If your company employs even a single foreign worker on a Work Permit, S Pass or Employment Pass, and you also have Singaporean or permanent resident staff working as administrators or drivers, a new set of wage floors kicked in this year that could quietly put your work pass renewals at risk. The Occupational Progressive Wages (OPW) schedule for administrators and drivers was revised under the National Wages Council’s 2025/2026 Guidelines, with higher wage tiers and an updated job classification structure taking effect from 1 July 2026. Many employers still confuse this occupational scheme with the sector-based Progressive Wage Model (PWM) that applies to cleaning, security or retail, and that confusion is exactly where compliance gaps appear.
This article focuses narrowly on what changed for administrators and drivers specifically. For the broader sector-based PWM framework, see our Progressive Wage Model (PWM) Singapore 2026 employer’s compliance guide.
OPW Versus Sector-Based PWM: Why the Distinction Matters
The Progressive Wage Model most employers know is sector-based: it applies to workers in retail, food services, cleaning, security, landscape, waste management, and lift and escalator maintenance, and the wage floor depends on which industry the employer operates in.
Occupational Progressive Wages work differently. OPW applies by job function, not by industry. An administrative assistant working at a law firm, a manufacturing plant or a logistics company falls under exactly the same OPW wage schedule, provided the employer meets the coverage test below. This is why an organisation that has never touched a PWM sector in its life can still be squarely caught by OPW obligations.
Who OPW Covers
Per the Ministry of Manpower, OPW requirements cover all Singapore citizens and permanent residents who are full-time or part-time employees in administrative or driving roles on a contract of service, and who are employed by firms that also employ foreign workers on mainstream work passes. If your firm has no foreign workers on Work Permits, S Passes or Employment Passes, OPW does not apply to you. The moment you hire even one such foreign worker, every resident administrator or driver on your payroll must be paid at or above the applicable OPW floor.
What Changed on 1 July 2026: New Job Tiers and Wage Floors
The 1 July 2026 update is not a brand-new scheme; OPW for administrators and drivers has applied since 1 March 2023. What changed is the wage schedule and, for drivers, the job classification structure, following the National Wages Council’s 2025/2026 Guidelines released on 11 November 2025.
Administrators: Revised Wage Floors
The administrator job ladder (administrative supervisor, administrative executive, administrative assistant) is unchanged in structure, but the responsibilities at each tier were sharpened to reflect digital tools, complex chatbot systems and data-driven workflows, and the wage floors rose again from 1 July 2026.
Drivers: A New Group Structure
Drivers saw a bigger structural change. The previous two-tier system of “general driver” and “specialised driver” was replaced from 1 July 2026 with a licence-based Group and Level structure: Group A covers drivers holding a Class 3 licence or below, and Group B covers drivers holding a Class 4 licence or above, each with a Level 1 and Level 2 tier depending on additional duties such as route planning, mentoring or handling hazardous materials.
OPW Wage Table: 1 July 2025 to 1 July 2027
The table below sets out the verified monthly gross wage floors (full-time, 35 to 44 hours a week, excluding overtime) from the Ministry of Manpower’s OPW schedule.
| Job level | From 1 Jul 2025 | From 1 Jul 2026 | From 1 Jul 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative supervisor | ≥ S$3,160 | ≥ S$3,340 | ≥ S$3,520 |
| Administrative executive | ≥ S$2,580 | ≥ S$2,760 | ≥ S$2,940 |
| Administrative assistant | ≥ S$1,980 | ≥ S$2,170 | ≥ S$2,360 |
| Driver, Group A Level 1 (Class 3 licence or below) | ≥ S$2,190 (general driver) | ≥ S$2,370 | ≥ S$2,550 |
| Driver, Group A Level 2 | n/a (new tier) | ≥ S$2,485 | ≥ S$2,665 |
| Driver, Group B Level 1 (Class 4 licence or above) | ≥ S$2,320 (specialised driver) | ≥ S$2,505 | ≥ S$2,690 |
| Driver, Group B Level 2 | n/a (new tier) | ≥ S$2,555 | ≥ S$2,790 |
These figures cover basic wage, allowances (travel, food, housing) and productivity incentive payments. They exclude bonuses, Annual Wage Supplement, stock options, expense reimbursements and employer CPF contributions, so employers cannot use a generous bonus scheme to paper over a basic wage that falls short of the floor. Part-time administrators and drivers are covered on a pro-rated hourly basis; employers should check the full hourly tables on the MOM website against each worker’s actual weekly hours.
Compliance Steps for Employers
Step 1: Confirm Whether OPW Applies to You
Check your foreign worker headcount first. If you employ at least one Work Permit, S Pass or Employment Pass holder, move to step two. If you have no foreign workers at all, OPW for administrators and drivers does not apply, though you should still monitor the position if your hiring plans change.
Step 2: Map Every Resident Administrator and Driver Against the Job Ladder
Job titles are not determinative. MOM assesses coverage against actual duties, so a “coordinator” doing administrative assistant-level tasks is still caught, while a manager whose duties genuinely fall outside the OPW job rungs is not. Review the detailed responsibilities in the MOM job ladder before concluding a role is exempt.
