From 1 September 2023, EP candidates must pass a two-stage eligibility framework. In addition to meeting the
qualifying salary (Stage 1), EP candidates must pass a points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) (Stage 2).
COMPASS enables employers to select high-quality foreign professionals, while improving workforce diversity and building a strong local core. It is a transparent system that gives businesses greater clarity and certainty for manpower planning.
COMPASS will apply to:
- New applications from 1 September 2023
- Renewals from 1 September 2024
Watch this video to learn more about COMPASS
How COMPASS works

COMPASS evaluates EP applications based on a holistic set of individual and firm-related attributes.
Your application is scored on four foundational criteria. Applications earn points if they meet or exceed expectations.
Points for each foundational criterion |
Assessment |
20
|
Exceeds expectations
|
10
|
Meets expectations
|
0 |
Does not meet expectations
|
Your application can also earn extra points under the bonus criteria if it meets the relevant qualifying conditions. These criteria recognise applications that bring in skills in shortage or support strategic economic priorities, thus creating good jobs for Singaporeans.
40 points are required to pass COMPASS:
- Applications that meet expectations (earn 10 points) on all 4 foundational criteria will pass (Example A-1 and Example A-2).
- Otherwise, applications can make up the required points by exceeding expectations on another criterion (Example B) or by scoring bonus points (Example C).
COMPASS scoring
The table below summarises how points are earned.
Passing score: 40 points
Foundational criteria
|
Points
|
C1. Salary (Individual)
Fixed monthly salary compared to local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) salaries in sector by age
|
|
20
|
- 65th to < 90th percentile
|
10
|
|
0
|
C2. Qualification (Individual)
Based on candidate's qualifications
|
|
20
|
- Degree-equivalent qualification
|
10
|
- No degree-equivalent qualification
|
0
|
C3. Diversity (Firm-related)
Share of candidate's nationality among firm’s PMETs.*
|
|
20
|
|
10
|
|
0
|
C4. Support for local employment (Firm-related)
Firm’s share of local PMETs within its sector*
|
|
20
|
- 20th to < 50th percentile
|
10
|
|
0
|
Bonus criteria
|
C5. Skills Bonus - Shortage Occupation List (Individual)
|
Job on the Shortage Occupation List
|
+20#
|
C6. Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus (Firm-related)
|
Firm meets specific assessment criteria on investment, innovation, internationalisation, or company and workforce transformation activities
|
+10
|
* Small firms with fewer than 25 PMET employees score 10 points on C3 and C4 by default.
# Skills bonus is reduced to +10 if the share of candidate’s nationality among the firm’s PMETs is one-third or higher.
Criteria details
In stage 1, all EP candidates must meet the EP qualifying salary, which increases with age.
In stage 2, COMPASS further accounts for sectoral differences in salary norms. Your application earns points by meeting benchmarks for local PMET salaries specific to your firm's classified sector. These benchmarks are also age-adjusted.
Fixed monthly salary compared to local PMET salaries in sector by age
|
Points
|
≥ 90th percentile
|
20
|
65th to < 90th percentile
|
10
|
< 65th percentile
|
0
|
Annual updates to the benchmarks will be announced in March each year and applied to EP applications submitted from 1 September of the same year. The next update will be in May 2023 and applied from 1 September 2023 when COMPASS takes effect for new EP applications.
Related questions:
As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that your candidate’s qualifications are authentic and were awarded by accredited institutions.
From 1 September 2023, qualifications declared to MOM in new EP applications will have to be supported with
verification proof from background screening companies listed on MOM’s website.
This is to ensure that qualifications used to score points under COMPASS are authentic.
Candidate's qualifications
|
Points
|
Top-tier institution
|
20
|
Degree-equivalent qualification
|
10
|
No degree-equivalent qualification
|
0
|
Top-tier institutions
EP candidates with qualifications from top-tier institutions will earn 20 points on COMPASS. Top-tier institutions include:
- Top 100 universities based on QS World University Rankings, and other highly-reputed universities in Asia
- Singapore’s Autonomous Universities
- Institutions that are highly-recognised in a particular field
Degree-equivalent qualifications
EP candidates holding degree-equivalent qualifications will earn 10 points on COMPASS. Degree-equivalent qualifications generally refer to:
- Foreign qualifications that are assessed to be comparable to a bachelor’s degree in the UK system (MOM determines this with reference to international recognition bodies, e.g. the UK National Information Centre for recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills (UK ENIC)).
