SINGAPORE — Foreign worker levies for all S Pass and work permit holders, including foreign domestic workers, will be waived for the duration of their stay-home notices from January till September, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

In a press release on Thursday (April 1), MOM said that the move is to help employers manage the increased costs associated with additional measures set in place to reduce the risk of importing Covid-19 into the community.

Since January this year, entry approvals for work pass holders were limited and newly-arrived S Pass and work permit holders — including foreign domestic workers — were required to undergo on-arrival testing and serve 14-day stay-home notices. 

“While employers have cooperated with these measures in the interest of public health, some have given feedback that these additional measures have also translated to increased costs,” MOM said.

MOM added that for employers who have already paid levies for their workers for the duration of stay-home notices in January and February, the waivers will be effected as an adjustment and used to offset June’s levy which is payable in July.

Employers with workers serving their stay-home notices from March to September will not be required to pay levies for the duration that their workers are on stay-home notices, the ministry said.