Working in Singapore: Jobs, Work Permits and Employee Rights

Singapore is a popular destination for Chinese job seekers: Mandarin is widely spoken, it is close to home and income tax is relatively low. But the bar for foreign employees is clear, and rising. Almost every PRC citizen who works legally in Singapore does so on a work pass that the employer applies for with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). You cannot simply land, find a job and start working.

In short: degree-holding professionals who meet the salary bar use the Employment Pass (EP); mid-skilled technicians use the S Pass; and frontline jobs in construction, manufacturing, services and similar sectors use the Work Permit, for which China is an approved source country. As of October 2026, the EP minimum qualifying salary is S$5,600 a month and the S Pass minimum is S$3,300, and increases for both have already been scheduled for 2027. Below we go through job hunting, the pass, the contract and your rights.

Singapore’s job market: low unemployment, tough competition for professional roles

According to MOM’s Labour Market Report for the second quarter of 2026, published on 21 September 2026, the overall unemployment rate in June 2026 was 1.9%, the resident rate 2.9% and the citizen rate 3.0%. Total employment grew by 11,400 in the second quarter, the nineteenth consecutive quarterly gain, while retrenchments rose to 4,620 from 3,830 in the first quarter. There were 68,600 job vacancies in June, or 1.48 vacancies per unemployed person.

On pay, MOM’s Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025 shows that the median gross monthly income of full-time employed residents was S$5,775 in June 2025 (including employer CPF contributions), up from S$5,500 in 2024, a real increase of 4.3% after inflation; the 20th percentile was S$3,164. These figures cover citizens and permanent residents only, not foreign employees. At the OFX market rate of about 5.18 yuan per Singapore dollar on 21 October 2026, S$5,775 is roughly 30,000 yuan; treat this as an approximation.

Compared with China, the job market is small and employers hire for specific skills and experience. For a country overview, see our Singapore country guide.

Where Mandarin speakers tend to find work

English is the working language in Singapore, but Mandarin is often an advantage. We found no official statistics by language, so this is only a general description:

• Finance and professional services: wealth management, compliance and accounting roles serving Chinese clients; the EP threshold is higher in financial services.
• Regional headquarters of Chinese companies: many Chinese firms base their Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore and hire marketing, finance, supply chain and tech staff who know how head office in China works.
• Technology and internet: demand for engineering, product and data roles is steady, and some tech jobs are on MOM’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL), which earns bonus points in the EP assessment.
• Retail, food service and tourism: services aimed at Chinese-speaking customers; frontline jobs are mostly Work Permit or S Pass roles subject to quotas.

Work pass types: EP, S Pass and Work Permit compared

All three main passes are applied for by the employer (or a licensed employment agency acting for it); individuals cannot apply themselves. For general entry and visa rules see our Singapore visa guide. The figures in the table are MOM’s published criteria as of October 2026.

COMPASS scores four foundational criteria – salary, qualifications, the share of the candidate’s nationality among the firm’s professionals, and the share of local staff – plus two bonuses for shortage occupations and strategic economic priorities. The diversity criterion matters a lot for Chinese applicants: if PRC nationals make up 25% or more of the company’s professionals, that criterion scores zero. A fixed monthly salary of S$22,500 or more is exempt from COMPASS. The detailed rules are on MOM’s EP eligibility page.

The EP application process: from offer to pass card

Before applying for an EP, the employer usually has to advertise the job on the government job portal MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days and consider all candidates fairly. Firms with fewer than 10 employees and jobs with a fixed monthly salary of S$22,500 or more, among others, are exempt.

1. Employer advertises the jobAt least 14 consecutive days on MyCareersFuture (unless exempt)
2. Prepare documentsPassport details page and proof of verified qualifications; Chinese qualifications need an English online verification report from the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD)
3. Employer applies onlineApplication fee S$105; you do not need to be in Singapore, and online applications are usually processed within 10 business days
4. In-principle approval (IPA)Enter Singapore with the IPA letter and complete a medical check if required
5. Employer gets the pass issuedOnce you are in Singapore, the employer pays the S$225 issuance fee, within 6 months of the IPA
6. Fingerprints and photoIf the notification letter says so, register at the Employment Pass Services Centre within two weeks, then view your digital pass in the SGWorkPass app

Qualification verification is where Chinese applicants most often get stuck. MOM states that Chinese diplomas need CSSD’s online verification report for higher education qualification certificates, and degrees need the online verification report for degree certificates; notarised documents, school letters and CSSD student record reports are not accepted. For how to get this done in China, see our guide to degree authentication.

Pay benchmarks: the key thresholds

Singapore has no national minimum wage that covers everyone. The Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) is currently S$1,800 a month, but it applies only to local employees (citizens and PRs) of firms that hire foreigners and is used to calculate foreign worker quotas; it is not a pay floor for foreign employees. For Chinese job seekers, the real floor is the minimum qualifying salary of each pass.

