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Foreign workforce numbers

Pass type Dec 2017 Dec 2018 Dec 2019 Dec 2020 Dec 2021 Dec 2022
Employment Pass (EP) 187,700 185,800 193,700 177,100 161,700 187,300
S Pass 184,400 195,500 200,000 174,000 161,800 177,900
Work Permit (Total) 965,200 972,600 999,000 848,200 849,700 1,033,500
  • Work Permit (MDW)
246,800 253,800 261,800 247,400 246,300 268,500
  • Work Permit (CMP sectors)
360,700 355,700 370,100 311,100 318,500 415,000
Other work passes2 30,700 32,100 34,700 32,200 27,200 25,400
Total foreign workforce 1,368,000 1,386,000 1,427,400 1,231,500 1,200,400 1,424,200
Total foreign workforce
(excluding MDWs)
1,121,300 1,132,200 1,165,600 984,100 954,100 1,155,700
Total foreign workforce
(excluding MDWs and Work Permits in CMP sectors)
760,600 776,400 795,500 673,000 635,700 740,700

You can download the Foreign Workforce Numbers file.

FOOTNOTE

  1. Data may not add up to the total due to rounding.
  2. “Other work passes” includes Letter of Consent (LOC), pre-approved LOC, Training Work Permit (TWP) and Training Employment Pass (TEP).
  3. Data are revised at the industry level to reflect updates in industry classification of firms based on the Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) 2020.