Work Permit Quota and Levy Rates by Sector in Singapore

If you’re hiring foreign workers on a Work Permit, the quota you’re allowed and the levy you pay depend entirely on which of Singapore’s five approved sectors your business falls under: Construction, Manufacturing, Marine Shipyard, Process, or Services. Each sector has its own rules, its own levy table, and often its own unique requirements on top of the general Work Permit conditions.

This guide breaks down all five, so you can find the exact figures for your sector without digging through five separate MOM pages.

Jump to:
Construction | Manufacturing | Marine Shipyard | Process | Services | Security bond (applies to all sectors)

Construction

Business classification: based on your registered principal business activity in this sector.

Quota: 5 Work Permit holders for every local employee earning the Local Qualifying Salary.

Levy (effective 1 January 2024):

Workers without the required certification are charged an “Unskilled” levy of $900, regardless of source country.

Minimum Higher-Skilled ratio: at least 10% of your construction Work Permit holders must be Higher-Skilled (R1) before you can hire new Basic-Skilled (R2) workers or renew existing R2 permits. Excess R2 permits beyond this ratio are revoked.

Levy bond: a separate deposit required if your workers’ permits were revoked for unpaid levies, you’ve had 3+ late levy payments in 12 months, your sole proprietorship changed ownership, or you’re a new business entity (sole proprietorship, partnership, or incorporated company with paid-up capital under $50,000). Amount: $600 per skilled worker, $2,000 per unskilled worker, held for 12 months (6 months for new companies), with any late payment extending the monitoring period by another 12 months.

Safety and registration: non-Malaysian workers attend the Settling-in Programme (if new or returning) and complete a construction safety course (CSOC or equivalent) within 2 weeks of arrival — refreshed every 2 years (6 years or less in the sector) or every 4 years (beyond 6 years). Your company must also be registered with BCA’s Contractors Registration System (CRS).

Application order: apply for IPA → buy security bond (non-Malaysian workers) → buy medical insurance and the Primary Care Plan.

Manufacturing

Classification: requires a valid factory notification/registration, use of machinery to produce goods from raw materials, and operation in a designated industrial area (food processors also need an SFA licence). Workers must be deployed only at that industrial address — using them in retail or F&B settings requires a separate services account.

Quota and levy:

From 2028, Tiers 1 and 2 merge into $470 (basic-skilled) and $300 (higher-skilled). Date not yet announced.

Source countries: Malaysia, PRC, North Asian Sources (Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Taiwan), and a restricted occupation list for Non-Traditional Sources.

Higher-skilled routes: recognised academic qualifications by source country, ITE SET Level 1/Nitec, the Composite Assessment for Generic Manufacturing, or the Market-Based Skills Recognition Framework (S$1,600+ monthly salary and 4+ years as a Work Permit holder here).

Safety: first-time non-Malaysian workers attend the Settling-in Programme; those handling metals/machinery in metalworking also need a safety course (MSOC or equivalent) within 2 weeks of arrival, refreshed on the same 2-year/4-year schedule as Construction.

Marine Shipyard

Classification: requires shipbuilding or ship repair as your principal business activity, plus registration as a shipyard or shipyard-sponsored contractor (sponsoring shipyard, non-sponsoring shipyard, resident contractor, or common contractor — each with different Work Permit application rights).

Quota: unlike the other sectors’ percentage-based DRC, this is a ratio — up to 3 Work Permit holders per local employee earning the Local Qualifying Salary.

Levy:

From 2028, basic-skilled rises from $500 to $600 (date not yet announced).

Source countries: Malaysia, PRC, North Asian Sources, and Non-Traditional Sources (India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos).

Safety: workers complete the Settling-in Programme (first-timers/certain returning workers) and a shipyard safety course within 2 weeks of arrival, refreshed every 2 years (6 years or less in the sector) or every 4 years beyond that.

Process

Company requirements: PCM (Process Construction and Maintenance) contractors must be a corporate member of ASPRI (Association of the Process Industry), endorsed by ASPRI, and on the PCM Controlled List before hiring foreign PCM workers.

Quota: 5 Work Permit holders per local employee earning the Local Qualifying Salary.

Levy:

From 2028: Malaysia/NAS/PRC basic-skilled rises from $450 to $600; NTS basic-skilled rises from $650 to $800.

Worker scope: PCM workers may only perform construction and maintenance on plant equipment — not plant operations or peripheral services. Work is limited to 13 defined skill sets. NTS and PRC workers may only be employed as Process Maintenance and Construction Worker, its cum-Driver variant, or Driver (Process).

Safety: all Process workers complete the Oil Petroleum Safety Orientation Course (OPSOC); those doing plant construction also need the Construction Safety Orientation Course (CSOC).

Application order: IPA → security bond (non-Malaysian workers) → medical insurance and Primary Care Plan.

Services

Classification: your principal business activity must be registered as one of: financial/insurance/real estate/infocomm/business services; transport, storage and communications; commerce (retail/wholesale); community, social and personal services (excluding domestic workers); hotels; or restaurants, coffee shops, food courts and approved food establishments (excluding hawker stalls, and requiring a Singapore Food Agency licence under the company’s own name).

Quota: DRC of 35% of total workforce.

Levy:

From 2028, Tiers 1 and 2 merge into $600 (basic-skilled) and $400 (higher-skilled).

Source countries: Malaysia, PRC, North Asian Sources, and a restricted occupation list for Non-Traditional Sources.

Higher-skilled routes: recognised academic qualifications by source country, ITE SET Level 1/Nitec, industry-specific WSQ certificates (landscape, nursery, and from December 2026, community care), or the Market-Based Skills Recognition Framework (S$1,600+ salary and 4+ years here). Non-Malaysian workers in hotel, retail and F&B also need WPLN Level 4 listening/speaking assessment.

Job Flexibility Scheme: lets Services Work Permit holders multi-task across occupations — doesn’t apply to performing artistes, Household Services Scheme workers, or NTS Occupation List workers.

Security bond

This applies across all five sectors, not just one.

Employers must buy a $5,000 security bond for every non-Malaysian Work Permit holder before the worker arrives in Singapore — Malaysian workers are exempt, and the cost cannot be passed to the worker. If the bond isn’t active on arrival, immigration won’t admit the worker, and MOM cannot backdate it. The bond is discharged roughly a week after a worker’s Work Permit is cancelled and they’ve returned home, provided no conditions were breached. See our full Security Bond glossary entry for discharge and forfeiture details.

Navigating quota, levy and compliance requirements across sectors can be complex, especially with the 2028 rate changes on the horizon. HeySara’s work pass service can help manage your Work Permit applications and ongoing compliance.