Singapore adds 8 jobs to NTS Work Permit list on Sept. 1

Singapore expands NTS Work Permit hiring on Sept. 1

Singapore will open its Non-Traditional Sources Occupation List to eight additional jobs on Sept. 1, expanding hiring beyond the roles currently available under the Work Permit program.

Eight occupations become eligible

Employers will be able to hire eligible Work Permit holders as butchers and fishmongers, food and drink stall assistants, kitchen assistants, waiters, cabin attendants, babysitters and infant caregivers, educarers and teacher aides.

Before Sept. 1, those jobs aren't covered by the Non-Traditional Sources (NTS) Occupation List. The expansion adds roles across food services, air transportation and social services, following an earlier addition of heavy-vehicle drivers, manufacturing operators and more categories of cooks in September 2025.

Eligible workers can come from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Bhutan, Cambodia and Laos joined the NTS country list on June 1, 2025, not in 2026.

Employers face salary and quota controls

NTS Work Permit holders hired through the occupation list must receive at least SGD 2,000 in fixed monthly salary. They can account for no more than 8% of an employer’s total workforce and each company must remain within its sector’s broader foreign-worker quota.

Sector rules apply too. Food businesses need a valid Singapore Food Agency Food Shop or Supermarket licence under the company’s registered name. Airlines must hold an eligible operator certificate or permit, while childcare employers need an Early Childhood Development Centre licence or an appointment under the ChildMinding Pilot.

Employers seeking to place workers in these roles from Sept. 1 need to confirm the relevant licence, salary and quota position before filing Work Permit applications. The change doesn’t automatically convert existing workers into eligible occupations.

No new route for digital nomads

The expansion doesn't alter tourist entry, Employment Pass or S Pass rules and it doesn't create a digital nomad visa. Remote workers considering Singapore’s residency rules still need an existing immigration route that permits their intended activity.

The effect for nomads, travelers and expatriate families is indirect. A larger hiring pool could increase staffing capacity in restaurants, licensed childcare centers and airline cabins, but visitor permissions and remote-work restrictions remain unchanged.