Working in Singapore after an MBA

What Is the COMPASS Points System for an Employment Pass in Singapore?

Singapore’s COMPASS—the Complementarity Assessment Framework—is a points-based assessment for most Employment Pass (EP) applicants. After meeting the EP qualifying-salary floor, the applicant must score at least 40 points across four foundational criteria plus, where applicable, two bonus criteria.

How Does Employment Pass Eligibility Work in Singapore?

An employer must first offer a salary that meets the EP qualifying-salary threshold. Only then does COMPASS apply.

For a new EP application as of September 2026:

Employer sector	Minimum fixed monthly salary at age 23 or below	Effect from 1 Jan 2027 for new applications
Most sectors	S$5,600	S$6,000
Financial services	S$6,200	S$6,600

The actual minimum rises with the candidate’s age. The EP qualifying salary is only the gateway; it is different from COMPASS’s salary criterion, which compares the offered salary with local PMET salaries in the same sector and age band.

How Does the COMPASS Scoring System Work?

Each foundational criterion offers 0, 10, or 20 points. You need 40 points in total.

Criterion	20 points	10 points	0 points
C1: Salary	Fixed monthly salary is at or above the 90th percentile of local PMET salaries in the employer’s sector and candidate’s age band	Salary is from the 65th to below the 90th percentile	Salary is below the 65th percentile
C2: Qualifications	Qualification from a recognised top-tier institution	Recognised degree-equivalent qualification	No degree-equivalent qualification
C3: Diversity	Candidate’s nationality makes up under 5% of the firm’s PMET workforce	Nationality makes up 5% to under 25%	Nationality makes up 25% or more
C4: Support for local employment	Employer’s share of local PMETs is at or above the 50th percentile within its subsector	Employer is at the 20th to below-50th percentile	Employer is below the 20th percentile

PMET means Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians. For COMPASS C3 and C4, MOM uses employees earning at least S$3,000 per month as the PMET proxy. A company with fewer than 25 PMET employees receives 10 points by default on both diversity and local-employment-support criteria.

What Are the COMPASS Bonus Criteria?

The two bonus criteria can provide up to 30 additional points.

Bonus	Points	When it applies
C5: Skills Bonus	+20, or +10 in a specified diversity situation	The EP role appears on Singapore’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL), and the applicant is suitably qualified for the role
C6: Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus	+10	The employer qualifies under an approved strategic-economic-priorities scheme and meets MOM’s conditions

For C5, the applicant needs a role genuinely aligned with an occupation on the SOL and evidence that they are qualified to perform it. It is not enough to use an SOL-style job title. The Skills Bonus is reduced from +20 to +10 if the candidate’s nationality already represents at least one-third of the employer’s PMET workforce.

The C6 bonus is tied to the employer, not the candidate. It is available where a firm participates in eligible programmes, shows commitment to developing the local workforce, and is supported by the relevant sector agency or the National Trades Union Congress.

How Does COMPASS Work in Real-World Examples?

Example 1: Standard pass without bonus

An MSc graduate receives an EP-eligible offer from a company where:

• C1 Salary: 10 points

• C2 Qualification: 10 points

• C3 Diversity: 10 points

• C4 Local employment support: 10 points

Total: 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40 points.

This meets the COMPASS requirement. The key point is that a candidate does not need to score 20 points on salary or attend a top-tier university if the overall total reaches 40.

Example 2: Pass assisted by shortage skills

An MBA graduate gets:

• C1 Salary: 10 points

• C2 Qualification: 10 points

• C3 Diversity: 0 points

• C4 Local employment support: 10 points

• C5 Skills Bonus: 20 points

Total: 10 + 10 + 0 + 10 + 20 = 50 points.

The Skills Bonus can compensate for weaker employer-side diversity outcomes, provided the job and candidate genuinely qualify under the SOL.

Example 3: Salary floor met, but COMPASS failed

A candidate meets the statutory EP salary minimum but gets:

• C1 Salary: 0 points

• C2 Qualification: 10 points

• C3 Diversity: 0 points

• C4 Local employment support: 10 points

Total: 20 points.

