Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS)

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.

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:

• What is my firm’s sector under COMPASS for EP applications?

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that your candidate’s qualifications are authentic and were awarded by accredited institutions.

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.

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.

Related questions:

• How are PMETs in my firm counted under COMPASS for C3 and C4?
• How is my candidate's nationality/citizenship share among a firm’s PMETs calculated under COMPASS?
• How often will my firm’s COMPASS workforce profile be updated?

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.

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 20^th 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.

Related questions:

• What is my firm’s sector under COMPASS for EP applications?
• How are PMETs in my firm counted under COMPASS for C3 and C4?
• How is the share of my firm’s local PMETs relative to my firm’s sector calculated under COMPASS?
• How often will my firm’s COMPASS workforce profile be updated?

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.

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.

Scenario:

• Firm is a marketing consultancy in the professional services sector.
• Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 40^th 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 70^th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in this sector.

Application meets expectations on all four foundational criteria. Most applications will fall in this category.

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 70^th percentile compared to local PMET salaries in this sector.

Application meets expectations on all four foundational criteria. Most applications will fall in this category.

Scenario:

• Firm is a commercial bank in the financial services sector.
• Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 40^th 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 60^th 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.

Scenario:

• Firm is a software firm in the infocomm technology sector.
• Firm attributes: Firm has a local PMET share at the 10^th 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 95^th 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.