Singapore Raises 2027 Employment Pass Salary Benchmarks

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has published updated COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks that will apply to new Employment Pass applications submitted from 1 January 2027 and to renewals of passes expiring from 1 July 2027, raising the salary bar employers must clear to score points under the framework.

What Has Changed

C1 is one of the foundational criteria in Singapore's COMPASS framework, alongside qualifications, workforce diversity and support for local employment. It compares a candidate's fixed monthly salary against local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in the same sector and age band.

Under the updated benchmarks:

• A candidate scores 10 points where salary meets or exceeds the 65th percentile of local PMET wages for their sector and age group.
• A candidate scores 20 points where salary meets or exceeds the 90th percentile.
• Benchmarks rise progressively with age, from 23 through 45 and above, and vary significantly by sector.

Examples from the released tables:

• Professional services, age 35: 10-point threshold SGD 9,556; 20-point threshold SGD 17,618.
• Info-communication technology, age 30: 10-point threshold SGD 9,226; 20-point threshold SGD 14,204.
• Banking and other financial activities, age 25: 10-point threshold SGD 8,772; 20-point threshold SGD 12,819.

The existing (August 2025) benchmarks remain in force for new EP applications filed between 1 January and 31 December 2026, and for renewals of EPs expiring between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027. Candidates earning SGD 22,500 or more in fixed monthly salary are exempt from COMPASS scoring entirely.

What This Means for HR and Mobility Teams

COMPASS scoring is separate from, and does not replace, the underlying EP qualifying salary. An application that clears the C1 salary points can still fail if the base qualifying salary requirement isn't met, and the reverse is also true: meeting the qualifying salary doesn't guarantee C1 points if the offer sits below the sector benchmark.

Any offer built against 2026 assumptions for a start date or renewal that falls after the January or July 2027 cutoffs needs re-checking against the new tables now. Compensation packages finalised today for a 2027 filing risk landing just under a scoring threshold, costing the candidate points on an overall COMPASS result that may already be tight on other criteria such as diversity or local employment support.

Action Steps

1. Flag any Singapore EP case with a filing or renewal date on or after 1 January 2027 (new applications) or 1 July 2027 (renewals) for a benchmark recheck.
2. Confirm the correct MOM sector classification for each role, since benchmarks vary meaningfully across sectors for the same age band.
3. Recalculate expected C1 points using the candidate's exact age and the new sector table, not the 2026 figures.
4. Where a package sits close to a threshold, model both the 10-point and 20-point salary levels before finalising the offer.
5. Track the overall COMPASS score, not just C1: a shortfall on salary points can sometimes be offset elsewhere, but only if it's identified before filing.

Sources: Human Resources Online — 17 August 2026; Ministry of Manpower, Singapore — COMPASS C1 Salary Benchmarks (August 2026)