Quicker hiring process for migrant construction workers from 2027 amid strong building demand

SINGAPORE – The hiring process for construction firms bringing in foreign workers will be shortened by three months from 2027, in response to industry feedback on inefficiencies in the current system, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat.

From January 2027, new construction work-permit holders from China and Thailand will no longer have to undergo tests for a competency certification in their home countries before entering Singapore, Mr Chee said on April 30.

The tests comprise written and practical sections in which workers demonstrate their ability to meet quality standards for their specific trade.

This will shorten the hiring process from four months to one month, said Mr Chee at the BuildSG LEAD Summit held at Gardens by the Bay. The shorter hiring process will be extended to the remaining countries from which Singapore draws construction workers – such as India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar – from January 2028.

Workers will instead be tested on their trade knowledge and practical skills in Singapore, and firms must reserve a test slot for them to obtain a skills evaluation certificate before they enter the country.

“Given the strong construction demand in the coming years, it is important that we find ways to facilitate a smoother and more expedient inflow of skilled new construction workers,” Mr Chee said.

As at December 2025, there were 482,600 work permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors here.

This move is among the initial measures by a working group formed in February to improve productivity in the built environment sector.

The group, chaired by Mr Chee, comprises representatives from government agencies and the industry, including developers, consultants, contractors, facility managers and academics.

Mr Chee said the group held its first meeting earlier in April and identified several areas to work on, including improving industry practices to lift productivity and encourage investments in innovation, and addressing skill gaps and labour shortages.

The industry, he added, had given feedback that the overseas certification requirement prolongs the time needed to bring in new workers, and that workers’ skills and certification often do not match the needs of their deployment.

To incentivise firms to train and certify workers, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Ministry of Manpower will from January 2028 impose higher levy rates for new workers who are not certified within the first six months of getting their work permit.

They will not be allowed to renew their work permit if they are not certified after a year.

Ahead of the tests being conducted in Singapore from 2028, workers from China and Thailand coming into the country from 2027 will fall under the Alternative Entry Pathway programme, which requires them to have vocational certifications recognised by BCA.

The authority said there are enough vocational certifications from these two countries that are on a par with BCA’s trade test to meet industry demand for new construction workers. Hence, it will cease the tests conducted in these countries first.

Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL) president Lee Kay Chai, who is a member of the working group, said the tests conducted in the workers’ home countries cover just a portion of construction trades – around 10, including rebar and plastering works.

However, he noted that there are more than 30 trades in the construction industry. SCAL is working with BCA to identify a wider range of trades to be tested locally, he added.

“The key difference is that workers can be brought in earlier and be trained on the job,” said Mr Lee, who is also executive director of Lian Soon Construction.

Asked about the possibility of workers being unskilled when they enter Singapore, he said some companies may require workers to go through training in their home countries, although it is not compulsory.

“Employers must also be mindful that if a worker is not trained and cannot pass the local test in six months, they will face higher levies,” Mr Lee added.

Mr Chan Hiang Kiat, chief executive of construction firm KTC Group, said the firm hires about 700 workers from India, Thailand, Malaysia and China as excavator operators.

He said the tests held overseas may not be relevant to excavation works – they instead test for general skills such as reinforcement and formwork.

Workers may also have to wait a long time to take these tests and time would be saved by taking the tests in Singapore, Mr Chan added.

His firm engages agents in China and Thailand to set up their own test centres to assess workers’ ability to operate an excavator, before they are brought over to Singapore. It will carry on with this practice even after the change.

“So, we are quite assured that when they’re brought to Singapore, they can pass the test here,” he said.

Turning to construction productivity, Mr Chee said greater design standardisation across projects will improve efficiency.

This can be done through the Kit-of-Parts approach, where buildings’ precast components are standardised across projects of similar types, like Lego bricks, he said.

To encourage this, BCA will introduce a streamlined approval process on April 30, in which developers adopting this approach will need to submit only one design standardisation plan and a catalogue of components.

This proposal will cover other building projects in the pipeline, and the developer does not have to submit separate applications for each project.

Mr Chee said this could save consultants around 320 man-hours per project.

The Kit-of-Parts approach will also help reduce manufacturing costs for precast components by at least 10 per cent, and reduce manpower by at least 20 per cent, he noted.

In the same vein, the Housing Board is developing a catalogue covering a range of standard precast components, which will be used across its projects, such as Build-To-Order (BTO) flats and multi-storey carparks, Mr Chee said.

“This will enable greater supply resilience, reducing project delays due to supply disruptions,” he said.

The design of the developments will still be flexible, so as to create distinct BTO projects and HDB towns. More details will be announced later in 2026.

Mr Tan Poh Tuck, executive director of building construction at Teambuild Engineering and Construction, said the Kit-of-Parts approach helps to reduce wastage.

The company produces precast components under its subsidiary, Integrated Precast Solutions, and has been adopting this approach for about two years.

“Before, if there was even a 20mm difference in a component, we would have to make an entirely different mould,” he said, adding that the new approach would eliminate such issues and is a more efficient use of resources.

Mr Chee also provided an update on a two-way feedback channel between consultancy firms and government agencies.

He had previously said the rating system – in which public sector agencies give built environment consultants a score based on their performance – should be a “two-way street”, for a fairer system.

He was referring to the Consultants’ Performance Appraisal System, where agencies evaluate the consultants’ performance every six months throughout a project.

Firms with better scores have an advantage in securing tenders, while those with low scores are delisted from the Public Sector Panels of Consultants for three months.

Mr Chee said a feedback channel was rolled out on BCA’s website in March, allowing firms to raise issues about a project to BCA.

An annual survey, in which consultancy firms can rate and provide feedback on public sector agencies they are working with, will be launched in May.

“I encourage all consultancy firms to make good use of the new feedback platforms to help us identify areas for improvement,” said Mr Chee.

The 2026 BuildSG LEAD Summit, attended by built environment professionals, focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the sector.