Full text of Singapore’s Foreign Workers Employment Act

On May 22, 2007, the Singapore Parliament reviewed and passed the revised draft of the "Employment of Foreign Workers Act" (hereinafter referred to as the "Old Act") and renamed it the "Employment of Foreign Manpower Act" ( (hereinafter referred to as the “New Act”). The "New Act" has made corresponding modifications in the issuance and management of work permits, improving the enforcement capabilities of the employment inspection department, and increasing penalties against illegal employers and intermediaries, making the content more comprehensive. At the same time, industry restrictions on the introduction of Chinese workers have been further relaxed. The main revisions are as follows: 1. Clarify the legislative authority. The new bill merges the work permit issuance authority originally responsible for the Immigration Department and the work permit management authority for the Ministry of Manpower, and they are uniformly executed by the Ministry of Manpower. The "New Act" stipulates that the Work Pass Bureau of the Ministry of Manpower is responsible for issuing and managing matters related to all foreigners' new employment, while the Immigration Department is only responsible for managing the entry and residence of foreigners. To this end, the "New Act" changes the expression "foreign workers" in the "Old Act" to "foreign employees". 2. Raise penalties and add new illegal acts. Singapore has always had the problem of illegal employment of foreign workers, such as unscrupulous employers evading labor taxes, illegally placing workers, and ignoring workers' welfare protections, etc. In the face of some illegal hiring and employment practices that have been repeatedly banned, the "New Act" further revised the penalty provisions and increased the intensity of punishment. The main adjustments are as follows: 1. Regarding illegal employment practices, the "New Act" will make employers evade labor taxes and exploit workers' benefits. The penalty standard for such acts has been increased from the original penalty of labor tax fine equivalent to 24 to 48 months or 1 year's imprisonment to a maximum fine of SGD 15,000 or 1 year's imprisonment or both. 2. Regarding illegal employment activities, the "New Act" will use illegal means by foreigners to create false documents, falsely declare wages and benefits in order to obtain work passes, illegal sales, convert work passes, or hold forged work passes and other illegal activities. The penalty standard has been increased from the original maximum fine of S$4,000 or one year in prison to a maximum fine of S$15,000 or one year in prison or both. ⒊Introducing new illegal acts. The New Act stipulates that any employer or foreign worker who knowingly provides false information to the Ministry of Manpower and fails to report it during the work permit application process may be fined up to S$5,000 or imprisoned for six months, or both. Punishment. 3. Improve the execution capacity of the employment inspection department. Law enforcement officers of the employment inspection department will encounter a certain degree of danger when performing their tasks, and the equipment equipped by law enforcement officers in accordance with the regulations of the "Old Act" is not enough to effectively subdue some aggressive suspects. Often resulting in suspects escaping and sometimes law enforcement officers being harmed. The "New Act" stipulates that law enforcement officers of the employment inspection department can be equipped with police equipment to perform official duties, and authorizes the employment inspection department to directly arrest domestic or foreign criminal suspects who have committed the following serious violations of laws and regulations: illegal employment; providing false information; buying, selling or making false Work permit; illegally possessing a forged work permit and obstructing an investigation by the Ministry of Manpower. 4. Further expand the industries that can introduce Chinese workers. The "New Act" further relaxes industry restrictions on the introduction of Chinese workers. Singapore maritime companies, manufacturing companies, and service companies can each hire no more than 75% of the company's total foreign employees. 20%, 5% of Chinese workers.