Need to Advertise in Jobs Bank for 14 Days Prior to Hiring of Personalised Employment Pass Holders and Rationale for Non-advertisement

13 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether employers need to advertise a job on the Jobs Bank for 14 days prior to hiring a Personalised Employment Pass holder for that job; and (b) if not, what is the rationale.

Mrs Josephine Teo: Personalised Employment Passes (PEP) are granted selectively to persons in senior or highly specialised roles. Unlike Employment Pass (EP) applicants, PEP holders do not require an employer to sponsor their application. They are however required to notify MOM when they find employment, instead of their employers applying for approval. The advertising requirement does not arise as a result.

The PEP regime is similar to schemes in other countries, such as the Global Talent Visa in the United Kingdom and the Global Talent Independent programme in Australia, which support businesses in accessing senior or highly specialised persons. In the last few years, PEP holders have accounted for around 1% of all new EPs issued.