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Services sector dominates cases involving misuse of work passes for foreign trainees; nearly half of probed firms face enforcement

Penalties range from warnings to prosecution

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Low Youjin

Low Youjin

Published Thu, Oct 9, 2025 · 11:27 AM
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    • MOM says some workers were misled about key employment terms such as salary and duration of employment.
    • MOM says some workers were misled about key employment terms such as salary and duration of employment. PHOTO: BT FILE

    [SINGAPORE] A majority of the 230 employers investigated for offences related to the abuse of the Training Employment Pass (TEP) scheme between 2023 and 2024 were from the services sector, with close to half facing enforcement action, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in response to The Business Times’ queries on Thursday (Oct 9).

    Penalties for the 100 employers ranged from warnings to prosecution, MOM added in the follow-up response to BT, after Member of Parliament Elysa Chen (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) first raised the issue in Parliament on Sep 26.

    In its response to Chen, the ministry said the investigations also involved 520 TEP holders. 

    Ministry of ManpowerSingapore manpowerCrimeEmployment

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