Which jobs can a worker from the Philippines, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Bhutan actually take in Singapore?
The short answer: in Services and Manufacturing, only the occupations on MOM’s NTS Occupation List — and only if the job pays at least S$2,000 fixed monthly. In Construction, Process and Marine shipyard there is no occupation list: a worker from those countries can be hired for sector work. Everywhere else, the employer is choosing between an S Pass and an Employment Pass instead, with their own salary floors.
The rest of this page is the list itself, the requirement attached to each occupation, and the jobs that look close but are refused. It is read from MOM’s own page (https://www.mom.gov.sg/ntsol, read on 20 September 2026), not from anyone’s summary — including ours.
The occupations that are open
| Occupation on the list | What the employer must hold |
|---|---|
| Cooks | The firm has a Services sector work pass account and a valid SFA food shop or supermarket licence in the firm's own name. |
| Waiters, food and drink stall assistants, kitchen assistants | The firm has a Services sector work pass account and a valid SFA food shop or supermarket licence in the firm's own name. |
| Butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers | The firm has a Services sector work pass account and a valid SFA food shop or supermarket licence in the firm's own name. |
| Food processing workers (not supervisors, not bakers or pastry cooks) | The firm has a valid SFA food processing establishment or slaughterhouse licence in its own name. |
| Manufacturing workers — assemblers, machine operators, moulders, quality checkers and testers, riggers, cable splicers, sheet metal workers, structural metal preparers and erectors, welders, flame cutters | The firm has a Manufacturing sector work pass account. |
| Heavy vehicle drivers — bus, lorry, trailer truck | The driver holds a Class 4 or 5 licence (required since 1 September 2025). Cars and light goods vehicles (Class 3) do not qualify. |
| Housekeeping workers and porters | The firm is a licensed hotel. |
| Childcare workers — infant caregivers, child or after-school care, teacher aides | The firm has a valid Early Childhood Development Centre licence, or is appointed by ECDA under the ChildMinding Pilot. |
| Cabin attendants | The firm holds a CAAS Singapore Air Operator Certificate, or a Foreign Operator's Permit for scheduled services. |
What is not on the list — and gets refused
These are the jobs a candidate most often travels for and then loses the application over:
- cleaners and general cleaning staff (outside a licensed hotel)
- security guards
- retail and shop assistants, cashiers
- general factory hands at firms without a manufacturing work pass account
- bakers, pastry cooks and confectionery makers
- food stall or hawker stall assistants
- beauticians, hairdressers, massage and spa staff
- supervisors and foremen
The rule behind them: outside Construction, Process and Marine shipyard, a Work Permit for a worker from an NTS country can only be issued for an occupation on the list above. A refusal is not the employer being unlucky — the occupation was never open.
Sectors where the occupation list does not apply
- Construction - Malaysia, PRC, the NTS countries, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan are all acceptable sources.
- Process - Malaysia, PRC, the NTS countries, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan are all acceptable sources.
- Marine shipyard - Malaysia, PRC, the NTS countries, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea and Taiwan are all acceptable sources.
The two numbers that decide it
| Minimum fixed monthly salary for a listed occupation | S$2,000 |
|---|---|
| Extra rule on the number of NTS workers in these occupations | A sub-Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) of 8% applies to NTS Work Permit holders on this list. |
| The rule on switching jobs | A Work Permit holder may only perform the occupation stated on their Work Permit — in MOM’s words. Taking a different job on the same pass is not allowed. |
Source: https://www.mom.gov.sg/ntsol, read on 20 September 2026. This is a summary of MOM’s rules written for candidates and SME employers. It is not legal advice, it is not an offer of employment, and only MOM decides a work pass. Rules change: always check the MOM page before you pay anyone anything or book a flight.
Where this bites in real ads
Every job on this board is checked against this list before it is published, and the verdict is printed on the ad — including when the answer is no. If an ad says “Cannot hire an NTS worker at this pay”, the occupation may be open but the salary is below the S$2,000 floor.
See the jobs that carry a verdict · Post a job and see who it can hire