Singapore Updates Work Permit Policies for 2025

Key Points  

• Singapore will update work permit policies in 2025, increasing the age limit, expanding eligible countries and adding new roles for foreign workers 

Singapore Updates Work Permit Regulations 

Singapore will implement changes to its work permit policies starting in 2025, affecting employment age limits and eligibility criteria for foreign nationals.  

Effective 1 July 2025, the maximum employment age for work permit holders will increase from 60 to 62, with a new age limit of 61 introduced for specific categories. Additionally, the list of eligible countries will now include Bhutan, Cambodia and Laos, alongside Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Further updates, effective 1 September 2025, will expand eligibility for foreign nationals from these countries to be employed as cooks, heavy vehicle drivers and manufacturing operators. These policy changes aim to broaden workforce availability and address sector-specific labor needs.