Recently, the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) has further tightened the qualifying criteria for the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP), in line with its recent moves to raise the quality of Employment Pass (EP) holders.
It said that raising the qualifying criteria for the PEP is to ensure that the PEP “remains a premium pass for top-tier foreign talent”.
From 1 Dec 2012, the minimum annual fixed salary requirement for PEP applicants will increase about 4 times from the current $34,000 to $144,000 (i.e, $2,833 per month to $12,000 per month). The validity of PEP will also be reduced from five years to three years.
Unlike EP, the PEP is tied to the individual instead of a specific employer. It was introduced in 2007 to “strengthen Singapore’s attractiveness to highly-skilled foreigners and facilitate their continued stay and contributions here”, according to the MOM.
The attractiveness of PEP is that its holders do not need to re-apply for a new pass when changing jobs. PEP holders can also stay in Singapore continuously for six months without a job to evaluate employment opportunities. They are not required to leave Singapore during this time, unlike other pass holders.
The question one needs to ask is under the previous MOM regime, why was MOM setting $2,833 as the minimum monthly fixed salary for giving out PEP? This amount is about the pay of a fresh graduate from our local universities. Can foreigners with PEP earning this much be considered “highly-skilled foreigners”? And we have to “facilitate their continued stay” here in Singapore?
Obviously, the new MOM regime must have felt ridiculous for setting such a low-entry barrier for applicants to obtain PEP in the first place and decided to overhaul the PEP scheme. In fact, it increased the minimum annual fixed salary requirement 4 times to $12,000 per month. This reflects the gross inadequacy of the old PEP scheme.
The previous MOM regime was run by Minister Gan Kim Yong. It then begs the question of what he was doing all this while in MOM?
Indeed, some of the netizens are also asking the same question:
Sage: It only goes to show that MOM has been sleeping all these years!… I give up on this uncaring govt. I just cannot understand why so many Singaporeans still put up with all their crap.
JjJ: Wow, all the while nobody knew PEP can earn such low salaries in Singapore! Do real talents command such low salaries? Or the singapore government’s perspective of the word ‘talent’ is different from other countries? To them, any foreigner is a talent. Another joke again!
GKY: Gan Kim Y0n9 is the devil after all these years. Under his leadershit, he groomed lots of Directors, DD to bring in lots of permit holders without careful consideration. Cause of the top down approach, we produces tons of yes man and tons of non thinkers. Just follow orders, DON’T THINK but get paid. Can our country keep on progressing this way with NON THINKERS…
citizen zyx: Suddenly, the citizens realised the definition of foreign talent referred to those with monthly salary of just $2,615! Imagine, when these so-called FT visit MOM, their monthly salary can’t even buy 5 of the ergonomic chairs used at MOM.
Oops!: Is it that tres tres stupide Gan Kim Yong again that made citizens suffer? I can count that he made more than 8 huge glaring mistakes in his previous job as Minister of Manpower (EP criteria, foreign students, fake certs, false salary declaration . . . . )! Who can make so many mistakes like him, yet a Minister of a country? Really, even if he dies now, not a single tear will be dropped for him. PM Lee sure is a total failure for recruiting him.
Grehda: By now, millions of us in Asia can vouch and triple-confirm that Gan Kim Yong is a illogical, crazy, careless, dumb and lazy Minister of all times! $34k per annum get PEP? So, we can all pay Minsiters for $34k per annum too!
Li WeiJie: The previous minister for manpower Gan Kim Yong has done such a lousy job but was promoted to minister. Since policy has lagged effects, their previous bonuses and incremental ought to be claw back… All these scholars are fed with silver spoons in the civil services and administrative services and uniform services. They have all the supports and may not be tested but sitting in ivory towers till 2011 May that they realised that they are out of touch with Singaporeans. The ministers never understand when Singaporeans talk about foreign skilled workers. We want them to be stringent in the criteria in getting skilled foreigners and not Tom dick and Harry. It is obvious in their criteria that are lax. Now they tighten up. Worst still, the PAP ministers keep telling us the important of foreign workers that helped to generate growth. They are too complacent as we are telling them that we want stringent and genuine skilled foreigners and not mass influx of Tom dick and Harry that Singaporeans can fill. Next they will give excuse that Singaporeans do not want to fill those jobs.