The EP would not pass COMPASS unless eligible bonus points lift the total to 40 or more. This is why “the salary is above S$5,600” is not, by itself, an EP approval guarantee.

Exemptions

An EP candidate is exempt from COMPASS if any of the following applies:

• They earn at least S$22,500 in fixed monthly salary.

• They are an overseas intra-corporate transferee under the relevant WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services or applicable free-trade-agreement provisions.

• Their role in Singapore is for one month or less.

These exemptions are generally irrelevant to fresh MBA/MSc graduates, who should assume both the EP salary rule and COMPASS will apply.

How Does COMPASS Affect International Graduates in Singapore?

For an Indian MBA or MSc graduate, the most controllable elements are:

• Secure a salary that not only clears the EP minimum but is competitive relative to local PMET pay in that sector and age group.

• Hold a recognised degree-equivalent qualification; a degree from a leading university can strengthen C2.

• Build skills connected to recognised shortage occupations, especially in areas such as data, AI, cybersecurity, selected technology roles, and specialist financial/technical functions.

• Apply to established employers with healthy local-PMET hiring and a record of sponsoring international professionals.

The least controllable factors are C3 and C4 because they depend on the employer’s existing workforce composition and local-employment profile. Therefore, ask the employer to run MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before finalising a relocation plan. The official tool can indicate whether the proposed EP application is likely to satisfy the prevailing criteria, though MOM makes the final decision.

How Can You Check Your COMPASS Points Using the MOM Self-Assessment Tool?

To check COMPASS points, ask the prospective employer—or its authorised employment agency—to run Singapore MOM’s Employment / S Pass Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) using the actual job offer and company information. The enhanced SAT produces an indicative EP result and COMPASS score, but it is not an approval guarantee.

Who Can Access the MOM Self-Assessment Tool?

There are two practical versions of the MOM SAT:

User	What they can do	Access needed
Applicant / student	Use the public eligibility check for a preliminary indication	No fee; public access
Employer or authorised employment agency	Obtain the enhanced EP assessment, including the indicative COMPASS outcome and score	Access to MOM’s EP eService / myMOM Portal, generally via Corppass

MOM states that the enhanced SAT should be used for EP applications submitted from 1 September 2023 onward and requires access to the EP eService. The employer-side version is necessary because COMPASS includes firm-specific data—especially workforce diversity and support for local employment—that a job applicant cannot accurately see or enter.

How Do You Check COMPASS Eligibility Step by Step?

1. Gather the exact offer details

Before the employer runs the assessment, give them accurate information on:

• Full name, nationality, date of birth, and passport details.

• Your highest qualification, degree-awarding institution, graduation year, and supporting certificates/transcripts.

• Relevant employment history and job experience.

• Proposed job title and description.

• Employer’s business activity/industry.

• Proposed fixed monthly salary.

• Expected start date and pass type being considered: EP or S Pass.

For COMPASS, fixed monthly salary is important. Do not assume an annual bonus, commission, equity award, relocation benefit, or discretionary incentive will make up a shortfall against the EP qualifying salary.

2. Employer logs into MOM’s portal

The employer should:

1. Go to MOM’s Employment / S Pass SAT page.

2. Log in through the company’s EP eService / myMOM Portal using Corppass.

3. Select the relevant legal entity if the corporate group has multiple Singapore entities.

4. Open the enhanced SAT and choose an Employment Pass assessment.

5. Enter the candidate, job, and salary details exactly as planned for the actual application.

MOM’s user guidance similarly instructs employers to use the SAT before filing a new EP or S Pass application, and to ensure company profile details—especially turnover and contact information—are current.

3. Review the result and COMPASS breakdown

The employer should save or share the key output showing:

• Whether the salary clears the age- and sector-specific EP qualifying-salary requirement.

• The indicative COMPASS result: pass or fail.

• The score by criterion, where displayed:

  • C1: Salary

  • C2: Qualifications

  • C3: Diversity

  • C4: Support for local employment

  • C5: Skills Bonus, if eligible

  • C6: Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus, if eligible

• Total points, where the pass threshold is 40 points.

