Many founders think of the Employment Pass (EP) minimum salary as a simple threshold, a number you must hit to get your application approved. Here’s the reality: Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) doesn’t just check whether you hit the minimum. They ask whether the salary reflects a real job, a real business need, and a real market expectation.
Here’s the thing. Salary in an EP application isn’t just a regulatory box to tick. It’s a credibility signal. When MOM officers review an application, they use the salary figure to assess whether:
- The role is genuine and aligned to the company’s core operations.
- The candidate’s experience and responsibilities justify the pay.
- The business can realistically sustain this hire.
- The salary matches what local professionals in similar positions are earning.
In other words, the salary tells a story. It either reinforces confidence in your business plan or raises questions. Too low and it suggests the job isn’t senior or necessary. Too high without justification, and MOM may suspect padding or inconsistency with the company’s stage and financials.
The goal of this particular piece is straightforward: to clarify the latest expectations regarding the EP minimum salary and explain how MOM evaluates salary in real-world applications. We’ll break down current thresholds, how they interact with experience and industry norms, and what employers really need to know to plan effective, credible EP submissions.
What is the Employment Pass Minimum Salary?
When we talk about the Employment Pass (EP) minimum salary, we’re referring to the lowest monthly pay that a foreign professional must be offered before the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will even consider the application.
At its core, the minimum salary is a baseline requirement. It’s the first filter MOM uses before reviewing education, job scope, company profile, and other factors.
The official minimum salary threshold
MOM publishes a minimum qualifying salary that all EP applicants must meet. You’ll often see figures like SGD 5,600 per month mentioned in official guidelines, but here’s the nuance: that number is the statutory entry point for consideration. It’s what the policy says you need to begin the evaluation.
However, that figure is adjusted informally by experience, age, industry standards, and role complexity. In practice, what MOM expects employers to offer often sits well above the bare minimum.
Why the minimum salary exists and what MOM is trying to protect
The purpose of the minimum salary isn’t arbitrary. It exists for three main reasons:
- To protect Singapore’s local workforce. MOM wants employers to prioritise hiring local professionals first, and paying a wage that reflects market value is part of that equation. Low salaries suggest either a junior role that locals can fill, or a business model that isn’t serious.
- To ensure foreign hires add economic value. Higher salary requirements act as a proxy for seniority, skill, and contribution. MOM wants EP holders to bring expertise that supports real economic activity, not just fill entry-level jobs that should go to locals.
- To discourage exploitation and underpayment. By setting a floor, MOM sets an expectation of fair remuneration that aligns with Singapore’s cost of living and labour market standards.
In short, the EP minimum salary exists to balance opportunity with fairness and competitiveness in the labour market.
Why “minimum” does not mean “safe”
Here’s the critical point that many founders miss: meeting the official minimum salary does not guarantee approval. It only means MOM will look further.
“Minimum” is a starting block, not a finish line.
When an application lands on an officer’s desk, salary gets judged alongside everything else:
- Does the salary fit the role responsibilities?
- Does it align with industry norms for similar jobs in Singapore?
- Does it match the candidate’s background and level of experience?
- Is it consistent with the company’s financials and hiring strategy?
If the answer to those questions is weak or unclear, even a salary that technically meets the minimum can look questionable.
So when we talk about EP minimum salary, we’re not talking about a simple compliance number. We’re talking about a credibility gauge that tells MOM whether your hiring proposition makes commercial and labour market sense.
Latest EP Minimum Salary Thresholds in Singapore
When people ask about Employment Pass minimum salaries, they often want a simple number. But Singapore doesn’t work like that. The number you see published isn’t a one-size-fits-all rule, it’s a starting point that gets shaped by factors like age, seniority, and professional track record.
Let’s break this down in real, practical terms so you understand not just what the threshold is, but how MOM uses it in decision-making.
Current minimum salary benchmark
At the most basic level, MOM sets a baseline salary requirement for EP eligibility. You’ll often hear figures like SGD 5,600 per month quoted as the minimum. That’s the floor MOM has signalled for newer applicants.
That figure is a baseline filter, not a guarantee of approval. MOM uses it to rule out cases where the salary clearly doesn’t reflect the role’s seniority or contribution to the business.
But here’s the nuance most founders don’t realise. For many professionals, especially mid-career and senior candidates, the real expected salary sits significantly above that base. Meeting the published threshold gets you through the door. What happens next depends on how credible the salary looks for the specific hire.
