Higher-Skilled workers for construction sector

Higher-Skilled workers can enjoy lower levy rates.

At a glance

Criteria	CoreTrade	Multi-Skilling Scheme	Direct R1 Pathway	MBF
Minimum years of experience	4	4-6	No minimum	6
Skills or certification required	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Minimum fixed monthly salary	No minimum	No minimum	$1,600	$1,600

You pay less levy for “Higher-Skilled” construction workers.

There are 4 ways to upgrade your construction workers from “Basic-Skilled” to “Higher-Skilled”:

Years of experience in construction sector	Minimum 4 years
Skills or certification required	CoreTrade skills assessment
Minimum fixed monthly salary	No minimum
More info	BCA website

Register your worker with BCA for training and skills assessment.
If your worker passes the test, BCA will inform us and the new levy rate will take effect on the 1^st of next month.
You will also see your worker’s new skill status and levy rate in WP Online.

Years of experience in construction sector	Minimum 4 years
Skills or certification required	With 4 years' experience: SEC(K) in a second trade With 6 years' experience: 120 hours of training in approved safety-related courses OR WSQ Advanced Certificate in Workplace Safety & Health OR One of the following: WSQ Higher Certificate in Landscape (Horticulture and Turf Maintenance) WSQ Certificate in Landscape Operations by NParks (This programme is no longer available and valid only for certification obtained before 10 Feb 2022.) SEC(K) in Construction-Related (Landscape) (by BCA) Employed by a firm that is registered under NParks’ LCR
Minimum fixed monthly salary	No minimum
More info	BCA website

Your worker must meet the requirements above.
Register your worker with BCA as a Multi-Skill worker.
If the registration is successful, BCA will inform us and the new levy rate will take effect on the 1^st of next month.
You will also see your worker’s new skill status and levy rate in WP Online.

Years of experience in construction sector	No minimum
Certification required	Depending on which country they are from, workers must have one of the following certificates: Malaysia SPM SEC(K) SEC(K) at higher-skill level End-of-course validation of ALP North Asian source (NAS) SEC(K) SEC(K) at higher-skill level End-of-course validation of ALP Non-traditional source (NTS) and People’s Republic of China (PRC) SEC(K) at higher-skill level
Minimum fixed monthly salary	$1,600
More info	BCA website

Ensure your worker’s salary details in WP Online are updated.
Register your worker with BCA for the SEC(K) test.
If your worker passes the test, BCA will inform us, and the new levy rate will take effect on the 1^st of next month.
You will also see your worker’s new skill status and levy rate in WP Online.

The R1 eligibility status of a worker is valid for 2 years. To renew the R1 eligibility or check the expiry date of their R1 eligibility, workers can log into the BCA Construction Workforce Registration System (CWRS) – Direct R1 Renewal portal.

Years of experience in construction sector	Minimum 6 years
Skills or certification required	No requirement
Minimum fixed monthly salary	$1,600
More info	FAQs on MBF for the construction sector

In-principle approval (IPA) for migrant worker