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Written Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo Minister for Manpower to PQ on number of Intra-corporate transferees and their family members holding dependent passes working in Singapore

Work passes and permits Foreign manpower

NOTICE PAPER NO. 258 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 16 FEBRUARY 2021

QUESTION NO. 683 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Mr Leong Mun Wai

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current respective numbers of intra-corporate transferees and their family members holding dependant passes who are working in Singapore; (b) whether these individuals are included under the Ministry's employment statistics; and (c) how many of these individuals come from countries that have a free trade agreement with Singapore.

Answer

  1. Singapore currently has 26 FTAs  in force and is party to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has 164 economies as members. Practically all individuals that have entered Singapore as overseas Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICTs) would be covered by our trade agreements, including the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). 
  2. The number of ICTs has consistently been below 5 percent of all Employment Pass (EP) holders in Singapore. These ICTs would have met the same criteria as other EP holders to work in Singapore. Less than half of existing ICTs  have brought in dependants, and less than 1 in 10 of these dependants have been allowed to work during their stay in Singapore.  Overseas ICTs, as well as their dependants who work, are included in the Ministry of Manpower’s foreign workforce numbers and employment statistics.