Singapore is to make it easier for superintendents and technical superintendents to secure employment in the city-state in the face of a dearth of local talent.
Superintendents were one of 27 occupations recently named on a “shortage occupation list” by Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MoM).
The shortage occupation list is said to be for roles that require highly specialised skills that are lacking in the Singaporean workforce.
Superintendents were the only occupation from the maritime sector to make the list which also includes jobs from the agritech, financial services, green economy, healthcare and information and communications technology sectors.
From 1 September 2023, new applicants for Singapore employment passes will be assessed via a points-based system called the Complementarity Assessment Framework (Compass).
Applicants will need 40 points under six criteria to qualify for a pass under Compass.
Employment pass applicants filling a job on the shortage occupation list can earn up to 20 bonus points on Compass.
However, this will be halved to 10 points if one-third or more of the staff at their hiring firms are of the same nationality as the applicant.
The strategic economic priorities bonus grants up to 10 points for applicants applying to work at companies seen as “key contributors” to Singapore’s economic ambitions.
The MOM and the Ministry of Trade and Industry said the shortlist was put together with government agencies, unions and employers.
It will be reviewed every three years, but MoM said it will “retain the flexibility to add or remove occupations annually if required by market conditions”.
The MoM said one key consideration when placing an occupation on the shortage occupation list was a strong commitment by the sector agency to work with industry to develop the local pipeline to address these shortages over time.
“Such efforts include working with our institutes of higher learning to equip graduates with the necessary skills for the job, as well as instituting programmes to upskill and reskill locals who are already in the sector or in adjacent roles,” it added.
Twelve months ago, Singapore said it was looking to ‘redesign’ jobs in the maritime sector to better attract and retain local workers.
The initiative was part of a plan to create 1,000 ‘good jobs’ for Singaporeans in the sector by 2025 including technical superintendents.
