Debated in Parliament on 21 Apr 2023.
Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for Manpower with regard to the five-year employment pass for experienced tech professionals with skills that are in shortage, how does the Ministry (i) assess the level of tech capabilities and competencies of the applicant and (ii) verify whether the actual job scope for the applicant is in line with the job specifications for the respective tech occupations on the COMPASS Shortage Occupation List.
There will be checks at the application stage, as well as after the pass holder has started working, to ensure there is no abuse of the five-year Employment Pass (EP) for experienced tech professionals with skills in shortage.
At the application stage, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has worked with Infocomm Media Development Authority on the verification requirements to ensure that experienced tech professionals who apply for the pass have the skills required to perform their respective tech role from the Complementarity Assessment Framework Shortage Occupation List. The verification requirements include whether the applicant possesses the relevant qualifications and work experience for that particular tech role. The submitted qualifications need to be verified by background screening companies to demonstrate that they are authentic and awarded by accredited institutions.
After approval of the five-year EP, the employment of the EP holders will be restricted to the specific shortage occupation. This means that if their employer wishes to deploy the EP holder to a different job role, the employer must submit a new EP application and their eligibility for an EP will be assessed accordingly. MOM will also conduct random audit checks and investigate cases surfaced by whistle-blowers to detect EP holders who are not performing the role specified in their application.
MOM takes a stern view of employers who attempt to submit fraudulent information in work pass applications and will not hesitate to impose stiff penalties on offenders.
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