Breakdown of Gross Monthly Salary of S Pass Holders

35 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower what are the current respective numbers of S Pass holders who earn a gross monthly salary of (i) less than $1,500, (ii) $1,500 to less than $2,000, (iii) $2,000 to less than $2,500, (iv) $2,500 to less than $3,000, (v) $3,000 to less than $4,000, (vi) $4,000 to $5,000 and (vii) more than $5,000.

Dr Tan See Leng: The minimum qualifying salary for S Pass holders is regularly updated to keep pace with local wage growth, so as to ensure a level playing field for our locals. It was raised to $2,500 in October 2020 and will be raised to $3,000 from September 2022, with further updates in September 2023 and September 2025. Older candidates will continue to be required to have a higher salary to qualify for an S Pass. Existing S Pass holders who have come in under a lower qualifying salary earlier would need to meet the prevailing qualifying salary in order for their S Pass to be renewed.

As of December 2021, there are 161,800 S Pass holders. The median monthly salary¹ of S Pass holders is $3,100. Nearly all S Pass holders earn a monthly salary of $2,500 or more.

Other than the qualifying salary requirement, S Pass holders are also subjected to levies and quotas, which vary by sector.