Breakdown of Gross Monthly Salary of S Pass Holders

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower what are the current respective numbers of S Pass holders who earn a gross monthly salary of (i) less than $1,500, (ii) $1,500 to less than $2,000, (iii) $2,000 to less than $2,500, (iv) $2,500 to less than $3,000, (v) $3,000 to less than $4,000, (vi) $4,000 to $5,000 and (vii) more than $5,000.

Dr Tan See Leng: The minimum qualifying salary for S Pass holders is regularly updated to keep pace with local wage growth, so as to ensure a level playing field for our locals. It was raised to $2,500 in October 2020 and will be raised to $3,000 from September 2022, with further updates in September 2023 and September 2025. Older candidates will continue to be required to have a higher salary to qualify for an S Pass. Existing S Pass holders who have come in under a lower qualifying salary earlier would need to meet the prevailing qualifying salary in order for their S Pass to be renewed.

As of December 2021, there are 161,800 S Pass holders. The median monthly salary 1 of S Pass holders is $3,100. Nearly all S Pass holders earn a monthly salary of $2,500 or more.

Other than the qualifying salary requirement, S Pass holders are also subjected to levies and quotas, which vary by sector.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 35:

1 This refers to the fixed monthly salary, which comprises the basic monthly salary and fixed monthly allowances, that is, monthly allowances that do not vary from month to month. MOM collects and uses the fixed monthly salary to determine if a work pass applicant meets the qualifying salary requirement.