Singapore – The Ministry Of Manpower Now Requires Information On An Employer’s Hiring Practices When Applying For An Employment Pass.

21 November, 2017

 

The Ministry of Manpower ("MOM") has included additional questions in the Employment Pass (“EP”) online application form requiring employers to disclose information about their hiring practices.

The EP online application was updated with the new questions with respect to the employer’s efforts to hire Singaporeans or Singapore permanent residents for the job. These additional questions are set out at the end of this article.

 

The significance of this change is as follows:

 

1) This change was not announced officially by the MOM and came into effect immediately. Such unannounced changes by the MOM are getting more common, such as an EP holder requiring a Letter of Consent in order to be appointed as a director of another company and updating of passport details via Employment Pass Online portal. Employers would need to understand that these unannounced changes are likely to be the new normal moving forward and accept that the procedural steps with respect to immigration issues are unlikely to stay static.

 

2) The change illustrates that the MOM is committed to ensuring that local candidates are considered fairly by employers during the recruitment process. This is also consistent with the recent integration of the Jobs Bank portal with MySkillsFuture, which allows job seekers to closely track if employers have reviewed and considered the job applications.

 

3) Employers will now need to collate the new information relating to their hiring practices in the future. In practice, some employers may not have a policy of collecting such information regarding their hiring practices. Moving forward, employers are advised to document the records of the recruitment process so that these information can be provided easily, and applications can be submitted without delay.

 

Employers would need to continue to be aware of the various changes the MOM is introducing to ensure that the influx of foreign employees is managed properly.

 

New questions in EP application form

 

1) Has your firm searched for candidates for this job using other recruitment methods and channels (apart from the Jobs Bank)? – (Yes / No)

 

i) If yes to the above, which recruitment methods and channels did your firm use? Choose up to 3 from the following:

 

1. Job advertising websites 

 

• Newspapers
• Trade publications / magazines
• By engaging employment agencies / professional placement firms
• By tapping on personal networks of existing employees
• By tapping on the firm's internal talent pool / job portal
• Others

 

2) Please provide the number of applicants who reached the various stages of the application process for the job: 

 

 

The EP applicant who applied and was hired for the job should be counted under all stages from (a) and (d).

If Singapore Citizens have applied (a) or are interviewed for the job (b), 2(i) needs to be completed, in addition to 2(ii).

 

i) My firm has considered local candidates fairly. My firm is applying for this EP because (Choose up to 3 from the following):

 

• Candidates considered did not have good technical skills or expertise for the job
• Candidates considered did not have as good “soft skills” (eg. communication, leadership)
• Candidates considered did not have enough relevant industry or target market experience
• Candidates considered did not have good qualifications
• Our firm was unable to meet the salary expectations of the candidates who were considered for the job
• Candidates turned down our offer of employment
• No candidates turned up for the interview
• Insufficient candidates applied for the job or turned up for the interview to fill the number of available vacancies 

 

ii) How did your firm source for this EP applicant? (Choose 1 from the following):

 

• Local job advertising websites
• Foreign job advertising websites
• Newspapers
• Trade publications / magazines
• By engaging local employment agencies / professional placement firms
• By engaging foreign employment agencies / professional placement firms
• By tapping on personal networks of existing local employees
• By tapping on personal networks of existing foreign employees
• Your firm's internal talent pool / job portal
• Others

 

3) Has your firm considered other candidates for this job? – (Yes / No).

 

This question is only applicable if employers have not advertised the role on the Jobs Bank and have not searched for candidates using other recruitment methods and channels. 

 

For further information, please contact:

 

Kelvin Poa, Partner, Baker & McKenzie.Wong & Leow

kelvin.poa@bakermckenzie.com