Ministry of Manpower — Singapore

MOM Updates Employment Pass Salary Thresholds and COMPASS Framework — Singapore

The Ministry of Manpower updated its Employment Pass eligibility guidance on 4 March 2026, publishing revised qualifying salary thresholds effective from 1 January 2027 for new applications and from 1 January 2028 for pass renewals, alongside the operational details of the six-criterion COMPASS points-based assessment framework applicable to all non-exempt EP candidates.

Primary source: MOM — Eligibility for Employment Pass — 4 March 2026 → S1·L1 See source record ↓

FRESHNESS NOTICE

This publication was issued on 4 March 2026. This brief was generated on 12 April 2026. Any time-sensitive provisions — in particular the 1 January 2027 new-application threshold and the 1 January 2028 renewal threshold — should be verified against current primary sources at mom.gov.sg before matter-specific application.

Classification Summary

Authority Ministry of Manpower (MOM) — Singapore — Ministry with statutory responsibility for workforce, employment pass, and labour market regulation

Publication Type Guidance — updated official regulatory requirements page on Employment Pass eligibility, incorporating revised salary thresholds and operational COMPASS criteria detail

Primary Instruments EP Two-Stage Eligibility Framework · COMPASS 40-Point Pass Requirement · COMPASS Exemption — $22,500 Salary Threshold

Significance MEDIUM — the updated guidance materially affects compliance practice by publishing revised salary thresholds that will govern all new EP applications from 1 January 2027 and all renewals from 1 January 2028, requiring advance workforce cost modelling and pay review cycles for affected employers

Confidence Score HIGH CONFIDENCE — S1·L1·V1·A2·J1·CR·P0·U3 Source record ↓

Brief Date 12 April 2026 — RegLegBrief

What Changed

The Ministry of Manpower updated the Employment Pass eligibility guidance page on 4 March 2026, consolidating revised qualifying salary thresholds, COMPASS criteria operational detail, and the Shortage Occupation List bonus framework. The central operative change is the upward revision of the Stage 1 qualifying salary floor, with distinct tables applicable to the general sector and to the financial services sector, and with separate effective dates for new applications and for renewals.

Under the revised framework, the general sector minimum qualifying salary for new applications submitted from 1 January 2027 — and for renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 — increases from $5,600 (age 23 or below) to $10,700 (age 45 and above) — general sector current to $6,000 at the lower end and $11,500 at age 45 and above. [Source: MOM Guidance, 4 March 2026 →] The financial services sector premium is maintained and widened: the current floor of $6,200 (age 23 or below) rising to $11,800 (age 45 and above) — financial services current increases to $6,600 and $12,700 respectively from the same operative dates. [Source: MOM Guidance, 4 March 2026 →] Critically, the Stage 1 qualifying salary is not the same as the C1 COMPASS salary benchmark criterion — it is the minimum eligibility floor, and failure at Stage 1 precludes any COMPASS assessment regardless of the points that would have been achieved.

Dimension 1

Stage 1 — Qualifying Salary

Stage 1 EP Qualifying Salary

Benchmarked to the top one-third of local PMET salaries by age. Two-sector structure: general sector and financial services, each with age-banded tables from age 23 to 45+. The 2027/2028 increase raises the general sector floor from $5,600 to $6,000 at entry age and from $10,700 to $11,500 at the 45+ band. The financial services floor rises from $6,200 to $6,600 at entry and from $11,800 to $12,700 at the 45+ band. Failure at this stage is an absolute bar — COMPASS points are irrelevant if Stage 1 is not met.

Dimension 2

Stage 2 — COMPASS Six Criteria

Stage 2 COMPASS — Complementarity Assessment Framework

Applications must score 40 points across six criteria. Four foundational criteria: C1 Salary (0/10/20 points against sectoral PMET salary percentiles); C2 Qualifications (0/10/20 points — top-100 QS or Singapore Autonomous University credentials score 20); C3 Diversity (0/10/20 points — nationality share among employer's PMETs); C4 Support for Local Employment (0/10/20 points — employer's local PMET share relative to sector). Two bonus criteria: C5 Shortage Occupation List (10 or 20 points); C6 Strategic Economic Priorities (10 points, up to 3-year validity). Organisations with fewer than 25 PMETs receive 10 default points each on C3 and C4.

