About 3,000 people granted One Passes in 2024 to anchor talent in S’pore: MOM

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SINGAPORE - About 3,000 workers were granted Overseas Networks and Expertise (One) Passes in 2024 – about one in six were new entrants, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in Parliament on Feb 5.

He was responding to Nominated MP Neil Parekh on the take-up rate of the One Pass and its breakdown across sectors.

“The conversion of existing Work Pass holders who meet the One Pass criteria helps us to anchor talent in Singapore,” he said.

The top three sectors with the most number of One Pass holders were in the financial and insurance services, information and communication, and professional services.

Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) asked about how the ministry measured the skills transfer from One Pass holders to Singaporeans, and the hiring of Singapore professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) for every One Pass that was issued. He also asked whether any audits or independent assessments on the economic impact of the One Pass have been conducted since its launch in Jan 2023.

In response, Dr Tan said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would provide a balanced scorecard update on its performance at the upcoming Committee of Supply, when there’s an opportunity to do so.

After about two years since its launch, he said the ministry had started an annual notification for existing One Pass holders in Sept 2024. Through this, MOM will be reviewing the data collected and evaluating their contributions to Singapore.

He reiterated that the impact of One Pass holders goes beyond individual contributions and the immediate, tangible output that can be measured.

“When it comes to top global talent... they can attract the super magnet for talent enhancing, reinforcing our competitiveness as a hub for global talent; we can never have enough.”

Noting that the majority of One Pass holders have been conversions from other forms of work passes, Mr Parekh asked Dr Tan on the tweaks needed to the programme to attract new talent.

Dr Tan said it’s not about getting big numbers of talent as it is a very targeted, differentiated form of head-hunting exercise.

This includes working with research institutes and various industry leaders to scour globally to identify the types of talent needed to sustain Singapore’s growth industries.

“The type...

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