- Professional qualifications that are well-recognised by the industry and endorsed by a relevant sector agency.
Candidates who do not hold degree-equivalent qualifications can still pass COMPASS by earning sufficient points on other criteria.
A diverse mix of nationalities enriches firms with new ideas and networks, and contributes to a more inclusive and resilient workforce.
COMPASS awards more points to applications where the candidate’s nationality forms a small share of the firm’s PMET employees. No points are earned if your firm is applying to bring in a candidate whose nationality currently forms a significant share of its PMET employees.
Share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs
|
Points
|
< 5%
|
20
|
5 to < 25%
|
10
|
≥ 25%
|
0
|
Your application scores 10 points by default if your firm employs fewer than 25 PMET employees.
For the computation of your firm's nationality share, the nationality of your PMET employee (including Permanent Residents) is based on the nationality indicated on their passport in the Singapore Government's records.
Use the
Workforce Insights tool on
myMOM Portal to find out the share of nationalities among your firm’s PMET employees.
Related questions:
COMPASS recognises firms that make efforts to create opportunities for the local workforce and build complementary teams comprising both local and foreign professionals.
Your application earns more points if your firm has a relatively higher share of locals among PMET employees, compared to your peers in the same sector.
Share of local PMETs within your sector
|
Points
|
≥ 50th percentile
|
20
|
20th to < 50th percentile
|
10
|
< 20th percentile
|
|
Your application earns 10 points by default if your firm employs fewer than 25 PMET employees.
If your firm’s local PMET share is at least 70% (pegged to the 20th percentile of firms economy-wide), your application will earn at least 10 points. This is regardless of where your firm stands within their sector. In this way, we do not disadvantage firms in sectors which have a relatively high share of local PMET employees.
Use the
Workforce Insights tool on
myMOM Portal to find out the share of nationalities among your firm’s PMETs.
Related questions:
As Singapore moves to capture new economic opportunities, firms will require access to skilled talent to fill these jobs. The Government works closely with education and training institutes and tripartite partners to train our local graduates and reskill mid-career workers for these good jobs.
However, given our limited local workforce and worldwide competition for talent, the demand for skilled roles will also need to be met by complementary foreign manpower.
The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) recognises EP holders in occupations that require highly specialised skills that are currently in shortage in the local workforce.
The SOL is determined by a robust evaluation process that takes into account industry needs and local workforce development efforts.
Learn more about the current Shortage Occupation List.
Skills Bonus
|
Points
|
Job on the Shortage Occupation List
|
+20
(Reduced to +10 if share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs is one-third or higher)
|
Your candidate’s bonus points will be reduced from +20 to +10 if their nationality forms one-third or higher of your firm’s PMETs. This encourages resilience and diversity in firms, especially in areas requiring critical skills.
Candidates applying for specific tech occupations on the SOL may also be eligible for a longer 5-year duration EP.
Singapore seeks to anchor and grow firms that can contribute to the innovative capacity of our economy, enhance our global linkages, and strengthen our economic competitiveness. Such firms should also have the scale or potential to provide good jobs for locals.
This bonus recognises firms participating in a list of eligible programmes in line with our strategic economic priorities. These are firms undertaking ambitious investment, innovation, and internationalisation activities in partnership with economic agencies, or firms endorsed by National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as strong partners on company and workforce transformation activities.
Learn more about the eligible programmes under the Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus.
Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus
|
Points
|
For partnership with Government on ambitious investment, innovation, internationalisation, or company and workforce transformation activities |
+10
|
The Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal provides benchmarking insights to help your firm with workforce planning and hiring decisions. This includes insights on your firm’s workforce profile, industry benchmarks for salary and non-monetary benefits based on MOM survey data, and links to resources to support better human capital practices.
This enhanced tool includes charts on how your firm will perform on COMPASS firm-related attributes:
- Under Diversity, the share of nationalities among your firm’s PMETs, and corresponding C3 points.
- Under Local PMETs, your firm’s local PMET share compared to other firms in your sector, and corresponding C4 points.
