Written Answer by Minister for Manpower Dr Tan See Leng to PQ on Data on Average Monthly Salary Drawn by Employment Pass Holders

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1326 OF 2022

QUESTION NO. 2090 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis

To ask the Minister for Manpower for each year over the last 10 years (a) what is the average monthly salary drawn by Employment Pass (EP) holders by deciles; and (b) what is the number of EP holders within each income decile.

Answer:

MOM regularly reviews the EP qualifying salary to keep pace with local PMET¹ wages. This ensures that EP holders are of good calibre and are not hired simply because they are cheaper than locals. Consequently, the monthly salaries of EP holders at every decile have increased over the last ten years. From December 2011 to
December 2021, the median monthly salary of EP holders increased from $4,700 to $9,000.

The number of Employment Pass (EP) holders per decile increased from 17,500 in December 2011 to 19,200 in December 2016, but decreased to 16,200 in December 2021 in part due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.

Table 1 summarises the key data for December 2011, 2016 and 2021, which broadly represent the trends in EP median salaries and numbers over the ten-year period.

Table 1: Median salaries of EP holders and number of EP holders per decile in Dec 2011, 2016 and 2021