At roughly 5.18 yuan per Singapore dollar (OFX, 21 October 2026, approximate), today’s EP entry threshold of S$5,600 is about 29,000 yuan and the S Pass threshold of S$3,300 about 17,000 yuan. Take-home pay is reduced by income tax, and rent is usually the biggest expense; see our guides to taxes in Singapore and renting in Singapore.

Employment contracts and core labour rights

The Employment Act covers both local and foreign employees (domestic workers, seafarers and civil servants are excluded). The most-used rules are:

• Written terms: employers must give Key Employment Terms (KETs) in writing within 14 days of the start of employment, as a contract or an employee handbook.
• Hours and overtime: normally no more than 44 hours a week; overtime pay is at least 1.5 times the hourly rate, overtime is capped at 72 hours a month, and there is at least one rest day a week. However, these hours and overtime rules only cover non-workmen earning a basic monthly salary of up to S$2,600 and workmen earning up to S$4,500; managers and executives are not covered.
• Annual leave: after 3 months of service; 7 days in the first year, one more day each year, and 14 days from the eighth year. It is pro-rated by completed months, even during probation.
• Sick leave: after 6 months of service, 14 days of paid outpatient sick leave and 60 days of hospitalisation leave a year (the 60 days include the outpatient days).
• Notice: if the contract is silent, 1 day for under 26 weeks of service, 1 week for 26 weeks to under 2 years, 2 weeks for 2 to under 5 years, and 4 weeks for 5 years or more. The length of probation is set by the contract.

Social security is where Singapore differs most from China: the Central Provident Fund (CPF) applies only to citizens and permanent residents. Foreign employees do not contribute to CPF and employers do not contribute for them, so you need to plan your own retirement and medical cover; see our guide to insurance in Singapore. Whether to keep paying into China’s social insurance is covered in hukou and social security.

Job search channels: start with official platforms

• MyCareersFuture: the Singapore government’s job portal. Jobs that need an EP usually must be advertised here, which makes it a good place to check that a vacancy is real.
• Employer websites: apply directly to the employers you are targeting.
• Licensed employment agencies: agencies may legally charge fees, but MOM caps what they can charge workers at one month of fixed monthly salary for each year of service, up to a maximum of two months’ salary.

Once you have an offer, see our guide to banking in Singapore for opening an account, receiving salary and sending money home. If you are also weighing up a neighbouring country, see working in Malaysia.

Job scams and illegal work

• Agents or individuals who promise “come first, get the pass later”, “start work on arrival” or a “guaranteed work pass” are almost never trustworthy.
• Agency fees above the legal cap, demands for an upfront “security deposit”, or anyone holding on to your passport are clear warning signs.

FAQ

Can I go to Singapore on a visitor visa for interviews?

Entering as a visitor to attend interviews generally does not involve working, but you cannot start work before your pass is issued. You do not need to be in Singapore for an EP application; your employer can apply while you are still in China.

Can I get an EP with a Chinese three-year college diploma (dazhuan)?

MOM accepts CSSD online verification reports for Chinese diplomas, but an EP still has to pass COMPASS, and only degree-equivalent qualifications score points on the qualifications criterion, so a diploma scores zero there. Whether the S Pass is an option depends on the job and salary; MOM’s assessment decides.

Will the EP threshold change next year?

Yes. From 1 January 2027, the minimum salary for new EP applications rises to S$6,000 (S$6,600 in financial services) and for the S Pass to S$3,600 (S$4,000 in financial services).

Sources

1. MOM – Labour Market Report, Second Quarter 2026 (21 September 2026) (accessed October 2026)
2. MOM – Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025 (accessed October 2026)
3. MOM – Employment Pass eligibility (qualifying salary and COMPASS) (accessed October 2026)
4. MOM – Employment Pass key facts (accessed October 2026)
5. MOM – Apply for an Employment Pass (steps and fees) (accessed October 2026)
6. MOM – Consider all candidates fairly (Fair Consideration Framework) (accessed October 2026)
7. MOM – EP documents required (qualification verification) (accessed October 2026)
8. MOM – S Pass eligibility (accessed October 2026)
9. MOM – Factsheet on Foreign Workforce Policies (3 March 2026) (accessed October 2026)
10. MOM – Work Permit: services sector requirements (accessed October 2026)
11. MOM – Work Permit: construction sector requirements (accessed October 2026)
12. MOM – Employment Act: who is covered (accessed October 2026)
13. MOM – Hours of work, overtime and rest days (accessed October 2026)
14. MOM – Annual leave eligibility and entitlement (accessed October 2026)
15. MOM – Sick leave eligibility and entitlement (accessed October 2026)
16. MOM – Termination with notice (accessed October 2026)
17. MOM – Parliamentary reply on written Key Employment Terms (4 February 2020) (accessed October 2026)
18. CPF Board – Who is exempted from receiving CPF contributions (accessed October 2026)
19. MOM – Local Qualifying Salary (accessed October 2026)
20. MOM – Forum reply on employment agencies (8 November 2024) (accessed October 2026)
21. MOM – Enforcement action press release (7 August 2024) (accessed October 2026)
22. OFX – SGD to CNY market rate (21 October 2026; commercial, for conversion only) (accessed October 2026)