Hotel operators in Singapore are set to face a boost in employment, after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday authorized the hiring of housekeepers and porters from six new countries: the Philippines, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
This expands upon the current services sector work permit holder hiring regions of Macau, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan.
The move was welcomed by the industry, notes the Straits Times, having been conducted in consultation with the Singapore Tourism Board.
The move was also done after assessing the number of locals currently in the occupations and local employment outcomes, the Minister for Manpower had previously noted.
Starting September 1st, employers will be able to hire employees from the NTS (non-traditional sources) countries for the specific roles, contingent on paying monthly fixed wages totaling SG$2,000 ($1,400) and providing that the workers account for 8 percent or less of total employees.
On Tuesday, the MOM noted that “The tight list of occupations, together with the quota and salary criterion, supports the longer-term shift to be more manpower-lean, and addresses the industries’ manpower needs while balancing local employment outcomes.”
An employers federation director noted that the current ratio of staff to hotel rooms in Singapore is about 0.4, meaning more manpower will be needed as hotel room numbers increase, in particular to boost its MICE industry.
Marina Bay Sands is currently undergoing a $3.3 billion expansion project, including the construction of a new hotel tower with 1,000 rooms and suites and MICE facilities.
According to Statista, some 8.73 square meters of hotel rooms in Singapore were in the pipeline as of 4Q22.
