Foreign worker levies for S Pass and work permit holders, including those for foreign domestic workers, will be waived for their stay-home notice (SHN) period from January to September this year, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said yesterday.

This is to help employers manage the increased costs associated with the Government's updated measures to reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 into the community, the ministry said in a statement.

Employers with workers serving their SHN from March to September will not be required to pay levies for the duration that their workers are on SHN, said MOM.

As for employers who have already paid levies for their workers' SHN period in January and February, the waivers will be effected as an adjustment and used to offset the June levy, which is payable in July.

Since January this year, the Government has put in place additional border measures and safeguards to reduce the risks of importation of Covid-19 into the community, said MOM.

These include limiting entry approvals for work pass holders and requiring newly arrived S Pass and work permit holders, including foreign domestic workers, to undergo on-arrival testing and serve an SHN.

"While employers have cooperated with these measures in the interest of public health, some have given feedback that these additional measures have also translated to increased costs," said the ministry.

For new work permit holders, employers must bear the costs of their entry in full, such as SHN accommodation and Covid-19 tests, and are not allowed to pass on any cost to the employees, said the MOM website. The same goes for new foreign domestic workers.

For other new work pass holders, employers and employees should come to a mutual agreement on how the costs could be shared.