About 3,000 people granted One passes in 2024 to anchor talent in S’pore: MOM

SINGAPORE – About 3,000 workers were granted Overseas Networks and Expertise (One) passes in 2024, and around one in six were new entrants, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in Parliament on Feb 5.

He was responding to Nominated MP Neil Parekh’s question on the take-up rate of the One Pass and its breakdown across sectors.

“The conversion of existing work pass holders who meet the One Pass criteria helps us to anchor talent in Singapore,” Dr Tan said.

The top three sectors with the most number of One Pass holders were financial and insurance services, information and communications, and professional services.

Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) asked how the ministry measured the skills transfer from One Pass holders to Singaporeans and the hiring of Singapore professionals, managers and executives for each One Pass issued.

He also asked whether any audits or independent assessments on the economic impact of the One Pass had been conducted since its launch in January 2023.

In response, Dr Tan said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would provide a balanced scorecard update on how Singapore’s economic performance and competitiveness translate to good employment outcomes for Singaporeans at the upcoming debate on the ministry’s budget, when there would be an opportunity to do so.

He said MOM started an annual notification exercise for existing One Pass holders in September 2024.

It will review the data collected through the exercise and evaluate their contributions to Singapore.

Dr Tan reiterated that the impact of One Pass holders goes beyond individual contributions and the immediate, tangible output that can be measured.

They act as a “super magnet for talent, enhancing and reinforcing our competitiveness as a hub for global talent”, he said.

“We can never have enough,” he added.

Noting that the majority of One Pass holders had converted from holding other forms of work passes, Mr Parekh asked Dr Tan about the tweaks needed for

the programme to attract new talent

.

Dr Tan said it is not about getting large numbers of talent as it is a very targeted, differentiated form of headhunting exercise.

This includes working with research institutes and various industry leaders to scour the world to identify the types of talent needed to sustain Singapore’s growth industries.

“The types of talent we have been giving (One passes) to are the top 5 per cent of the entire ecosystem itself,” said Dr Tan.

MOM is working with other agencies to increase outreach to global talent and raise awareness of the One Pass, he said.

“We also encourage One Pass holders to participate in local programmes to mentor, network and exchange insights with current and future generations of local leaders, such as

the Singapore Leaders Network

.”

Mr Giam asked whether the ministry plans to formally mandate One Pass holders to track and report their professional activities involving mentoring and training of Singapore employees.

Dr Tan said the data collected through the notification exercise will help the ministry understand the different segments of One Pass holders residing in Singapore.

“It would then allow us to be a lot more targeted in leveraging their expertise, networks and skill sets to be able to work closely and transfer those skill sets to mentor our locals,” he said.

“Rather than for us to mandate they have to do that, we would prefer to work with a more encouraging tone, working with them and getting them to inspire our successive generations of Singaporeans to think outside the box.”

Editor’s note: This story has been edited for clarity.