THE REALSINGAPORE.BLOGSPOT
It said that raising the qualifying criteria for the PEP is to ensure that the PEP “remains a premium pass for top-tier foreign talent”.
From 1 Dec 2012, the minimum annual fixed salary requirement for PEP applicants will increase about 4 times from the current $34,000 to $144,000 (i.e, $2,833 per month to $12,000 per month). The validity of PEP will also be reduced from five years to three years.
Unlike EP, the PEP is tied to the individual instead of a specific employer. It was introduced in 2007 to “strengthen Singapore’s attractiveness to highly-skilled foreigners and facilitate their continued stay and contributions here”, according to the MOM.
The attractiveness of PEP is that its holders do not need to re-apply for a new pass when changing jobs. PEP holders can also stay in Singapore continuously for six months without a job to evaluate employment opportunities. They are not required to leave Singapore during this time, unlike other pass holders.
The question one needs to ask is under the previous MOM regime, why was MOM setting $2,833 as the minimum monthly fixed salary for giving out PEP? This amount is about the pay of a fresh graduate from our local universities. Can foreigners with PEP earning this much be considered “highly-skilled foreigners”? And we have to “facilitate their continued stay” here in Singapore?
Obviously, the new MOM regime must have felt ridiculous for setting such a low-entry barrier for applicants to obtain PEP in the first place and decided to overhaul the PEP scheme. In fact, it increased the minimum annual fixed salary requirement 4 times to $12,000 per month. This reflects the gross inadequacy of the old PEP scheme.
The previous MOM regime was run by Minister Gan Kim Yong. It then begs the question of what he was doing all this while in MOM?
Indeed, some of the netizens are also asking the same question:
Sage: It only goes to show that MOM has been sleeping all these years!… I give up on this uncaring govt. I just cannot understand why so many Singaporeans still put up with all their crap.
JjJ: Wow, all the while nobody knew PEP can earn such low salaries in Singapore! Do real talents command such low salaries? Or the singapore government’s perspective of the word ‘talent’ is different from other countries? To them, any foreigner is a talent. Another joke again!
GKY: Gan Kim Y0n9 is the devil after all these years. Under his leadershit, he groomed lots of Directors, DD to bring in lots of permit holders without careful consideration. Cause of the top down approach, we produces tons of yes man and tons of non thinkers. Just follow orders, DON’T THINK but get paid. Can our country keep on progressing this way with NON THINKERS…
citizen zyx: Suddenly, the citizens realised the definition of foreign talent referred to those with monthly salary of just $2,615! Imagine, when these so-called FT visit MOM, their monthly salary can’t even buy 5 of the ergonomic chairs used at MOM.
Oops!: Is it that tres tres stupide Gan Kim Yong again that made citizens suffer? I can count that he made more than 8 huge glaring mistakes in his previous job as Minister of Manpower (EP criteria, foreign students, fake certs, false salary declaration . . . . )! Who can make so many mistakes like him, yet a Minister of a country? Really, even if he dies now, not a single tear will be dropped for him. PM Lee sure is a total failure for recruiting him.
Grehda: By now, millions of us in Asia can vouch and triple-confirm that Gan Kim Yong is a illogical, crazy, careless, dumb and lazy Minister of all times! $34k per annum get PEP? So, we can all pay Minsiters for $34k per annum too!
Li WeiJie: The previous minister for manpower Gan Kim Yong has done such a lousy job but was promoted to minister. Since policy has lagged effects, their previous bonuses and incremental ought to be claw back… All these scholars are fed with silver spoons in the civil services and administrative services and uniform services. They have all the supports and may not be tested but sitting in ivory towers till 2011 May that they realised that they are out of touch with Singaporeans. The ministers never understand when Singaporeans talk about foreign skilled workers. We want them to be stringent in the criteria in getting skilled foreigners and not Tom dick and Harry. It is obvious in their criteria that are lax. Now they tighten up. Worst still, the PAP ministers keep telling us the important of foreign workers that helped to generate growth. They are too complacent as we are telling them that we want stringent and genuine skilled foreigners and not mass influx of Tom dick and Harry that Singaporeans can fill. Next they will give excuse that Singaporeans do not want to fill those jobs.
THE REALSINGAPORE.BLOGSPOT
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