Step 3: Benchmark Current Wages Against the 1 July 2026 Floors
Any administrative assistant paid below S$2,170 a month, or any Group A Level 1 driver paid below S$2,370, needs an immediate salary adjustment, with corresponding checks up the job ladder for supervisors, executives and Level 2 drivers.
Step 4: Adjust Payroll and Document the Change
Issue a salary amendment letter for every affected worker, keep signed copies for CPF and MOM audit purposes, and make sure payroll software calculates July’s CPF contributions on the adjusted wage from day one. MOM cross-checks CPF contribution records against declared OPW wages, so a payroll system still running the old figures will surface as a discrepancy during a compliance check.
Step 5: Do Not Neglect Training Requirements
OPW compliance is not wages alone. Employers must also ensure covered administrators and drivers meet at least one Workforce Skills Qualification Statement of Attainment, or complete an equivalent in-house training programme, with a six-month grace period for new hires. Wage compliance without training compliance is still incomplete OPW compliance.
Step 6: Diarise the Next Step-Up
The 1 July 2027 wage floors are already published (administrative assistant to S$2,360, Group A Level 1 driver to S$2,550, Group B Level 1 driver to S$2,690). Building both this year’s and next year’s increases into budgets and employment contracts now avoids a repeat scramble in twelve months.
Enforcement: Why This Is Not Just a Payroll Matter
OPW compliance is a condition for obtaining or renewing mainstream work passes. Employers who fail to bring covered resident administrators and drivers up to the applicable floor risk being unable to hire or renew foreign workers on Work Permits, S Passes or Employment Passes. That is a materially more disruptive consequence than a financial penalty: it can stall your operations if you rely on foreign manpower for other roles in the business. MOM verifies compliance through CPF contribution records, the Employment of Foreign Manpower database and periodic employer declarations, so the safest approach is a proactive payroll review before your next work pass renewal, not a reactive one after MOM flags a gap.
Government Co-Funding: Progressive Wage Credit Scheme
Employers who raise wages to meet the OPW floors are not left to absorb the full cost alone. Under the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS), administered by IRAS, the government co-funds a share of qualifying year-on-year wage increases for lower-wage workers, provided the increase is genuine, sustained, and reflected in CPF contributions rather than a one-off allowance. No separate application is required; payouts are computed from CPF records and disbursed automatically, typically in the year following the increase. Employers raising an administrative assistant’s wage to meet the new S$2,170 floor should factor the PWCS co-funding into their cost planning rather than treating the full increase as a net new expense. For the mechanics of qualifying wage increases, funding tiers and disbursement timing, see our Progressive Wage Credit Scheme (PWCS) Singapore 2026 guide.
How This Fits Into Your Wider 2026 Compliance Calendar
The OPW revision for administrators and drivers does not arrive in isolation. Employers juggling a mixed resident and foreign workforce should treat 1 July 2026 as a cluster date rather than a single line item. If you are also reviewing flexible work arrangements for affected staff, our Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Singapore 2026 employer’s guide is a useful companion read, and if your administrators or drivers include foreign talent whose occupations intersect with the broader work pass framework, check our NTS Occupation List expansion, September 2026 article for related eligibility changes. Employers reviewing their training obligations alongside OPW should also note the training grant landscape has shifted; our piece on the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) merger and what it means for employer training grants explains how WSQ course funding now flows through the merged agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OPW apply if my company has no foreign employees at all?
No. The OPW requirement for administrators and drivers is triggered by the employer’s foreign worker headcount. If you employ no Work Permit, S Pass or Employment Pass holders, OPW for administrators and drivers does not apply to your resident staff.
Is OPW a brand-new scheme starting 1 July 2026?
No. OPW for administrators and drivers has applied since 1 March 2023. What took effect on 1 July 2026 is a revised, higher wage schedule and, for drivers, a restructured licence-based classification (Group A and Group B, each with Level 1 and Level 2), following the NWC’s 2025/2026 Guidelines.
What happens if I miss the 1 July 2026 deadline?
MOM enforces OPW compliance through work pass eligibility. Non-compliance can prevent you from applying for or renewing Work Permits, S Passes or Employment Passes for your foreign workforce, in addition to any other action MOM may take.
Do bonuses or allowances count towards the OPW wage floor?
Basic wage, fixed allowances (travel, food, housing) and productivity incentive payments count. Bonuses, including the Annual Wage Supplement, stock options, expense reimbursements and employer CPF contributions do not count towards the OPW gross wage requirement.
Conclusion
The 1 July 2026 OPW revision for administrators and drivers is easy to miss precisely because it is occupational rather than sector-based; it can catch a professional services firm, a manufacturer or a logistics operator with equal force, regardless of what the business actually does. The fix is straightforward: confirm your foreign worker headcount, map every resident administrator and driver against the MOM job ladder, benchmark current pay against the new floors, adjust payroll with proper documentation, keep training records current, and diarise the 1 July 2027 step-up now. Employers who treat this as a work pass eligibility issue, not merely a payroll adjustment, will avoid the costlier consequence of losing the ability to renew foreign worker passes altogether.
If you need help reviewing your payroll against the latest OPW schedule, structuring salary amendment letters, or coordinating this alongside your other 2026 HR compliance obligations, the team at Raffles Corporate Services can help. Get in touch with Raffles Corporate Services to have your compliance position reviewed before your next work pass renewal.
The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services