About 15,000 firms will benefit from the foreign worker levy rebates which have been extended until March 2022.
Some of the employers in Singapore will have a reason to cheer as foreign worker levy rebates and waivers are extended into next year amid the continuing effects of the pandemic.
The $250 foreign worker levy rebate for all work permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard and process (CMP) sectors, which was due to expire this month, will be extended until March 2022, reported Channel News Asia (CNA) citing the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The government introduced the levy rebate in 2020 to help the CMP sectors tide over the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, these sectors continue to face increased costs and significant manpower shortages due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, said MOM. It noted that about 15,000 firms are expected to benefit from the extension.
MOM advised employers to use the rebate to bring in work permit holders coming from lower-risk countries and to retain existing workers.
The government will review the situation “closer to March 2022” if there is a need for further extension, it added.
“The inflow of CMP workers in recent weeks has picked up,” said MOM as quoted by CNA.
“We encourage firms to press on with longer-term productivity improvements to become more manpower-lean and resilient against future manpower disruptions.”
MOM is also extending the waivers of foreign worker levies for all migrant workers, including domestic workers, during their stay-home notice upon entry into Singapore and residential onboarding programme at migrant worker onboarding centres.
The waiver, which is due to expire this month, will be extended until December next year.
The move is targeted at helping employers manage the cost relating to border measures and safeguards.
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Cheryl Chiew, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this story, email: cheryl@propertyguru.com.sg.
