Employment Standards Online (ESOL) for Business Users

Employment Standards Online (ESOL) is a one-stop portal for organisations and the general public to transact with the Labour Relations and Workplaces Division (LRWD). To access the services of ESOL for business users, your employer must register for an ESOL account with you as an authorised user. You can log in to the portal using your SingPass ID and password.

To register for an ESOL account, please complete the 'Application for ESOL account for Business Users' and send it to:
Labour Relations and Workplaces Division
Ministry of Manpower
18 Havelock Road
Singapore 059764 

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An employer can apply to the Commissioner of Labour for exemption from the Employment Act:

• Section 38(8) and 40(3) (i.e. Application to perform work in excess of 12 hours a day); or/and
•  Section 38(5) (i.e. Application to perform overtime work in excess of 72 hours a month);

An employee should not work more than 12 hours a day or perform overtime work beyond 72 hours a month without the Commissioner's approval for exemption from the relevant section of the Act.

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An employer can apply to the Commissioner of Labour for approval to deduct an employee's salary under section 27(1)(k) of the Employment Act. The money deducted should be used for schemes that are beneficial to the employees. The employees must participate voluntarily and total deductions in a month shall not exceed 50% of the employee's salary.

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An employer can apply to the Commissioner of Labour for exemption from the following sections of the Employment Act:

• Sections 37(2) – Payment rate for work done on a rest day at employee's own request or 37(3) – Payment rate for work done on a rest day at employer's request,
• Section 38(4) – Payment rate for overtime performed when a non-shift worker works beyond 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week,
• Section 40(4) – Payment rate for overtime performed when the average working hours over any 3 weeks exceed 44 hours for a shift worker and 
• Section 42(4) – Payment rate for work done on a public holiday at employer's request

The application should detail, among others, the rationale for implementing the flexible work schedule, how income stability and occupational safety and health are ensured, and gain sharing and incentives for employees. Employers should read and familiarise themselves with the "Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Schedules" before applying.

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An employer is required to notify the Commissioner of Labour when he employs a young person between the age of 15 to below the age of 16 years old in an industrial undertaking. The notification must be done within 30 days from the date of the young person's employment, and that medical certificates which certifiy his fitness prior to the employment should be kept by the employer and made immediately available to the Commissioner or the Inspecting Officer for inspection when requested to do so.

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An employer who wishes to recover the notice pay from former employees who are covered by the Employment Act must lodge their claim with the Ministry within 6 months from the date the employee left employment. Before lodging such a claim, the employer must show that reasonable efforts have been made to attempt to recover the payment from the employee. If the employee is not covered by the Employment Act, the employer should consult its own lawyers to pursue the matter under common law.

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If your organisation is not a registered user of ESOL, you may register by completing and sending the 'Application for ESOL account for Business Users' to the Labour Relations and Workplaces Division.

Organisations will have to designate an Organisation Administrator in the request form. An Organisation Administrator is able to register up to 3 additional users online and manage their access rights. If there is a change of the Administrator, the organisation is required to inform the Labour Relations and Workplaces Division of the change by providing the particulars of the new Administrator in the 'Application for ESOL account for Business Users'.

Completed request forms should be sent to:

Labour Relations and Workplaces Division
Ministry of Manpower
18 Havelock Road
Singapore 059764

The request will be processed in 3 working days after receipt of the form.

If your organisation is a registered user, please approach your Organisation Administrator to include you as a registered user.

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ESOL is available from 8:00am to 12:00am daily. All applications submitted through the ESOL after 8:00pm from Monday to Friday and after 2:00pm on Saturday or on any public holiday will be considered transactions performed on the next working day.

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