Singapore has announced a new work visa scheme that will favor 27 jobs in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and alternative meat.
Key Takeaways
- Singapore is introducing a new point-based visa scheme for foreign professionals that favors 27 jobs in six industries, reflecting the city-state’s economic priorities post-pandemic.
- The new visa scheme aims to encourage employers to contribute to the local economy and develop the local workforce, reducing their dependence on foreign workers.
- The scheme’s diversity criteria require employers to ensure their workplaces have diverse backgrounds and substantial Singaporean workers to score high, hindering financial institutions from other Asian countries that tend to use executives from their home countries.
As the city-state continues to experience a tech talent shortage, the government is looking for more software developers, cloud and cybersecurity experts, AI and data scientists, and other professionals in the ICT sector, which makes up nearly half of the list. If they meet the requirements, seasoned ICT tech experts will be eligible for a longer five-year pass.
The scheme, which will take effect in September, aims to attract foreign professionals who can help the city-state grow its economy after the pandemic. The jobs are part of the point-based assessment process, which will evaluate applicants based on their skills, qualifications, and experience.
Examples of jobs favored in Singapore’s upcoming visa scheme
Sector | Occupations |
---|---|
Agritech | Alternative protein food application scientist |
Financial services | Investment adviser for high net worth, family office, philanthropy |
Green economy | Carbon project manager, carbon trader |
Health care | Clinical psychologist, diagnostic radiographer, physiotherapist, registered nurse |
ICT | AI scientist, cloud specialist, cyber risk specialist, data scientist, software developer |
Maritime | Marine superintendent |
A new point-based criteria called COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework)
Singapore has released a list of 27 jobs that will be favored in the point-based assessment process. The new visa scheme will apply to Employment Pass (EP), a work visa for foreign professional managers, executives or those in specialized jobs.
Starting from Sept. 1, the city-state will introduce point-based criteria called COMPASS (Complementarity Assessment Framework) to evaluate the extent an EP candidate complements Singapore’s workforce. All EP applicants will be scored on three stages — 0, 10, or 20 points — across four foundational criteria: salary, qualifications, hiring company’s diversity and local staff ratios.