Addressing Foreign Worker Levy Overcharges on Marine Shipyard Firms, and Tracking Refunds and Adjustment Timelines Following Auditor-General's Office Findings

91 Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Acting Minister for Manpower following the Auditor-General's Office's finding that foreign worker levies for marine shipyard firms in January and February 2026 exceeded prescribed rates by $4.82 million (a) what was the total excess before the 1 June 2026 amendment took effect; (b) how many firms were affected; (c) how much has been refunded or offset; and (d) when will adjustments be completed.

Ms Jasmin Lau: An excess of $8.3 million in foreign worker levy was collected between January to May 2026. This includes the $4.82 million reported by the Auditor-General's Office related to levy charges for January and February 2026. We have refunded all the excess levies collected to all 1,018 affected employers either via levy bill offsets or credits to their levy accounts.

The Ministry of Manpower has completed all necessary rectification measures and strengthened its internal processes.