Dimension 3

COMPASS Exemptions and SOL Restrictions

COMPASS Exemptions — three conditions

Three exemption categories: (i) fixed monthly salary at or above $22,500; (ii) overseas intra-corporate transferee; (iii) role duration of one month or less. Where SOL bonus points were required to pass COMPASS, or to obtain a five-year EP for specific tech occupations, the candidate is restricted to the declared shortage occupation — redeployment requires prior MOM notification and reassessment. Candidates who did not require SOL points to pass are not subject to the occupation restriction but must still notify MOM of any role change.

The FCF job advertising requirement continues to apply as a pre-application obligation independent of COMPASS: employers must complete prescribed job advertising before submitting new EP applications regardless of the candidate's likely COMPASS outcome. [Source: MOM Guidance, 4 March 2026 →]

Most read this week in EMP Read the latest regulatory intelligence →

Who Is Affected

The revised thresholds and COMPASS framework affect every employer that sponsors Employment Pass candidates in Singapore, with the financial services sector carrying a structurally elevated salary floor. The bifurcated operative dates — 1 January 2027 for new applications, 1 January 2028 for renewals — create a planning window that compliance functions should map against existing headcount and renewal pipelines immediately.

Multi-jurisdictional groups transferring staff to Singapore via intra-corporate transferee routes are exempt from COMPASS but remain subject to Stage 1 qualifying salary requirements. Tech-sector firms with candidates on the Shortage Occupation List face an additional layer of compliance through the occupation-lock and notification requirements attached to SOL-dependent approvals.

Primary

All Singapore EP Sponsors

Every employer sponsoring EP applications is affected by the Stage 1 salary revision effective 1 January 2027. Existing EP holders whose passes expire before 1 January 2028 remain on current thresholds for renewal purposes; those expiring from that date fall under the new floor. Pre-emptive salary benchmarking against the age-banded tables is required to identify candidates at risk of non-renewal eligibility.

Primary

Financial Services Institutions

Banks, insurers, fund managers, and other MAS-regulated entities employing EP holders face a sector-specific salary premium that increases in both absolute and proportional terms from 1 January 2027. The financial services floor at age 45+ rises to $12,700 — a $900 increase over the current $11,800. For institutions with significant mid-to-senior foreign professional headcount, the aggregate payroll impact of EP threshold uplift warrants modelling in the current compensation review cycle.

Secondary

Tech Firms with SOL-Dependent EP Holders

Technology employers whose EP approvals were contingent on Shortage Occupation List bonus points are subject to occupation-lock restrictions. Any organisational restructuring, role redesign, or internal mobility that would redeploy an SOL-dependent EP holder requires prior MOM notification and triggers a reassessment of EP eligibility for the new role. This restriction has direct implications for agile workforce planning and post-acquisition integration exercises.

Cross-Border

Multinational Groups — Intra-Corporate Transferees

Overseas intra-corporate transferees remain exempt from COMPASS but must continue to meet the Stage 1 qualifying salary at the applicable age-banded threshold. For multinationals with standardised global grading structures, the 2027 threshold increases may require local Singapore pay supplements for transferred employees in mid-salary bands, particularly in the 35–44 age range where the general sector floor reaches $9,000–$11,250 from January 2027.

Instruments & Structures Affected

Directly Affected

EP Qualifying Salary Schedule — General Sector — age-banded floor revised upward from $5,600–$10,700 to $6,000–$11,500, effective 1 Jan 2027 (new applications) / 1 Jan 2028 (renewals)

EP Qualifying Salary Schedule — Financial Services Sector — sector-premium floor revised from $6,200–$11,800 to $6,600–$12,700 from same operative dates

COMPASS — Six-Criterion Points Framework — C1 through C6 criteria detail confirmed; 40-point pass threshold unchanged in this update

Potentially Affected

Fair Consideration Framework — Job Advertising Requirement — continues as a pre-application obligation; employers adjusting hiring strategies in response to threshold changes must re-evaluate FCF advertising obligations accordingly

Shortage Occupation List (SOL) — C5 Bonus — structures that relied on SOL bonus points to achieve 40-point pass may be re-examined where salary threshold increases bring candidates nearer to the C1 score boundary

Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) Bonus — C6 — renewal eligibility conditioned on C3 and C4 performance in the 3 months before renewal; workforce restructuring affecting nationality mix may jeopardise SEP bonus continuation

Monitor for Updates

Shortage Occupation List (SOL) — updated annually; employers whose COMPASS pass depends on C5 bonus points should monitor the annual SOL review cycle for any removal of their candidate's occupation, which would eliminate the bonus points basis retroactively for future renewals

QS World University Rankings list and MOM-endorsed institutions list for C2 Qualifications — updated annually per the source guidance; changes to the list of recognised institutions affect the 20-point versus 10-point qualification scoring for future applications

Tech@SG Programme — eligibility criteria and interaction with EP threshold revisions should be monitored for tech-sector new market entrants to Singapore

Key Dates

Event	Date / Status	Action Required
Revised EP qualifying salary — new applications (general sector: $6,000–$11,500; financial services: $6,600–$12,700)	Confirmed 1 January 2027	Employers should audit planned new EP applications against the revised age-banded salary tables now; candidates below the new floor who have applications anticipated in 2027 require salary review before submission
Revised EP qualifying salary — renewals (passes expiring from 1 January 2028)	Confirmed 1 January 2028	EP renewal pipelines should be screened against pass expiry dates; candidates with passes expiring from 1 January 2028 must meet the revised thresholds — advance salary review recommended for passes expiring in early-to-mid 2028
Current EP qualifying salary thresholds remain operative for new applications before 1 January 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 January 2028	Immediate Operative now	No change required for applications or renewals falling within current threshold applicability; confirm pass expiry dates against the threshold timeline before submission
SEP Bonus (C6) renewal — supporting agency reassessment at end of validity period (up to 3 years from award)	Pending Rolling — per award date	Organisations holding SEP bonus points must satisfy C3 Diversity and C4 Local Employment criteria at the 10-point threshold for each of the 3 months preceding renewal; monitor workforce profile data on myMOM Portal Workforce Insights tool

Regulatory Trajectory

Enforcement Direction

↑ Increasing

MOM has progressively raised qualifying salary floors and introduced COMPASS in successive years, reflecting a sustained policy direction of tightening EP eligibility criteria to strengthen the local workforce core — this update continues that trajectory with the 2027/2028 threshold increases.

Rulemaking Pipeline

◉ Active

Annual reviews of the Shortage Occupation List and the QS-linked qualifications list are confirmed in the source guidance as ongoing mechanisms; further salary threshold revisions in subsequent years remain consistent with MOM's stated benchmarking methodology against PMET salary data.

International Alignment

→ Converging

Singapore's points-based EP framework aligns with the broader international trend toward structured, transparent work pass systems that combine salary floors with skills and employer-workforce-composition criteria — as seen in comparable frameworks in the UK, Australia, and Canada. This convergence is a contextual inference not sourced from the primary document.

Impact Analysis

The March 2026 guidance update crystallises the operational requirements of the EP eligibility framework through to 2028, with the salary threshold increases representing the most immediately actionable compliance element. For employers with material EP headcount, the bifurcated effective dates create a structured planning window — but one that narrows considerably for organisations with complex renewal pipelines.

Technology Sector In-House Counsel / Employment Compliance perspective

The occupation lock in this guidance applies to two distinct EP holder categories, not one. Category A: candidates who needed SOL bonus points to pass COMPASS — the category most compliance teams actively track. Category B: candidates who did not need SOL points to pass COMPASS but who obtained a 5-year EP duration for a specific tech occupation on the SOL. Both categories are equally subject to the redeployment restriction and require prior MOM notification and reassessment before any role change. Tech employers who maintain separate internal classifications for these two populations — or who track only the SOL-to-pass category in their occupation-lock register — may have inadvertently omitted 5-year-duration holders from redeployment notification workflows. Before any restructuring, role redesign, or portfolio-company integration exercise, IPA letters for all 5-year tech EP holders should be reviewed for the occupation restriction notation, regardless of whether SOL bonus points were required to achieve the 40-point COMPASS pass.

