Singapore Hiring Guide for Founders: Passes & Quotas

Singapore’s foreign-hiring rules are easier to understand than they seem once you know the three key questions:

 

  • What pass suits this role?
  • Does my company have space under MOM’s quota rules?
  • What steps do I follow before and after approval?

That’s the full decision process. Next, here’s how each part works.

TL;DR
  • Hiring a professional or executive? Start with the Employment Pass (EP) — no quota or fee, but a minimum salary and COMPASS score are usually required.
  • Hiring a skilled mid-level worker? Consider the S Pass — it has a quota limit and a S$650 monthly fee.
  • Hiring operational or non-PMET workers? Use the Work Permit — sector rules, fees, source-country limits, and bonds apply.
  • Your "manpower quota" combines the DRC, S Pass sub-quota, and source caps — it's not just one number.

What Passes Are Available for Me to Apply For?

This is your first step. The pass type affects everything else — your job ad, quota check, and compliance tasks.

Pass Best for Minimum Declared Salary
Employment Pass (EP) Professionals, managers, executives, technical hires S$5,600/month (S$6,200 in financial services); rises with age. Usually requires COMPASS score ≥ 40.
S Pass Skilled mid-level hires S$3,300/month (S$3,800 in financial services); rises with age.
Work Permit Operational / non-PMET labour No stated minimum — sector, occupation, source-country, and age conditions apply.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) Senior talent who need job flexibility S$22,500/month to apply; must earn S$270,000/year to maintain.
ONE Pass Top global talent, exceptional founders S$30,000/month (last 12 months or prospective), or outstanding achievement.
EntrePass Venture-backed or IP-driven founders No salary floor — must hold ≥30% of a Singapore Pte Ltd that is venture-backed or owns innovative technology.
Dependant's Pass / LTVP Families of main pass holders Main pass holder usually needs ≥S$6,000/month; parents require S$12,000.

Founder’s simple rule: For core team hires (product, growth, finance, ops), use EP first. For mid-level skilled hires at S Pass salary, check the quota before making an offer. For founding operator or innovation roles, use EntrePass or ONE Pass.

What Is Your Manpower Quota?

“Manpower quota” is not just one number. It combines three limits working at the same time:

Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) — limits the total number of Work Permit and S Pass holders in your workforce.

S Pass sub-quota — limits S Pass holders to 10% in services or 15% in construction, manufacturing, marine shipyard, and process sectors.

Source-country/NTS-OL sub-caps — additional limits for workers from Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) or Mainland China.

Sector DRC (WP + S Pass) S Pass cap Levy payable Key sub-cap notes
Services 35% 10% of total workforce WP: S$300–S$800 (by tier & skill) · S Pass: S$650 flat PRC WP holders capped at 8%; NTS-OL cap 8%; food establishments need valid SFA licensing
Manufacturing 60% 15% WP: S$250–S$650 · S Pass: S$650 flat PRC cap 25%; NTS-OL cap 8%
Construction 83.3% 15% WP: S$250–S$900 · S Pass: S$650 flat ≥10% of WP holders must be Higher-Skilled (R1) before new R2 hires or renewals
Process 83.3% 15% WP: S$200–S$650 · S Pass: S$650 flat Sector eligibility and safety course requirements apply
Marine shipyard 75% 15% WP: S$350–S$500 · S Pass: S$650 flat Prior approval may be needed for some NTS/PRC cases
Note: Work Permit levy depends on the worker's skill classification (Higher-Skilled vs. Basic-Skilled) and which tier of your quota the worker falls into — the more foreign workers you employ as a share of your workforce, the higher the marginal levy. The S Pass levy is a single harmonised rate of S$650/month across all sectors and tiers (effective September 2025). Use MOM's levy calculator for an exact figure based on your specific headcount.

The Hiring Workflow: What Happens in What Order

1
Choose the pass type before writing the job description
The ad title, salary range, and job title must match the application. Mistakes here are the most common reason for rejection.
2
Advertise the job on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 days
Required for most EP and S Pass roles unless exempt (fewer than 10 employees, jobs paying S$22,500+, or roles lasting 1 month or less).
3
Do not offer the job during the 14-day advertising period
4
Check your quota based on the last 3 months of CPF payroll data
Not your current staff count.
5
File the application via EP Online
Approval is issued as an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter.
6
Complete the pass issuance step
For Work Permit hires, also plan for:
  • Security bond (S$5,000 per non-Malaysian worker)
  • Medical insurance (≥S$60,000/year per worker)
  • Work injury compensation insurance
  • Housing
  • Primary Care Plan (PCP) where required

5 Common Mistakes Founders Make

1
Assuming the EP is easy to transfer
It is not. When an employee changes employers, the new employer must submit a new EP application. The same applies to the S Pass.
2
Relying on local payroll to increase your quota without checking the LQS
From 1 July 2026, locals earning less than S$1,800 count as 0.5 toward your quota instead of 1.0. Part-time or low-paid local roles you counted on can suddenly reduce your quota space.
3
Posting a job ad that does not follow the rules
MOM rejects EP and S Pass applications if ads are discriminatory, outdated, don't match the application, or have salary ranges more than twice the minimum. Ads closed for over 3 months cannot be reused.
4
Thinking a Dependant's Pass allows work
It does not. DP holders who want to work need a separate EP, S Pass, or DP-Work Permit.
5
Ignoring ongoing compliance after the pass is issued
PEP holders must maintain job and salary conditions and inform MOM of changes. EntrePass holders must meet spending and local worker targets at renewal. Work Permit employers must keep insurance, bonds, and housing valid at all times.

A Note for Tech and Startup Founders

Tech@SG(an EDB/EnterpriseSG support program) provides company endorsement that can lower the risk of EP rejection — covering up to 10 new EPs over 2 years, plus first renewals. It does not replace MOM approval but can help reduce delays for eligible fast-growing tech companies.

Starting January 2027,MOM will launch a special ONE Pass AI and Tech track to replace Tech. Pass with better terms.

Keep Your Company Compliant While You Focus on Growth Once your team is in place, the compliance work begins — statutory filings, bookkeeping, corporate secretarial obligations, and regulatory deadlines that run on their own calendar. At Lionsworld, we help founders stay on top of compliance so they can focus on building. Find out how we can help →

Information is current as of 24 June 2026. Always verify against the latest MOM guidance before filing. Key sources:MOM EP eligibility ·MOM S Pass quota and levy ·MOM Work Permit key facts ·EDB Tech@SG

Appendix

*NTS-OL: Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS-OL)

**Higher-skilled worker levy for Singapore’s construction sector