Singapore: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Saturday (October 30) that it is taking new measures to help ease manpower challenges in the construction, shipyard and processing sectors.
Currently, prospective employers can hire work permit holders without the consent of the original employer within 21 to 40 days before the expiration of the worker permit.
The ministry stated that looking forward to the future, migrant workers will continue to be employed by their original employers until their work permit expires.
After that, they can extend the work permit for 30 days, subject to mutual agreement between the worker and his employer.
Work permit holders can use this time to find other employers without having to obtain the consent of the original employer.
The ministry stated that at the same time, employers can keep workers for up to 30 days.
“If the worker or the employer does not agree to extend the work permit for 30 days, the worker will participate in the retention program, and the industry association will promote job matching with the new employer within 30 days,” the Ministry of Manpower said.
This will be implemented first in the construction on November 8, followed by the shipyard and processing department. MOM said these associations will share more details when they are ready.
Last month, the government and the Singapore Association of Contractors Pte Ltd (SCAL) launched a retention program to retain experienced construction work permit holders who had previously been terminated.
For those workers who wish to continue working in Singapore, SCAL will facilitate the job matching between them and employers who need additional manpower, and will conduct mediation to ensure a transparent and favorable transfer process for both parties.
MOM stated that 52 companies have benefited from the program so far, adding that due to COVID-19 border controls, the inflow of new workers has been restricted, which has helped alleviate the outflow of construction workers.
The plan will continue until February 28 next year and is subject to further review.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Manpower has cooperated with the Singapore Marine Industry Association and the Processing Industry Association to extend the retention program to shipyards and processing industries. Details will be shared later.
