Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) for Employment Pass applications

Securing or renewing a Singapore Employment Pass (EP) requires passing a structured, two-step vetting process:

• Stage one (Meet the minimum salary): offered salary must match or exceed the benchmarked rate for your industry and experience level
• Stage two (Pass the COMPASS points test): application must score a minimum of 40 points based on qualifications, salary and company diversity attributes.

This dual-stage assessment has been mandatory for new hires since September 2023 and for all pass renewals since September 2024.

Singapore’s EP is designed specifically for foreign professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) who bring specialised skills to the local economy. To ensure a sustainable labour market, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) utilises the COMPASS points system. The COMPASS framework ensures that every EP holder delivers high-value expertise that drives business growth while advancing Singapore’s broader economic priorities.

For corporate employers, navigating Singapore’s foreign hiring ecosystem now requires a meticulous, data-driven approach to individual candidate benchmarks and company-level workforce metrics.

Our  HR and payroll outsourcing team support businesses in understanding how these criteria apply to their workforce and deliver end-to-end support.  This is relevant when considered alongside the EP salary requirements, which continue to evolve with COMPASS.

What is the evaluation process for COMPASS?

Clearing the Singapore MOM COMPASS point system requires a combined score of 40 points or higher. The framework splits its evaluation across six distinct criteria within two main tiers.

The foundational tier assesses the candidate’s salary and verified qualifications alongside company-level metrics like workforce nationality diversity and local PMET ratios. Applications can score additional points through the bonus tier if the role is on Singapore’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL) or if the company maintains an eligible strategic partnership with the government.

Source: Ministry of Manpower

Source: Ministry of Manpower

Key information about the COMPASS eligibility criteria

Foundational tier: individual and firm metrics

C1. Salary benchmarks (individual)

The EP qualifying salary threshold rises with age and differs across sectors. Under C1, points are awarded based on how a candidate’s salary compares to local PMET salary benchmarks within the relevant sector. A candidate whose fixed monthly salary reaches the 90th percentile of those benchmarks scores the maximum 20 points for this criterion.

C2. Qualifications

Under C2, the level and source of a candidate’s academic credentials determine the points awarded. Graduating from a top-ranked institution secures 20 points, while a standard  degree-equivalent qualification earns 10 points.

Where a candidate’s qualifications fall below degree level, scoring zero points on C2 does not automatically disqualify them, provided they accumulate enough points across the remaining criteria to reach the 40-point threshold.

C3. Diversity (firm-level)

More points will be given to applications in which the candidate’s nationality accounts for a small share of the firm’s PMET employees.

The firm can score a maximum of 20 points if the proportion of its employees who share the candidate’s nationality is less than 5 per cent.

Small businesses with fewer than 25 PMET employees are protected and automatically receive 10 points by default.

C4. Support for local employment

This criterion measures a firm’s local PMET headcount  relative to subsector peers.  If local Singaporean PMETs account for 70% or more of your total PMET workforce, the application scores 10 points irrespective of its subsector ranking.  Similar to C3, firms with fewer than 25 PMET employees score 10 points by default.

An organisation will earn the maximum of 20 points for this criterion if the percentage of local PMET employees is at the 50^th percentile or more when compared to subsector peers.

Bonus tier: strategic advantages

C5. Skills bonus (Shortage Occupation List (SOL))

The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) covers EP roles for which specific expertise is scarce in the local workforce. Where a candidate fills a listed role, the application receives 20  points.. This is reduced to 10 points when the proportion of employees who share the candidate’s nationality within the firm’s PMET headcount reaches one-third or more.

C6. Strategic economic priorities bonus

COMPASS values companies engaged in innovation or internationalisation activities in partnership with the government.

An application will earn an additional 10 points if the firm participates in selected programmes run by government agencies, or meets specific criteria, and demonstrates commitment to developing the local workforce.

Employers should regularly analyse and review their workforce ratio and diversity against these criteria and make adjustments to meet the requirements under COMPASS. Given that both firm-level and individual-level scores feed into the outcome, changes in headcount, turnover or hiring mix can affect future applications even if individual candidates remain the same.

Who is exempted from the COMPASS points system?

While MOM COMPASS framework applies to most overseas applicants, certain candidates can bypass the point-scoring evaluation entirely. An EP application is automatically exempted from COMPASS if it satisfies any one of the following criteria:

• The candidate’s fixed monthly salary is S$22,500 or above. This salary level aligns with the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) job advertising exemptions.
• The candidate is an intra-corporate transferee from overseas, applying under the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) or a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that Singapore is party to.
• The role is filling a critical corporate role in Singapore  on a short-term basis lasting  no more than one month.

What is the Pre-Assessment Tool (PAT)?

Employers can obtain an indicative COMPASS score for a prospective EP candidate through the Pre-Assessment Tool (PAT) before submitting an application. PAT provides insights on how an applicant is likely to score on each COMPASS criterion.

Do I need to verify a candidate’s university degree for an EP application?

Only if you are claiming points for it. Under the COMPASS C2 Qualifications index, employers must provide proof of verification from a MOM-approved background check provider for any degree declared. However, if your application reaches the 40 point threshold using workforce diversity, salary benchmarks or shortage occupation bonuses, you can choose not to declare the qualification, bypassing the verification mandate entirely.

Employers who wish to use educational qualifications to support their EP applications must provide verification proof for degree-level and above qualifications as stated below:

MOM will only accept verification proof from sources listed below:

1. Selected background screening companies
2. Online verification portals of educational institutions or local governments
3. Digital certificates issued by educational institutions and verified through the OpenCerts portal

How can we help

Planning ahead is essential for businesses navigating the changes COMPASS has introduced to the employment pass process. Factoring in additional time for verification checks and workforce analysis at the start of your hiring timeline will reduce delays and improve the likelihood of a successful application.

Forvis Mazars can help your business prepare for COMPASS, assess your current workforce metrics against the eligibility criteria and adapt your recruitment strategies accordingly.

Contact us to learn more