Eleven individuals have been arrested for allegedly submitting false employment information to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the ministry announced on 24 January 2025. The alleged offences were aimed at inflating the foreign worker quotas of eight construction companies.
The arrests occurred on 23 January following raids at 37 locations conducted by MOM officers. Among those arrested were five Singaporean directors of the implicated construction firms, aged between 42 and 57.
Four other Singaporeans and two permanent residents were also detained for allegedly abetting the directors in making false employment declarations. MOM stated that the companies made Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for individuals who were not their employees to artificially increase their quotas for hiring foreign workers.
“Some of these Singaporeans and permanent residents are suspected to have been approached by the directors for their personal details in return for monetary incentives,” MOM said in a media release.
The ministry added that 16 additional individuals are currently under investigation for similar offences. MOM has emphasised that providing accurate and truthful information regarding employment is critical for compliance with foreign manpower regulations.
On its website, MOM explains that a company’s foreign worker quota is determined by the number of local employees, as reflected in its CPF account. For the construction sector, foreign workers are restricted to 83.3% of a company’s total workforce.
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, employers and work pass applicants are required to make truthful declarations to the controller of work passes. Employers found guilty of submitting false declarations in work pass applications face penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$20,000 (US$14,800), or both.
Additionally, errant employers may have their work pass privileges revoked, while foreign work pass applicants involved in such schemes may be barred from working in Singapore.
MOM warned that individuals who collude with employers to make fraudulent CPF contributions to meet quota requirements may also face prosecution.
Similar offences have occurred in Singapore in recent years, highlighting the need for ongoing vigilance.
In May 2023, MOM arrested 27 individuals linked to a syndicate that fraudulently inflated quotas to bring in over 290 migrant workers. In another significant case in August 2024, three companies and four directors were convicted for submitting 111 false salary declarations over a decade to hire more foreign workers than permitted.