You can share the Workforce Insights tool infographics with others, and tell them how to use the tool to plan their workforce.
Exemption from COMPASS
Your candidate is exempted from COMPASS if they fulfil any of these conditions:
Details |
Timeline for release |
Self-Assessment Tool
Enhance to include indicative outcome for each EP application, including performance on the EP Qualifying Salary and COMPASS (with breakdown of scores by criterion) |
September 2023
|
Case studies
We provide some examples on how EP applications may be scored on COMPASS.
Scenario:
- Firm is a marketing consultancy in the professional services sector.
- Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 40th percentile of their sector. Candidate’s nationality currently forms 15% of the firm’s PMET employees.
- Candidate attributes: Candidate is a business manager and holds a bachelor’s degree from a foreign university (not in top-tier list). Candidate's salary is at the 70th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in this sector.
Application meets expectations on all four foundational criteria. Most applications will fall in this category.
Criteria |
Explanation |
Points |
Salary |
Fixed monthly salary is within 65th to < 90th percentile compared to local PMET salaries for sector by age |
10 |
Qualifications |
Holds a degree-equivalent qualification (not top-tier) |
10 |
Diversity |
Share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs is within 5 to < 25% |
10 |
Support for Local Employment |
Share of locals among firm’s PMETs is within 20th to < 50th percentile for sector |
10 |
Total |
- |
40 (Pass) |
Scenario:
- Firm is a small medical technology start-up in the biomedical sciences sector.
- Firm attributes: Firm has a small PMET employment of 15.
- Candidate attributes: Candidate is an Operations Manager and holds a bachelor’s degree from a foreign university (not in top-tier list). Candidate’s salary is at the 70th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in this sector.
Application meets expectations on all four foundational criteria. Most applications will fall in this category.
Criteria |
Explanation |
Points |
Salary |
Fixed monthly salary is within 65th to < 90th percentile compared to local PMET salaries for sector by age |
10 |
Qualifications |
Holds a degree-equivalent qualification (not top-tier) |
10 |
Diversity |
Firm has fewer than 25 PMET employees |
10
(Default) |
Support for Local Employment |
Firm has fewer than 25 PMET employees |
10
(Default) |
Total |
- |
40 (Pass) |
Scenario:
- Firm is a commercial bank in the financial services sector.
- Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 40th percentile of its sector. Candidate comes from a less represented nationality in the firm, which currently forms 3% of the firm’s PMET employees.
- Candidate attributes: Candidate is a management associate and holds a bachelor’s degree from a foreign university (not in top-tier list). Candidate's salary is at the 60th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in the sector.
Candidate does not meet expectations on the salary criterion, but improves the diversity of the firm.
Criteria |
Explanation |
Points |
Salary |
Fixed monthly salary < 65th percentile compared to local PMET salaries for sector by age |
0 |
Qualifications |
Holds a degree-equivalent qualification (not top-tier) |
10 |
Diversity |
Share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs < 5% |
20 |
Support for Local Employment |
Share of locals among firm’s PMETs is within 20th to < 50th percentile for sector |
10 |
Total |
- |
40 (Pass) |
Scenario:
- Firm is a software firm in the infocomm technology sector.
- Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 10th percentile of its sector. Candidate’s nationality currently forms 35% of the firm’s PMET employees.
- Candidate attributes: Candidate is an artificial intelligence engineer (list of shortage occupations to be determined) and holds a master’s degree from a foreign university (not in top-tier list). Candidate’s salary is at the 95th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in the sector.
Application does not meet expectations on firm-level criteria, but candidate is of higher calibre and fills a shortage occupation.
Criteria |
Explanation |
Points |
Salary |
Fixed monthly salary ≥ 90th percentile compared to local PMET salaries for sector by age |
20 |
Qualifications |
Holds a degree-equivalent qualification (not top-tier) |
10 |
Diversity |
Share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs ≥ 25% |
0 |
Support for Local Employment |
Share of locals among firm’s PMETs < 20th percentile for sector |
0 |
Skills Bonus |
Job on Shortage Occupation List (awarded 10 points instead of 20 as the share of candidate’s nationality among firm’s PMETs is ≥ one-third) |
+10 |
Total |
- |
40 (Pass) |