Where a candidate's 5-year tech EP was approved on a SOL occupation but their COMPASS score passed independently without the SOL bonus points, has your compliance team classified that holder as occupation-locked for role-change notification purposes — or treated them as outside the redeployment restriction? Your views →

Salary Threshold Architecture — Operational Implications

The two-tier structure — separate thresholds for new applications and renewals, with the latter triggered by pass expiry date rather than application date — requires employers to maintain a granular view of individual pass expiry dates mapped against the new salary floors. A candidate holding an EP that expires on 15 March 2028 will require their salary to meet the revised threshold at the time of renewal application; a candidate whose pass expires on 15 December 2027 remains on the current floor. For large employers managing hundreds of EP renewals annually, the identification of the cohort straddling the January 2028 boundary is the immediate priority. The age-banded structure compounds this: a 38-year-old general sector EP holder renewing after 1 January 2028 must earn at least $9,750 (up from $9,077), while a 45+ financial services holder must earn at least $12,700. Employers with fixed global salary bands for specific grades will need to assess whether Singapore-specific supplements are required.

COMPASS Framework — Stability and Structural Considerations

The COMPASS criteria themselves — the six-criterion structure, the 40-point pass threshold, the percentile bands for C1 salary scoring, and the default 10-point rule for sub-25-PMET organisations — appear unchanged in this update. The significance of the salary threshold increase for COMPASS purposes is indirect: a candidate whose fixed monthly salary rises to comply with the new Stage 1 floor may also move across a C1 salary percentile boundary, potentially improving their COMPASS score. Conversely, employers who had calibrated candidate salary at the minimum qualifying floor should model whether the revised floor interacts with the 65th/90th percentile C1 salary thresholds in their sector. The C1 criterion operates against sector-specific PMET salary percentiles that are distinct from the Stage 1 qualifying floor — these are parallel but independent metrics. The Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal remains the primary mechanism for employers to verify C3, C4, and C1 sectoral benchmarks.

SOL Occupation Lock — Restructuring Risk

The redeployment restriction applicable to EP holders whose COMPASS pass was contingent on C5 Shortage Occupation List bonus points presents a structural risk for tech and innovation-sector employers engaged in post-investment reorganisations, portfolio company integrations, or agile role redesigns. The source guidance is explicit: such candidates can only be employed in the specific shortage occupation declared at the time of application, and any redeployment to a different job requires prior MOM notification and triggers a full eligibility reassessment. In-house counsel and HR compliance functions at affected firms should audit the in-principle approval letters for SOL-dependent EP holders to identify whether the restriction notation is present, and build a notification workflow for any role changes affecting this population before operational restructuring is implemented.

Global Mobility / Workforce Planning perspective

For organisations with a material cohort of EP holders in the 35–44 age band, the 2027/2028 threshold increases represent a compounding payroll exposure: a 40-year-old general sector EP holder faces a threshold increase of $709 per month (from $9,541 to $10,250), and a 44-year-old financial services EP holder faces an increase of $878 (from $11,545 to $12,423). Across a cohort of fifty EP holders in these bands, the aggregate monthly payroll impact before modelling is material. The question for workforce planning functions is whether salary adjustments are absorbed into fixed remuneration bands or structured through allowances — and whether any salary restructuring triggers a fresh FCF advertising obligation on the employer for the role in question.

For organisations managing the 35–44 age band exposure across both sectors simultaneously, what compensation architecture — fixed uplift, variable supplement, or grading reclassification — has proven operationally tractable without triggering unintended FCF or renewal timeline consequences? Your views →

SEP Bonus Continuity — Renewal Conditions

The C6 Strategic Economic Priorities bonus, valid for up to three years from award, carries a renewal condition that is operationally distinct from the primary COMPASS assessment: the organisation must have earned at least 10 points on both C3 Diversity and C4 Support for Local Employment for each of the three months immediately preceding the renewal reassessment. This means organisations holding SEP bonus points must maintain a continuous workforce profile — not merely a snapshot at the time of renewal — that meets the C3 and C4 thresholds. For organisations experiencing headcount changes, M&A activity, or nationality-mix shifts in the period approaching SEP renewal, the three-month lookback creates a trailing compliance obligation that must be actively managed rather than retrospectively corrected.

