Singapore's labor law requires a contracting party to give written notice to the other party to terminate the employment contract. This notice can be in the form of a termination or resignation letter. The length of notice must be the date indicated in the contract, or the length agreed to in the verbal agreement if no written contract exists. All employees, including those on a fixed-term contract, can resign anytime if they serve the required notice stated in their contract or make payment in lieu of notice. If no notice period has been agreed to in the contract, the notice should be based on the employee's length of service as follows:
Both parties can also agree to waive the notice period by mutual consent. Such a waiver should be concluded in writing.
Singapore issues the following categories of work permits:
Professionals:
Beginning January 1, 2027, the EP salary requirement for new applications will rise to SGD 6,000.
Skilled and semi-skilled workers:
Effective January 1, 2027, the S-Pass salary requirement for new applications is SGD 3,600.
Trainees and students:
Singapore also offers family member visas as well as exemptions to certain visitors in the country for brief work.
According to Singapore's Employment Act, employees are entitled to paid annual leave if they have worked for at least 3 months with the employer. The Employment Act does not detail any other procedure for requesting annual leave beyond seeking the employer's approval before taking it.
The length of the annual leave depends on an employee's years of service, starting from the first day of work with the employer. Eligibility for leave is as follows:
Generally, an employee's service contract shall not require them to work more than 6 consecutive hours without a break, more than 8 hours a day, or more than 44 hours in one week. Some exceptions to this general rule are listed in the paragraphs below.
An employee engaged in work that must be carried on continuously can be required to work for 8 consecutive hours. However, the workday must include a period or periods of not less than 45 minutes in total, during which the employee shall have the opportunity to have a meal.
Also, if there are fewer than 8 hours of work on 1 or more days of the week, the limit of 8 hours in 1 day may be exceeded during the remaining days of the week. Still, no employee shall be required to work more than 9 hours a day or more than 44 hours per week.
Under the Employment Act, every female employee is entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave starting 4 weeks before the expected delivery and 12 weeks after delivery. The employer must pay the first 8 weeks at the employee's gross pay rate, while the government will pay the last 8 weeks. Multiple births (twins or triplets) are treated as a single delivery, and therefore, the employee is not entitled to double maternity benefits. To be eligible for these benefits, the following criteria must be met:
Beginning April 1, 2026, working parents can share up to 10 weeks of paid parental leave.
An employee can take maternity leave either at once or over 12 months. Before taking leave, the employee should reach an agreement with the employer on how her maternity leave is to be split. The employee must take the first 8 weeks in one block and can take the last 8 weeks flexibly. Employees are also eligible for adoption leave if they adopt a child under 12 months of age.
While Singapore's labor law sets minimum wages for workers in Singapore in specific sectors, the Ministry of Manpower states that employers should pay their employees based on their skills, capabilities, and competencies.
Singapore sets forth a progressive wage model for employees who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents in the following job roles: cleaning, security, landscape, lift and escalator, retail, food services, and waste management. Employers are encouraged to use the same progressive wage principles for foreign employees in those sectors. Effective July 1, 2026, the Local Qualifying Salary is SGD 1,800 for full-time employees, and part-time employees are entitled to at least SGD 900 per month.
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