Academic and Non-academic Staff Employed by Institutes of Higher Learning on Employment and S Passes

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of academic and non-academic staff employed by Institutes of Higher Learning who are on Employment Passes and S Passes respectively; (b) what is the number of employees on S Passes who are PhD holders, if any; and (c) what roles do they hold.

Our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) recruit staff based on merit. In 2021, Employment Pass and S Pass holders made up around 11% and 4% respectively, as a proportion of all academic and non-academic staff in the Autonomous Universities, Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education. Around 2% of staff in the IHLs were S Pass holders with PhD qualifications, who contribute mainly in junior research-related roles and are classified as non-academic staff.