A useful message to send a recruiter is:

“As I would require Employment Pass sponsorship, could your HR or mobility team run MOM’s enhanced EP Self-Assessment Tool using the proposed role, fixed monthly salary, and my qualifications? I would appreciate confirmation that the indicative result clears the EP qualifying-salary and COMPASS requirements.”

This is a standard compliance question, not an unreasonable demand.

How Should You Interpret Your COMPASS Self-Assessment Result?

SAT result	Meaning	What to do
EP qualifying salary not met	The fixed monthly salary is below MOM’s required floor for your age and sector	Ask whether the role can be offered at an EP-eligible salary; otherwise consider whether an S Pass is feasible
Salary met + COMPASS 40+	The proposed application is directionally eligible	Proceed with the formal EP application, recognising that MOM makes the final decision
Salary met + COMPASS below 40	The proposal is unlikely to qualify unless a legitimate change improves the score	Review salary, qualifications, correct job classification, SOL eligibility, and employer-side factors
SAT suggests S Pass rather than EP	The candidate may fit the S Pass route	Employer must separately confirm quota availability and its willingness to pay the levy
SAT indicates likely ineligible	The available facts do not support the requested pass	Do not resign, relocate, or commit financially until another lawful path is confirmed

The SAT is only indicative. MOM explicitly states that the result does not guarantee approval because it cannot account for all factors, such as an employer’s S Pass quota and the candidate’s individual history.

Which COMPASS Factors Can You Improve and Which Depend on Your Employer?

Candidate-controlled levers

• Ensure qualifications are entered correctly and documents are ready for verification.

• Use an accurate, specific job title and job description.

• Negotiate a sufficiently high fixed monthly base salary.

• Target roles aligned with your actual skills, especially shortage-occupation roles where relevant.

• Build verifiable technical or professional capability: finance, data, AI, cybersecurity, product, analytics, risk, or specialised operations experience.

Employer-controlled factors

• C3 Diversity: your nationality’s existing share among the firm’s PMET workforce.

• C4 Support for local employment: the employer’s local-PMET profile versus its subsector.

• C6 Strategic Economic Priorities: whether the company is eligible for MOM’s strategic-economic-priorities bonus.

• For S Pass: quota capacity and levy exposure.

The key implication is that you cannot calculate a fully reliable COMPASS score yourself from public information. You can estimate salary eligibility and understand the framework, but only the employer-side enhanced SAT can incorporate the relevant company data.

When Should You Run the COMPASS Assessment Before Relocating to Singapore?

Ask for the SAT to be run after the intended salary and job scope are clear but before you sign an irreversible relocation or resignation commitment. If the job title, fixed salary, employer entity, or role scope changes materially, the employer should rerun the SAT because the result may change.

Finally, retain your employment contract, educational records, work-experience documentation, and the recruiter’s written confirmation of sponsorship intent. An SAT “likely eligible” result is encouraging, but the final EP decision remains with MOM after the employer files the formal application.

How are the four foundational criteria scored in COMPASS?

COMPASS scores the four foundational criteria—salary, qualifications, diversity, and support for local employment—at 0, 10, or 20 points each. An Employment Pass applicant normally needs at least 40 total points, after first meeting the separate EP qualifying-salary requirement.

Scoring overview

Criterion	What MOM assesses	20 points	10 points	0 points
C1: Salary	Candidate’s fixed monthly salary relative to local PMET salaries in the employer’s sector and the candidate’s age band	At or above the 90th percentile	At or above the 65th percentile but below the 90th percentile	Below the 65th percentile
C2: Qualifications	Candidate’s highest recognised qualification	Degree from a MOM-designated top-tier institution, subject to list/faculty rules	Degree-equivalent qualification recognised by MOM	No recognised degree-equivalent qualification
C3: Diversity	Candidate’s nationality share among the employer’s PMET workforce	Candidate’s nationality is under 5% of the firm’s PMETs	Candidate’s nationality is 5% to under 25%	Candidate’s nationality is 25% or more
C4: Support for local employment	Employer’s share of local PMETs relative to peers in its subsector	Employer is at or above the 50th percentile	Employer is at or above the 20th percentile but below the 50th percentile	Employer is below the 20th percentile

C1 and C2 are candidate-related. C3 and C4 are employer-related, which means two equally qualified people can receive different COMPASS outcomes when sponsored by different companies.

