As an aging population with an economy that is still growing well, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Singapore has a sizeable foreign labour workforce to supplement our local workers.
According to data published by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), there are a total of 1.48 million foreign workers in Singapore (as of June 2023), representing about 38% of Singapore’s total workforce of 3.89 million (as of year-end 2022).
Among foreign workers, about 197,300 are employment pass holders, 177,200 are S pass holders and the remaining 1,084,600 are work permit holders.
And among work permit holders, 437,900 workers are from the Construction, Manufacturing & Process (CMP) sectors.
Workers In The Construction, Manufacturing & Process (CMP) Need A Primary Care Plan (PCP)
Starting from April 1, 2022, employers hiring workers in CMP sectors must acquire a Primary Care Plan (PCP) for these workers. The aim of PCP is to offer affordable and accessible healthcare services near the workers’ residences, complementing the existing mandatory medical insurance requirement.
This initiative supports public health surveillance to minimize disease outbreaks. PCP benefits include unlimited acute/chronic consultations at designated medical centers, telemedicine services, and mobile clinical teams. Workers opting for tele-consultations can receive medication on the same day.
The PCP covers various services, such as medical examinations, basic health screenings, and transportation to medical centers. Employers select from six anchor operators, with PCP costs ranging from $108 to $138 per worker annually, payable in monthly installments.
Read Also: What Employers Need To Know About The Mandatory Primary Care Plan (PCP) For Foreign Workers
Intra-Corporate Transferee, A Type Of EP Holder
The Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) scheme in Singapore enables multinational companies to post overseas employees to work without the need for advertising on MyCareersFuture.
An ICT must be in one of the following roles below:
Manager
- Primarily directs the organisation or a department or sub-division of the organisation.
- Supervises and controls the work of other supervisory, professional or managerial employees.
- Has the authority to hire and fire or take other personnel actions (such as promotion or leave authorisation).
- Exercises discretionary authority over day-to-day operations.
Executive
- Primarily directs the management of the organisation.
- Exercises wide latitude in decision-making.
- Receives only general supervision or direction from higher level executives, the board of directors, or stockholders of the business.
Specialist
- Possesses knowledge at an advanced level of expertise.
- Possesses proprietary knowledge of the organisation’s service, research, equipment, techniques or management.
To qualify as an ICT, employees must have worked for the company for at least a year and meet relevant definitions, being considered Employment Pass (EP) holders. They also must meet the EP criteria as set out by MOM.
In 2020, changes disallowed family members of ICT applicants from entering via dependant’s passes or long-term visit passes, except for those from countries with Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Singapore, like India and Australia. While ICTs from non-FTA countries can’t bring family, EP holders can.
ICTs are limited to a 3-year term, extendable up to 5 years, but unlike EP holders, they are not eligible for future employment or permanent residency. Employers using the ICT route are exempt from the Fair Consideration Framework advertising requirement on MyCareersFuture.
Read Also: What You Need To Know About EP Holders Who Are Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICT)
Image by Jason Goh from Pixabay
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