SINGAPORE, Mar 10: With an aim to incentivise training and retaining of skilled foreign workers, the government will bring in new skilling scheme for the Singapore process industry, a step that is likely to benefit such workers from India and Bangladesh.
To that end, employers in the process sector will be allowed to hire experienced work permit holders at the end of their term, or at any time with the previous employer’s consent, without having to send them back to their home country first, Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said.
As many as 30,000 foreign workers, mostly from India and Bangladesh, will benefit from the government-initiated scheme, called ‘R1’, which would encourage Singapore companies to hire higher-skilled skilled workers.
Currently, the companies are given ‘R1’ worker status based on high school diploma or certification from a technical education institute.
Besides, employers pay lower levies for higher-skilled ‘R1’ workers compared to less skilled ‘R2’ workers.
These changes will kick in in 2017 to give companies time to retain and train their workers, Tan said.
But for companies to get the ‘R1’ status by 2017, the worker must earn at least SGD 1,200 a month in addition to the skill certification. The current salary limit is between SGD 800 and SGD 1,000 per month.
Companies can also apply for the ‘R1’ scheme if they have workers, who have two years of experience and a salary of SGD 1,200 per month.
“In fact, the enhanced criteria will be a more reliable way of identifying workers, who are genuinely skilled and productive,” The Straits Times today quoted Tan as saying.
From 2019, the government will tighten the criteria for companies to get the ‘R1’ status by raising the salary and experience level to three years.
The workers would also have their skills tested under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications programmes.
Furthermore, the Manpower Ministry would also allow workers to remain in Singapore while their work passes are being renewed. As of now, the workers must leave Singapore during such pass renewal process.
Tan also said that foreign workers in the construction, process and marine sectors would be allowed to take on additional duties as drivers and help their employers reduce the cost of hiring additional drivers.
Companies are paying SGD 300 levy to the government for hiring each foreign worker under ‘R1’ status which would remain so until next year.
Comparatively, the levy would be raised to SGD 500 from current SGD 450 for each foreign worker hired under the lower-skill ‘R2’ scheme.
The scheme would also give petrochemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers more incentives to train and retain their skilled foreign workers over the next two years. (PTI)
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