Since the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) was rolled out in September 2023, almost every Employment Pass (EP) application in Singapore has been screened through a points-based scoring system before MOM officers ever look at the merits. With effect from 1 January 2026 (and from 1 July 2026 for renewals), the Ministry of Manpower has refreshed the salary benchmarks, the recognised institutions list and the Shortage Occupation List used in COMPASS scoring. For employers and candidates trying to forecast whether an application will pass, the question is no longer “is the salary above S$5,600?” — it is “will we score at least 40 points across the COMPASS criteria?”
This guide walks through the full COMPASS scoring grid as it applies to applications submitted from 1 January 2026, explains how each criterion is weighted, and gives a practical “calculator” framework you can run on a candidate before submitting an EP. We focus throughout on how to combine foundational and bonus points realistically, where the most common scoring errors occur, and what to do if your score falls short.
The 40-point pass mark in plain English
Under COMPASS, an EP application is assessed across four foundational criteria (C1 to C4) and two bonus criteria (C5 and C6). Each foundational criterion can score 0, 10 or 20 points; each bonus criterion can add up to 20 points. The application must score a minimum of 40 points to pass COMPASS — but COMPASS is only one gate. The candidate must also separately meet the qualifying salary floor (S$5,600 per month for most sectors and S$6,200 for the financial services sector for fresh graduates, with the floor rising by age band), and the firm must remain compliant with MOM’s Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) job advertising requirements where applicable.
The four foundational criteria measure attributes of the candidate and the hiring firm: salary against local peers (C1), qualifications (C2), nationality diversity within the firm (C3), and the firm’s record of supporting local PMET employment (C4). The two bonus criteria reward roles on the Shortage Occupation List (C5) and firms participating in strategic economic programmes recognised by the Economic Development Board (EDB) or Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) (C6). The official scoring matrix is published by the Ministry of Manpower at mom.gov.sg.
C1 — Salary against local peers
C1 is the most data-driven of the four foundational criteria. MOM benchmarks the candidate’s fixed monthly salary against the salaries of local PMETs in the same sector. The 2026 thresholds are sector-specific, with the financial services sector benchmarked separately and at higher levels.
The C1 scoring bands
If the candidate’s fixed monthly salary sits at or above the 90th percentile of local PMET salaries in the relevant sector, C1 scores 20 points. If the salary sits between the 65th and 90th percentiles, C1 scores 10 points. Below the 65th percentile, C1 scores 0. Note that “fixed monthly salary” excludes variable bonuses, allowances that are not paid every month and any non-cash benefits — this is the same definition MOM uses for the EP qualifying salary floor.
For most candidates outside finance, the practical reality is that getting to 20 points on C1 alone usually requires a senior or specialist role; 10 points is the more common target. If you are recruiting from overseas at the qualifying salary floor of S$5,600, expect 0 points on C1 unless the sector benchmark is unusually low — meaning you will have to make up the points elsewhere.
C2 — Qualifications
C2 awards points for the candidate’s highest qualification. A degree from a “Top-Tier” institution on MOM’s published list scores 20 points; a degree from any other recognised institution scores 10 points. Candidates without a recognised degree score 0, although MOM accepts certain “degree-equivalent” professional qualifications — primarily in accounting, law, medicine, engineering and finance — at the 10-point level.
2026 list updates
MOM refreshed both the Top-Tier list and the Degree-Equivalent professional qualifications list with effect from 1 January 2026. Candidates whose qualifications were on the prior list but were dropped will see their C2 score fall on renewal applications submitted after 1 July 2026, even if the rest of their profile is unchanged. Employers should pull each candidate’s qualifications and confirm against the current MOM list before submitting — assumptions based on the September 2023 list are now out of date.
If you are recruiting a candidate whose institution is not on the Top-Tier list, do not panic — combining 10 points on C2 with strong scores on C1, C3 and C4 still gets the application well past the 40-point threshold. The point is to score holistically rather than chase 20s on every criterion.
C3 — Diversity within the firm
C3 measures how much of the firm’s existing PMET workforce comes from the candidate’s nationality. The principle is that MOM wants to discourage firms from being heavily reliant on any single foreign nationality. If the candidate’s nationality represents less than 5% of the firm’s PMETs, C3 scores 20 points. Between 5% and one-third, C3 scores 10 points. Above one-third, C3 scores 0.
For a small firm with only a handful of PMETs, hiring even one or two people of the same nationality can quickly push the firm above the C3 thresholds. This is one of the most overlooked criteria — employers often discover, mid-application, that they are tracking towards 0 points on C3 because their PMET headcount is too concentrated. If you anticipate this, plan recruitment in a way that diversifies the PMET base, and remember that MOM measures C3 at the time of application, not against a long-term average.
C4 — Support for local employment
C4 measures the firm’s share of local PMETs against the median for its sub-sector. Firms whose local PMET share sits in the top half of their sub-sector typically score 10 points; firms in the top decile score 20. Below the median, C4 scores 0.
Two practical points: first, “local PMET” includes Singapore citizens and Singapore PRs employed in PMET roles, but excludes work pass holders. Second, MOM aggregates the sub-sector benchmarks centrally, so a firm cannot manipulate C4 by reclassifying foreign hires — the data is drawn from CPF and tax filings.
