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Reminder to Employment Agency Personnel to get Certified and Registered

Foreign manpower
16 February 2012

• Key Appointment Holders who fail to do so by 31 March 2012 will be de-registered
• Over 85% of Key Appointment Holders have already been certified

  1. Under the new Employment Agency (EA) regulatory framework, which came into effect on 1 April 2011, all EA personnel need to be certified and registered in order to perform EA work.

    Status Update of CEI
  2. As of 14 February 2012, over 85% of Key Appointment Holders (KAHs)1 have attained the CEI. However, there are still 542 KAHs (approximately 14% out of 3,878) who have yet to be certified. They will need to do so by 31 March 2012.

    Uncertified KAHs to be De-Registered
  3. KAHs who fail to be certified by 31 March 2012 will be de-registered. They will not be able to perform EA work from 1 April 2012 and their account access to the Work Permit On-Line and Employment Pass On-Line will also be suspended. Those who continue to perform EA work will be committing an offence.
  4. MOM urges all KAHs who have not attained the CEI to quickly do so or risk being de-registered. In the last few months, MOM officers have been actively contacting KAHs to remind them of the impending deadline to attain the CEI. On top of regular circulars, emails, and personalised letters, constant reminders were sent through broadcast messages on Work Permit On-Line and Employment Pass On-Line. MOM has also been working with the Accredited Training Providers and Accredited Test Administrator to cater to last-minute rush to register for CEI.

    CEI Increases Knowledge and Professionalism of Employment Agents
  5. The CEI aims to equip EA personnel with the necessary knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations. This ensures that the EAs understand their obligations under the law and are able to advise their clients on their rights and responsibilities, resulting in better professional knowledge and service to their clients.
  6. Commenting on the requirement for KAHs to obtain the CEI, Dr Michael Teo Eng Hock (张永福), 54, of Inspire Global Pte Ltd, said, “I attended the CEI course last year and found it to be very informative. The lecturer provided very good examples on how the various laws could be applied in our operating environment. With my newfound knowledge and years of experience in this industry, I feel more confident of providing better service to my clients.”

    Use the EA Directory
  7. Employment agents who have attained the CEI will have their records updated in the EA Directory at www.mom.gov.sg/eadirectory. Employers and job seekers are encouraged to use the EA Directory to check before employing the services of an EA.

Annex A


About Certificate of Employment Intermediaries (CEI)

The CEI aims to equip EA personnel with the necessary knowledge of relevant legislation and regulations. This ensures that the EAs understand their obligations under the law and are able to advise their clients on their rights and responsibilities, resulting in better professional knowledge and service to their clients.

The CEI requirements apply to EAs with a Comprehensive Licence. KAHs are required to attain the “CEI for key appointment holders”, regardless of whether they perform EA work. Other EA personnel performing EA work as specified in the EA Act are required to attain the “CEI for other EA personnel”. They need to attend a course and pass a test2.

KAHs are required to attend either a 40-hour or 28-hour CEI course, depending on whether they are involved in placing foreign employees. The 40-hour course covers company law, contract law and key employment laws such as the amended Employment Agencies Act (EAA), the Employment Act (EA) and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), while the 28-hour course omits the EFMA portion.

The other EA personnel, or non-KAHs, are required to attend either a 32-hour or 20-hour CEI course, depending on whether they are involved in placing foreign employees. The 32-hour course covers key employment laws such as the amended Employment Agencies Act (EAA), the Employment Act (EA) and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), while the 20-hour course omits the EFMA portion.

All CEI courses are conducted by Absolute Kinetics Consultancy Pte Ltd, Grace Management & Consultancy Services Pte Ltd and Singapore Polytechnic.

More information on CEI can be found at http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/employment-agencies/Pages/CEI.aspx.

1KAHs refer to persons in EAs who have general control and management of EA-related work. Non-KAHs refer to persons who are engaged to perform EA-related work. They have until 31 March 2014 to be certified.

2KAHs and non-KAHs have the option of taking the CEI test without attending the CEI course. However, those who fail the test will be required to attend the course before taking the re-test.