How age, seniority, and experience affect expectations
This is where the “minimum” idea stops being useful and the real evaluation begins.
MOM doesn’t just ask whether the salary meets the official floor. They ask whether the pay makes sense for this person, in this role, at this company.
So age, experience, and job level matter a lot.
If you’re hiring a fresh graduate or someone early in their career, a salary close to the minimum might be acceptable. But if the candidate is in their late 30s or 40s with a decade or more of specialised experience, MOM expects the salary to reflect that seniority.
Why?
Because higher experience generally means:
- deeper skills and responsibility,
- leadership or strategic input,
- a stronger contribution to business outcomes.
Paying a seasoned professional only marginally above the minimum suggests one of two things: either the role is not as senior as claimed, or the business doesn’t value the experience appropriately. Both raise questions.
Why older or more senior applicants face higher salary scrutiny
Here’s what many founders overlook: MOM compares salaries to market reality. Not every job with a certain title earns the same amount, but broad patterns exist in the Singapore market.
For example, a business development manager with 15 years’ experience is expected to earn significantly more than a junior associate, even if both technically qualify under the same pass category. MOM uses benchmarking data to assess whether your salary aligns with what local employers pay for equivalent experience.
So for older or more senior applicants, the bare minimum becomes almost irrelevant. MOM is effectively saying:
“We expect this person to be paid at a level that matches real market norms for their experience. If the salary is too low for that experience, the application looks weak.”
This means:
- An experienced professional typically needs a higher salary offer than the published minimum.
- The gap between the official minimum and real expectations widens with seniority.
- Founders who ignore this often see unnecessary queries or rejections.
Put simply: age and experience raise the bar, not just for credentials but for remuneration.
EP minimum salary vs real approval expectations
This is where most confusion comes from.
The published minimum salary is a floor. MOM’s actual approval decision is based on whether the salary is credible for:
- The job scope
- The applicant’s background
- The company’s business profile
For example, a “Business Development Director” earning just above the minimum in a newly incorporated company with no revenue immediately raises questions. On paper, the number qualifies. In practice, it may not align with market reality.
MOM asks a simple but powerful question: Would a Singapore company realistically pay this salary to a local professional for the same role?
If the answer is unclear, the application is at risk.
How MOM Evaluates EP Salary credibility
MOM does not assess salary in isolation. It evaluates the entire employment proposition. Based on our experience, the following factors carry significant weight.
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Job role and scope of responsibility
MOM looks closely at whether the salary matches the complexity and seniority of the role. Inflated titles with junior responsibilities are a common red flag.
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Candidate qualifications and experience
Education, years of experience, leadership exposure, and industry relevance all influence expected salary levels.
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Company size, revenue, and maturity
A well-funded or revenue-generating company can justify higher salaries more easily than an early-stage entity.
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Industry norms and SSIC classification
Salaries are benchmarked against industry data using the company’s SSIC code. Paying far below industry norms invites scrutiny.
What this means in practice is that a salary that looks acceptable in isolation can still fail when evaluated in context.
Common EP Minimum Salary Mistakes That Lead to Rejection
We see the same issues repeatedly. Avoiding them can dramatically improve approval chances.
- Fixating on the minimum salary instead of market benchmarks.
- Using generic job titles that do not reflect real responsibilities.
- Offering salaries inconsistent with the applicant’s seniority.
- Submitting conflicting salary figures across documents.
- Failing to justify salary levels in early-stage companies.
Most rejections are preventable. They happen not because founders break rules, but because they misunderstand how MOM evaluates credibility.
When Professional Guidance Makes the Difference
EP salary planning sits at the intersection of immigration rules, labour market data, and commercial reality. This is where many founders struggle, especially those new to Singapore.
Working with a professional platform helps because:
- Salary planning is aligned with role design and compliance.
- Applications are structured holistically, not piecemeal.
- Risks are identified before submission, not after rejection.
At Savvy, we help founders and companies align EP salary expectations with real approval logic, not just minimum thresholds. Our guided approach reduces guesswork and avoids costly rework.
Whether you are a founder, a growing company, or an employer hiring foreign talent, thoughtful salary planning is one of the most important decisions you will make in the EP process.
If you want to plan your EP application correctly from the start and avoid unnecessary delays or rejections, contact us.
