SINGAPORE - Chinese work pass holders in manufacturing and services will be allowed to switch jobs within their sectors from next Monday (March 2), even while in Singapore.
The interim measure, aimed at giving firms more flexibility to deal with labour challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak, will last six months, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said on Tuesday (Feb 25).
Under current rules, Chinese work pass holders in those sectors cannot switch jobs while they are in Singapore, which means firms can hire them only after they exit the country.
The move was announced during Manpower Minister Josephine Teo's visit to Wong Fong Engineering Works in Joo Koon on Tuesday.
She said firms with excess manpower will be matched to those facing a shortage of workers, if the firms on both sides agree to a transfer.
"I think this will plug a gap, and we hope that this is also a practical, tangible way in which we can help businesses to manage the current situation," she said.
In its statement, MOM said the scheme will help firms save on search and recruitment expenses, as well as on repatriation costs.
Another benefit is that such workers who are already here do not need to serve the 14-day stay-home notice, which is mandated for anyone returning to Singapore from mainland China outside Hubei.
Done in partnership with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the move borrows from an existing scheme for the construction, process and marine sectors.
This comes amid calls from businesses for more flexibility on foreign manpower, after stricter rules on workers returning from China were introduced.
The tighter restrictions on foreign manpower include the need to get MOM's approval for workers who have recent travel history to China, before they can enter Singapore. They also have to comply with a 14-day stay-home notice upon return.
On Feb 14, SBF chairman Teo Siong Seng suggested the Government could allow foreign workers already in Singapore, especially those from China, to change employers without returning to their home countries between contracts, or letting employers bring in more workers from non-traditional source countries such as Myanmar.
Wong Fong's chief financial officer Jack Wong shared that 13 of his company's 40 Chinese workers have yet to come back.
"(The new measure) will help in the overall management of the business. But of course it will take some time to actually bring these workers up to speed," he said.
During the visit, Mrs Teo reiterated that most of the 30,000 work pass holders from China have yet to return to Singapore.
In an update on Monday, her ministry said it has, each day, approved about 220 and rejected about 500 applications from work pass holders who have recently travelled to China.
Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, assistant director-general of the National Trades Union Congress, said the latest measure will be welcomed by small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
He noted that some firms have surplus manpower and workers who cannot return to China, while some of workers still need to pay off loans.
"The flexibility of this temporary measure will therefore help our companies manage their cost and manpower issues."
Employers who want to hire or transfer Chinese work pass holders here can contact the SBF at manpowerconnect@sbf.org.sg.
The service is free for the first month, after which the SBF may charge employers a nominal fee, to be announced later.
Prevailing work permit rules, including a $35 charge for applications, apply.
