Singapore Jobs for Indians: COMPASS Points and MyCareersFuture

If you are searching for Singapore jobs for Indians, it helps to understand one thing first. Most professional roles you will apply for need your employer to get you an Employment Pass (EP). That EP application is scored against a points framework called COMPASS. Your CV and job search work better once you know which points depend on you, which depend on the employer, and where genuine vacancies are advertised.

This guide covers both, with steps you can use today. It is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules, salary thresholds and criteria change, so always confirm details on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Employment Pass pages before acting.

How the Employment Pass works for Indian applicants

The EP is for foreign professionals, managers and executives. Indian nationals apply under the same rules as everyone else; there is no separate Indian route for the EP. In practice, the employer (or an appointed employment agent) submits the application, not you.

As described on MOM's EP eligibility page, most applications go through two stages:

1. Stage 1: qualifying salary. The fixed monthly salary must meet a minimum that rises with age and is higher in financial services. Check MOM's current figures rather than relying on numbers quoted in older articles.
2. Stage 2: COMPASS. The application must score enough points across a set of criteria. Some roles are exempt, for example very highly paid roles and certain intra-corporate transfers; MOM lists the exemptions.

If a role does not reach the EP salary level, employers may consider the S Pass instead, which has its own salary criteria and quotas. That is a different scheme, so read MOM's S Pass page separately if it applies to you.

COMPASS points explained, criterion by criterion

COMPASS has four foundational criteria and two bonus criteria. Each foundational criterion scores 0, 10 or 20 points, and the application needs a minimum total set by MOM. Here is a plain-English summary; MOM's eligibility page has the precise definitions and thresholds.

Criterion	What it looks at	Who influences it
C1 Salary	Your salary compared with local professionals in the same sector, adjusted for age	Mostly the employer, partly your negotiation
C2 Qualifications	Your highest qualification, with more points for top-tier institutions	You (by documenting it properly)
C3 Diversity	How large a share of the firm's professionals already share your nationality	The employer's workforce
C4 Support for local employment	The firm's share of local professionals compared with sector peers	The employer's workforce
C5 Skills bonus	Whether the role is on the Shortage Occupation List	The role itself
C6 Strategic economic priorities bonus	Whether the firm is in a qualifying government-supported programme	The employer

What this means for you in practice

• C2 is the criterion you control most. Your degree needs to be verifiable. MOM requires verification proof for qualifications declared in applications, so keep your degree certificate, transcripts and any verification report ready. If your institution counts as top-tier under MOM's list, say so clearly and accurately on your CV.
• C3 is outside your control. A firm that already employs many Indian professionals may score lower on diversity for another Indian hire. That does not mean you cannot be hired there; points from other criteria may make up the difference. It does mean that firms with a more mixed workforce, or smaller firms, may face a different calculation.
• C5 can work in your favour. If your genuine experience matches a role on MOM's Shortage Occupation List, target those roles. Only do this where the job truly fits your background.
• C1 links to salary. A role offered at the bottom of the market for your age and sector earns fewer points. You cannot set the salary, but you can research typical pay and avoid underselling yourself when asked.

MOM offers a self-assessment tool for employers. You will not know a company's internal workforce figures, so treat any calculation you do yourself as a rough guide, not a prediction.

Using MyCareersFuture to find real vacancies

MyCareersFuture is Singapore's government job portal, run by Workforce Singapore. It matters for foreign applicants because of the Fair Consideration Framework: unless an exemption applies, employers must advertise a role on MyCareersFuture for a minimum period, with a salary range, before submitting an EP application for it.

That makes the portal a useful research tool. A role advertised there by a named employer is a real, registered vacancy, and the salary range helps you judge whether it is likely to meet EP levels.

How to search it effectively

1. Search by job title and skills, not by "visa sponsorship". Listings rarely say that, and the portal is aimed at local hiring first.
2. Read the salary range against MOM's qualifying salary for your age and sector. If the top of the range is below it, an EP is unlikely for that role.
3. Note the employer's name and UEN (Singapore business registration number) shown on the listing. Use it to find the company's own careers page.
4. Check how you can apply. Applying through the portal itself may require a Singapore login that overseas applicants often do not have. If so, apply through the employer's website or a named recruiter instead.
5. Track roles in a spreadsheet with columns for posting date, salary range, Shortage Occupation List match (yes/no) and application route.

You can also use LinkedIn and company careers pages. Cross-checking a role you found elsewhere against MyCareersFuture is a simple way to confirm it is genuine.

Tailoring your CV for Singapore employers

Singapore recruiters read many international CVs, and a few changes make yours easier to assess.

• Length: two pages is common for experienced professionals. Cut older roles to one or two lines.
• Personal details: a name, phone number with country code, email, LinkedIn and current city are enough. Photos, date of birth, marital status and religion are not needed on a Singapore CV, and many employers prefer you leave them out.
• Work authorisation line: under your contact details, add something factual such as "Indian national; will require an Employment Pass." Being upfront saves time for both sides.
• Notice period: many Indian roles have 60 to 90 day notice periods. State yours, because employers plan EP timelines around it.
• Qualifications: give the full institution name, degree, year and grading in a form an international reader understands, for example "First Class (CGPA 8.4/10)".
• Results in context: replace duties with outcomes. Instead of "Responsible for cloud migration", write "Led migration of 14 internal services to AWS over 6 months, reducing monthly hosting costs" (only with figures you can back up).

Match your CV to the wording of each job ad, but only using skills and tools you have really used. Our guide on how to tailor a CV without lying shows where the line is. If you want a second opinion on how closely your CV reflects a specific ad, the ATS CV checker gives an estimate of keyword match. It is our own score, not any employer's applicant tracking system, so use it as a prompt to review gaps.

A step-by-step plan for applying from India

1. Check eligibility first. Compare your likely salary with MOM's EP qualifying salary for your age and sector.
2. Gather documents. Degree certificates, transcripts, verification proof, passport and recent payslips.
3. Check the Shortage Occupation List for roles that match your actual experience.
4. Build a target list of 20 to 40 employers from MyCareersFuture, LinkedIn and industry associations. Include firms of different sizes.
5. Create a master CV, then tailor a version per role.
6. Write a short cover note that states your nationality, EP requirement, notice period and the two or three most relevant achievements.
7. Prepare for video interviews across time zones; Singapore is two and a half hours ahead of India.
8. Ask sensible questions once an offer is near: who will submit the EP application, the expected timeline, and the fixed monthly salary.

If you are juggling several countries at once, the QuickApplyPilot remote and international jobs tool can help you adapt a CV and cover note for a specific country and role. It does not find vacancies or affect pass decisions; it helps with the writing so you can apply more consistently.

Red flags to watch for

Genuine Singapore employers do not ask candidates to pay for an Employment Pass application. Be cautious if someone:

• asks for a "processing", "visa" or "placement" fee before you have a written offer;
• promises a guaranteed EP or a job without an interview;
• cannot name the employer, or the employer cannot be found on Singapore's business registry;
• claims to be an agency but does not appear in MOM's Employment Agency directory on mom.gov.sg.

Our post on fake visa sponsorship job offer scam signs covers more patterns that look convincing at first glance.

Key points to remember

• The employer applies for your EP; you support it with accurate, verifiable documents.
• COMPASS mixes factors you control (qualifications, honest positioning for shortage roles) with factors you do not (the firm's workforce mix).
• MyCareersFuture is the best place to confirm a vacancy is real and to check salary ranges against EP levels.
• No CV, agent or tool can guarantee a job or a pass. Check every rule on official MOM pages, and if your situation is complex, consider advice from a qualified professional rather than relying on this post.