C1: Salary

C1 is not the same as the EP qualifying-salary threshold.

First, the candidate must meet the statutory age- and sector-specific EP qualifying salary—for example, S$5,600 per month for a 23-or-younger applicant outside financial services under the current framework. Then, COMPASS C1 asks a second question: how does that offered fixed monthly salary compare with salaries of local PMETs in the employer’s sector and the applicant’s age band?

The C1 scores are:

• 20 points: salary at or above the 90th percentile.

• 10 points: salary at or above the 65th percentile but below the 90th percentile.

• 0 points: salary below the 65th percentile.

So, clearing the EP salary floor may still result in 0 C1 points if the offer is low relative to comparable local PMET compensation for that industry and age. MOM updates its sector-and-age salary benchmarks periodically.

C2: Qualifications

C2 gives points for qualifications that MOM treats as degree-equivalent or top-tier.

• 20 points: a bachelor’s degree or higher from an institution on MOM’s designated top-tier-institution list. For some institutions, the 20-point status applies to all faculties; for others, it applies only to specified faculties. The list effective for applications from 1 January 2026 uses Group A and Group B institution treatment.

• 10 points: a recognised degree-equivalent qualification, which can include certain degree credentials and recognised professional qualifications.

• 0 points: the candidate does not have a qualification recognised by MOM as degree-equivalent.

A university’s reputation alone does not automatically secure 20 points. The degree institution, level of qualification, the precise list in force when the application is filed, and—in some cases—the faculty all matter.

C3: Diversity

C3 assesses whether the hiring candidate’s nationality is already heavily represented among the employer’s PMET workforce.

• 20 points: the candidate’s nationality represents under 5% of the employer’s PMET workforce.

• 10 points: it represents 5% to under 25%.

• 0 points: it represents 25% or more.

For example, if Indian nationals constitute 30% of a firm’s PMET workforce, a new Indian EP applicant would receive 0 points on C3—even with an excellent salary and degree. A nationality share of 12% would result in 10 points; a 3% share would result in 20 points.

C3 is calculated at the firm level, not merely within the applicant’s team, business function, or reporting manager’s department.

C4: Support for local employment

C4 measures the employer’s proportion of local PMETs—Singapore citizens and permanent residents—against other firms in the same subsector.

• 20 points: employer’s local-PMET share is at or above the 50th percentile for its subsector.

• 10 points: employer’s share is at or above the 20th percentile but below the 50th percentile.

• 0 points: employer’s share is below the 20th percentile.

This is purely employer-specific. An applicant cannot directly improve C4 through credentials, work experience, or a stronger interview. A larger established company with a strong local professional workforce may score better than a firm with a lower local-PMET share.

How Does the COMPASS Small-Employer Rule Work?

Employers with fewer than 25 PMET employees receive 10 points by default for both C3 and C4. MOM applies this rule because small headcounts can make nationality and local-employment ratios highly volatile. The applicant must still earn at least 20 additional points through salary, qualifications, or legitimate bonus criteria to reach the 40-point pass mark.

For C3 and C4 calculations, MOM’s current PMET-counting threshold is S$3,150 monthly salary for both local and foreign employees; this threshold is aligned with the S Pass qualifying-salary benchmark.

Example scores

Typical early-career MSc graduate

Criterion	Indicative points
C1 Salary	10
C2 Qualification	10
C3 Diversity	10
C4 Local employment	10
Total	40 — passes

This candidate can pass without scoring 20 points in any category.

Strong individual profile, weak employer factors

Criterion	Indicative points
C1 Salary	20
C2 Qualification	20
C3 Diversity	0
C4 Local employment	0
Total	40 — passes

This candidate also passes, even though the employer-related measures are weak.

Salary floor met but COMPASS fails

Criterion	Indicative points
C1 Salary	0
C2 Qualification	10
C3 Diversity	0
C4 Local employment	10
Total	20 — fails

The candidate might still pass only if eligible for a legitimate bonus—such as the Skills Bonus for a genuine Shortage Occupation List role—but should not assume such a bonus will apply.

