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Foreign workforce numbers

Pass type Dec 2018 Dec 2019 Dec 2020 Dec 2021 Dec 2022 Jun 2023
Employment Pass (EP) 185,800 193,700 177,100 161,700 187,300 197,300
S Pass 195,500 200,000 174,000 161,800 177,900 177,200
Work Permit (Total) 972,600 999,000 848,200 849,700 1,033,500 1,084,600
  • Work Permit (MDW)
253,800 261,800 247,400 246,300 268,500 276,600
  • Work Permit (CMP sectors)
355,700 370,100 311,100 318,500 415,000 437,900
Other work passes2 32,100 34,700 32,200 27,200 25,400 28,800
Total foreign workforce 1,386,000 1,427,400 1,231,500 1,200,400 1,424,200 1,488,000
Total foreign workforce
(excluding MDWs)
1,132,200 1,165,600 984,100 954,100 1,155,700 1,211,400
Total foreign workforce
(excluding MDWs and Work Permits in CMP sectors)
776,400 795,500 673,000 635,700 740,700 773,500

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.