PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT

Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Manpower whether his Ministry will allow foreign students studying in institutions of higher learning to take up part-time employment so as to ease the labour shortage in the retail and service sectors.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Since 1st July 1994, my Ministry had allowed foreign students above 14 years of age and who are full-time matriculated or registered student of approved institutions of higher learning (IHLs), post-secondary, and secondary schools to work during their vacation without having to apply for a work permit.

Since January 1997, we had also allowed full time foreign students in our tertiary institutions to work part time without the need to apply for a work permit. The maximum hours of work should be no more than 16 hours a week and these students should first seek the permission of their tertiary institution before working. This is to ensure that their studies will not be adversely affected by their part-time work. As the number of foreign students in tertiary institutions who intend to take up part-time work is relatively small, the exemption from a work permit is not so much to help ease our tight labour market but to provide foreign students an avenue to finance part of their studies in Singapore.

In June this year, foreign students from the Singapore Management University (SMU) have also been exempted from applying for a work permit if they intend to work part-time.