Thus, applications securing a minimum of 40 points will only be passed.
Educational qualifications exist as one of the attributes. The extra 20 points are pocketed by candidates who are allotted their degrees by “top-tier institutions.” A candidate possessing a degree in correspondence with his qualifications will bag 10 points.
The other two bonus criteria incorporate the Shortage Occupation List and the Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus. The first list includes jobs requiring specialized skills that are in shorter supply. These jobs are important for preserving investments in strategic priority fields. The specialized roles span fields like healthcare, technology, and sustainability. However, it will keep evolving as per the needs of the industry. MOM will release the complete requirements by the end of March.
Recruitment from Non-Traditional Source Places
The MOM also declares a quota and a minimum monthly wage for attendants from non-traditional source (NTS) countries. Also, many manufacturing and service companies are urged to hire candidates from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Macao.
Although last year, the ministry allowed firms to allot people from other countries for specific jobs post-September 1. But these workers only have to make up 8 percent of the company’s workforce and are required to be paid S$2,000 per month.
The government ensures that safety nets are in place by warning companies against over-reliance on NTS workers and by setting a standard monthly salary. In addition to this, the NTS workers can only participate in a few activities, such as cooking, metal work, food processing, etc. Although MOM is in conversation with other agencies about expanding the scope of work in the given list.