If your firm scores 0 on C4 today, the right strategy is usually to plan a hiring path that lifts the local PMET ratio over the next 6–12 months rather than rushing an EP application. Companies in this position should also consider running a pre-screen against the COMPASS framework before lodging applications, because applications that fall short here often fail on aggregate even when C1 and C2 are strong.
C5 — Shortage Occupation List bonus
C5 awards 20 bonus points if the role being filled is on MOM’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL). The SOL identifies occupations where Singapore has insufficient supply of locals to meet demand, and it is reviewed periodically. The 2026 revision added several healthcare roles to the list and removed certain technology roles — including Cyber Risk Specialist, Cybersecurity Operations Specialist and Product Manager (Digital) — that had previously qualified.
For candidates in roles that remain on the SOL, C5 is often the difference between a borderline and a comfortable pass. For candidates in roles that have been removed, the application now needs to make up 20 points elsewhere — typically by pushing C1 to 20 (top-decile salary) or by leaning on C6.
C6 — Strategic Economic Priorities bonus
C6 awards 10 points to firms participating in strategic economic priority programmes. The qualifying programmes are administered by the EDB (such as the Pioneer Certificate, Development & Expansion Incentive, and certain industry transformation initiatives) and by EnterpriseSG (such as the Scale-Up SG programme and the Global Innovation Alliance). Firms with these designations receive C6 automatically — the candidate does not need to do anything.
If your firm is not currently in a recognised programme, C6 is unlikely to be a viable point source for this application. Treat it as a structural attribute of the firm rather than something to engineer per candidate.
A practical “calculator” framework
The simplest way to estimate whether an EP application will clear 40 points is to score each criterion conservatively and add them up. Below is a worked example for a typical mid-level hire in technology.
| Criterion | Candidate Profile | Points |
|---|---|---|
| C1 — Salary | S$8,500/month (around 65th percentile for tech sub-sector) | 10 |
| C2 — Qualifications | Degree from a recognised but non-top-tier institution | 10 |
| C3 — Diversity | Nationality represents 6% of firm’s PMETs | 10 |
| C4 — Local PMET Share | Firm sits in top half of sub-sector | 10 |
| C5 — SOL | Role no longer on SOL after 2026 revision | 0 |
| C6 — Strategic Programmes | Firm not on EDB/ESG list | 0 |
| Total | 40 |
This profile clears the 40-point threshold by exactly one point — meaning a small change (for example, the firm slipping below median on C4) would tip the application into refusal. A safer profile builds in at least 10 points of buffer.
What to do if you score below 40
If your projection is short, the levers in order of difficulty are typically: lift the offered salary so C1 moves up a band; choose a candidate with a Top-Tier qualification to push C2 from 10 to 20; rebalance the firm’s PMET mix to improve C3; and demonstrate concrete local hiring plans to support C4. Some employers also restructure the role to fit a current SOL occupation, but be careful — MOM cross-checks the role description against the actual job duties, and a cosmetic re-titling will not work. If none of these moves are realistic, consider whether the candidate qualifies for a different pass altogether: the Personalised Employment Pass, the Tech.Pass or the Overseas Networks & Expertise (ONE) Pass each have their own eligibility tests outside COMPASS.
Employers preparing to hire from overseas should also factor in Employment Pass compliance more broadly — MOM-mandated job advertising on MyCareersFuture under the Fair Consideration Framework, the duration of the pass and renewal forecasting, and dependant pass eligibility for accompanying family members.
Common scoring mistakes
The most frequent COMPASS errors we see are: assuming a salary clears the 65th percentile when it actually does not (always check the current sector benchmark, not last year’s); forgetting to include all the firm’s PMETs when computing C3 (dependants and dormant entities can distort the calculation); applying the old SOL or qualifications list (the 2026 revision is material); and assuming bonus points stack — they do not stack beyond the limits set out by MOM, and an application that scores 30 points on foundational criteria cannot rely on a single 20-point bonus to clear 40 if the bonus is the only thing carrying it.
The best practice is to compile a simple internal scorecard for every prospective hire before posting the role on MyCareersFuture, score each criterion conservatively, and only proceed if the projected total exceeds 50 points. That buffer absorbs reasonable measurement errors and protects against renewal failure later. Where the answer is borderline, escalate to a corporate services adviser before lodging.
Conclusion
COMPASS is not a salary test — it is a multi-factor screen that combines candidate attributes (C1, C2) with firm attributes (C3, C4) and bonuses for strategic alignment (C5, C6). The 1 January 2026 update has shifted several inputs: salary benchmarks have moved up, the institutions list has been refreshed, and the Shortage Occupation List has been reshaped. Employers that re-scored their open roles after the update — rather than relying on assumptions from 2025 — will find application outcomes more predictable.
If you are evaluating an EP application and want a confidential pre-submission scorecard, or if you need help structuring an offer that comfortably clears 40 points, Raffles Corporate Services works with employers across Singapore on EP planning, COMPASS forecasting and FCF-compliant recruitment. We can also coordinate with our affiliate employment agency (which holds an MOM licence) where a hire is best handled under a sponsored EP arrangement.
— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services