Data on Percentage of Work Permit Holders Who Have Done Work Involving Skills That Matched Skills under Skills Evaluation Certificate Schemes They Obtained

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development with regard to the Skills Evaluation Certificate schemes (a) for each year in the past five years, what is the percentage of work permit holders who have done work involving skills that match the Skills Evaluation Certificate or Skills Evaluation Certificate (Knowledge) which they have obtained; and (b) if this information is not currently available, whether the Ministry will start tracking this information.

Mr Desmond Lee: Construction Work Permit Holders (WPHs) are required to attain the Skills Evaluation Certificate (Knowledge) [SEC(K)] or equivalent, to work in Singapore. This ensures that our WPHs possess the basic knowledge and skills required to work in our construction industry. The SEC(K) covers a wide range of trades. It is in the employer’s interest to bring in workers with the relevant skills. Beyond fulfilling the basic SEC(K) requirement, construction firms are encouraged to continually upskill or train their workers to be proficient in multiple trades. This will enable the industry to fulfil its diverse manpower needs, while managing its reliance on migrant workers.

Given that a construction worker may do different kinds of works across multiple worksites, BCA does not track the percentage of construction WPHs who have done work involving skills that match the trade for the SEC(K) that they have obtained. Doing so would impose an undue administrative burden on the industry, which may not be commensurate with the information collected.