Debated in Parliament on 16 Feb 2021.
Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the current respective numbers of intra-corporate transferees and their family members holding dependant passes who are working in Singapore; (b) whether these individuals are included under the Ministry's employment statistics; and (c) how many of these individuals come from countries that have a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore.
Singapore currently has 26 FTAs in force and is party to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has 164 economies as members. Practically all individuals that have entered Singapore as overseas Intra-Corporate Transferees (ICTs) would be covered by our trade agreements, including the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
The number of ICTs has consistently been below 5 percent of all Employment Pass (EP) holders in Singapore. These ICTs would have met the same criteria as other EP holders to work in Singapore. Less than half of existing ICTs have brought in dependants, and less than 1 in 10 of these dependants have been allowed to work during their stay in Singapore. Overseas ICTs, as well as their dependants who work, are included in the Ministry of Manpower’s foreign workforce numbers and employment statistics.
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