Singapore has opened eight more occupations under its Work Permit scheme to foreign workers, including Sri Lankans, in food services, social services and aviation, according to the country’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The occupations are butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers; food and drink stall assistants; kitchen assistants; waiters; cabin attendants; babysitters and infant caregivers; educarers; and teacher aides. They have been added to the Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List (NTS-OL).
Sri Lanka is one of nine countries whose nationals can be recruited under the scheme. The others are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.
Employers hiring through the NTS Occupation List must offer a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,000. Workers recruited under the scheme must not exceed 8 percent of an employer’s total workforce.
The ministry said the change is meant to help businesses fill jobs in occupations where it is hard to attract enough local employees. The rules do not guarantee a job or automatic approval of a Work Permit. Singapore-based employers must meet the eligibility requirements and obtain the necessary permits.
Background
The Work Permit is the pass Singapore issues to foreign workers in lower-skilled and mid-skilled jobs. The Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List is a separate list of occupations for which employers may hire workers from a set group of countries outside the long-established source countries for such labour.
The policy was first announced in March 2026 and took effect in September. The latest reports describe the eight occupations as newly eligible under it.
Singapore is among the destinations where Sri Lankans seek work abroad, and foreign employment is a major source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) is the State body that registers migrant workers and licenses recruitment agencies.
What it means
For Sri Lankans, the change widens the range of jobs that Singapore employers are allowed to fill with Sri Lankan workers, particularly in hospitality, food services, childcare and aviation.
The announcement does not mean vacancies already exist. Each worker still needs an employer in Singapore who has met the ministry’s conditions and obtained the necessary permits. Job seekers considering an offer can check the current conditions on the Ministry of Manpower’s website and confirm that any recruitment agency they use is licensed by the SLBFE.