Practical implication

For an international MBA or MSc graduate, you can influence C1 through the fixed monthly salary and C2 through your recognised qualification. You cannot reliably calculate C3 and C4 yourself, because they depend on the company’s confidential workforce composition and MOM’s sector benchmarking.

The employer should therefore run MOM’s enhanced Employment/S Pass Self-Assessment Tool using the final job title, actual fixed monthly salary, degree details, and sponsoring legal entity. That is the only practical route to an indicative COMPASS outcome before the formal EP application.

S Pass minimum salary requirements and age tiers Singapore

For a new S Pass application in Singapore as of 1 September 2026, the minimum qualifying fixed monthly salary is S$3,300 outside financial services and S$3,800 in financial services for candidates aged 23 or below. The qualifying salary rises progressively with age, reaching S$4,800 outside financial services and S$5,650 in financial services at age 45 and above.

What Are the Current S Pass Salary Requirements by Age and Sector?

Candidate age	Most sectors: minimum fixed monthly salary	Financial services: minimum fixed monthly salary
23 or below	S$3,300	S$3,800
24–44	Progressively higher; exact requirement depends on age	Progressively higher; exact requirement depends on age
45 and above	S$4,800	S$5,650

MOM sets the salary requirement against the top one-third of local Associate Professionals and Technicians (APT) salaries. It is therefore age-adjusted rather than a flat threshold: a 30-year-old and a 23-year-old do not face the same required salary.

Upcoming change: 1 January 2027

For new S Pass applications submitted from 1 January 2027, MOM will raise the base salary floors:

Candidate age	Current minimum, until 31 Dec 2026	New-applications minimum from 1 Jan 2027
23 or below — most sectors	S$3,300	S$3,600
Mid-40s — most sectors	S$4,800	S$5,100
23 or below — financial services	S$3,800	S$4,000
45 and above — financial services	S$5,650	S$5,650

The salary requirement will remain age-progressive after the policy change. Existing S Pass holders face the new framework for renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028.

Exact age-by-age figure

MOM’s public S Pass guidance clearly publishes the starting floor and upper age ceiling, but does not provide an easily accessible universal public table in the search results for every individual age from 24 to 44. The exact qualifying salary should therefore be checked using MOM’s official Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) by the employer at the time of the offer/application.

Do not estimate the middle age tiers by simple straight-line interpolation. MOM can revise benchmarks and uses its own age-based salary schedule.

What counts as salary for the S Pass Minimum Requirement?

The threshold is based on the offered fixed monthly salary. Practically, you should ensure the offer’s stated monthly fixed pay—not an annual bonus, discretionary incentive, relocation grant, or equity award—meets the relevant age and sector requirement.

For example:

• A 23-year-old joining a technology, consulting, logistics, or consumer company on S$3,500 fixed monthly pay clears the current base S Pass salary floor, subject to all other conditions.

• A 23-year-old joining a bank, insurer, asset manager, or another employer classified in the financial-services sector needs at least S$3,800 fixed monthly pay under the current rule.

• An applicant aged 45+ outside financial services needs at least S$4,800 currently; a S$4,000 offer would not be sufficient, even though it exceeds the 23-and-below floor.

Other S Pass conditions

Meeting the salary requirement does not guarantee an S Pass. The employer must apply, and key employer-side constraints apply:

• The S Pass is intended for associate professionals and technicians.

• Employers are subject to an S Pass quota, calculated as a share of the company’s workforce.

• Employers must pay a monthly S Pass levy for each S Pass holder.

• The employer must comply with applicable advertising, hiring, and fair-consideration requirements.

These quota and levy constraints mean that some employers, particularly smaller firms, may not be able or willing to sponsor an S Pass even when your salary meets the threshold.

MBA/MSc relevance

For an international MSc or MiM graduate, an offer in the S$3,300–S$5,650 range may be assessed for an S Pass, depending on the applicant’s age, sector, job scope, and employer quota. For an MBA graduate pursuing managerial, consulting, finance, product, or strategy roles, the usual target is the Employment Pass, which has substantially higher salary thresholds.

If you plan to begin work in 2027, use the incoming S$3,600/S$4,000 minimums—not the 2026 floors—when judging whether an offer is viable.