Singapore has expanded its Work Permit scheme to cover eight additional occupations in food services, social services and aviation, opening new categories of employment to Sri Lankans among other foreign workers.
The eight occupations have been added to Singapore’s Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List (NTS-OL), according to the city-state’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Hiru News reported.
The eight occupations
The newly eligible jobs are butchers; fishmongers and related food preparers; food and drink stall assistants; kitchen assistants; waiters; cabin attendants; babysitters and infant caregivers; and educarers and teacher aides.
Sri Lanka is one of nine countries whose citizens can be recruited under the scheme. The others are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.
The conditions
Employers recruiting under the expanded list must pay a fixed monthly salary of at least S$2,000. They must also ensure that workers hired through the Non-Traditional Sources route account for no more than 8% of their total workforce.
MOM said the changes were introduced to help businesses fill positions in occupations where attracting enough local employees remains difficult.
Inclusion in the scheme does not guarantee a job or automatic approval of a Work Permit. Singapore-based employers must satisfy the applicable requirements and secure the necessary permits before recruiting.
When this took effect
This is not a new announcement. Hiru reports that the expansion was first announced in March 2026 and came into effect in September. Monday’s filing is a restatement of a change that has already been in force for roughly two months — relevant to Sri Lankans considering applications, but not a fresh policy decision. Anyone acting on it should confirm current requirements directly with MOM or a licensed recruitment agent.
Not reported
The filing does not say how many Sri Lankans currently hold Singapore work permits, whether any quota applies to Sri Lankan nationals specifically, or what the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment’s position is on recruitment into these categories. It gives no application process, fee schedule or agent-licensing detail, and does not say whether the March announcement included other changes beyond the eight occupations.
Context
Foreign employment remittances are one of Sri Lanka’s largest sources of foreign exchange, and the destinations open to Sri Lankan workers directly affect that inflow. Sri Lankans seeking work abroad have faced repeated warnings about unlicensed agents and visa conditions, including a High Commission warning over visa overstays in Singapore and the arrest of a Sri Lankan man who overstayed there by 10 months.