Indian restaurants in Singapore will be able to hire cooks from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka from Sept 1

SINGAPORE: On Tuesday (Aug 15), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released the application details for cooks in Indian restaurants, which will be able to hire cooks from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

In the past, Singapore employers in services and manufacturing industries have hired work permit holders from China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan. The list has since expanded to workers from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand, or the Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) with work permits.

This will help address the manpower crunch that has affected certain sectors.

MOM said in a release on Aug 15 that the Non-Traditional Source Occupation List (NTS OL) it had announced at the Committee of Supply 2022 will be implemented with effect beginning on Sept 1 of this year.

“The NTS OL is intended to help firms adjust to the S Pass qualifying salary and levy increases by allowing them access to NTS Work Permit holders for occupations with pressing manpower needs, but see low take-up by locals and are harder to automate,” said the Ministry.

Two more job roles have been added to the NTS OL: housekeepers and porters.

In the same release, MOM provided details for applications to work as cooks at Indian restaurants for individuals from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Singapore restaurants are currently allowed to hire Work Permit holders from Malaysia, People’s Republic of China and North Asian Sources.

“We appreciate the Government’s effort in coming up with the NTS OL scheme to allow Indian restaurants to hire cooks at the Work Permit level. This will help us greatly in our mission to serve authentic Indian cuisine and preserve the Indian heritage in Singapore,” MOM quoted Mr S.Mahenthiran, Chief Executive Officer, Catering Solutions and Honorary Secretary of the Indian Restaurants Association of Singapore, as saying.

From Sept 1, Indian restaurants wishing to hire NTS Work Permit Holders may apply via a FormSG link on the MOM website.

“Applications will be assessed on their eligibility by a panel comprising industry and government stakeholders in Indian cuisine. Eligible Indian restaurants may thereafter submit their Work Permit applications via MOM’s Work Permit Online (WPOL),” the Ministry added.

The MOM release may be read in full here. /TISG

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