Expanding Eligibility Criteria for SEP Bonus under COMPASS for Employment Pass Applications

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider expanding the eligibility criteria for the Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) bonus under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) for employment pass applications, by granting bonus points to multi-national companies who demonstrate strong investment in local professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) by expanding access to overseas work stints and grooming local PMEs to take on management positions.

The Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) awards bonus points to companies that undertake ambitious investments, innovation and internationalisation activities or work with the Labour Movement on company and workforce transformation activities.

To earn Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) bonus points, companies must participate in one or more eligible programmes supported by Government agencies or the Labour Movement. These include programmes, such as EnterpriseSG's Singapore Global Executive Programme, which supports the deployment of local executives on overseas work stints; or the Singapore Tourism Board's Training Industry Professionals in Tourism – Leadership Development Grant, which supports leadership development of local executives. Companies working with the National Trades Unions Congress to form Company Training Committees to strengthen local workforce development are also eligible for the SEP bonus points.