Housekeeper, porter added to jobs list where firms can hire non-traditional work permit holders

LICENSED hotels will be allowed to hire housekeepers and porters from non-traditional source countries from Sep 1, as part of a scheme to help businesses with pressing manpower needs adjust to stricter S Pass salary benchmarks.

The two occupations were added to the upcoming Non-Traditional Source (NTS) Occupation List, which was announced during the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Committee of Supply debate last year.

The roles on the NTS Occupation List are commonly filled by rank-and-file S Pass holders. Once S Pass qualifying salaries are raised on Sep 1, the salaries of such workers may no longer be high enough.

Yet they may not be eligible for work permits, which are restricted from specific source countries.

The NTS Occupation List thus solves this problem by allowing services and manufacturing firms to hire work permit holders from additional countries – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

But such hires must be paid at least S$2,000 a month and cannot form more than 8 per cent of the employer’s total workforce.

Including the two new occupations, there are now a total of nine under the NTS Occupation List.

They are: cooks in Indian restaurants; food processing workers; sheet metal workers; welders and flame cutters; metal moulders and core makers; riggers and cable splicers; structural metal preparers and erectors; housekeepers; and porters.

Separately, MOM gave details on how Indian restaurants can hire cooks from non-traditional sources when the list takes effect.

SEE ALSO

‘Non-traditional source’ work permit holders subject to 8% quota, must earn at least S$2,000

Manufacturing, services firms can hire from non-traditional sources for selected jobs

Indian restaurants that wish to hire non-traditional source work permit holders can submit their applications on MOM’s website from Sep 1.

Applications will be assessed by a panel comprising industry and government stakeholders in Indian cuisine.

Indian restaurants may then submit their work permit applications via MOM’s work permit portal, if they are assessed to be eligible.

MOM will continue to work closely with sector agencies to engage industries and tripartite partners to review the NTS Occupation List regularly.