Financial Services Differential — Compounding Premium

The financial services sector premium over the general sector floor has been a structural feature of the EP framework. Under the 2027 thresholds, the differential at the $6,000/$6,600 entry level widens to $600 (from $600 currently at the $5,600/$6,200 base). At the age 45+ band, the absolute differential increases to $1,200 (from $1,100 currently). For MAS-regulated institutions, this compounds against existing regulatory remuneration requirements and internal compensation governance frameworks. The source guidance does not address the basis for the financial services premium or its interaction with MAS remuneration notices — those interactions require verification against MAS primary instruments separately. This observation is an inference grounded in the source's disclosure of the two-tier structure.

Jurisdictional Watch 210 jurisdictions monitored

Active Parallel Review

🇬🇧 United Kingdom — the Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds were revised upward effective April 2024; ongoing Home Office review of shortage occupation list replacements with the Immigration Salary List represents a directly parallel trajectory to Singapore's SOL framework. Contextual inference — not sourced from this document.

🇦🇺 Australia — the Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa and Skills in Demand visa frameworks operate salary-floor and occupation-list mechanisms comparable to COMPASS Stage 1 and C5; the Department of Home Affairs has conducted periodic threshold reviews. Contextual inference.

🇨🇦 Canada — the Express Entry points-based system and the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme salary floor requirements reflect the same policy design as COMPASS. IRCC periodic reviews of NOC occupation lists parallel Singapore's SOL review cycle. Contextual inference.

Expected to Follow

🇭🇰 Hong Kong — the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and Top Talent Pass Scheme operate points-based and salary-floor mechanisms; periodic recalibration of thresholds in response to PMET salary data is expected as Hong Kong competes for similar talent pools. Contextual inference.

🇦🇪 UAE (DIFC / ADGM) — specialist financial centre employment visa frameworks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have introduced tiered professional visa structures; salary-floor and skills-premium mechanisms in line with global trends are expected to develop further. Contextual inference.

🇩🇪 Germany — the Skilled Immigration Act reforms have introduced points-based and salary-linked recognition of foreign qualifications; further threshold recalibration is anticipated as the framework matures. Contextual inference.

No Current Action

🇯🇵 Japan — the Highly Skilled Foreign Professional visa operates a points-based system but has not recently revised salary floors in comparable terms; no parallel threshold revision detected. Contextual inference.

🇮🇳 India — as a major source jurisdiction for Singapore EP applicants, India has no outbound work permit threshold framework of direct comparative relevance. No current parallel action on inbound professional visa thresholds. Contextual inference.

🇺🇸 United States — the H-1B prevailing wage framework operates through Department of Labor wage surveys rather than a points-based system; no direct structural parallel to COMPASS, though the policy objectives of salary-floor protection and local workforce displacement prevention are shared. Contextual inference.

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Confidence & Source Record

Source

S1 Ministry of Manpower — Eligibility for Employment Pass, 4 March 2026 — mom.gov.sg →

Language

L1 English — full analytical capability

Verification

V1 Verified from mom.gov.sg on 4 March 2026

Analysis

A2 Interpretive analysis — our rigorous, multi-dimensional methodology applied to analyse this regulatory update.

Jurisdiction

J1 Singapore — Tier 1 major financial centre

Aging

CR Brief-verified — 12 April 2026. Next review: triggered by regulatory update or reader flag.

Political Risk

P0 Stable jurisdiction

Community

U3 Viewed — insights welcome

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Regulatory Body

Ministry of Manpower (MOM)

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower is the statutory authority responsible for formulating and implementing manpower policies, including employment pass and work pass regulation, labour market oversight, and workplace safety and health across all sectors. S1·L1

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Disclaimer This brief is produced by the RegLegBrief Publication Engine and is intended for senior legal and compliance professionals. It does not constitute legal advice. Every factual claim is sourced from the primary regulatory publication identified in the source record and professional analytical inferences are labelled as such. For matter-specific application, the primary sources should be verified and professional advice obtained. This brief was verified from the Ministry of Manpower's official domain (mom.gov.sg) on 12 April 2026. Singapore is assessed as a stable jurisdiction (P0) with no current political or operational disruption affecting the validity or operational status of instruments cited in this brief. Where contextual references are made to parallel frameworks in other jurisdictions, these are contextual and have not been independently verified against those jurisdictions' primary sources for the purposes of this brief.