Singapore stopped assessing Employment Pass applications on salary alone in 2023. The COMPASS framework scores your application against your employer’s workforce as well as your own profile, which means two identical candidates at two different companies can get different answers.
By Meeras Resource | Published 4 November 2026 | Last reviewed 4 November 2026
Key Takeaways
- The Employment Pass requires a job offer from a Singapore employer. There is no self-sponsored route.
- The minimum qualifying salary for new applications is S$5,600 a month in general sectors and S$6,200 in financial services, and both rise with age.
- COMPASS is a points framework with a pass mark of 40, scored across four core criteria and two bonus criteria.
- Two of the four core criteria assess your employer’s workforce, not you, so the same candidate can pass at one company and fail at another.
- Applicants with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 are exempt from COMPASS.
The short answer
To work in Singapore as a professional you need an Employment Pass, which your employer applies for on your behalf through the Ministry of Manpower. You must meet the minimum qualifying salary for your sector and age, and the application must score at least 40 points under the COMPASS framework. Because half the core COMPASS criteria assess the employer’s nationality mix and local hiring rather than your own credentials, the identity of the employer matters as much as your CV.
Our Singapore page sets out what we advise on, and the way employer-led routes work generally is covered in our guide to how employer sponsorship works.
The salary requirement
| Sector | Minimum qualifying salary, new applications |
|---|---|
| General sectors | S$5,600 per month |
| Financial services | S$6,200 per month |
These are floors for a young applicant at the start of a career. The qualifying salary rises progressively with age, reflecting what an experienced local professional in the same role would earn. For applicants aged 45 and above the figure is substantially higher, in the region of S$10,700 a month in general sectors and S$11,800 in financial services.
Meeting the minimum qualifying salary makes an application possible. It does not make it successful, because the COMPASS score still has to clear 40.
How COMPASS works
COMPASS, the Complementarity Assessment Framework, replaced a salary-only assessment. It scores each application out of a possible total and requires at least 40 points to pass.
Four core criteria, each worth up to 20 points:
| Criterion | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Salary | Your fixed monthly salary against the benchmarks for your sector and age |
| Qualifications | Your educational qualifications, with weight given to top-tier institutions |
| Diversity | The share of your nationality within the employer’s professional workforce |
| Local employment | The employer’s share of local professionals, benchmarked against its sector |
Two bonus criteria:
| Bonus | Worth |
|---|---|
| Skills Shortage Occupation List | Up to 20 points for roles on the list |
| Strategic Economic Priorities | Up to 10 points where the employer is supporting named national priorities |
An applicant with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 is exempt from COMPASS entirely.
The point most applicants miss
Two of the four core criteria, diversity and local employment, have nothing to do with you. They score your prospective employer.
The diversity criterion looks at how concentrated your nationality already is within that company’s professional workforce. The local employment criterion looks at the company’s share of Singaporean professionals against its sector benchmark.
The practical consequence is that an Indian software engineer applying to a firm where Indian nationals are already a large share of the professional workforce scores badly on diversity, through no fault of their own. The same engineer applying to a firm with a more mixed workforce scores well. Same CV, different outcome.
This is why the employer matters so much in Singapore. When you are choosing between offers, the company’s existing workforce composition is a genuine factor in whether the pass will be granted.
What counts for qualifications
Points are awarded for educational qualifications, with more weight given to degrees from institutions Singapore recognises as top-tier. Qualifications must be verifiable, and the Ministry of Manpower may require verification by an approved third party for degrees from institutions it does not already recognise.
For Indian applicants this means two things. Allow time for verification where your institution is not on a recognised list, and make sure your documents are properly certified before you need them.
Process and timeline
- Secure the offer. A Singapore employer with a genuine role.
- The employer advertises. Under the Fair Consideration Framework, most roles must be advertised on the MyCareersFuture portal for a minimum period before an Employment Pass application, with defined exemptions.
- The employer applies. Through the Ministry of Manpower’s online system. You cannot apply yourself.
- Assessment. Against the qualifying salary and the COMPASS score.
- In-Principle Approval. Issued if successful, and valid for six months.
- Entry and issuance. You travel, complete any medical requirements, and the pass is issued.
Straightforward online applications are typically processed in around three weeks. Cases flagged for additional review can take eight weeks or longer.
Dependants
Employment Pass holders earning above a defined threshold may sponsor a Dependant’s Pass for a spouse and children, and a Long Term Visit Pass for certain other family members. The thresholds are set by the Ministry of Manpower and have been raised over time, so confirm the current figure before making family plans.
Common reasons an application fails
- Salary at the floor rather than the market rate. Meeting the minimum is not the same as scoring well on the salary criterion.
- A poor employer profile on diversity or local employment. Outside your control but decisive.
- Unverifiable qualifications. Degrees from institutions requiring third-party verification, submitted without it.
- A job advertisement that did not meet Fair Consideration Framework requirements.
- Applying at an age where the qualifying salary is far above what the role pays. The age-linked progression catches mid-career applicants moving into junior-titled roles.
How Meeras Resource supports Singapore applications
We assess whether your salary band, qualifications and target employers can realistically clear both the qualifying salary and a 40-point COMPASS score before you commit to the route, prepare the documentation and qualification verification the Ministry of Manpower will expect, and support the candidate side of the application. We do not source employers or arrange job offers.
We provide consultancy, documentation and preparation support. Pass decisions rest with the Ministry of Manpower and the sponsoring employer. You can request a profile evaluation through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary for a Singapore Employment Pass?
For new applications the minimum qualifying salary is S$5,600 a month in general sectors and S$6,200 in financial services. Both rise progressively with age, and for applicants aged 45 and above the figures are substantially higher. Meeting the minimum does not by itself secure the pass, because the COMPASS score must also reach 40.
What is a passing COMPASS score?
Forty points. They are scored across four core criteria worth up to 20 each, covering salary, qualifications, workforce diversity and local employment support, plus two bonus criteria for shortage occupations and strategic economic priorities.
Can I apply for a Singapore Employment Pass myself?
No. The employer applies on your behalf through the Ministry of Manpower. There is no self-sponsored Employment Pass route.
Why does my employer affect my COMPASS score?
Because two of the four core criteria assess the employer rather than the applicant. One measures how concentrated your nationality already is within the company’s professional workforce, the other the company’s share of local professionals against its sector benchmark. The same candidate can therefore pass at one employer and fail at another.
Is anyone exempt from COMPASS?
Yes. Applicants with a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 are exempt, as are certain other categories such as short-duration passes and intra-corporate transferees. Confirm the current exemptions with the Ministry of Manpower.
About Meeras Resource
Meeras Resource Pvt. Ltd. is a career and immigration consultancy established in 2022 and based at 913, 9th Floor, Hemkunt Chambers, 89 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019. We advise individuals on overseas study, work and migration routes, and we support them through eligibility assessment, documentation, application preparation and interview preparation. Our guidance is grounded in the published rules of the issuing authorities, and we tell clients what those rules mean for their specific profile, including when a route is not open to them.
